Jews and Phish In the HuffPost

My favorite band and my lifestyle come together, from my vantage point, at every show I attend these days.  So I was pretty psyched to see coverage of this very topic - my thoughts validated - over the weekend in the Huffington Post in One. Epic. Article.

I'm glad, glad, glad that there are good writers out there like Josh Fleet, the author of the article (full disclosure:  we are friendly IRL).

I'm glad, glad, glad that there are good news blogs out there like the Huffington Post (full disclosure:  I have never met Arianna).

I'm glad, glad, glad that there are good bands out there like Phish (full disclosure:  I stood behind Trey and Fish once at a friend's wedding. I don't know them, but my friend does).

Phish plays great music.  They are remarkable musicians.  That goes without saying.  I have said that here before.  Jon Pareles has already noted this in the NY Times.  "Remarkable musicianship" was his exact phrase a few years ago.  I am not making this stuff up myself.  But they about more than good music.  They have a message and I hear it loud and clear (as per the aforementioned HuffPost article).  It is about so much:  the light, kindness, youth, human decency, silliness, folklore.  The 4 guys are a bit nebbishy in a good way.  They remind me of guys I know.  They seem like great, decent guys.  And their fans are great, decent people who happen to love great, decent music. 

Speaking of their fans and acquaintances, how awesome is it that I ran into Big Josh (who maybe people should call instead Mensch Josh.  Stango would call him Reb Josh) and Shmeeans at MSG last week?   (full disclosure:  I am friendly with this Josh, too, IRL  And Shmeeans, well, we've met but never really hung out)  Shmeeans is currently on Jam Cruise, something which sounds so fun and, incidentally, where Fish is right now with his band Pork Tornado (yeah yeah you like the treif stuff, I know).  I have heard Shmeeans' band Lettuce and all I gotta say is that dude knows how to rage it proper.

Josh said we should all smile in the picture.  I guess I should have smiled.  I look pretty ridiculous here.

Thank God It's Friday, Hollywood Disco-Style

This comes via my friend Big Josh aka The Coach. He is such a gregarious soul, dare I call him a social butterfly? xoxo to Big Josh, and I can't agree more with this song, part of the film that launched Donna Summer's career!

 As I played field hockey in high school (though about 10 years after this film, and therefore no red tube socks), I naturally love the opening sequence with the girls getting on the bus and their field hockey sticks in hand.

 Thank you, Barry Bernstein and Rob Cohen, writer and producer respectively, for this beacon of light!

(there is a YouTube video link below:  If you are not seeing the image, click through to the website itself and it will appear.  Sometimes in the email digest you won't see it)


 

You've Got a Friend...James Taylor or Not

If you went to summer camp, likely you sang "You've Got a Friend," arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, tears eventually rolling down your cheeks.

I haven't heard it in a long time or thought of it, but along comes this nice cover by Nigel Hall  and friends from last week's JamCruise.  This talented musician is friends with my friend The Coach.  Actually I think I will call him Big Josh from now on, since that is how he referred to himself in another recent online post.  Ok, Big Josh?

Jump to start around 2:00

Remember the Neville Brothers?  At least one of these musicians, Ivan Neville, is related.




My friend Lisa and I did a cover of this song during our teen tour at a make-your-own-cassette-tape kiosk on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and called ourselves, tongue-in-cheek, The Japettes.  Lisa is a good friend to this day and very much *not* that derogatory cultural stereotype.

Here we are, me wearing my Vuarnets, those very 80s preppy sunglasses I referred to in this recent post. when I mentioned the song "Prep School Hippie."