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.

World's Greatest and More Nigel Hall

No one ever called me with the times.

I speak truth when I tell you I heard this song - - and liked it - -  from 2002 for the first time ever yesterday.  If his Wiki entry is accurate that R. Kelly is the King of R and B, then where have I been the past ten years?

Oh, right, starting and raising a family.  Since I don't listen to pop radio or watch commercial tv, that might play a role, too.




And yet.

I still contend that Nigel Hall is, like my friend the Coach stated recently to me, the best soul singer out there today.  But of course I always go for the low-lying fruit.






This video is more like a montage of  a show.  Of course I love Nigel's voice but check out Adam Smirnoff, "Shmeeans" (in baseball cap), on guitar...got to love those facial expressions.