Sigma Oasis Phish

• 1Sigma Oasis05:49
• 2Leaves07:03
• 3Everything's Right12:21
• 4Mercury07:30
• 5Shade04:24
• 6Evening Song03:20
• 7Steam07:52
• 8A Life Beyond The Dream06:30
• 9Thread11:19
• Total Runtime01:06:08

Info for Sigma Oasis

The nine-track, hourlong album was recorded last November at the beloved jam band's longtime studio in Burlington, Vermont, with producer Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White). The group, led by singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio, teased the new music during a Facebook and YouTube listening party Wednesday night before releasing it hours later.

"When we recorded the album, we didn't plan to release it this way. But today, because of the environment we're all in, it just feels right," the band writes in a statement on the release. "We don't know the next time that we're all going to be able to be together. This is an opportunity to have a moment where the Phish community can share something despite being physically separated." (Phish)

Phish is known for the beautiful jam-funkiness that is their music. The band has a large communal following, and is known to have an ingenious schtick or two in the bag, and it’s part of the awe surrounding this band. If you’re unfamiliar, just look up Kasvot Växt, and delve on in. Needless to say, fans chattered back and fourth across social media platforms, discussing what could be in store, as well as the possibility that the band could be throwing a curveball their way. After all, Sigma Oasis, was announced to be released on April Fools. Though not a hoax at all, over 40,000 people joined the live-listening party for the release of Sigma Oasis, and based upon listener commentary, it was widely well received.

Phish

Additional Musicians:
David Davidson, conductor, violin
David Angell, violin
Karen Winkelmann, violin
Kristin Wilkinson, viola
Conni Ellisor, violin
Carole Rabinowitz, cello
Justin Levy, vocals
Tasha DeNae, vocals
Jaymee Rodriguez, vocals
Shaunise Brown, vocals
Noah Denny, percussion

Recorded by Vance Powell, Michael Fahey, Ben Collette, Jared Slomoff
Mixed by Vance Powell at Sputnik Sound
Mix assisted by Michael Fahey
Mastered by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Mastering, Nashville TN
Produced by Phish and Vance Powell

During the early '90s, Phish emerged as heirs to the Grateful Dead's throne. Although their music was somewhat similar to the Dead's sound -- an eclectic, free-form rock & roll encompassing elements of folk, jazz, country, bluegrass, and pop -- the group adhered more to jazz-derived improvisation than folk tradition. Moreover, they sported a looser, goofier attitude; after all, their drummer regularly played a vacuum during their concerts. However, Phish's main claim as the inheritors to the Dead's legacy was their approach to their musical career. The band didn't concentrate on albums, dedicating themselves instead to live improvisation. Within a few years of their 1988 debut, Phish had become an institution in certain sections of America, particularly college campuses and other liberal locales. While their in-concert popularity didn't necessarily translate to huge record sales (their biggest-selling albums usually halted at gold status, with the notable exceptions of Junta and A Live One), Phish's members were still the de facto leaders of the neo-hippie jam band movement.

Guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, and guitarist Jeff Holdsworth formed the band in late 1983 while attending the University of Vermont. After meeting and jamming in their dormitory, the trio posted flyers across campus to recruit a bassist. Mike Gordon answered the advertisement and he was soon added to the original lineup. Phish began practicing regularly and soon assembled a demo tape; by the fall of 1984, they'd also begun performing off-campus concerts. At this stage in their career, the band was augmented by percussionist Marc Daubert and, occasionally, a vocalist called the Dude of Life. Keyboardist Page McConnell soon joined the group, too, having previously booked Phish to play Goddard College's Springfest in 1985. Shortly after McConnell's arrival, Holdsworth left the group, and both Anastasio and Fishman transferred to Goddard College during the fall of 1986.

Early in 1988, Phish recorded the debut album Junta, which they sold as a cassette-only release at local shows. The group played their first tour outside of New England the following year, traveling through the Southeast. Phish also recorded another album, Lawn Boy, in 1989, although the album wasn't released until the fall of 1990 (when it was issued by the independent label Absolute A-Go-Go, a subsidiary of Rough Trade). Throughout early 1991, Phish toured America; during the summer, they recorded their third album, as well as a set of sessions with their old friend, the Dude of Life.

This album contains no booklet.