Phish is on the road and (per some accounts) tearing it up. Can’t go to every show? Neither can I. Fortunately, in this wonderful age of social networking on the interweb and mobile devices, you don’t have to sit home wondering what’s going down at the shows.

Here’s a list of useful resources:
Phish – From The Road: Phish’s official website is updated during the shows but it is often bogged down by traffic.

Twitter ?? I don’t use twitter but plenty of people do. Surely some of them are posting setlists on the fly. Phish has their own twitter, don’t they?

PhishTwit : as a matter of fact, there is a ton of Phish tweeting going on. This site helps bring it all together on one screen.

YEMBlog : Great Phish blog. Even when he’s not at the show, great updates, video links and more.

Flickr : Phish – From the Road has a Flickr page but there are dozens of people posting pics after each show. (check out these great Fenway pics.)

Speaking of after the show…

LivePhish : purchase soundboard recordings of each show here. Usually available overnight right after the gig!

PhishThoughts : Mr. Miner’s blog is still running the “no spoilers” download feature. Hit them up after the show and download and listen without seeing the setlist first.

Etree : Use bit torrent to download free, legal, audience recordings in the days following the shows. There’s a ton more than Phish on there so watch your disc space!

It’s really amazing how far we’ve come in 15-20 years. From tape trading via ads in the back of Relix to tape trees setup on r.m.p to today when an adventurous soul with an iPhone (and an unlimited data plan) streams audio and video of the show to the internet. Used to be, if you didn’t go to the show it could be months, or even years before you could listen to it on tape… I’ll stop rambling on about my old age and close with this: See you on tour!

Photo by J. Neely. Used with permission.

Okay. If you saw my (not really a New Year’s) resolution to write more, you probably think I’ve folded up shop and have completely failed in that effort.

“Not so,” I declare!

I have let this website stagnate a bit but I’ve been hard at work on other ventures. Too bad for you guys that those things don’t work in a blog (so far.) However, in the interest of keeping this site active and interesting, I have been thinking about some changes.

Consider this post a call to my reader(s) for submissions. Do you write or feel like writing something that might fit in around here? Have you listened to the new Dylan album and found that you’ve got something to say about it? Have you got some radical, liberal, ravings that need a proper airing? Here’s what you can do.

1. Create an account (see the link on the right.)
2. Email me with your intentions and I’ll set you up!

Let’s see what you’ve got!

Note: I;ve been made aware of recent difficulties in registering for the site. This has been fixed!

One of my favorite music blogs, Hidden Track, scored an exclusive interview with TicketMaster President, David Butler. They talk about the recent Red Rocks Phish ticketing fiasco and, briefly, about TicketsNow.

Read it here.

Well, Phish Fans, Mr. Miner over at the Phish Thoughts blog has uncovered “The Victor Disc“. This is a studio session from 2002 that was never released (save for a few tracks that filtered out some time ago.) Now it’s out there for all to grab.

Head over there to read his write-up and grab it for yourself!

http://phishthoughts.com/

I often use this space to tell you what I’ve been rocking on my iPod. Thing is, it’s not always music. Lately, economics is on everyone’s mind and I’ve been listening to a few podcasts that have been a great help to my understanding of the current crisis. These are today’s topic. Perhaps a little bit dry but definitely worth your attention.

The first big one is the podcast of “This American Life“. Ira Glass and company put on a great show every week on all sorts of topics and I am always enthralled for the hour(ish) that I listen. A while back they ran one of their most popular shows to date, entitled “The Giant Pool Of Money“. This show detailed the ins and outs and wtf?s of the Mortgage Backed Security / Subprime Lending debacle. What’s more, they do so in a way that a college dropout, like myself, can grasp. They don’t just toss off buzzwords and technical terms without pausing to explain them in practical, layman’s terms.

That show was so successful, the two guys who did the show (Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson) have started a blog and a daily podcast of their own called “Planet Money“. They continue to address the economy in plain terms and, given the few eeeks that we’ve been having, they are very busy and doing a great job.

But that’s not all! A couple weeks ago, “This American Life” called Alex and Adam back to do a followup show. This one was appropriately entitled “Another Frightening Show About The Economy“. Here, they go beyond the subprime issue and explain how this has turned into a global economic crisis. Have you ever heard about Credit Default Swaps? You might have recently. Do you know what they are? After hearing this program, you’ll know; and you’ll be shocked. Check it out. 

Oh, and if you haven’t signed up for the “This American Life” podcast yet… Here’s another reason. This weeks episode is back to standard form; several stories on a single subject. Two of the four stories address aspects of the current financial climate. Listen to it here.