Editing Phish (section)

===Formation, ''The White Tape'' and ''The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday'': 1983–1988===
Phish was formed at the [[University of Vermont]] (UVM) in 1983 by guitarists [[Trey Anastasio]] and [[Jeff Holdsworth]], bassist [[Mike Gordon]], and drummer [[Jon Fishman]]. Anastasio and Fishman had met that October, after Anastasio overheard Fishman playing drums in his dormitory room, and asked if he and Holdsworth could jam with him.<ref>{{cite book |last=Puterbaugh |first=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306819209 |pages=19–20, 23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXD8AgAAQBAJ&q=phish&pg=PA19  }}</ref> Gordon met the trio shortly thereafter, having answered a want-ad for a bass guitarist that Anastasio had posted around the university.<ref>{{cite book |last=Puterbaugh |first=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306819209 |pages=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXD8AgAAQBAJ&q=phish&pg=PA19  }}</ref>

The new group performed their first concert at Harris Millis Cafeteria at the University of Vermont on December 2, 1983, where they played a set of classic rock covers, including two songs by the [[Grateful Dead]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dec 02, 1983 Setlist - Phish.net |url=http://phish.net/setlists/phish-december-02-1983-harris-millis-cafeteria-university-of-vermont-burlington-vt-usa.html |website=phish.net |access-date=5 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Puterbaugh |first1=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=9780306819209 |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXD8AgAAQBAJ&q=%22blackwood%20convention%22%20phish&pg=PA24  }}</ref> The band performed one more concert in 1983, and then did not perform again for nearly a year, stemming from Anastasio's suspension from the university following a prank he had pulled with a friend.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Puterbaugh |first1=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306819209 |pages=25–26 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXD8AgAAQBAJ&q=phish&pg=PA25  }}</ref>

Anastasio returned to his hometown of [[Princeton, New Jersey]] following the prank, and reconnected with his childhood friend [[Tom Marshall (singer)|Tom Marshall]]; The duo began a songwriting collaboration and recorded material that would appear on the ''[[Bivouac Jaun]]'' demo tape.<ref name="marshmeet">{{cite book |last1=Puterbaugh |first1=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306819209 |pages=26–27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXD8AgAAQBAJ&q=phish&pg=PA26  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FAQ - Phish.net |url=http://www.phish.net/faq/band-history |website=Phish.net |access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref> Marshall and Anastasio have subsequently composed the majority of Phish's original songs throughout their career.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jarnow |first1=Jesse |title=Tom Marshall: Biography & History |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-marshall-mn0000612910/biography |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=19 July 2020  }}</ref> Anastasio returned to Burlington in late 1984, and resumed performing with Gordon, Holdsworth and Fishman.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Puterbaugh |first1=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=26 October 2010 |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=978-0-306-81920-9 |page=40 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXD8AgAAQBAJ&dq=phish%20name%201984&pg=PA40 |language=en}}</ref> The quartet named themselves Phish in October 1984, shortly before they performed their first concert together following Anastasio's return to UVM.<ref name="namelogo">{{cite book |last1=Puterbaugh |first1=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306819209 |pages=41–42 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXD8AgAAQBAJ&q=phish%20name&pg=PA41  }}</ref> Anastasio designed the band's logo, which featured the group's name inside a stylized fish.<ref name="namelogo"/> The band's members have given several different origins for the name Phish. In Parke Puterbaugh's 2009 book ''Phish: The Biography'', the origin is given as a variation on ''phshhhh'', an onomatopoeia of the sound of a brush on a snare drum.<ref name="namelogo"/> In the 2004 official documentary ''Specimens of Beauty'', Anastasio said the band was also named after Fishman, whose nickname is "Fish."<ref name="namelogo"/> In a 1996 interview, Fishman denied that the band was named after him, and said the onomatopoeic inspiration behind the name was the sound of an airplane taking off.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rossi |first1=Christophe |title=Jon Fishman: The Retracted Colorado Interview |url=https://relix.com/articles/detail/jon-fishman-the-retracted-colorado-interview/ |website=Relix Media |access-date=3 August 2020 |date=6 September 2011}}</ref>

In late 1984, Phish began to play regularly at Nectar's bar and restaurant in downtown Burlington, and performed dozens of concerts across multiple residencies through March 1989.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kahn |first1=Andy |title=Phish Plays Nectar's For 1st Time On This Date In 1984 |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/phish-nectars-1st-time-1984 |website=JamBase |access-date=2 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="brain">{{cite web |last1=O'Brien |first1=Andrew |title=Hear Jon Fishman's Comical Debut Of "If I Only Had A Brain" At Phish's Final Nectar's Run, This Day In '89 |url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/features/cool-shit/phish-nectars-brain-1989/ |website=Live for Live Music |access-date=19 July 2020 |date=12 March 2018}}</ref> The band's 1992 album ''A Picture of Nectar'' was named in honor of the bar's owner, Nector Rorris, and its cover features his face superimposed onto an orange.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hallenbeck |first1=Brent |title=Life begins at 40 for Nectar's in Burlington |url=https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/entertainment/2015/01/21/life-begins-nectars-burlington/22122303/ |website=The Burlington Free Press |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>

The band would collaborate with [[percussion instrument|percussion]]ist [[Marc Daubert]], a friend of Anastasio's, in the fall of 1984.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hidden Track interview: Marc Daubert Has No Regrets |url=https://glidemagazine.com/141735/hidden-track-interview-former-phish-percussionist-marc-daubert-has-no-regrets/ |website=Glide Magazine |date=13 January 2009 |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> Daubert ceased performing with the band in early 1985.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kahn |first1=Andy |title=Page McConnell Makes Phish Debut In 1985 |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/page-mcconnell-makes-phish-debut-1985 |website=JamBase |access-date=22 April 2020 |date=3 May 2016}}</ref> Keyboardist [[Page McConnell]] met Phish in early 1985, when he arranged for them to play a spring concert at [[Goddard College]], the small university he attended in [[Plainfield, Vermont]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Puterbaugh |first=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306819209 |url=https://archive.org/details/phishbiography00pute |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/phishbiography00pute/page/45 45] |quote=phish mcconnell joined.  }}</ref> He began performing with the band as a guest shortly thereafter, and made his live debut during the third set of their May 3, 1985 concert at UVM's Redstone Campus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://phish.net/setlists/1985.html#1985-01-01|title=Phish setlists|publisher=Phish.net|access-date=2011-05-28}}</ref> In the summer of 1985, Phish went on a short hiatus while Anastasio and Fishman vacationed in Europe; during this time, McConnell offered to join the band permanently, and moved to Burlington to learn their repertoire from Gordon.<ref name="mc46">{{cite book |last1=Puterbaugh |first1=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306819209 |pages=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXD8AgAAQBAJ&q=phish%20%22two%20guitar%20band%22&pg=PA46  }}</ref> McConnell officially joined Phish as a full-time band member in September 1985.<ref name="mc46" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Sep 26, 1985 Setlist - Phish.net |url=http://phish.net/setlists/phish-september-26-1985-wruv-radio-burlington-vt-usa.html |website=phish.net |access-date=15 October 2018  }}</ref>

Phish performed with a five-piece lineup for about six months after McConnell joined, a period which ended when Holdsworth quit the group in March 1986 following a religious conversion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Puterbaugh |first1=Parke |title=Phish: The Biography |date=2010 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306819209 |pages=49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXD8AgAAQBAJ&q=phish%20mcconnell%20joined&pg=PA49  }}</ref> Anastasio and Fishman relocated in mid-1986 to Goddard College after a recommendation from McConnell.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ward |first1=Justin |title=Watch a Young Trey Anastasio Give His Goddard College Graduation Speech |url=https://livemusicblog.com/news/trey-anastasio-phish-goddard-college-graduation-speech/ |website=Live Music Blog |access-date=19 July 2020 |date=30 August 2019}}</ref> Phish distributed at least six experimental self-titled cassettes during this era, including ''[[Phish (album)|The White Tape]]''.<ref name="whitetape">{{cite web |title=The White Tape - Phish.net |url=https://phish.net/album/the-white-tape |website=phish.net |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>

While based at Goddard College, Phish began to collaborate with fellow students Richard "Nancy" Wright and Jim Pollock.<ref name="heads">{{cite book|last1=Jarnow|first1=Jesse|title=Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America|date=2016|publisher=Da Capo Press|pages=199–220}}</ref> Pollock and Wright were musical collaborators who made experimental recordings on multi-track cassettes, and had been introduced to Phish through McConnell, who co-hosted a radio program on [[WGDR]] with Pollock.<ref name="nancy">{{cite web |last1=Jarnow |first1=Jesse |title=Everyone Knew Him as Nancy: Richard Wright and the Old, Weird Phish |url=https://relix.com/articles/detail/everyone-knew-him-as-nancy-richard-wright-and-the-old-weird-phish/ |website=Relix Media |access-date=28 March 2019 |date=15 August 2012}}</ref> Phish adopted a number of Nancy's songs into their own set, including "Halley's Comet", "I Didn't Know", and "Dear Mrs. Reagan", the latter song being written by Nancy and Pollock. In his book ''Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America'', music journalist Jesse Jarnow observed that Wright and his music were highly influential to Phish's early style and experimental sound.<ref name="heads"/> Wright amicably ended his association with Phish in 1989, but Pollock has continued to collaborate with Phish over the years, designing some of their album covers and concert posters.<ref name="heads"/><ref name="nancy"/>

By 1985, the group had encountered Burlington [[luthier]] [[Paul Languedoc]], who would eventually design custom instruments for Anastasio and Gordon.<ref name="faqhist">{{cite web |title=FAQ: Band history |url=https://phish.net/faq/band-history |website=phish.net |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> In October 1986, he began working as their sound engineer.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wed, 1986-10-15 Hunt's |url=https://phish.com/tours/dates/wed-1986-10-15-hunts/ |website=Phish.com |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> Since then, Languedoc has built exclusively for the two, and his designs and traditional wood choices have given Phish a unique instrumental identity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://phish.net/faq/languedoc |title=Paul Languedoc |work=FAQ Files |publisher=Phish.net |access-date=2011-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724005501/http://phish.net/faq/languedoc |archive-date=2011-07-24 }}</ref> 

As his senior project for Goddard College, Anastasio penned ''[[The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday]]'', a nine-song [[progressive rock]] concept album that would become Phish's second studio experiment.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Frye |first1=Cory |title=Floating with the flock: Three days among the faithful at the first Phish Studies Conference |url=https://www.gazettetimes.com/news/floating-with-the-flock-three-days-among-the-faithful-at/article_44d07050-925a-591d-8923-7a9c288f645b.html |website=Corvallis Gazette Times |date=2 June 2019 |access-date=1 March 2020  }}</ref> Recorded between 1987 and 1988, it was submitted in July of that year, accompanied by a written thesis. The song cycle that developed from the project – known as [[Gamehendge]] – grew to include an additional eight songs. The band performed the suite in concert on six occasions: in 1988, 1991, 1993, twice in 1994, and in 2023, without replicating the song list.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://phish.net/faq/tmwsiy |title=What is ''The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday''? |work=FAQ Files |publisher=Phish.net |access-date=2011-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017210913/http://phish.net/faq/tmwsiy |archive-date=2010-10-17 }}</ref> ''The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday'' has never received an official release, but a bootleg tape has circulated for decades, and songs such as "Wilson" and "The Lizards" remain concert staples for the band.<ref>{{cite web |title=On The Download: The Phish Studio Albums, Part 1 |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/celebrity/On_The_Download__The_Phish_Studio_Albums__Part_1.html |website=NBC4 Washington |date=31 January 2009 |access-date=1 October 2018  }}</ref><ref name="jbhendge"/>

Beginning in the spring of 1988, members of the band began practicing in earnest, sometimes locking themselves in a room and jamming for hours on end. One such jam took place at Anastasio's apartment, with a second at Paul Languedoc's house in August 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://phish.net/songs/the-oh-kee-pa-ceremony | title= The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony |work=Discography |publisher=Phish.net|access-date=2011-02-09}}</ref> They called these jam sessions "Oh Kee Pa Ceremonies", a reference to the film ''[[A Man Called Horse (film)|A Man Called Horse]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Silberman |first1=Steve |title=Happy Birthday Trey Anastasio: Fall 1994 Interview With Steve Silberman |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/phish-trey-anastasio-interview-fall-1994-steve-silberman |website=JamBase |access-date=19 July 2020 |date=30 September 2018}}</ref> In July 1988, the band performed their first concerts outside of the northeastern United States, when they embarked on a seven-date tour in Colorado.<ref name="relcolo">{{cite web |last1=Greenhaus |first1=Mike |title=Rocky Mountain High: The Untold Story of Phish's Archival Release, _Colorado '88_ (Relix Revisited) |url=https://relix.com/articles/detail/rocky-mountain-high-the-untold-story-of-phish-s-archival-release-colorado-8/ |website=Relix |access-date=19 July 2020 |date=21 June 2011}}</ref> These shows are excerpted on their 2006 live compilation ''[[Colorado '88]]''.<ref name="relcolo"/>