Mike Gordon

My first memory of Mike Gordon was from my freshman year at UVM - 1990. I went to a bar called The Front in Burlington, VT to see Phish. They were “all the rage.” I was doe-eyed and in the front row. It took me some time, like years, to fully get my head around the tension release thing – the dissonance – that ultimately (kind of) defines Phish. Eventually I did but shit, when they busted into “Bathtub Gin” and “Bouncing Round the Room” – Trey blazed a solo or Mike Gordon galloped into a country ditty – I lit up.

The place was tiny but that night felt big. That is to say it felt important. Important to the band – they had found something new, some corner of music that was theirs. It felt important to me too though – personally. I had arrived. My folks were safe and sound back home in New York, and I was out drinking with a fake I.D., wearing a stupid-ass pair of overalls and rocking out to a huge band in a small room. Feels like that night and others like it were defining moments, not just for me but for a lot of us – including the band.

In subsequent years I met all of the guys from Phish, but somehow I met Mike Gordon many times over, like a dozen. Once at a Phish show in OH, once at a cocktail party in NYC, on stage with Max Creek, etc. Several years back at a HeadCount benefit – it must have been 2005 – I remember being thrilled that after nearly a decade, he remembered my name!

I had written to him a few times over the years either to ask advice or to ask him to collaborate, and so when I began this project I lobbed one over the fence. Having coveted his email address for half a decade I figured I would put it to use. A couple months passed and sure enough one day I got an email from his manager saying, “Mike Gordon would like to perform on your album.”

Long story short, he agreed to play on a tune. I sent him “Arc of the Sun.” He crushed it. I was not at the session, but during it he was text-messaging me with little blasts like “this is rockin’,” “sounds awesome.” etc – it got me super pumped. A few days later I was in Burlington for a show and he had me over to listen to the track. I got the chills when he played it for me. Sick! More to the point, I have a reinforced respect for what a great guy Mike Gordon is, the depth of his creativity, and a refined view of what a huge role he plays in the juggernaut that is Phish.