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 Bands Main
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The Phaithful: Heirs-Apparent
The Dead
Recommended songs: "Franklin's Tower," "Sugaree," "Dark Star"
A 2002 tour by Dead offshoot the Other Ones brought all of the surviving key members of the Grateful Dead — guitarist Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh and drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann — back together for the first time since Garcia's death. Now the foursome, reconstituted as the Dead, is joined by keyboardist Jeff Chimenti (RatDog), guitarist Jimmy Herring (Aquarium Rescue Unit) and guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes (Gov't Mule/ Allman Brothers). The lineup is one of the strongest the band has seen in a long time. It seems a bit ironic, but it's safe to assume that the same batch of fans that switched to Phish and/or the myriad Dead spin-offs after Garcia's passing will jump back to the Dead.
String Cheese Incident (SCI)
Recommended songs: "Jelly Fish," "Round the Wheel," "Rivertrance"
If any of these bands has consciously modeled itself after Phish, it's Colorado's String Cheese Incident. The group has slowly but surely diverged from its early bluegrass roots, adopting more Phish-like grooves. The band's popularity has been steadily on the rise, and an outright endorsement from Perry Farrell in the form of a headlining slot at Lollapalooza (regardless of the tour's subsequent cancellation), has hardly hurt the band's mainstream potential.
Widespread Panic
Recommended songs: "Porch Song," "Chilly Water"
This band's structure is more like the Dead's and the music sounds more like the Allman Brothers Band, so the common ground between Widespread Panic and Phish is mostly social. The
two bands toured together in the early days, performing on the inaugural H.O.R.D.E. tour in 1992, and their fan counts have remained neck and neck ever since: In 1996, Phish attracted a record 62,500 attendees at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, only to have Panic stake a claim with a reported 63,000 two years later. And for those mourning the loss of Phish's expansive parking-lot scene — where you could score a handmade dress, a fresh quesadilla and hand-blown glass products in a matter of minutes — Panic are your best bet. That is, once they return from their current hiatus, which began in 2003.
Gov't Mule
Recommended songs: "Mule," "Soul Shine"
They're the closest thing to a heavy metal band that the jam scene has: Phish's hardest, heaviest, most raucous moment doesn't come close to the thunder Mule bring. What the two share, though, is an unequivocal love for Led Zeppelin. And, sure, they have their softer sides, too: Perhaps it's even fair to say that the anthemic "Soul Shine" is to Mule what the sway-along "Waste" is to Phish.
moe.
Recommended songs: "Rebubula," "Meat," "New York City"
With each member contributing widely varying influences, moe.'s sound is, like Phish's, drastically diverse. Also like Phish, this East Coast outfit has slowly transitioned from outrageous, complicated compositions and quirky vocals — as in the 45-minute, one-word tune "Meat" — to catchy, poppy songs and coherent lyricism, like "New York City." If any band in the jam scene has the radio potential Phish sought in their later years, it's moe.
Disco Biscuits
Recommended songs: "Basis for a Day," "Hot Air Balloon"
The Biscuits received a major boost by direct recommendation when singer/guitarist Jon Gutwillig won a guitar contest judged by... yep, Trey Anastasio, among others. The Biscuits quickly earned a reputation for their unique sound, complicated compositions, and, dare we say, trippy light shows. The music is driven as much by exploratory keyboards as trance-inducing, repetitive guitar riffs. As time has gone on, it has sometimes seemed that Anastasio has borrowed back techniques developed by a band clearly influenced by Phish.
Medeski Martin and Wood
Recommended songs:"Night Marchers," "Illinization"
This jazz-fusion trio first garnered a jam following after having made a guest appearance
during a Phish performance (Austin, March 14, 1995). The trio was invited to play an opening set several days later (New Orleans, March 17, 1995), and innumerable collaborations have ensued. But all it took was that first appearance for MMW's fate to be sealed. The band's audience quickly became an odd mix of jazz aficionados and jam fans, all of whom dig the group's hipster-meets-hip-hop vibe. For the instrumental enthusiasts, those who prefer dancing to abstract grooves like "Cars Trucks Buses" without stumbling over any obtrusive verbiage, MMW is the way to go.
Allman Brothers Band
Recommended songs: "Jessica" "Midnight Rider" "Whipping Post"
Yes, it does feel a little silly to call a band with more than three decades of history and nothing significantly new to report "the next Phish." But it seems that wherever Warren Haynes and bassist Oteil Burbridge are, jam fans seem to follow — not to mention that Haynes wrote one of Gov't Mules most popular tunes, "Soul Shine," for the Allmans. So this Southern rock mainstay, with its impressive jams, its annual marathon of shows at New York's Beacon Theater and Gregg Allman (really, need we say more?), deserves at the very least a mention. And if more convincing is needed, note that Phish have covered "Whipping Post" dozens of times.
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Photo: Danny Clinch
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