Mike Gordon

Specimens of Beauty

Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon

Specimens of Beauty is a documentary about the rock band Phish recording their 2004 album Undermind. Directed by famed photographer Danny Clinch, the film shows the techniques used by the band and album producer Tchad Blake, as Phish records what was to be their final album. Recorded at Trey Anastasio's recording studio, The Barn, outside Burlington, Vermont, the documentary features Phish in numerous takes of the Undermind track "Crowd Control." Specimens of Beauty was included with early copies of Undermind on a bonus DVD.

Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Colonel Bruce Hampton

Tom Lawson

Bruce Hampton, John Bell

Why is it that Billy Bob Thornton, Dave Matthews, Peter Buck, Derek Trucks, Phish, Widespread Panic, and Blues Traveler are all huge fans of Colonel Bruce Hampton, but you've never heard of him? Bruce began his career with an unprecedented six figure record deal in 1970. The Hampton Grease Band's first album went on to be the worst selling album in the history of Columbia Records. He made a brave decision and continued his musical career, devoting himself to creating pure art rather than attempt any commercial success. The result has been an amazing, influential 50 year catalog of music and philosophy. Dubbed the father of the Jam Band music scene, he is a guru to many a celeb. Why is he still a secret?

Phish: The Clifford Ball

Martin Pitts

Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon

The Clifford Ball was an absolutely phenomenal, unequivocably religious, amazing event at the former Air Force Base in Plattsburgh, New York, in August 1996. Phish performed three sets and an encore on each of the two show days, of a Friday-to-Sunday event, where some 70-80,000 fans camped on site for three days.

Phish: Coral Sky

Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman

On November 2nd, 1996, Phish performed at Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, FL; the only outdoor shed show of the Fall Tour. The show combined the residual energy of Halloween with a tropical feel that could only have happened in South Florida in November. Amidst swaying palms and soft breezes, the band played a deeply experimental show. They were joined by percussionist Karl Perazzo (Santana), whose contribution helped extend and build upon the magic of Halloween, adding polyrhythms that explored new space within Phish's music.Set 1: Ya Mar[1], Julius[1], Fee[2] -> Taste[1], Cavern[1] > Stash[1], The Lizards[1], Free[1], Johnny B. Goode[1]Set 2: Crosseyed and Painless[3] -> Run Like an Antelope[4], Waste[1], Harry Hood[1] > A Day in the Life[1], Sweet AdelineEncore: Funky Bitch[5]

Phish: IT

Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman

"It" is a two-disc DVD set chronicling Phish's two-day summer festival in Limestone, Maine on August 2 & 3, 2003. The first disc contains a full-length documentary originally aired on PBS in 2004 featuring interviews with the band, song excerpts, and images from the concert grounds and festival events. This was the sixth of eight major outdoor summer festivals held by Phish. The second disc contains a selection of complete live songs performed over the weekend. The DVD set, which clocks in at over four hours, was certified platinum in 2005.

Phish: Live In Vegas

Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman

Phish: Live in Vegas is a video of a complete live performance from rock band Phish recorded on September 30, 2000. It includes many rarities and songs that were brought out of "retirement" after long periods of inactivity. The performance was originally a live Internet webcast that came just days after Phish officially announced an indefinite hiatus from recording and touring. Anastasio used this opportunity to officially announce the hiatus to audiences across the globe via the Internet. Set 1: Walfredo, The Curtain With, Maze, Roggae, I Didn't Know, Mike's Song > Simple > Saw It Again, Esther > Weekapaug Groove Set 2: Timber (Jerry), AC/DC Bag, Colonel Forbin's Ascent > Fly Famous Mockingbird, Twist > Sand > A Day in the Life Encore: Emotional Rescue Bonus Tracks: Piper, Camel Walk (10.1.00 Phoenix, AZ

Move Me Brightly - Celebrating Jerry Garcia's 70th Birthday

Justin Kreutzmann

Mike Campbell, Jeff Chimenti

"Move Me Brightly" is a film based around a musical gathering at Bob Weir's TRI Studios in San Rafael, California to mark what would have been Jerry Garcia's 70th birthday on 3rd August, 2012. The revolving line-up of performers included fellow Grateful Dead members along with many guest artists who joined together to celebrate Jerry Garcia's life and work. Grateful Dead bandmates and other musicians who played with or were inspired by him. It is fitting tribute to one of rock music's most creative and imaginative composers and performers. Features contributions from fellow Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and Donna Jean Godchaux along with Garcia family members and guests including Carlos Santana, Furthur's Joe Russo & Jeff Chimenti, Phish's Mike Gordon, Black Crowes' Adam MacDougall, Vampire Weekend's Chris Tomson, Yellowbirds' Sam Cohen & Josh Kaufman and many more.

Phish: 1994 Bluegrass Sessions

Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon

The Rev. Jeff Mosier (Blueground Undergrass) was contracted by Phish in the Fall of 1994, to help them learn Bluegrass. They flew him to Michigan and Mike Gordon picked him up in a limo, and they had their first lesson on 11/14/1994, same night as Grand Rapids.

Phish: Bittersweet Motel

Todd Phillips

Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman

BITTERSWEET MOTEL takes a look at the iconoclastic musicians of Phish, one of rock and roll's most successful touring bands, a group Rolling Stone Magazine has called "the most important band of the '90s." This 84-minute documentary tracks the band over the course of a year — on and off stages across the United States and Europe and at home in Vermont. The film wraps with an extensive section devoted to one of Phish's grand festivals, "The Great Went," where 70,000 fans descend on the tiny village of Limestone, Maine, for a spectacular multi-day musical event. Director Todd Phillips, best known for his groundbreaking films, Hated (The GG Allin Story) and Sundance Award-winner Frat House as well as the blockbuster comedy Road Trip, reveals the fascinating phenomenon of the band — its music, loyal fans and spectacular live shows. Phillips presents a compelling film that every music fan will find fascinating.

Rising Low

Mike Gordon

Matt Abts, Jack Bruce

Based on the life and death of Gov't Mule bassist Allen Woody, and the making of a double-disc tribute album (Gov't Mule's The Deep End , Volumes 1 & 2) featuring a host of legendary bass players. Throughout the film, director Mike Gordon (of Phish, who also plays on the album) interviews Woody's family and bandmates and also discusses the philosophy and technique of bass playing with a number of the instrument's legends, including Chris Squire, Les Claypool, John Entwistle, Flea, Bootsy Collins, Mike Watt, Roger Glover and others.

Outside Out

Mike Gordon, Mike Gordon

Mike Gordon, Bruce Hampton

The film revolves around the life of confused teenager Rick, who begins taking guitar lessons from Hampton. Hampton's unorthodox style of teaching infuriates Rick's parents, who insists he attend military school. Rick later meets the guitarist of country music group "Ramble Dove", and the true bizarreness of the film begins to take shape.

National Lampoon Presents Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo

Les Claypool

Dian Bachar, Arj Barker

Electric Apricot is a spoof of jam bands centered around the band, Electric Apricot, in the style of "This Is Spinal Tap"

Phish: Tracking

Mike Gordon

Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon

Tracking (1994) is a documentary about the band Phish and the recording of the album Hoist. It is directed by the band's bass player, Mike Gordon, who wrote, for the VHS packaging: While in the studio recording the album 'Hoister' (sic) I sported a video camera. Sometimes I pushed the record button. Others, the stop. Alas, I edited. Using machines small yet sweet, I assembled Tracking. This isn't about railroad tracks or stuffing things up the tender nostril. It's about 48 tracks of sound, adjacent on strips of plastic. Like mixing lilac petals, coriander, chunks of butter, and fennel into a soup. Tracking is the recording of different sounds, adjacent on strips of plastic. . . . Many of the musicians on the album, Alison Krauss, Béla Fleck, and actor Jonathan Frakes, are shown recording tracks that eventually wound up on the album. The documentary is approximately 25 minutes long and was produced by Cactus Films.

Phish: 10-21-1995 Pershing Auditorium, Lincoln, NE

Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell

Set 1: Tweezer Reprise, Chalk Dust Torture, Guelah Papyrus, Reba[1], Wilson > Cars Trucks Buses, Kung > The Lizards, Strange Design, Acoustic Army, Good Times Bad Times -> Tweezer Reprise Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > David Bowie, Lifeboy, Sparkle > You Enjoy Myself > Purple Rain > Hold Your Head Up, Harry Hood, Suzy Greenberg Encore: Highway to Hell [1] No whistling. Teases: · Beat It tease in Harry Hood · Beat It, Stairway to Heaven, and Tweezer Reprise teases in Suzy Greenberg · Black or White tease Notes: Reba did not have the whistling ending. Perhaps responding to fan predictions of a Michael Jackson cover album on Halloween, the band teased Black or White before GTBT as well as Beat It before and in Hood and in Suzy Greenberg. Suzy also included Stairway to Heaven and Tweezer Reprise teases. The soundcheck's Dog Log contained YEM lyrics (Wash Uffizi and drive me to Firenze). This show is available as an archival release on LivePhish.com.

Phish: Alpine Valley

Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon

On August 14th and 15th, 2010 Phish played their 12th and 13th shows at Alpine Valley Music Theater - all 2-night stands since 2003. "Alpine" as it is affectionately known, is a steeply-sloping amphitheater with a big lawn and raucous crowd perpetually bursting with energy right in the band's faces due to the angles of the place. The angles all aligned on Saturday August 14th - the focus of the Alpine Valley DVD.

Phish: Walnut Creek

Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman

On July 22, 1997, Phish performed the second show of their US summer tour at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, NC. During the show, a thunderstorm of biblical proportions passed by, letting loose a torrential downpour with thunder and lightning that accentuated the electricity of the event. This DVD documents the collision between a force as imaginative and powerful as Phish and the supreme forces of Creation, and it contains the complete concert, uncut.