Track 30: "The Inlaw Josie Wales" by Phish

I've been struggling for a while thinking of which Phish song I'd put up on the ole blog. Just as it was hard picking out my favorite Led Zeppelin or Allman Brothers song, there's just so many, but those are also two of my favorite bands of all time.

And while Phish, at one time, may have been in the coveted ranks of my favorite bands, they're really not anymore. I'm not sure when or why, but my relationship with this band has changed over the years.

Don't get me wrong, I like this band and always will. Some of my fondest memories with my best friends involve the band--particularly the Big Cypress millennium concert (which by far is one of the best times I've ever had). But I was never a full-fledged, foaming at the mouth fan. I've probably got about a dozen shows under my belt (which is a paltry sum in a music community where most 'phans' judge their sense of self-worth by how many shows they've been to or how many set lists they can recite). But I sort of blame the phans for me liking Phish way less than I used to. All the incessant Phish talk (serious, in-depth discussions about setlists, band member relations, etc), I'm just over it. All of it.

I really thought it was it for the group after the Coventry festival in 2004 (which was a giant muddy mess and the music was less than stellar) which was supposedly their "official" retirement festival. And I was perfectly fine going forward with life without Phish. But of course they came back this year with a huge tour, much to the delight of hard core phans everywhere and much to my own indifference.

I still appreciate the band and most of their songs (they have a handful of tunes I'd be fine never hearing again..EVER...(read:"Character Zero" and "Simple"). And I still think they're a hugely talented group and put on a great live show. And I'm sure I'll see them play again at some point, I'm just not going to put much effort into it.

"Inlaw Josie Wales" may not be the typical Phish song. But it's a gorgeous instrumental. And this version from the "Farmhouse" record features some nice touches by Bela Fleck and Jerry Douglas. And seeing Phish front-manTrey Anastasio perform this song with a full orchestra at the 2004 Bonnaroo festival was a true musical highlight for me.