| Mike Gordon |
Article Index for Mike |
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Information AboutMike Gordon |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MIKE GORDON | |
| 1965 births | |
| living people | |
| american rock singers | |
| phish members | |
| american rock bass guitarists | |
| jewish american musicians | |
| university of vermont alumni | |
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Mike Gordon, born June 3 , 1965 , was the bass player and vocalist for the legendary rock band Phish . Originally from Sudbury, Massachusetts , Gordon is also an accomplished Banjo player, and is proficient at Piano , Guitar , and Percussion . He is credited on 22 Phish originals, 17 of them as a solo credit {Link without Title} . Besides his musical talent, Gordon is known for his bizarre sense of humor exemplified in his 1997 book of short stories, '' Mike's Corner ''. Mike is also a filmmaker, releasing his full-length feature film, '' Outside Out '', in 2000 . He also directed '' Rising Low '', a documentary about the band Gov't Mule , and their late bass player, Allen Woody . PHISH Mike Gordon met Trey Anastasio , Jon Fishman , and Jeff Holdsworth at the University Of Vermont , where Phish began in 1983 . Gordon was the bassist for Phish throughout their entire 21 year career. He played a custom Paul Languedoc ("dragon") bass in addition to another custom bass built by Paul. Mike switched to a Modulus Quantum 5 bass (as used by Phil Lesh and Les Claypool in 1997, and has relied on it ever since. This instrument is known for their deep tones and "futuristic" sound, largely attributable to a unique construction including a neck that is made entirely of a carbon-graphite compound, not dissimilar to a material selected by NASA for use on the Space Shuttle. Like Anastasio, although to a lesser extent, Gordon played custom-made basses built by Phish soundman Paul Languedoc . It was this sound that made up a fundamental part of the music of Phish . Gordon played many roles in Phish . Until the band became too big for self-management, he delt with practically all the communications and relations, such as answering fan mail, managing funds, and booking gigs. In the music, Mike's influence is the most obvious in Phish's many different renditions of various Bluegrass , Calypso , and even traditional Jewish songs. He also contributed by singing, usually adding to the higher end of the harmony spectrum, as well as writing off-beat lyrics to amusing but thought-provoking songs. Mike directed Phish 's only music video for their song "Down with Disease" in 1994 . During the making of the album '' Hoist '', Mike shot film in the studio of performers, walls, tables, recording equipment, smoke, sounds, and other gases of various compounds and released it as the short film '' Tracking ''. OTHER PROJECTS Apart from Phish , Gordon has had several other side-projects, which include Grappa Boom with Jamie Masefield of the Jazz Mandolin Project and Doug Perkins of Smokin' Grass . In 2002 , he recorded the critically acclaimed '' Clone '' album with acoustic guitar master Leo Kottke . The following year, he formed his own solo band, featuring Josh Roseman , Scott Murawski , Julee Avallone , James Harvey , Gordon Stone, Jeannie Hill, and Doug Belote. He released his first solo album, '' Inside In '', based loosely on his feature film '' Outside Out '', in late 2003 . After the release of Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon's second album, '' Sixty Six Steps '', in August 2005 , Gordon returned home to Vermont to write material for his second solo album. In the summer of 2004 Gordon acted as producer for the debut album of obscure musician Joey Arkenstat , titled Bane . Gordon is also credited with providing vocals and Shofar accompinament. Additionally, Mike teamed up with the The Benevento-Russo Duo in 2004 for several shows involving the voter registration organization Headcount . The "Trio" played a number of dates throughout late 2004 and 2005 . After their performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in June of 2005 , Gordon said that he would not be joining The Benevento-Russo Duo for any more shows that year, which eventually proved untrue as Gordon played with the duo during their New Year's Eve run in Florida and the Northeast . In December 2005 , Gordon formed SerialPod with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann . The group debuted at the 14th annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam in Asheville, North Carolina . In early 2006 , Gordon teamed up with his mother, artist Marjorie Minkin, to present ''Another Side of In'' - a visual and audio art show featuring interactive sculptures created by Minkin and set to the music of Gordon's '' Inside In '' album. In the summer of 2006 , Gordon will be performing his first solo shows in nearly three years at Bonnaroo with a new backing band called Ramble Dove , also the name of the fictional band from his film '' Outside Out ''. Additionally, he will play more shows with the Benevento-Russo_Duo , joining his Phish bandmate Trey Anastasio for the three week run of shows. ALBUMS 1. '' Clone '' (with Leo Kottke ) ( October 8 , 2002 ) 2. '' Inside In '' ( August 19 , 2003 ) 3. '' Sixty Six Steps '' (with Leo Kottke ) ( August 23 , 2005 ) BOOKS '' Mike's Corner '' (May 1997 ) FILMS '' Tracking '' ( Phish , 1994 ) '' Outside Out '' ( 2000 ) '' Rising Low '' ( 2002 ) Gordon also directed Phish 's only video for MTV - "Down With Disease" - in 1994 and also produced the band's 20th Anniversary Retrospective, which was aired in between sets at Phish 's concert in Boston on December 2, 2003, commemorating the event. AWARDS
EXTERNAL LINKS
PHONE NUMBER Mike Gordon's Hot-line number is 212 330 9092. It is the official '' Inside In '' hotline launched in 2003 to connect with fans regarding the release of the album, but Gordon has kep the hotline open ever since. Fans can also leave messages for Gordon. |
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