Blog

Trey Anastasio Gives Crowd A Little Burlington History At Grand Point North

September 20, 2017 - By Brando Rich

Trey Anastasio and his band headlined Grace Potter's Grand Point North Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont this past weekend. This was the first time the band has played in town since 2011. By the smile beaming from Trey's face, you could tell he was happy to be back in the special town where his musical career began. About halfway through his performance, he paused for a few moments to give the crowd "a little Burlington history". He talked about the first time he came to visit town when he was 18 years old. He was supposed to be visiting The University of Vermont, but instead of visiting the school, he decided to grab a beer and see some music downtown at club Hunt's. There he said, "I saw this band that to this day is my favorite band of all time, and of course that band was Big Joe and the Unknown Blues Band. I was so floored by the musicianship. That was the moment when I realized I wanted to move to Burlington. I fell in love with this man back there, Tony, (pointing to bass player Tony Markellis). When I first saw him I knew I wanted to be in a band with him, and my dream came true."

It was here in Burlington, VT where the psychedelic rock band, Phish began, comprised of Trey on the guitar, bassist Mike Gordon, Page McConnell on the keys, and Jonathan Fishman on the drums. The band got their claim to fame from playing small night clubs while attending college in Burlington in the 80's. Fifteen years after the onset of Phish, Trey started TAB, the Trey Anastasio Band. Drummer Russ Lawton and bassist Tony Markellis were part of the band from the start. Lawton is well known in the Vermont music scene as the drummer for the the powerhouse funk duo called, Soule Monde, that he started with Ray Paczkowski, who is also the keys player for TAB. Another local Vermont artist in the TAB is Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet, vocals). Hartswick was raised in Vermont and is a huge name in the local music scene, leading The Jennifer Hartswick Band. The rest of the Trey Anastasio Band is made up of Cyro Baptista (percussion), Natalie Cressman (trombone, vocals) and James Casey (saxophones, vocals).

Burlington is truly a special place for musicians and music lovers alike. Hunt's, the club that Trey spoke of on Sunday's show, was a venue that saw incredible musical talent including B.B. King, Roy Orbison, Gregg Allman, Pat Metheny, Taj Mahal, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Hunt's was open for ten years from 1977 to 1987. Phish played there numerous times in their earlier days, although it is not as recognized as Nectar's. This may be because of their short time in business and Phish's second album titled, "A Picture of Nectar" was named after the small club that is still open today. Yet some of Phish's biggest songs were debuted at Hunt's before their doors closed in 1987.

Shows at this venue: 3/2/85, 3/4/85, 4/19/85, 10/30/85, 2/3/86, 3/2/86, 4/1/86, 5/24/86, 9/3/86, 10/15/86, 1/19/87, 1/21/87, 9/2/87, 9/3/87, 10/14/87, 10/21/87, 11/18/87, 11/19/87

Notable song debuts: Harry Hood, Dog Log, You Enjoy Myself, Icculus, AC/DC Bag, Lushington, Sanity, Clod, I Didn't Know, Dinner and a Movie

Hunt's was the inspiration that led Trey to want to live in Burlington and make music here. Trey first saw Tony Markellis play with Big Joe and the Unknown Blues Band at that venue. Joe Burrell is nothing short of a local legend in Burlington. He was an incredible saxophone player who played with legends like B.B. King and Count Basie. The band played for about 27 years before his death in 2005. Trey stated on Sunday night, "There's a reason there's a statue of him." That statue sits on Church Street in downtown Burlington directly in front of the CashorTrade office!

"He was one in a zillion, the heartbeat of this whole town at that point in time." -Trey Anastasio

Tony Markellis to the left of Big Joe and the rest of the Unkown Blues Band

TAB put on an incredible show at the gorgeous Waterfront Park this past Sunday. He shared the stage with two members of Phish, playing "First Tube" with Page McConnell, a beautiful "Water in the Sky" with Mike Gordon and lovely Grace Potter. Last but certainly not least, Trey invited Dave "The Truth" Grippo out on stage for a massive "Push on 'Til the Day". Grippo played with TAB for a few years in their earlier days and has been playing with Phish since the late 80's. He was a part of the Giant Country Horns who joined Phish on tour in 1991 and the Cosmic Country Horns who played with Phish in 1994. Trey's performance at Grand Point North was incredibly intimate and the special guests really brought a communal hometown vibe that seemed to buzz and radiate through the whole town.

Photos taken by Bryan David Lasky https://www.boneydiego.com/