Attendance Bias

Send us Fan MailHi everybody, and welcome to Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. And boy, do I have a heck of a show for you today. A few things to note before we get started:First, I was so excited to talk to today’s guests that I literally forgot to plug in my microphone before I hit record. Yes, really. As a result, the computer mic picked up my voice, and it doesn’t sound as clear as usual. I couldn’t believe it once I noticed, but after about two minutes of listening back to the recording, I barely noticed. I hope that you have the same experience. Sorry about that.Second, today’s episode features a lot--and I mean a lot--of references and name-checks of locations around Long Island. There are two guests today, and all three of us are from the area. Plus, the focus of today’s episode is a store that was on Long Island, along with a show from the Nassau Coliseum. So if you grew up on or near Long Island--especially in the 80s or 90s, today’s conversation will stir up tons of memories, and put a smile on your face. If you’re not from Long Island, you can either break out a map or you can just nod along as the references come out fast and hard.All that said, today’s episode completes a full circle for me, and answered questions that I’ve been wondering about for decades. This podcast is a passion project of mine, and speaking to today’s guests is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. As personal as it is, I suspect that it will be meaningful to fans who had a similar upbringing to mine, and especially fans from the northeast, or at least the tri-state area.Today’s guests are Don Kantor and Cara Polizzi, the owner and manager, respectively, of Prime Cuts, a no-longer-operational head shop that was primarily located in Rockville Center and then Bellmore, Long Island.You’ll hear me say this in just a few minutes, but soon after I discovered Phish, I discovered Phish tapes. For a young teenager who didn’t have full time access to the internet and not knowing other fans made it pretty difficult to access any unofficial Phish recordings. Through a friend’s sister, I discovered Prime Cuts. And Prime Cuts is where I discovered the world of Phish tapes, as well as tapes from many many other bands.Prime Cuts was more than a store. It was a discovery, it was a connection to a wider world, it was a community center, and it was an oasis for those who were into the scene and didn’t know how to find like minded fans. In today’s conversation with Don and Cara, we all go deep into the origins of the store, the nuts and bolts of how the taping process worked and answer the long-debated question of whether or not Prime Cuts’ taping allowance was sanctioned by Phish.For the Attendance Bias segment of the episode, Don chose to discuss the 2nd set of April 3, 1998 at the Nassau Coliseum, and Cara chose to talk about Fluffhead and You Enjoy Myself from Phish’s 3.0 comeback show on March 6, 2009 at the Hampton Colisum. Both picks are epic highlights of the band’s career and I was also thrilled at how much crossover there was with other Attendance Bias stories from past guests. Well, enough from me. I hope you can feel the love and joy in this conversation with Don and Cara of Prime Cuts.Support the show

Send us Fan MailHi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. This week’s special guest is Brian Brinkman of Osiris Media. Brian is all over the place in the Phish podcasting world, having co-hosted Beyond the Pond, current host of The Drop and The Ravine, and the producer of Undermine as well as 36 From the Vault. I’ll have to check again, but I think I got it all. During Phish’s 2021 summer tour, Brian hosted wrap up episodes of every run on live versions of The Helping Friendly Podcast. He invited me to help him wrap up Phish’s run at The Gorge, and speaking with him one-on-one was a completely different experience than what I’m used to hearing  him host his podcasts. It’s clear in both scenarios that Brian is knowledgeable, educated, and serious about Phish. But his ability to discuss the band goes well beyond their music. Brian is able to drift off the main topic at hand and connect different eras of his life, his personal experiences, other Phish shows  and jams, and general knowledge to virtually any topic being discussed. This conversation went on longer than we both expected but I hope you agree with me that there is no wasted time.For today’s episode of Attendance Bias, Brian chose to discuss Phish’s performance of “Ghost” from 12/30/16 at Madison Square Garden. As you’ll hear him tell the story, Brian was going through an incredibly difficult and traumatic experience at the time, and this version of Ghost, in conjunction with the entire show, acted as something of an oasis in the middle of a crisis. It’s a compelling story and an outstanding jam in an overall uneven year of Phish. So let’s join Brian Brinkman to hear about his history in podcasting, the importance of Rattle and Hum, and what it’s like driving on a desert by yourself in the middle of the night as we discuss Phish’s performance of “Ghost” from December 30, 2016 at Madison Square Garden.Support the show

Send us Fan MailHi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. This week’s guest is the co-host of the very popular podcast, “The Corner of Grey Street,” Bruce Woodall. “The Corner of Grey Street” is a podcast centered around the Dave Matthews Band. Bruce and his co-host Nolan are huge fans of DMB, and their podcast dives into the past, present, and future of the band. Personally, my passion for the Dave Matthews Band is firmly rooted in the past, but talking with Bruce, I was surprised at how easily I could recall details of when I first discovered DMB, my thoughts about them at the time, and when my fandom began to drift off as they became ever more popular. I was also surprised at how easy it was to discuss the crossovers and commonalities between Phish and DMB years as well as the long lasting friendship between Trey and Dave.For today’s episode of Attendance Bias, Bruce chose to discuss his first show that happened to be on his college campus, 12/5/09 at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia. Closing an extensive comeback year for Phish, this was a marathon show that put an exclamation point on a celebratory year for the band.So let’s join Bruce Woodall to hear about how Dave Matthews helped bring Trey back on stage following his recovery, the animosity between the two band’s fanbases, and how to run like a naked guy out of control as we discuss Phish’s performance on December 5, 2009 at the John Paul Jones arena in Charlottesville, Virginia.Support the show

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Send us Fan MailHi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. This week’s guest is Dennis Baker, who first came to my attention toward the beginning of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. At that time, I noticed someone on a Twitter account who began to stream video of Phish shows throughout their history. Sort of like a do it yourself version of Dinner and a Movie. The big difference is that Dennis was streaming these videos every single night.After watching a few of Dennis’ videos, in addition to the regular Dinner and a Movie shows, it dawned on me that even though I’d been listening to Phish for 25 years, I’d been missing out on an entire perspective of the band. So many shows that I love and hold close to my heart have only existed in my mind’s eye. I’d never seen what shows from 1996 or 1991, or festivals before IT, looked like. Seeing these shows was almost like hearing the show for the first time all over again, and I have Dennis to thank for that opportunity.For today’s episode, Dennis picked November 27, 1998 from the Worcester Centrum. Better known as “The Wipeout Show,” it deserves comparison with the Tinley Park 1993 Antelope show, the February Roxy show from 1993, and the Tweezer Led Zeppelin show from Atlantic City in 2010, as Wipeout weaves in and out of the 2nd set, punctuating outstanding performances of fan favorites. It was also a hometown show for Dennis, with the crowd being made up of long time New England Phish fans, adding to the heartfelt feeling.So let’s join Dave to hear about Phish videos, what makes Phish in '96 and '98 so special, and November 27, 1998 at the Worcester Centrum.Support the show

Send us Fan MailHi everybody, and welcome to today's episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. I have to be honest: I love every single episode of Attendance Bias. I'm proud of every episode and I'm grateful to every single guest who's willing to come onto the show and talk about a favorite jam or a favorite show. That said, I also have to tell you that, just like everyone, my interest of Phish goes beyond the music and extends into their history, the mythology of the band's early success, their behind-the-scenes action, and their business. So an episode like today, where I get to interview a person who was absolutely crucial in their development, not only as a musical group, but as a force to be reckoned with within the music industry makes me come away glowing. And that interview today is with music industry legend, Sue Drew of Kobalt Music Publishing. Not only does Sue work at Kobalt, but for a time in the late eighties and early nineties, she worked at Elektra Records. And during that time, she stumbled across a young foursome that was playing in New York City, known as Phish. I don't want to spoil the details, but Sue Drew, long story short, is the person who signed Phish to EleKtra records. Even more importantly, Sue not only talks about the business side of her relationship with Phish, but it's very clear throughout her discussion that she is a fan dyed in the wool of the band and their music. For today's episode sued decided to speak about December 28th, 1990 at a small venue that no longer exists in New York city called The Marquee. This is the first time that Sue ever saw Phish and, even more exciting, she tells us what inspired her to approach them, to sign them. So that's enough from me. I just want to get to the episode as quickly as possible. Let's listen to my interview with superfan Sue Drew of Kobalt about December 28th, 1990 at The Marquee in New York City.Links Mentioned in the Episode:*Elektra Press Kit to promote "Rift"*Phishbase interview with Sue from 2017Support the show

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Send us Fan MailHi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. This week’s guest is a name that Phish podcast fans will recognize: RJB, the CEO and Co-Founder of Osiris Media. As a podcaster, I’m always looking up to the professionals and in the Phish podcast world, you can’t get more professional than Osiris Media. A few months ago, I had Tom Marshall on Attendance Bias to talk about being the face of Osiris Media, the Undermine podcast which was then wrapping up its first season, and Phish’s performance of “David Bowie” from December 29, 1994 in Providence. Tom was excited to talk about everything but he was unable to give too many details about Undermine, Osiris’ flagship podcast that tells about Phish’s history and experience in a non-linear way, since it was just completed. With season 2 of Undermine scheduled to air next week, I was eager to hear more about it and RJ was happy to share what listeners can expect when season 2 gets underway on September 8.For today’s episode of Attendance Bias, RJ picked “46 Days>Bug” from August 15, 2015 from Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Played right before the Magnaball festival, RJ and I break down  how the band was experimenting and discovering different musical avenues throughout the summer 2015 and how that came to fruition as this MPP run was the last stop on the road toward the ultimate summer culmination: the Magnaball Festival.So let’s join RJB to hear about season 2 of Undermine, the temporary return of the Helping Friendly Podcast, and “46 Days>Bug” at MPP from August 15, 2015.Support the show

Send us Fan MailHi everybody and welcome to this week’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brain Weinstein. This week’s guest is the John Purcell, who I’ll refer to as Purcy throughout the conversation. As you’ll hear us explain during the episode, Percy and I went back and forth a few times about which show or jam to discuss.  As the host, I do my best to stay out of the decision making process, since the story and the Attendance Bias belongs to the guest. In this case, Purcy had a little trouble settling on one show, and so he came up with a good idea: he wanted to talk about how different shows reflected different points of his life. After some back-and-forth, he picked three different shows, years apart, and we would review highlights from each one. The three shows that Purcy chose for today’s episode are: New Year’s Eve 1994 at the Boston Garden, the Great Went, August 17, 1997 at Loring Air Force Base, and then December 28, 2019 at Madison Square Garden. Due to the back-and-forth decision making process, plus a typo here and there, you may hear me mistake the date of the Madison Square Garden show during our conversation. But, officially, it’s December 28, 2019.So let’s join Purcy to hear about what actually happened with the hot dog on New Year’s 1994, the incredible Harry Hood from the Great Went, and how Phish can be there for you through good times and bad over the course of 25 years.Support the show