Annie Burkhart

Phish Phans' Devotion Reaches Beyond the Band's Music

Posted by Annie Burkhart, Nov 03, 2010 2 comments


Annie Burkhart

It's an experience I can't quite articulate; being one of 14,000 phishheads grooving at a sold out Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ for three nights of electric music.  Even after three nights, I wanted to hear more.  Phish has a fanatic following, so much so that it’s normal for tickets to sell out three minutes after they go on sale.  The possibilities to mobilize the massive community are awesome, and that is just what the founders of The Mockingbird Foundation have done.  A foundation organized by Phish fans, The Mockingbird Foundation, funds music education programs for children, especially in communities touched by Phish tours.  This past weekend, the foundation donated $1000 for instruments to the Atlantic City High School.   It’s their mission to grant access to music, but they strongly support programs that integrate student interaction with music.  Music is a Phish fan’s fuel; it would be silly to keep it confined to music halls and venues.

Even though we get really pumped over songs with lyrics about running antelopes and possums, we do what we can to spread the groove into communities, and I couldn’t be happier to be a morsel of that culture.

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2 responses for Phish Phans' Devotion Reaches Beyond the Band's Music

Comments

Laura Kakolewski says
November 05, 2010 at 10:47 am

Annie, thanks for this great blog post! I was unaware of the strides that the Mockingbird Foundation has been taking. I was familiar with Trey Anastasio's Seven Below fund a few years back. I wonder if it is still up and running? I love that Phish is doing charitable work and making a difference in addition to their incredible performances. "You decide what it contains, how long it goes but this remains. The only rule is it begins!" Rock on!

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November 05, 2010 at 2:34 pm

Laura,

Thanks for the comment! Yes, Seven Below is still around, and is Trey's initiative to support arts education in Vermont. The Barn, that Phish previously used as a recording studio, now houses the residences of the Seven Below program. Can you imagine?! Phish's charitable work reaches beyond just the arts, which is important to mention. The WaterWheel Foundation, started by the band, chooses a wide range of non-profits in communities Phish tours and donates proceeds from the show. Go Phish!

Annie

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