Phishing for Biscuits: Playing with Structure

On Friday October 2^nd, The Disco Biscuits announced their plans to hold their EP release party on October 11 at the recently opened venue “Brooklyn Bowl,” in Brooklyn, New York. While the show was announced rather close to the actual performance date, tickets for the intimate 600 person show still sold out in a matter of hours. Fans experienced similar frustration when the 10,000 tickets available for Phish’s reunion shows in Hampton, Virginia were sold out in literally a matter of minutes. While such difficulty to acquire tickets is frustrating for fans, this week's topic will explore the unique musical approaches the groups take to their shows that cause their tickets to be consumed so quickly.

While Phish certainly did not invent the practice of transitional material, one of the most popular elements of a Phish show is their ability to move through a series of songs without stopping. Transitions are musical content that act as a bridge from one song to another, and often fastens the audience’s attention because they aren’t bothered by constant stopping and starting within the set.

              Because The Disco Biscuits were so heavily influenced by Phish’s musical practices, transitions also became an integral part of their live show. However, The Disco Biscuits have since taken this practice to the extreme, and often times play entire sets of 1-3 hours without stopping once. As guitarist Jon Gutwillig described the practice in a 2008 interview, “we do improv between the sections getting from one song to the other so we don’t have to stop, and a lot of the time those are the part of the show that the fans like the most because it’s exciting to guess where the jam is going, and it’s danceable” (Gutwillig Interview).

 Furthermore, the Biscuits use fresh and innovative techniques to play with the structure of their songs. Imagine an average Disco Biscuits song as a composition that begins with a structured hook before ultimately transforming into a climactic peak. The hook of a song is soulful and melodic, and often contains the song's vocal section. Once finished with the composed hook, the group transitions into an improvised jam section that builds momentum until the song culminates with a final composed peak, a fast-paced musical section that serves to complete the song with high intensity. While the group sometimes plays such songs straight through, they often tweak them in topsy-turvy ways that maintain an atmosphere of mystery and surprise throughout the show.

For example, The Biscuits will at times play the hook of the song, transition into a totally different song, and then transition back into the peak of the first song. In addition, the Biscuits at time play “inverted” or backward versions of their songs that start with the peak before dropping into the hook.  The Biscuits also play the “ending only” of their songs in which only the peak is played and not the hook, or “unfinished” versions that feature the hook without the peak.

These practices allow Phish and The Disco Biscuits to keep their song library fresh, as the different forms of improvisation and transitional material ensure the same songs sound different every time. This leads fans to snatch up tickets as quickly as possible, lest they miss something truly unforgettable.

 References:

 Gutwillig, Jon. Interview produced by Diana Costello. “The Disco Biscuits at Nokia Theater New Years Eve Run 2008.” Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5G7UKxQT6g&feature=player_embedded. 30 Dec. 2008.