Although born in Fort Worth, Texas, the American singer-songwriter and guitarist Earnest ‘Trey” Anastasio III spent most of his childhood in Princeton, New Jersey. Both his parents were in education, and his mom was rather creative. She was the author of children’s books and edited Sesame Street Magazine. For high school, Anastasio attended the Taft School. There he formed his first two bands. At the University of Vermont (UVM) Anastasio began the band with which he would become famous, Phish. During a Christmas Semi-formal in the dining hall, the band played their first gig using hockey sticks for mic-stands. After the first set, as the year was 1983, Michael Jackson’s Thriller album was put on to drown out the band.
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Anastasio left UVM and transferred to Goddard College. He was accompanied by Phish bandmate, Jon Fishman. At Goddard, Anastasio met teacher and composer Ernie Stires. Through his relationship with Stires, Anastasio learned to become an exceptional musical arranger. Anastasio wrote the score for the Broadway musical Hands on a Hardbody and received a nomination for the Best Original Score at the Tony Awards in 2013. Also in 2001, Stires and Anastasio teamed up to record the Vermont Youth Orchestra with Trey Anastasio & Ernie Stires.
Whether performing for Phish or by himself, Anastasio always presents himself as a laid-back dude on stage. He wears blue jeans, his long strawberry blonde bangs down to the tops of his glasses, and a respectable beard. While he is best known for his work with Phish, Anastasio has been successful as a solo artist. He typically tours with the Trey Anastasio band but has been known to perform individual acoustic sets. There is a marked contrast between Phish’s live performances which consist of long jams, often resulting in twenty-plus minute numbers, and Anastasio’s solo compositions. During his 2015 NPR Tiny Desk concert, Anastasio played three songs over the course of thirteen minutes.
A constant element of Anastasio’s live music has been his career-long collaboration with a luthier and audio-technician Paul Languedoc. Over the years Languedoc has created several custom guitars for Anastasio. He has also honed in his amplifier and speaker setup to achieve Anastasio’s signature tone. On stage Anastasio typically plays his resonant hollow body customs plunged into an Ibanez Tube Screamer overdrive pedal, or if he is playing acoustic he sticks to a collection of Martin’s.
Buying Tickets to See Anastasio Live in Concert
Anastasio’s solo career has brought him all over the United States. As a result of his collaboration with some of the country’s premier orchestras, Anastasio has had the opportunity to perform in some of the most prestigious venues in the country. In 2009 Anastasio played with conductor Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, Maryland. He has also been accompanied by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. If you would like to see Trey Anastasio live in concert, then check the listings above.
More About Anastasio
As a solo artist, Anastasio has taken extreme ownership of his production process. He started his own record company, Rubber Jungle Records, and has built a rehearsal venue in the countryside known simply as the barn. The cover of Phish’s album Farmhouse features a picture of this facility.
Anastasio has toured with many outstanding artists including the Dave Mathews Band. He has played alongside guitar legends like Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Jeff Beck. He cites Jerry Garcia as a major personal influence, alongside Jimi Hendrix.
Anastasio was once arrested while driving, as he failed a sobriety test and had drugs including heroin on his person. Since the incident, Anastasio has sobered up and publicly thanked the officer who arrested him for turning his life around.
Witness Trey Anastasio Live
This is your chance to buy the best Trey Anastasio tickets. Don’t miss your chance on getting the best seats in the venue. Whether you see him solo or with Phish he is one artists you want to catch live near you.
