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Page McConnell
Page McConnell
(Legacy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, April 2007, Volume 14, #4
Written by John Metzger
Is there life after Phish? Page McConnell certainly thinks so, and although
he undeniably played an integral role with the band, he frequently was so
overshadowed by front man Trey Anastasio that there likely is some need to prove
his merits outside the outfit — both to his new label and to himself. By relying
on his old pals for assistance — Anastasio, Mike Gordon, and Jon Fishman take
turns in augmenting a core unit that features guitarist Adam Zimmon, drummer Jim
Keltner, and multi-instrumentalist Jared Slomoff — McConnell furnishes a frame
of reference for his music, though this approach also keeps him firmly tethered
to his past. The result is that none of the tracks on the eponymous effort truly
move beyond his work with Phish. Nevertheless, the material does yield plenty of
opportunities for him to comment upon the group’s dissolution, and the role
reversal, which he initiates by placing his inspired and imaginative piano
flights into the places where guitar solos previously would have been, allows
him to branch out and demonstrate precisely what he can do.
Two songs in particular — Heavy Rotation and Back in the Basement
— are all-out vehicles for improvisation, and both tracks rank among the finest
studio jams that the members of Phish, alone or together, ever have managed to
concoct. As if to answer McConnell’s depiction of his hectic life on the road
with Phish, the former tune explodes in an exhilarating burst of jazz-tinged
chord progressions that dance, sometimes with manic intensity, over the funky
rhythms and rippling bass lines laid down by Zimmon, Keltner, and Gordon. In
contrast, the latter cut is an instrumental that begins as a deep, blues ’n‘
soul groove in the spirit of Derek and the Dominoes. As the quintet of Gordon,
Keltner, Anastasio, and Zimmon builds momentum, McConnell’s keyboard
accompaniment splatters off Anastasio’s churning guitar patterns, creating an
aura of violently turbulent, fractured discordance.
Lyrically, McConnell uses the self-titled set as way of defining his
innermost journey as he came to accept Phish’s demise and eventually emerge as a
solo artist. Four of the tracks (Beauty of a Broken Heart, Heavy
Rotation, Maid Marion, and Rules I Don’t Know) directly
reflect upon his experiences with his former outfit, while the rest of the
material revolves around the notion that conflict can spur positive change, thus
binding his political tirade (Close to Home) and his sympathetic
depiction of Jennifer Wilbanks’ escapades (The Runaway Bride) to the rest
of the endeavor. Containing moments of frustration, anxiety, and disappointment,
which he tempers with a healthy measure of guarded optimism, the thematically
linked song cycle reveals his emotional trajectory in a refreshingly honest
fashion.
Now that McConnell has put Phish to rest, however, one has to hope his future
work will find him exploring fresh terrain. In the meantime, though, his
eponymous effort is everything it needs to be. It is confident, passionate, and
engaging, and while its architecture won’t alienate his fans, it does provide a
sturdy foundation upon which he surely can build.  ½
Page McConnell is available from
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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