Writers need inspiration. Second to inspiration, writers need misery; at least the writers I identify with.

There's a lot to be said for just dropping off the grid.  I'm not talking 'move to a desert island' kind of grid dropping.. But the temporary, and temporal sort; where one's mind, body and spirit can take a break from the burdens of life. Genuine rejuvenation.  It's the reason vacations were invented, I'm sure.  But not every vacation truly is one; especially these days.

Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation and the Mimi Fishman Foundation have teamed together once again with an on-line charity auction featuring ticket packages for the first leg of the Phish 2012 Summer tour.Phish kicks off their 2012 Summer Tour on June 7 in Worcester and concludes

Phish has just announced their 2012 summer tour dates.  Phish will start their tour in Worcester, MA on June 17th -- ending up in Saratoga Springs for a 3 night run at SPAC.

Highlights include: Deek Creek, Alpine Valley, Cuyahoga Falls, OH and a 4th of July show at Jones Beach. You will find the entire tour dates, prices, etc.

Bonnaroo has just made their initial line-up announcement, including headliners: Phish, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Avett Brothers, The Beach Boys, Umphrey's McGee,

On Record Store Day, Phish will release Junta, the band's first full-length studio album, as a Limited Edition Deluxe 3-LP vinyl set, available exclusively at participating independently owned record stores across the country. Junta marks the band's second release in conjunction with Record Store Day, and the first time Junta has ever been released on vinyl.This LE Deluxe 3-LP vinyl set is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies.

Watch Phish Live from New York's Madison Square Garden at LivePhish.com. Order a four night pass for $55 or buy single night passes for $14.99 each and $19.99 for New Year's Eve.

Every Phish fan has their favorite year of the band's long and storied career, and will argue to the death why they feel that specific year stands as the group's greatest.  For some it's the feisty year of 1993, or the energetic and explosive 1994 tour, and some will even argue that the tight yet loosely woven shows of 2011 rank as their all time high.  But for many, it was without a doubt the body of work heard during 1997.

Trey Anastasio will launch his first-ever orchestral tour on February 9, 2012, performing with the Atlanta Symphony at the Atlanta Symphony Hall. The Trey Anastasio Winter Symphony Tour will also include performances with the Pittsburgh Symphony (2/14), the Colorado Symphony (2/28) and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (3/10).

The Bear Creek music festival at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park was a fun filled sensual delight from the tingling chill of a Friday night freeze, the warmth of the campfire, fuzzy bear costumes all around, campfire smoke whimsically dancing through the air, laser light spectacles such as green naked lady outlines surfing through the trees, and did I mention the music? Destination Funkytown. Houston, we have landed. Bear Creek kept us movn and  groonvn all night long.