Page McConnell
Encyclopedia
Page Samuel McConnell is an American
multi-instrumentalist
most noted for his work as a songwriter and keyboardist
with the American rock band
Phish
.
In addition to being a member of Phish since 1985, McConnell has also had several musical liaisons during his career, including an instrumental trio named Vida Blue
. He released his first solo album, featuring original compositions, in 2007.
, Pennsylvania
, in 1963. By age four he was learning to play the piano, and when his family relocated to Basking Ridge, New Jersey
, in 1969 he continued his musical studies, eventually playing in bands with friends by his seventh grade.
His father, Dr. Jack B. McConnell, worked at McNeil Laboratories
and helped to develop Tylenol
and the MRI. The elder McConnell then started a free health clinic for kids that was staffed by retired health workers in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
McConnell spent a year at Gill St. Bernard's School
, in Gladstone, New Jersey
before moving away. McConnell spent his senior year of high school at Lawrence Academy at Groton
, in Groton
, Massachusetts
, and then attended Southern Methodist University
from Fall 1982 to Spring 1984, where he joined Kappa Alpha Order
. McConnell transferred to Goddard College
that fall and graduated in December 1987. This is where he met his mentor, Karl Boyle, and wrote his senior study, The Art of Improvisation under Boyle's guidance.
McConnell joined Phish in 1985 and played with the band for the first time on May 3rd of that year. McConnell has written a number of Phish originals including "Cars Trucks Buses," "Magilla," "Army of One," "I Been Around," "Windy City," and "If I Told You." He has also coauthored numerous other songs with the band.
' debut album Good Feeling
. The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite
, who also produced Phish's 1996 Billy Breathes
album.
In 2001, McConnell appeared on Tenacious D
's debut album
. That fall, he joined the band on stage for a show at the Higher Ground nightclub in Winooski
, Vermont
.
With Oteil Burbridge
and Russell Batiste, McConnell was the founding member of Vida Blue
.
After a two-year hiatus from the music industry following the breakup of Phish
, McConnell returned as a solo artist, recording an album of all new material in 2006. This eponymous album was released April 17, 2007 through Sony/BMG’s Legacy Recordings. On signing with Legacy, McConnell has stated, "I know a lot of people on the internet, and that's certainly an option — especially these days and especially if you're catering to the Phish fans who already know who I am. But I wanted a little bit more than that... I was proud of the record, and I wanted as many people as possible to hear it when I was done with it."
The album features Phish bandmates Jon Fishman
, Trey Anastasio
, and Mike Gordon
, though they don't all play together on a single track.
McConnell headlined the High Sierra Music Festival
in July 2007, which was held in Quincy, CA. His touring band features multi-instrumentalist Jared Slomoff, guitarist Adam Zimmon, bassist Rob O'Dea, and drummer Gabe Jarrett. Said McConnell, "I have a really good feeling about this group. It feels like a band, although it's in its infancy right now. It really does feel like there is a collective consciousness."
B3 with a Leslie
122 speaker (this has been modified with individual percussion and chorus output knobs for a more tuned effect), a [1969 Fender Rhodes Silver Sparkle Top Suitcase 73 Model], a Yamaha C7 concert grand (7'6") piano, a Hohner
D6 Clavinet (often used in sync with a wah-wah pedal), a Moog Source
, Alesis Andromeda A6
, a Yamaha Motif, a Moog Little Phatty, and a Yamaha CS-60 polyphonic synthesizer. He also plays the theremin
and the melodica. The Rhodes as well as the clavinet are sometimes played through a Maestro Phase Shifter (recently been changed to an MXR Phase 90). Starting in 2009, Page has been using a Moog Liberation Keytar when playing Edgar Winter
's "Frankenstein
" with Phish, and in 2010, Page brought back his Wurlitzer 106p electric piano to his live rig.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
most noted for his work as a songwriter and keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
with the American rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
.
In addition to being a member of Phish since 1985, McConnell has also had several musical liaisons during his career, including an instrumental trio named Vida Blue
Vida Blue (band)
Vida Blue was an electronic trio featuring Page McConnell , with Oteil Burbridge , and Russell Batiste .-Name:Vida Blue got its name from the 1970s Major League Baseball pitcher Vida Blue...
. He released his first solo album, featuring original compositions, in 2007.
Background
McConnell was born in PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in 1963. By age four he was learning to play the piano, and when his family relocated to Basking Ridge, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, in 1969 he continued his musical studies, eventually playing in bands with friends by his seventh grade.
His father, Dr. Jack B. McConnell, worked at McNeil Laboratories
McNeil Laboratories
McNeil Consumer Healthcare is a medicals products company belonging to the Johnson & Johnson healthcare products group.-History:The company was founded on March 16, 1879 by 23-year-old Robert McNeil, who paid $167 for a drugstore complete with fixtures, inventory and soda fountain, as a retail...
and helped to develop Tylenol
Tylenol
Tylenol is a North American brand of drugs advertised for reducing pain, reducing fever, and relieving the symptoms of allergies, cold, cough, and flu. The active ingredient of its original, flagship product, paracetamol , is marketed as an analgesic and antipyretic...
and the MRI. The elder McConnell then started a free health clinic for kids that was staffed by retired health workers in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
McConnell spent a year at Gill St. Bernard's School
Gill St. Bernard's School
Gill St. Bernard's School is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational day school located in the Gladstone area of Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, United States, serving students in primary through twelfth grade...
, in Gladstone, New Jersey
Gladstone, New Jersey
Gladstone is an unincorporated area within Peapack-Gladstone in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07934....
before moving away. McConnell spent his senior year of high school at Lawrence Academy at Groton
Lawrence Academy at Groton
Lawrence Academy at Groton, , is a co-educational preparatory school located in Groton, Massachusetts, in the United States...
, in Groton
Groton, Massachusetts
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and then attended Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
from Fall 1982 to Spring 1984, where he joined Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
. McConnell transferred to Goddard College
Goddard College
Goddard College is a private, liberal arts college located in Plainfield, Vermont, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Goddard College currently operates on an intensive low-residency model...
that fall and graduated in December 1987. This is where he met his mentor, Karl Boyle, and wrote his senior study, The Art of Improvisation under Boyle's guidance.
McConnell joined Phish in 1985 and played with the band for the first time on May 3rd of that year. McConnell has written a number of Phish originals including "Cars Trucks Buses," "Magilla," "Army of One," "I Been Around," "Windy City," and "If I Told You." He has also coauthored numerous other songs with the band.
Other musical projects
In 1997, McConnell played keyboards on the title track of Scottish band TravisTravis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
' debut album Good Feeling
Good Feeling
Good Feeling is the debut album from Scottish alternative rock band Travis. The album was originally released on September 26, 1997, on Independiente Records. In April 1998, the album was re-released, with the only differences being new album artwork and a slightly-tweaked version of "More Than Us"...
. The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
, who also produced Phish's 1996 Billy Breathes
Billy Breathes
Billy Breathes is the sixth official studio album by American rock band Phish. It remains one of the most popular Phish albums, and is credited with connecting the band to a more mainstream audience beyond its strong cult following...
album.
In 2001, McConnell appeared on Tenacious D
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. Composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums – Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny...
's debut album
Tenacious D (album)
Tenacious D is the first studio album by American comedy rock band Tenacious D, released on September 25, 2001 by Epic Records. The album's polished production was a departure from the band's acoustic origins, due in part to the production of the Dust Brothers."Tribute" was the first single...
. That fall, he joined the band on stage for a show at the Higher Ground nightclub in Winooski
Winooski, Vermont
Winooski is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, in the United States. Located at the mouth of the Winooski River, as of the 2010 census the city population was 7,267...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
With Oteil Burbridge
Oteil Burbridge
Oteil Burbridge, in Washington, D.C.), is a Grammy Award-nominated American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the current resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band...
and Russell Batiste, McConnell was the founding member of Vida Blue
Vida Blue (band)
Vida Blue was an electronic trio featuring Page McConnell , with Oteil Burbridge , and Russell Batiste .-Name:Vida Blue got its name from the 1970s Major League Baseball pitcher Vida Blue...
.
After a two-year hiatus from the music industry following the breakup of Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
, McConnell returned as a solo artist, recording an album of all new material in 2006. This eponymous album was released April 17, 2007 through Sony/BMG’s Legacy Recordings. On signing with Legacy, McConnell has stated, "I know a lot of people on the internet, and that's certainly an option — especially these days and especially if you're catering to the Phish fans who already know who I am. But I wanted a little bit more than that... I was proud of the record, and I wanted as many people as possible to hear it when I was done with it."
The album features Phish bandmates Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
, Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
, and Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...
, though they don't all play together on a single track.
McConnell headlined the High Sierra Music Festival
High Sierra Music Festival
High Sierra Music Festival is a multi-day music festival held in Quincy, California, a mountainous area about 80 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada.The festival is held each year the weekend of July 4...
in July 2007, which was held in Quincy, CA. His touring band features multi-instrumentalist Jared Slomoff, guitarist Adam Zimmon, bassist Rob O'Dea, and drummer Gabe Jarrett. Said McConnell, "I have a really good feeling about this group. It feels like a band, although it's in its infancy right now. It really does feel like there is a collective consciousness."
Instruments
Page McConnell plays a HammondHammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
B3 with a Leslie
Leslie speaker
The Leslie speaker is a specially constructed amplifier/loudspeaker used to create special audio effects using the Doppler effect. Named after its inventor, Donald Leslie, it is particularly associated with the Hammond organ but is used with a variety of instruments as well as vocals. The...
122 speaker (this has been modified with individual percussion and chorus output knobs for a more tuned effect), a [1969 Fender Rhodes Silver Sparkle Top Suitcase 73 Model], a Yamaha C7 concert grand (7'6") piano, a Hohner
Hohner
Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. Founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner , Hohner is identified especially with harmonicas and accordions. The Hohner company has invented and produced many different styles, and most of the...
D6 Clavinet (often used in sync with a wah-wah pedal), a Moog Source
Moog Source
The Moog Source is a monophonic Z80 microprocessor-controlled analog synthesizer manufactured by Moog Music from 1981 to 1985. The Source was Moog's first synthesizer to offer patch memory storage...
, Alesis Andromeda A6
Alesis Andromeda A6
The Alesis Andromeda A6 is a 16-voice, 16-channel multitimbral analog synthesizer by Alesis which was released in 2000 and discontinued in 2010. The Andromeda has analog oscillators and filters combined with modern digital control...
, a Yamaha Motif, a Moog Little Phatty, and a Yamaha CS-60 polyphonic synthesizer. He also plays the theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
and the melodica. The Rhodes as well as the clavinet are sometimes played through a Maestro Phase Shifter (recently been changed to an MXR Phase 90). Starting in 2009, Page has been using a Moog Liberation Keytar when playing Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter
Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
's "Frankenstein
Frankenstein (song)
"Frankenstein" is a rock instrumental by The Edgar Winter Group from their album They Only Come Out at Night.In live performances of the song, Edgar Winter further pioneered the advancement of the synthesizer as a lead instrument by becoming the first person ever to strap a keyboard instrument...
" with Phish, and in 2010, Page brought back his Wurlitzer 106p electric piano to his live rig.