''Ghosts of the Forest'' is the debut album by the band of the same name, a side project lead by

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

guitarist

Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish o ...

. The album was released on April 12, 2019 on vinyl and streaming services only. Musicians joining Anastasio on the album include Phish drummer

Jon Fishman Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer known for his work with the band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983, and which was, in part, named after him. He is credited with co-writing nineteen Phish songs, eight with a solo cr ...

and Trey Anastasio Band bassist

Tony Markellis Tony Markellis (10 September 1952 – 29 April 2021) was a bassist and record producer, born in Helena, Montana, to a Turkish immigrant, Constantine Markellis, and the daughter of Greek immigrants, Victoria Carkulis, residing in Saratoga Springs, ...

in his last studio collaboration with Anastasio before his death in 2021.

Background

The "Ghosts of the Forest" name refers to three different entities: the album, which features nine songs, the project as a whole, which features the material on the album plus an additional eleven songs only performed live, and the group itself. Ghosts of the Forest was partially conceived as a tribute to Anastasio's friend Chris Cottrell, who died of

adrenal cancer An adrenal tumor or adrenal mass is any benign or malignant neoplasms of the adrenal gland, several of which are notable for their tendency to overproduce endocrine hormones. Adrenal cancer is the presence of malignant adrenal tumors, and includes ...

in January of 2018. While the group's live performances share the extended improvisations that define Phish concerts, Ghosts of the Forest's performances differ from Anastasio's other projects in that the group's setlists remained static throughout its run. The Ghosts in the Forest project was also a main focus of the documentary ''Between Me and My Mind'', released the same year. Anastasio used a stripped-back approach to his playing for the album and employed minimal overdubs, citing Cottrell as an influence for this decision. He stated: Nature also plays a central role in the sound of the album, with Anastasio and mixer Vance Powell at one point recording 45 minutes of ambient outside sounds, elements of which were later overlaid onto the album's songs. All songs on the album besides "In Long Lines" and "Brief Time" have made it into Phish setlists. Additionally, another Ghosts of the Forest song, "A Life Beyond the Dream", appears on their 2020 studio album ''

Sigma Oasis ''Sigma Oasis'' is the fifteenth studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on the band's JEMP Records label on April 2, 2020. The album was recorded at their studio The Barn and was produced by the band and Vance Powell. Productio ...

''.

Commercial performance

''Ghosts of the Forest'' made the top ten of the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Vinyl Albums chart, reaching number four. It also reached number 67 on the magazine's

Top Album Sales Top Album Sales is a music chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine starting in December 2014. It is a weekly chart documenting the best-selling albums on a weekly basis in the United States. Up until December 2014, this had been documented by th ...

chart and number 51 on its Top Current Album Sales chart.

Track listing

Personnel

– guitar, vocals *

– bass *

– drums * Ray Paczkowski – keyboards *

Charlie Lowell Charles Daniel Lowell (born October 21, 1973)Jars WorldJars World: Music: Tim. Date of Birth noted. Retrieved 9 August 2007. is an American pianist most known for being the pianist and keyboardist for Christian alternative folk rock group Jars o ...

– keyboards *Jeff Tanski – keyboards *Jason Eskridge – backing vocals *Kristin Rogers – backing vocals

References

{{Trey Anastasio Trey Anastasio albums 2019 albums