Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson became the poster child for popular indie rockers with heady roots when he started wearing his old Phish t-shirt on stage and namedropping the jamband scene in interviews. But until this month, Tomson had yet to share the stage with any big-name jamband musicians.
That all changed on August 3 when Tomson participated in Bob Weir’s Move Me Brightly Jerry Garcia tribute at Marin County’s TRI Studios. Not only did the drummer play with Weir, but he also shared the stage with Mike Gordon, Furthur keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, Joe Russo, Jim Lauderdale and an assortment of other jam-scene regulars. Shortly after that event, Tomson discussed his experiences playing TRI, his roots in the jamband scene and a little known fact about his bootleg Phish T.
You recently played with Bob Weir, Mike Gordon, Joe Russo and a slew of other musicians as part of the TRI Studios Move Be Brightly Jerry Garcia tribute. How did you first get involved in the show and broadcast?
I think it all started because I have this Phish lot shirt. It is a bootleg of the Phillies and Phish logos, and I think I’ve worn that on TV a couple of times, most noticeably on Saturday Night Live. People noticed that and said, “Oh, you like Phish.” So that was kind of all I did. I put myself out there as [a Phish fan] and then, someone from his camp—or whomever was working on this event—e-mailed me and they were like, “Hey, I know you’re into this music, would you be interested in taking part in this.” It seemed like a good idea and a lot of fun so that was kind of all I did to get my name out there.
How long before the show did they approach you about it?
Probably around two weeks or something.
Can you talk a bit about the process of choosing the songs for the broadcast? Did they send around a list before the show or did you each bring in different ideas?
Well, I think that there was a general batch of songs that Bob, Joe Russo, Mike Gordon and Jeff Chimenti—the core band—had in mind that they wanted to play. Once the song list was done, some of the different singers chose what songs they wanted to play. I ended up only playing on a couple of songs—a few songs I thought I could do OK on. You know, it’s hard to take Joe Russo’s zone because he’s kind of awesome up there.
One of the songs you played that really stuck out was “Shakedown Street.” Was that a song that you requested or was it one that Joe thought would be good for you?
That’s the one that when I looked at the song list that they were planning, it felt more in my wheelhouse than some of the other stuff because it’s kind of got more of a groove with jazzy flourishes or whatever. Yeah, so that was definitely one that I knew I wanted to do and then, “Franklin’s Tower” was one I played drums on that Joe kind of suggested. He said, “This one might work for you too,” so that’s the other one I ended up subbing the kit for. But yeah, “Shakedown” was a song I’ve always liked and have been playing that for years on guitar, though not drums so much—but I kind of listen to it a lot. I was very nervous, probably more nervous than I’ve been in a while for a show. I thought that one worked and went well, specifically, for me on drums.
Can you talk a bit about the rehearsals for the show? Did Bob organize a formal rehearsal or did everyone sort of do their homework and show up ready to play?
I think everyone, obviously out of respect for both Bob and the idea of the show, did their homework. But there was definitely a very conscious rehearsal effort before the show.
I think a lot of the solos stuff and maybe some of the jam stuff wasn’t rehearsed, but the core of the songs were [fleshed out during rehearsal]. We made sure they had the structures and then, we paid a lot of attention to the vocal harmonies.
It was kind of cool. No offense to him, but Bob Weir was kind of the oldest guy in the room, and he was the one leading the rehearsals on. And he, out of all of us, was the one that could’ve phoned it in the most. But he definitely spearheaded the rehearsal idea and really wanted to make sure that when this was performed it was performed right and that people would enjoy it. It was inspiring to see him, 45 years or so in the game, still wanting to make sure that you get it right.
It is interesting you mention that he was the oldest guy in the room. With the exception of thr few songs Phil Lesh played on and Donna’s contributions, Weir was also one of the few people from the original Grateful Dead family who performed. But at the same time there were all these connections between some of the younger, more indie and singer/songwriter-leaning musicians in the room. Did you personally have any connections to the other players involved?
A guy in Vampire Weekend, Rostam Batmanglij, has worked with Cass McCombs a bunch so I vaguely knew him but I hadn’t played with him before. Other than that, I’ve played festivals with a lot of people that I’ve seen around or maybe met, but never really sat down and played with any of them.
You have talked at length about your love of Phish and even some younger jambands like The String Cheese Incident and The Slip. How much of an influence was the Grateful Dead on you and a musician and music fan?
I mean, you saw me jam years [before Vampire Weekend] with The Ripple Effect at Excelsior so you know I was into this scene. I think the Grateful Dead, obviously, have their own aesthetic, but for most people our age, the Grateful Dead are more rooted in the ‘60s cultural mythology and even our parents’ [generation]. My dad was kind of turned off by the whole Deadhead thing of traveling—he wasn’t really part of that world and wasn’t sure what it was all about—but obviously everyone’s got fuckin’ Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, which isn’t the whole thing but for sure. [But even people like my dad] had their other albums, too. I think my dad’s favorite was actually their first [self-titled] album with “Viola Lee Blues.” So I definitely knew them, and they obviously have some stone cold classics that we play next to Zeppelin and Grand Funk Railroad or whatever on Q104. For me, Phish was the band I had a more personal connection to, obviously, because I could see them live. You feel like you’re there as it’s unfolding and that this thing is happening and that sort of thing. Growing up, I was really into sports and then, sort of got into Phish. I felt really comfortable listening to them and that opened the door to so many different types of music for me.
I think, I personally connected more with Phish at first, but then—as I’m sure any number of people would say—that was definitely a gateway to other types of music. They wear their influences on their sleeve and you kind of say, “Oh that’s cool, and maybe did they get this idea from there, or did they get this from this sort of thing.” Even as just a grand overarching concept, the Grateful Dead is sort of like, if not a stylistic then a conceptual predecessor. So yeah, I think from there I kind of maybe delved more into the live show and tape culture and more, instead of just American Beauty, Terrapin Station and Wake of the Flood and stuff like that.
So for sure, the Grateful Dead I’ve liked for a long time. One of my favorite box sets I’ve ever gotten was The Golden Road, which had their 10 albums.
You have made a point to talk about Phish in interviews and also, as you said, wore a lot shirt on national television. Did you consciously try to say to indie rock fans, “Don’t knock Phish and the Dead.”
I think that pretty much when I wore it on SNL and I kind of flashed it a little bit—I think that was more a pointed moment of something. I’ve always worn it, and I have never worn it in jest. It’s just one of my favorite t-shirts [Laughter.] I think it’s pretty comfortable and I remember I actually got it at a Trey solo show, to be fair. I think it was October 26, 2002 in Lehigh, PA, which I went with my friend Buddy Harem. It’s just a shirt that I’ve worn and always liked. I never really wear it for a specific purpose other than just to wear it.
I’m glad that you gave Trey’s solo band some credit because it does not always get that much credit.
Sorry, I should just call it TAB! [Laughter.]
Trey’s new album features appearances by The National’s Matt Berninger and Bryan Devendorf, Mates of State of other indie rock musicians. Have you ever talked about working with the members of Phish in a more formal context than the TRI Show?
I’ve heard that there’s vague connections and that Trey might be a fan so you never know. It was really nice to meet Mike and I’ve gotten pretty good at playing it cool at this point—I don’t think I really freaked him out, but I was such a huge fan. It was really cool to get to play with him. I’m sure I’m not as talented as some of the drummers he could play with, but I think I did alright.
When Phish first came back in 2009 I think a lot of closest fans come out of the woodwork—both musicians who are playing in other types of bands and professionals who stopped seeing the band for any number of reasons. Now that they have been back for a few years and seem to be here for a while, do you still find yourself listening to them?
I will admit that I probably have six 120-capacity CD binders of mid-90s burned CD shows that I probably haven’t listened to in a few years. But yeah, I still go back, I listen to Ghost, I listen to _ Nectar_. I definitely go back and I really enjoy listening to it. I think my personal favorite is December ’97. I feel like the show in Columbus is like 12/7 or 12/5/97, I really like those. And Slip Stitch & Pass is something I really enjoy. I’m still out here [on the West Coast] for the TRI show and am going to try to make it to one of Phish’s shows of here.
The thing I always loved about Phish is that you didn’t have to be a certain type of person to like them. I think it peaked for me and I don’t want to downgrade what they meant or mean to me, but I think anyone who doesn’t like them, has to respect what they did and still do. I attended the first Bonnaroo and it was very cool, and I saw Trey and Jack Johnson, but I remember looking at the barrier and wondering who was on the other side.
I think the ultimate experience, for me, is when Vampire Weekend headlined Merriweather Post in the fall of 2010. The first Phish show I was at was September 17, 2000 at Merriweather Post. Then, ten years later, it is early September and, as it happened, on our last big US tour, the fall of 2010, and we played Merriweather Post within a week of the 10-year anniversary of me seeing that first Phish show. That was kind of one of the cooler conceptual experiences for me, to remember how much that show meant to me and then playing a show at that thing 10 years later. That was probably the most full-circle thing I could ever achieve.
