Mike Gordon

About Mike Gordon

Mike Gordon picked up the bass because his college roommate at the University of Vermont played guitar. That roommate was Trey Anastasio. This turned out to be a consequential decision for anyone who's ever argued about setlists on the internet.

Gordon co-founded Phish in 1983, and his approach to the bass guitar became part of what made the band sound like themselves. He doesn't just hold down the low end — he treats the instrument like a lead voice, weaving melodic lines that conversation with whatever Anastasio is doing on guitar. His tone is clean, his phrasing is busy without being obnoxious, and he's spent four decades proving that you can play a lot of notes and still serve the song.

The band's rise through the nineties happened the old way, before social media turned every local act into a potential viral moment. They toured constantly, built a dedicated following, and became the kind of band that could sell out Madison Square Garden multiple nights without bothering the pop charts. Gordon's bass work on tracks like "You Enjoy Myself" and "Divided Sky" became blueprints that bass players still study. His background vocals added harmonies that softened some of Phish's more chaotic impulses.

When Phish broke up in 2004, Gordon didn't disappear. He released solo albums that skewed more experimental and electronic than you'd expect from a jam band guy. "Inside In" came out in 2003, before the breakup made it necessary. The Meters covered one of his songs. He formed a side project with acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke that resulted in two albums of the kind of intricate, conversational playing that happens when two people really listen to each other.

After Phish reunited in 2009, Gordon continued splitting time between the mothership and his own projects. He directed a documentary called "Rising Low" about bass players and their instruments, interviewing everyone from Flea to Bill Laswell. It's the kind of thing only a true obsessive makes. His solo work kept coming — "OGOGO" in 2017 mixed his melodic sensibilities with stranger production choices that suggested he was still interested in finding out what else the instrument could do.

These days Gordon is back to the Phish routine of extensive tours and the occasional festival where fans organize their entire summer around three days in upstate New York or Mexico. He's in his late fifties now, still playing with the kind of energy that would exhaust players half his age. His bass lines remain a crucial part of why Phish sounds like Phish — melodic, nimble, occasionally goofy, and always more technical than they need to be. Which is sort of the point.

Solo shows are smaller and weirder than Phish gigs. Expect electronic glitches, bass lines that do unexpected things, and an audience of devoted experimentalists rather than casual fans. The energy is cerebral rather than party-minded.

Known for All Things Reconsidered, The Aquatic Featured Attraction, Wonderlick Production, Rocket Nancy, Everyday People

See Mike Gordon Live