Phish.net

PhishNet Was Born June 22, 1991, posted by phishnet

PHISH archivist Kevin Shapiro recently---and graciously---tweeted HAPPY 34th BIRTHDAY to PhishNet, because for a very long time we believed PhishNet began thirty-four years ago in March 1990, as indicated in the old dot net "timeline," this News item, and this Jambands article from 2008 when Phish received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jammys.

But a few years ago, PhishNet's founder Matt Laurence found his first email to the new PhishNet email list and sent it to us:

According to the Nov-Dec 1991 Phish Update (predecessor of the Doniac Schvice), the "Phish.net" "Internet electronic mail" (emphasis in original) list had "about 100 people" on it by fall 1991. College students in particular were encouraged to join the Phish.net e-mail list, as one could read about setlists on the list, get answers to questions about songs, lyrics and chords, read "reports of wild events," and receive "announcements of tape trees":

Here's a photo of Matt Laurence---sporting the '93 Phish.Net tshirt---with his friend James (left) and Mike Gordon (right) taken in 1993 when Matt interviewed Mike for his first interview to appear in Bass Player magazine:

In any event, after Matt informed us about PhishNet's correct birthdate in 2021, we updated the timeline on this website to change the date of PhishNet's genesis from March 1990 to June 1991, but uh apparently didn't tell anyone.

PhishNet regrets the error.

"In other news you also may not have heard or been informed about in a timely manner by the volunteers behind this Internet World-Wide-Website, The FOTM Tease was removed many years ago from the setlist of 12/31/95 in honor of and in deference to Scott Marks and his work on the PhishNet setlists file, and "Quadrophonic Toppling" was added back to the Cypress setlist out of "Sand," and its song history revised and appended to explain why, in honor of but not in deference to everyone who complained about its removal. You're welcome." -charlie