Page McConnell

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Page McConnell

McConnell with Phish at Red Rocks Amphitheater
July 30, 2009
Background information
Birth name Page Samuel McConnell
Also known as The Chairman of the Boards, Leo
Born (1963-05-17) May 17, 1963
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres Alternative rock, rock, jazz, electronica
Occupations Musician, songwriter
Instruments Keyboards, piano, theremin, upright bass, Hammond B-3 Organ, drums
Years active 1981–present
Labels Sony BMG
Associated acts Phish, Vida Blue, Tenacious D, Phil Lesh and Friends, Spam Allstars, Travis, Porter Batiste Stoltz
Website Official website

Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)[1] is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as a songwriter and keyboardist with the American rock band Phish. He plays on stage right which is referred to by fans as "Page Side, Rage Side."

In addition to being a member of Phish since 1985, McConnell has had several other musical liaisons during his career, including a trio named Vida Blue. He released his first solo album, featuring original compositions, in 2007.

Background

McConnell was born in Philadelphia, 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.[1] 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. McConnell spent his senior year of high school at Lawrence Academy, a boarding school 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[1] and played with the band for the first time on May 3 of that year.[2] McConnell has written a number of Phish originals including "Cars Trucks Buses," "Magilla," "Army of One," "I Been Around," "Windy City," "Halfway to the Moon," and "If I Told You." He has also coauthored numerous other songs with the band.[3]

Other musical projects

In 1997, McConnell played keyboards on the title track of Scottish band Travis' 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 during Phish's hiatus, 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."[4]

The album features Phish bandmates Jon Fishman, Trey Anastasio, and Mike Gordon, though they all play on separate tracks.

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."[4]

Instruments

Page McConnell's current rig includes:

- a Yamaha C7 concert grand (7'6") piano (since 2.3.93),

- a Hammond B3 organ with a Leslie 122 speaker (modified with individual percussion and chorus output knobs for a more tuned effect),

- a 1969 Fender Rhodes Silver Sparkle Top Suitcase 73 Model electric piano,

- a Hohner D6 Clavinet (often used in sync with a wah-wah pedal),

- a Moog Little Phatty (sometimes switched out for a Prophet '08),

- and a Yamaha CS-60 polyphonic synthesizer.

- Since 2009, Page has been using a Moog Liberation (formerly owned by James Brown[5]) when playing Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" with Phish

- In 2010, Page brought back his 106p Wurlitzer electric piano to his live rig

- In 2011, he brought back his theremin for the first time since 1997

-In 2013, he added a talk box to his touring rig.

In the past, his rig has included a Moog Source, Alesis Andromeda A6 & a Yamaha Motif.

Page also plays the melodica though not with Phish.

The Rhodes as well as the clavinet are sometimes played through a Maestro Phase Shifter (recently changed to an MXR Phase 90).

Page played bass on Phish's one-off cover of Little Feat's Willin' & the Phish original Rocko William, though it has not been performed since 1997. He also played upright bass during the band's acoustic bluegrass numbers, though not since 1994.

He also plays drums on the Phish song Walfredo.

Albums

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Leggett, Steve (2010). "Page McConnell Biography". AllMusic AMG P-103556. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
  2. ↑ Phish.net Setlisths:1985 Accessed: August 04, 2011.
  3. ↑ The Phish Companion
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Metzger, John (May 2007). "A Fresh Start with Page McConnell". Music Box Magazine. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
  5. ↑

External links

Phish
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