Trey Anastasio

Life

Anastasio was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but moved with his family to New Jersey at a young age. He began playing the drums as a youth, turning to guitar while a teenager. He went to Princeton Day School for junior high, where he began to write music with classmates. Some of these tunes (e.g. "Guelah Papyrus", "Runaway Jim") would find their ways into the Phish repertoire, and many other Anastasio compositions refer to these early experiences. For high school he attended Taft Preparatory, where he founded his first two bands, Red Tide and Space Antelope, respectively.

Related Topics:
Fort Worth, Texas - New Jersey - Phish

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After high school, Anastasio enrolled at the University of Vermont, attending from fall of 1983 to spring of 1986 (except for the spring of 1984). It was here that he met Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, and Jeff Holdsworth, who founded Phish in 1983. Through UVM he also began a lifelong association with composer Ernie Stires, who taught him techniques for composition and arranging. On UVM campus he hosted an early morning radio show called Ambient Alarm Clock.

Related Topics:
University of Vermont - Jon Fishman - Mike Gordon - Jeff Holdsworth - Phish - Ernie Stires - Radio show - Ambient Alarm Clock

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Trey was suspended from UVM for an entire semester after he broke into the science building, stole a human hand and a goat's heart, and then sent the hand and heart in a package to the science program, with a note saying, "I've got to hand it to you, you've got heart." He traveled through Europe with friends before returning to Vermont to continue work with Phish. After meeting pianist Page McConnell, who soon joined Phish, Anastasio attended Goddard College from fall of 1986 to spring of 1988. McConnell received $50 each for recruiting Anastasio and Fishman. While at Goddard, Anastasio wrote the song cycle The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday (Gamehendge) for his thesis. These songs would become mainstays of the Phish catalog.

Related Topics:
Europe - Phish - Page McConnell - Goddard College - The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday - Gamehendge

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Anastasio graduated from Goddard College in 1988 with a major in philosophy.

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A term of endearment for Trey's dog Marley, pictured at right, was the namesake of Who Is She? Music, the company through which Anastasio and Phish have published many compositions.

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Married to Susan Eliza Stateser (Sue) since August 13th, 1994, he has two daughters, Eliza Jean and Isabella. The family resides in Essex Junction, Vermont.

Related Topics:
Essex Junction - Vermont

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His mother, Dina, was an editor of Sesame Street Magazine. Trey wrote stories, songs, and albums with her as a child. His father, Ernie, was the Executive Vice President of Educational Testing Service. This company is most noted for administering the SAT and other standardized tests.

Related Topics:
Sesame Street Magazine - Educational Testing Service - SAT - Standardized test

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The name Trey is derived from the III in his legal name, E.G. Anastasio III. He has also been referred to with a variety of playful monikers, including 'The Good Lieutenant,' 'The Bad Lieutenant,' and 'Wilson' (after the evil archvillain of his Gamehendge saga.)

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Anastasio has performed and otherwise contributed on behalf of a number of charitable causes, including Farm Aid and the Tibet House.

Related Topics:
Farm Aid - Tibet House

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