MOCKINGBIRD FOUNDATION MAILS DRAFT, RELEASES IMAGES
The Mockingbird Foundation, Inc. announced today that it has submitted a complete draft of the manuscript for its forthcoming book, The Mockingbird Project: An Encyclopedic Companion to the Music of Phish. The draft has been received by publisher Miller Freeman, and various working groups are now moving towards a finalized manuscript to be submitted later this year. The book will be available for pre-order this summer, in warehouses by November, and officially released just before Christmas.
The Foundation also announced the release of images for use by fans and other webmasters to link to the Mockingbird site. Heather Hanly designed and created five images, including three banners and two square link images. The site currently promotes the charitable activites of the Foundation, and includes sample content from the book. Content there will gradually expand to include additional content from the book, as well as several innovative interactive components.
The Mockingbird Foundation is a group of ambitious fans who incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1997 to undertake several Phish-related projects for charity. Foremost is the production of the definitive desk reference about the band Phish. The book includes contributions from thousands of fans, and has received support from the band’s management company and colleagues. It will be published by San Francisco-based Miller Freeman, publisher of the All Music Guides as well as Guitar Player, Bass Player, and Keyboard magazines, among others. The Foundation will also release an album of acts covering the music of Phish. All net proceeds from both projects will benefit charity, initially music education for kids. The Foundation and the book take their name from a character in several Phish songs, the Famous Mockingbird, who helps wayward society by retrieving the book of knowledge from an evil invader and returning it to the people. The Mockingbird Foundation website is at http//www.phish.net/mockingbird.
Phish was founded in 1983 at the University of Vermont and moved to its current lineup in 1985. Guitarist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, bassist Mike Gordon, and keyboardist Page McConnell have been touring the country for the past 16 years, slowly becoming one of the nations largest live acts. They recently released “Farmhouse,” their tenth studio effort, which sold 88,776 copies in its first week. Phish’s millennium celebration at the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in Florida was the largest and top-grossing millennium concert in North America. The band’s official website is at http//www.phish.com.