The board of the Mockingbird Foundation announced today that it has assembled a group of Phish luminaries and professional colleagues who will serve as advisors to the Foundation’s board, officers, and operating committees. The fourteen members of the new Advisory Panel will help, on an individual basis, guide and inform the Foundation going forward, to ensure that its efforts and successes continue well after Phish’s career as a band ends.
The members were selected based on their ability to provide expertise in specific areas, including fundraising, grantmaking, project development, product development, public relations, and fan interests. Their affiliations include band management and staff, fan resources and publications, and other nonprofit and charitable efforts, including representatives from each recipient of the Mimi Fishman Award for community service, given annually at the Jammy Awards. (The Mockingbird Foundation was the first recipient of that award.)
The members of the Mockingbird Advisory Panel are:
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Many of these individuals have provided significant behind-the-scenes support to the Foundation in the past. Each has expressed a willingness to share suggestions and recommendations to help shape and maintain the Foundation’s efforts.
The Mockingbird Foundation is a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Conceived in 1996, and founded in 1997, the Foundation is operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish. Its comprehensive books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community have raised more than $250K and funded scores of grants so far. The Foundation will release a second edition of The Phish Companion this summer, will announce its next round of grant recipients in October, and will announce some important management changes in one week.
Phish is a rock band from Burlington, VT. They began on December 2, 1983; became one of the highest grossing and most beloved touring acts in history; and will perform their final show on August 15, 2004, in Coventry, VT. The band’s net proceeds from its livephish.com music distribution service are donated to the Mockingbird Foundation.
The Mockingbird Foundation is pleased to announced that it has received the Mimi Fishman Memorial Award, the Jammy that honors notable contributions to community service. The Board of the Foundation humbly accepts the award on behalf of the many charitable groups, especially the organizations involved in music education, that benefit from its fundraising activities.
Mimi Fishman Foundation Director David Shulman presented the award to long-time Mockingbird volunteers Jack Lebowitz and Kat Griffin at last night’s Jammys ceremony, which took place at the Roseland Ballroom in New York. The show featured more than five hours of non-stop music and award presentations, culminating in a two-stage dueling jam on “Cissy Strut” in honor of the Meters. Awards were presented in eleven categories.
The Mockingbird Foundation extends its thanks to the fans who voted and to Jambands.com, for spreading their love of music. Most of all, the Foundation is grateful to the inspiring memory of Mimi Fishman, mother of Phish drummer Jon Fishman, for her years of service to the community.
Finally, the Foundation congratulates the other community service organizations that were nominated, and commends them for their charitable efforts.
The Mockingbird Foundation was founded as an all-volunteer organization in 1997 by fans of the band Phish. Its members have released The Phish Companion, a 928-book about the band and its music, and are preparing for the release of Sharin’ in the Groove, a double-disc cover album. The Foundation’s net proceeds go to charity, supporting music education for children.
