Page McConnell
USA- Page McConnell: From Classical Pianist to Phish Keyboardist
- Joining Phish
- Collaborations and Solo Projects
Page McConnell: From Classical Pianist to Phish Keyboardist
Early Life and EducationPage McConnell was born on May 17, 1963, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was a physician who worked at a major laboratory before opening his own practice in South Carolina. As a child, McConnell moved frequently with his family, attending multiple schools. He completed high school at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts, and went on to attend college for two years before transferring to Goddard College, graduating in 1987. It was at Goddard that he met his mentor, Karl Boyle, who guided him in writing a senior thesis titled "The Art of Improvisation."
Joining Phish
In 1985, McConnell joined the band Phish. He played on their first official concert on September 25 of that year. Over the following years, McConnell became a keyboardist in Phish, contributing four original compositions ("Cars Trucks Buses," "Magilla," "Army of One," "In a Hole") and co-authoring 11 other tracks.
Collaborations and Solo Projects
In 1997, McConnell collaborated with Scottish band Travis on the title track of their debut album, "Good Feeling." In 2001, he appeared on the debut album of Tenacious D, joining them on stage at a concert in Burlington, Vermont. Along with Oteil Burbridge and Russell Batiste, McConnell was a founding member of the group Vida Blue.
After Phish went on hiatus in 2004, McConnell returned to music with a solo album in 2006. The album, titled "Page McConnell," was released on Sony/BMG in 2007. McConnell expressed his desire to reach a wider audience with his solo work, stating: "I know a lot of people just put their stuff out on the internet, and there's certainly something to be said for that, especially these days and especially if you're just trying to appease the Phish fans who already know me. But I wanted to do something a little bit bigger... I'm proud of the record, and I wanted as many people as possible to hear it."
The album featured guest appearances from former Phish members Jon Fishman, Trey Anastasio, and Mike Gordon. McConnell led the High Sierra Music Festival in July 2007, touring with a band that included virtuoso Jared Slomoff, guitarist Adam Zimmon, bassist Rob O'Dea, and drummer Gabe Jarrett.
