October 12, 2018 (New York, NY) – Phish returns to Madison Square Garden for four nights to celebrate the New Year, December 28-31, 2018. Once again, CEG Presents will host its traditional Phish Pre and After-Party series. The latest additions to the series will all take place at The Cutting Room, which is just 3 blocks from Madison Square Garden, and with multiple shows on Dec 28-30, it will be very close-by Phish at MSG pre-and-post party headquarters.

As for new additions, on Saturday December 29, the “Funkiest All-Star Tribute In Show Business” The James Brown Dance Party will perform at The Cutting Room after Phish. This incarnation will feature bass player Fred Thomas, a long-time member of the James Brown Band; Robert Walter of Greyboy Allstars & Mike Gordon’s band, JM Kimock, also of Mike Gordon’s band, Adam Dotson of Rubblebucket, Chris Rob of Talib Kweli‘s band, The Chase Brothers and more!

Also, on December 29, the Stella Blues Band who were founded in 2009 to recreate the experience of being at a Grateful Dead show, will perform a pre-party at 4pm. With love and reverence for the music, the band will recreate that special feeling of community, unique to Grateful Dead shows.

On December 30, Jazz is PHSH, who celebrate the music of Phish through the lens of Jazz, will perform as a Phish pre-party. An instrumental tribute, Jazz is PHSH is a collective of prominent musicians from the Jazz and Jam scenes such as Chris Bullock and Justin Stanton of Snarky Puppy, Kevin Moehringer of High & Mighty Brass Band, Felix Pastorius, plus The Chase Brothers.  With the music of Phish being both largely improvised as well as highly composed, the framework of Phish’s music is the perfect vehicle for exploring in an instrumental setting.  

Also on December 30, the Phish after-party at Cutting Room will feature a highlight from the series last year — A Family Affair: Sly & the Family Stone Tribute which features Shira Elias of Turkuaz, Nate Edgar of The Nth Power, Adam Dotson, Sly5thAve, Justin Stanton of Snarky Puppy, The Chase Brothers, and more.  Sly and the Family Stone was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music and A Family Affair celebrates the legendary funk masters.

All newly announced shows feature Early Bird pricing so fans should act quickly before the ticket prices increase. Many of the shows announced in the series have sold out in the past! Sign up at www.cegpresents.com or www.phishafterparties.com for announcements and special offers.

Full Phish After-Party (and Pre-Party) Series Line-Up To Date:

‘ChillFam Allstars’ A Tribute to Michael Jackson feat. members of Trey Anastasio Band, Snarky Puppy, Pink Talking Fish and more

Date: Friday December 28, 2018 (Facebook event)
Time: 11:30pm Doors 11:55pm Show (Technically 12:30am on 12/29)
Venue: Gramercy Theatre
Ticket Price: $25 GA + VIP Options (purchase here)

More Info: Elise Testone, Eric Gould (Pink Talking Fish); Natalie Cressman (TAB); Mike ‘Maz’ Maher (Snarky Puppy), Richard James (Pink Talking Fish); Danny Mayer (Eric Krasno Band); Rob Volo (Deep Banana Blackout); Matt Wayne (Bobby Deitch Band) & more

The Werks

Date: Friday December 28, 2018
Time: 11:30pm Doors 11:55pm Show (Technically 12:30am on 12/29)
Venue: The Cutting Room
Ticket Price: $18 Advance $20 Day of Show + VIP Options (purchase here)

More Info: On their latest LP Magic, melodic visionaries The Werks transcend their funk rock roots while never losing their identity. Poignant songwriting and engaging improvisation come together on a record that showcases their maturation as a multidimensional group of uniquely creative musicians . The virtuosic rhythm junkies of The Werks have released four highly acclaimed studio albums over the past ten years and released countless live recordings including last year’s Live at The Werk Out live album.

Stella Blues Band performing the music of the Grateful Dead

Date: Saturday December 29, 2018
Time: 3:00pm Doors 4:00pm Show
Venue: The Cutting Room
Ticket Price: $18 Advance $20 Day of Show + VIP Options (purchase here)

More Info:  Stella Blue’s Band was founded in 2009 to recreate the experience of being at a Grateful Dead show.

The James Brown Dance Party: The Funkiest All-Star Tribute In Show Business

Date: Saturday December 29, 2018
Time: 11:30pm Doors 11:55pm Show (Technically 12:30am on 12/30)
Venue: The Cutting Room
Ticket Price: $20.00 – $45.00 (purchase here)

More Info: Featuring Fred Thomas (James Brown), Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars & Mike Gordon), JM Kimock (Mike Gordon), Adam Dotson (Rubblebucket), Chris Rob (Talib Kweli), The Chase Brothers and more

Pink Talking Fish

Date: Saturday December 29, 2018
Time: 11:30pm Doors 11:55pm Show (Technically 12:30am on 12/30)
Venue: Gramercy Theatre
Ticket Price: $24.50 General Admission, $29.50 Seated Loge + VIP Options (purchase here)

More Info: Pink Talking Fish is a Hybrid Tribute Fusion Act that takes the music from three of the world’s most beloved bands and creates a special treat for fans of the music. Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads and Phish are all more than just bands… they Are Phenomenons.  Their creations have artistically inspired people and their Mind-blowing live performances have brought people together to form a special sense of community around the love for their favorite band.

Jazz is PHSH ft. Chris Bullock & Justin Stanton (Snarky Puppy), Kevin Moehringer (High & Mighty Brass Band), Felix Pastorius, Chase Bros. & more

Date: Sunday December 30, 2018
Time: 3:00pm Doors 4:00pm Show
Venue: The Cutting Room
Ticket Price: $15 – $35 + VIP Options (purchase here)

More Info:  JAZZ IS PHSH is an instrumental tribute to Phish inspired by the popular tribute to The Grateful Dead, “Jazz is Dead”. JAZZ IS PHSH is a collective of prominent musicians from the Jazz and Jam scenes that have come together in their appreciation of Phish music to reimagine Phish in an instrumental, jazz fusion setting!

A Family Affair: Sly & the Family Stone Tribute

Date: Sunday December 30, 2018
Time: 11:30pm Doors 11:55pm Show (Technically 12:30am on 12/30)
Venue: The Cutting Room
Ticket Price: $15 – $35 + VIP Options (purchase here)

More Info: Featuring Shira Elias (Turkuaz), Nate Edgar (The Nth Power), Justin Stanton (Snarky Puppy), Adam Dotson (Rubblebucket), Sly5thAve, The Chase Bros. & more

The New Mastersounds

Date: Monday December 31, 2018 (Technically Early Morning 1/1/19)
Time: 11:59pm Doors (Technically 1:30am on 1/1/19)
Venue: Gramercy Theatre
Ticket Price: $25 GA Early Bird / $35 Loge Adv / $45 VIP (purchase here)

More Info: The New Mastersounds have been delighting audiences with their infectious brand of funky soul-jazz since they formed in Leeds in 1999. For the first 5 years of the band’s career they were regulars at the Jazz Café in London, before they began to turn heads on the funk scene in the US, where guitarist/bandleader Eddie Roberts now lives. Though they have collaborated over the years with such musical luminaries as Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Art Neville, Bernard Purdie and Lou Donaldson, they are at their best on stage as a tightly-packed quartet feeding on the energy of the dancers in the front row.