On May 1, 1989, Phish played the Universal Joint in the basement of Pearl Street — a club in Northampton, MA located downtown at 10 Pearl St. in a space subsequently known as 10 Below. It was an all-ages show with $6 tickets and an extra $2 charge for those under 21. This was a formative time for Phish, who were just about to release their first official studio album, Junta. This Tuesday’s Dinner and A Movie features a 67-minute Set II from that night, and marks the first time it has ever been shown publicly. Page offers up his recollections below, as well as bringing us this week’s recipe for a classic burger, plus a pasta salad and millet cakes.

For this week’s beneficiary, we have teamed up with NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association. NIVA’s mission is to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live music venues and promoters throughout the United States. These entertainment thumbs are critical to their local economies and tax bases as employers, tourism destinations and revenue generates for neighboring businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and retail. Independent venues exist in every state across the country; they were the first to be closed, they will be the last to open. For more information, please visit https://www.nivassoc.org.

A Note from Page:

As I recall, the video for this show came into being rather spontaneously, without too much forethought or planning. As we were setting up our gear, in a basement club in Northampton, MA, we were approached by a well-dressed, diminutive gentleman. As best I can remember, his name was René. And he was there to pitch his video idea to us. For a nominal fee he would shoot the band’s set with one camera, artistically. He spoke with a French accent, almost spitting at us in a kind of broken English, with an urgency that was quite compelling. As his pace and volume increased, he kept saying it would be “avant-garde.” And the more times he said “avant-garde” with that thick accent, the more I believed him.

Needless to say, he got the gig. And we got the video.

The audio was recorded by our friend and former manager, John Paluska. The audio and visual sat in our vault since 1989, but had never been properly synched up (the videotape lacked audio). Jared Slomoff did a great job matching them up, so you all could enjoy it this week. According to Kevin Shapiro, we have used all the existing audio, but there are still a few audio pauses and hiccups along the way. Our apologies.

Rene’s use of the fisheye lens, the “negative image” effect, the odd angles and abrupt movements…I’m not sure it all adds up to “avant-garde.” And, at times I wish he would settle down. But, he went for it, and there is no denying that Rene’s camera work brought a certain excitement to the overall shoot.

After watching some of the video, I looked to see what sort of shows we were playing back then. It was a really fun time for us. We were starting to get gigs every month around the Northeast at clubs and colleges, and still playing regular gigs in Burlington at The Front and Nectar’s.

This video captures some of that youthful energy that is nurtured and developed in small clubs like this one all across the country. Some of the places we played are still around, but many clubs are just barely hanging on now, which is why this week we are proud to be supporting the National Independent Venue Association. #saveourstages

Enjoy,
Page

This week, one of my favorite sandwiches, the burger. Though I’ve never really been much of a cook, over the last few years I’ve really learned to enjoy grilling. I do it all year round.

We enjoy this meal with a pasta salad, but any sides can work. Heather also included a recipe for millet cakes, as a vegan option.

Classic Burger

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef (local, grass-fed, organic, if possible)
5 burger buns

Instructions:
– Divide the ground beef into 5 patties
– We prefer a simply plain burger, but season to taste
– Grill or fry to your liking
– Add your choice of condiments and a bun

Millet Cakes
(vegan option)

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked Millet
1 tbsp avocado oil
½ cup grated broccoli
½ cup grated carrots
2 shallots finely chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp lemon juice
3 tbs hemp seeds
1 ½ tsp psyllium husk powder
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp yellow mustard or Dijon

Instructions:
– Preheat oven to 400°
– Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
– Heat avocado oil in a saute pan over medium heat
– Add broccoli and carrots to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until carrots are sort and broccoli is bright green
– Before removing pan from heat, stir in turmeric and lemon juice
– Add cooked millet and cooked vegetable mixture to food processor
– Add hemp seeds, psyllium husk powder, nutritional yeast and mustard to food processor, season with salt and pepper.
– Run the food processor on high until the mixture starts clumping together
– Form the millet cakes using about 2 tbsp or more of the mixture into patties, set on parchment lined baking sheet
– Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, flipping halfway until lightly browned

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pasta (your choice0
¼ cup Greek or Italian dressing (we use Primal Kitchen Greek Vinaigrette)
¼ cup chopped olives (we use Castelveltrano or kalamata)
¼ cup chopped artichokes
¼ cup chopped celery
1/8 cup chopped pickled onions

Instructions:
– Add any other veggies and fresh herbs (basil, bell peppers, cucumbers)
– Optional: add cubed Feta cheese and sliced Sopressata
– Mix all ingredients together
– Add olive oil or more dressing to taste
– Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to marinate and chill