I've heard of this band for years, but they are a regional outfit from another region and I've not had the opportunity to see them live. I can recall some flamey online discussions of them during PHiSH hiatus I and II - yet there were always Phix supporters.

I went right into the deep end with Stash for something with both intricate structure and a jam with no rules. I was surprised by how well these guys handled the composed section of the piece - I hear no signs of a struggle, but deft fingerwork with agility and a smooth yet and bouncy feel through the composed parts. The "Jam" out of MSMN did what I didn't expect - Phis steered it into a path I do not recall from any PHiSH versions- a jam that took a direction unique to THIS performance. Not only is that commendable, but it pays high tribute to the band they cover.

Other tracks followed in a similar vein, and were far better played than I could have anticipated. Split Open and Melt is uncannily natural sounding. I can't imagine there are many bands that have both the ABILITY and interest to pull this off, but Phix does it here on 2-28-2007.

If I have one critical comment to toss out - it's that the flanger /phaser effect used on the guitar at times seems out of character. Fortunately, the guitarist gets out the PAF bite and howl when it's really needed.

Any reservations I had that Phix might be a group of marginally able fans with some gear who consider a 45-minute version of Gotta Jiboo a triump - have evaporated in the heat of these tracks I've sampled. 4 stars because only PHiSH gets the 5th for these tunes!