Frost

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Originally Performed By	Trey Anastasio
Original Album	Traveler (2012)
Appears On
Music/Lyrics	Anastasio/Marshall
Vocals	Trey
Historian	Phillip Zerbo (pzerbo)
Last Update	2023-12-16

History

The delightful and lilting ballad “Frost” debuted with TAB on 10/6/11 at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville, NC. At that gig Trey noted that the song was co-written with Tom Marshall just before that tour kicked off; it was written at the same writing session at Manhattan’s Jungle City Studio that produced “Winterqueen,” the only TAB song that made the cut for Phish’s 2013 Halloween performance of Wingsuit. Tom Marshall explained that the lyric released officially as "maybe he would sail away" was written "maybe he was sent away," and Trey has performed the song both ways, sometimes in the same performance.

Trey Anastasio "Frost" - 3/8/17, Northampton, MA. Video by aerofan2007.

Lyrically “Frost” draws from the metaphorical well that has served Anastasio/Marshall compositions for decades – wind, water, frayed communication, all in a chilly motif. The studio version that appears on Trey’s 2012 release, Traveler, features a haunting organ part from Ray Paczkowski. Trey noted in an interview with Sirius JamOn that the organ part was recorded in a big empty room and sounds like “outer space music.”

TAB, “Frost” – 10/18/12, Detroit, MI

“Frost” stuck to the TAB repertoire – appearing in most TAB shows from its debut through the 2013 spring tour promoting Traveler – where the haunting, dreamlike fairy tale qualities of the song are enhanced by the vocals of Natalie Cressman and Jennifer Hartswick. “Frost” was soundchecked three times on Phish’s 2013 summer tour, before finally breaking through on 7/17/13 in Alpharetta, GA.

Trey Anastasio w/ LA Philharmonic "Frost" - 9/26/14, Los Angeles, CA. Video by Grunzy Channel.

“Frost” was scored for full orchestra by long-time collaborator Don Hart, making its orchestral debut at Anastasio’s performance with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center on 5/22/13. The only song from Traveler to make the jump to orchestra (and the only new song introduced at Trey’s only orchestral performance of 2013), the stunningly gorgeous orchestration combined with a pristine vocal offering from Trey was a highlight of this magnificent show.

Phish "Frost" - 7/17/13, Alpharetta, GA. Video by shinepigeon.

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