The Horseshoe Curve

Tracklist (Click Song For Lyrics)

• 01 - Sidewalks Of San Francisco
• 02 - Olivia
• 03 - Burlap Sack And Pumps
• 04 - The 5th Round
• 05 - The Horseshoe Curve
• 06 - Noodle Rave
• 07 - Tube Top Tony
• 08 - Porters Pyramids

Credits and Notes

Instrumental from start to finish, The Horseshoe Curve showcases Anastasio’s Afro-Cuban-influenced compositions, replete with five-part horn arrangements, tight breaks, multiple percussionists, and of course, Anastasio’s soulful, nimble guitar work. The Horseshoe Curve is a journey, an inventive exploration of the big band funk that Anastasio has been steeped in for the larger part of the decade.

The Horseshoe Curve was recorded with producer Bryce Goggin at The Barn, as well as Trout Recording in Brooklyn, New York. Alongside Anastasio, the band includes sax players Dave Grippo, Peter Apfelbaum and Russell Remington; trumpeter Jen Hartswick, trombonist Andy Moroz, keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, drummer Russ Lawton, percussionist Cyro Baptista and bassist Tony Markellis.

Two tracks, “The 5th Round” and “The Horseshoe Curve,” were recorded live, the latter at a 2002 show at the Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh. “We were playing outside next to some train tracks that ran past the stage,” recalls Anastasio. “Right at the peak moment of the show, a really long train rumbled by blowing its horn. You can hear it on the record. It sounded incredible, the band started playing to the rhythm of the train and hence, the name of the album.”

Anastasio’s solo career is filled with unique musical curves, a very conscious decision to keep experimenting and challenging himself and his audience. “This new record feels very natural, it’s part of the continuum,” he says. “The style of my writing seems to vary from album to album, a little more pop, a little more orchestral, a little jazzier. But if you listen closely to the vocal layers in [Phish songs] ‘Twist’ or ‘Bouncing Around The Room’ you’ll hear that they’re not very far removed from the horn lines in ‘Sidewalks of San Francisco’ or ‘Burlap Sack and Pumps.'”

A portion of the proceeds from sales of The Horseshoe Curve will benefit the Seven Below Arts Initiative, the arts education non-profit that Anastasio founded last year. Through a partnership with Burlington City Arts, Seven Below offers residency programs at The Barn, a renovated, 200-year-old property nestled in the Vermont hills that previously served as a recording studio and rehearsal space for Anastasio, Phish and other musicians. For more information on Seven Below, see the Non-Profit Page.