Trey Anastasio and a Road Recovery Road Trip

Road Recovery Group

I recently had the opportunity to travel with Road Recovery up to Saratoga to meet up and reconnect with Trey Anastasio of Phish. Road Recovery founder Gene Bowen organized the crew for a three hour minivan trip as part of the Road Recovery Master Class series. The Master Class Series is the place where we feel we can bring the most resources and experience to these young people. We try to host the class whenever we can at Major Who and our Threshold Music Studios and we are always keeping an eye out for industry insiders that can come in to share their time, life experiences and positive messages with the youth in the program.

James Walsh, Trey Anastasio, Gene Bowen

I hadn't spoken with Trey in four or five years and I spent the ride upstate recalling the limited time I had spent with him on the phone working together on a 'project'. For me, reconnecting became half the journey. Upon reintroductions and a quick recap of our history together at the start of the class, I instantly remembered what a wonderful, giving, genuine human being he really is and knew the kids were about to experience something very special. The next three hours were unique and wonderful for everyone, the details of which will remain in our little group and our minds eye for the rest of our lives. To be sure, it was unforgettable.

Trey plays us a new song

In a nutshell, Trey looks and sounds great. He is in a very positive place and speaks like a man who has really spent a good bit of time piecing together a fascinating life's journey and looking toward the future. He is a man who wonders at, recognizes the value of, and often expresses the many wonderful gifts that life has bestowed upon him. You can quite literally feel his energy from across the room. Through his conversations it is obvious that he wants to continue to share those gifts with as many people that his own fragile existence allows him to connect with- and that this master class was as therapeutic for him as any of us in the room.

Trey spoke about where he has been, where he is now, and most importantly where he hopes to see his journey with his family, friends and music taking him next. This talented guitarist and singer jammed with the members of the Crazy James Band and debuted for Road Recovery a new song that he was yet to play for anyone else! His guitar playing was delicate, almost fragile as he explored the fingerings of the unique guitar tuning. His voice was- well his voice was simply beautiful. He spoke with the group about where their lives had been and issues that they are currently working through. He shared and related. He took the time to show compassion and empathy for the youth of road recovery. Trey reinforced to all of us once again that although we all travel down different paths in this crazy world, there are basic truths and commonalities that forever link us all in our human condition. We are thankful to him for taking a moment in time to spend with us and for participating in our common understanding that, from this point forward, we all have a shared place to reflect upon and grow from as we continue to "choose" our own individual paths to walk.

Thanks to Trey Anastasio and Road Recovery for another enlightening experience.
James