[The following is courtesy of Jake Cohen, user @smoothatonalsnd. Thank you, Jake! -Ed.]

“The reverse culture shock is real…”

“Having a tough time with re-entry.”

As Phish fans, most of us are used to feeling some version of this after a run of shows or a festival. Phish transports us into another world, one bound by community and a shared, intense experience, and it can be hard to readjust to “normal” life afterwards. Yet these are two texts that I got this past Monday, not after seeing Phish, but after attending an academic conference.

That sentiment is more or less unheard of after a typically staid affair, but this is exactly how I feel this week after the conclusion of Phish Studies 2.0. Co-hosted by The Mockingbird Foundation and Oregon State University in Corvallis, the conference left me spiritually charged up in the way only a Phish show can, and professionally stoked for the future of Phish Studies as a field.

The Mockingbird Foundation is once again offering three options to golf with fellow Phish fans this Labor Day weekend and help fundraise for music education:

• The Ninth Annual Runaway Open charity golf tournament for Phish fans will once again have up to 120 fans, in a shotgun start, preceded by coffee and a group photo. We'll have on-course contests, but this is all about swingin’ sticks with fans for charity. So, don’t sweat it if you’re rusty, new to the game, or prioritizing fun over competition - so are we! Register here, today! Registration covers all cart, greens, and tournament fees, including the shotgun structure (pricey to arrange on a Labor Day Saturday!); coffee, lunch, and a drink ticket; a gift bag of limited-edition event items as well as items contributed by sponsors; and a nominal charitable margin to support music education grants. Some sponsorship options are listed on the registration page, but we welcome your suggestions.

• We're also gearing up for the return of the disc golf tournament which Matt James spun up last year, to satisfy known demand and help raise more funds for music education. The first outing was a huge blast, with more players (and more funds raised!) than we expected, so we look forward to a repeat and hope to see you there. The 2nd Annual Wingsuit Open will also be Saturday August 31st in Denver, and registration is now open.

• Those unable to be on site can still join in the fun and charity fundraising by taking part in the virtual component - our Fifth Annual Virtual Open - using the same 18Birdies app we've used since the Fifth Annual Runaway Open went fully online in 2020. This will be an 18-hole, stroke-play event, on any course you want to play, any day from August 22 to September 4. Those who participate and make a donation of at least $70 to the Mockingbird Foundation before that window closes, will be sent the same limited-edition event merch being handed out on site, all with the Runaway Open logo. To play, join the tournament at 18birdies.onelink.me/IdkR/jccqsyjf, or by using tournament code 82868 on the app, or the QR Code here. Those participating on-site may also be interested in joining the virtual tournament. The app has lots of embedded services, offers a free trial period to test it’s distance and training features, and includes a gallery and chat space for those participating.  

[The following is courtesy of The Phish Studies Conference Program Committee. -Ed.]

Your time is near, the mission’s clear! The second ever academic Phish Studies conference, co-sponsored by The Mockingbird Foundation, will take place next week at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR, conveniently located between Portland and Eugene. In 2019, the first Phish Studies conference took place at the same university and it was a rousing success. Although academic conferences in general have taken a break since COVID, many are now back and we figured it was time to open up the helping friendly book again!

The coolest thing about the Phish Studies Conference is that it’s not just for academics. Our slate of over 50 presenters this year is full of professors and professional scholars, but also a ton of people working outside of academia who are passionate about Phish and trying to figure out ways to seriously analyze and better understand what it is that we all intuitively know and love about this band. We’ve got presentations about the legal ethics of tarping, gendered norms within the jamband scene, Phish’s place within the history of tech communities, and even the intersection of Taylor Swift and Phish culture, presented by scholars from all walks of life and careers.