On 11/7/97, fans were abuzz with energy as they tried to figure out what Phish would play that night on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Most fans presumed it would be a cut from the recent Slip, Stitch, and Pass release; “Cities” was the most popular guess on the Internet. The band responded in typical Phish fashion by busting out “Farmhouse,” a brand new number that had never before been played for a live audience. Its official concert debut was just over a week later in Denver on 11/16, but the surprise of this first appearance of “Farmhouse” summed up the “This Band Can Do Anything” buzz that surrounded the fall 1997 tour.

The story behind the development of the song is pretty interesting. Trey and Tom Marshall had retreated to a Vermont cabin to write some new music. Upon arriving, they found that the cleaning lady had left them a note warning them about the annoying “cluster flies” that were beginning to breed in the cabin. The song was written quickly, with lyrics based on that note and the opening line transcribed directly from it. Trey and Tom recorded a four-track version of the song at the cabin that appears on Trampled By Lambs and Pecked By the Dove.

A sweet ballad with a twinge of southern flavor and a moving Trey solo to close, “Farmhouse” reminds more than a few fans of the refrain to Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” (especially the “everything’s gonna be alright” lyric) in terms of tempo and melody. “Farmhouse” was played sparingly (three times) in the fall of 1997 and slightly more often in 1998. However, in 1999, “Farmhouse” moved into a regular spot in rotation, even opening several shows (see, for example, 7/26/99 and 9/28/99). The band continued to tinker with the song, as is evidenced by a new intro added in the summer of 1999 (see 7/9) and a slightly different arrangement that debuted on 12/2/99. This new arrangement featured another chorus added at the end of the song. The album version added a brief guitar-led break prior to the last chorus; the band continues to render the song this way. The song remained in regular rotation through 2000, made sporadic appearances after Phish returned from hiatus in 2003, and then returned to regular rotation in 2009.

“Farmhouse” has also appeared at shows other than Phish proper; Trey performed the song solo acoustic on his solo tours (see 5/11/99, 5/17/99, or 7/6/08), as well as opening his set at the Tibet House Benefit on 2/5/00 at Carnegie Hall.

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