Mike Gordon started out as a bassist for Phish in 1982, but emerged as much more. His long career spans back to his days at the University of Vermont where he met Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, and Jeff Holdsworth. Before they formed Phish and would go on to sell millions of tickets worldwide, Gordon was a prolific songwriter for the group and the initial band manager while they were emerging as the next Grateful Dead. Mike even became the filmmaker of the group, shooting Phish’s lone music video in 1994.

Mike Gordon is perhaps most notable for his bass play though. His undeniably original style combines the custom-made bass from Paul Languedoc and signal processing equipment like an ADA MB-1 pre-amp, a Lexicon reverb unit, an Ibanez flanger, a Lovetone Meatball, and a Boss SYB-1 Bass Synthesizer. Gordon’s futuristic sound alone makes tickets to see him play worth it.

He plays in a number of bands, from solo efforts to side projects in groups like Rhythm Devils, Benecento-Russo Duo, and SerialPod. His range in instruments is almost as varied as his musical styles. Gordon plays folk, blue grass, and rock with a banjo, guitar, bass guitar, and piano.

The eclectic career of Mike Gordon seemed to hit a wall in 2007, when he seemed to go underground. Gordon has emerged though, in 2008, with a new solo album, The Green Sparrow. The promotional tour begins on June 30 in Northampton, Massachusetts, a week before the album is released. The Seats has the best inventory of tickets to see Mike Gordon play at the cheapest prices.