One 70-ish woman cheerfully notes how much she's enjoying her retirement. Not a white head turns when three rather famous young men enter the room and joing me at my corner table. With shaggy hairdos and unremarkable clothes, Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell and Mike Gordon could be just about anyone from this isolated neck of the woods. But they're not. They're three-quarters of Phish, the biggest musical penomenon ever to emerge from Vermont.
Cult status pays off.
Phish employs eight people, not including roadies. Net daily for updates on concerts and tickets, or the lyrics to every Phish song. But this information is of no concern to the patrons of the Country Pantry, where a hot stack with maple syrup is more relevant than rock stars. Which is to say, not at all. Later we'll catch up with Fishman at the band's rehearsal space in Westford.