Phish’s Trey Anastasio Talks Beacon Jams, Divided Sky Foundation & More On Recovery Podcast ‘The Small Bow’

Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio's recovery journey is the focus of a new episode of The Small Bow Podcast, a program hosted by former Gawker and Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio. Anastasio dives deep into his battle with substance use disorder, the founding of the Divided Sky Foundation, his Beacon Jams concert series and several other topics over the course of his 95-minute chat with Daulerio, a fellow recovering addict.

A.J. Daulerio created The Small Bow — a newsletter, podcast and community — after leaving rehab in an effort to expand the definition of recovery. The special Trey Anastasio episode of The Small Bow Podcast is the first in the series to be released with an accompanying video of the conversation.

Trey Anastasio received help for his addiction following a December 2006 arrest in Whitehall, New York for heroin possession and driving while intoxicated. In 2023, the Phish frontman opened the Divided Sky residential recovery center in Ludlow, Vermont, with the case worker who helped him get sober in January 2007. Anastasio started raising money for the facility during The Beacon Jams, a virtual residency held in the fall of 2020 at an empty Beacon Theatre that featured eight livestreamed concerts.

The episode begins with Anastasio explaining what differentiates Divided Sky from other treatment centers. A.J. Daulerio, who was famously sued by Hulk Hogan after he published an excerpt of the wrestler’s sex tape on Gawker, then discussed the trial and his recovery experience.

The next portion of the episode was devoted to Trey detailing his addiction journey. Anastasio revealed breaking up Phish in 2004 “was the single best decision” he ever made. “It was so dark,” the guitarist said of the period and added, “We were using hard drugs and smoking cocaine … it was bad.” He pointed to the “fast and furious” rise of Phish as a factor that precipitated hard drugs entering the scene. “I’ve had conversations with guys in the band where all four of us were kinda like ‘we don’t deserve this. Why are there 70,000 people coming to our shows?'”

Anastasio went on to discuss the backlash to his decision to end the band. “All of the sudden people were showing me this hate directed at me. I had gone from this positive vibration of joy at Big Cypress” to “hatred and loathing on a level I had never experienced in my life.” He revealed the period going into 2005 was “so fucking dark” and he thought the hate was because “I pulled the party out from everybody.” It then “got really bad” when the New Jersey native went into “the heroin bubble” in 2005 and 2006.

Trey Anastasio spent the 14 months following his arrest in drug court and cut off communication with everyone but his immediate family. “I made new friends in AA meetings,” he said. “I liked it. I worked at the Washington County Fairgrounds. I cleaned the toilets by hand.” The work ethic Anastasio had since he was young paid off as he started his second act.

The guitarist’s time in treatment challenged what he labeled good and bad. He learned what was actually important and looks back at the arrest as a positive moment in his life.

Anastasio recorded the podcast while working on Phish’s upcoming New Year’s Eve concert at Madison Square Garden. He revealed he had spent the past two days preparing the gag for the year-ending show. “We had a New Year’s plan going for a few months and it just imploded,” Trey said.

From there, Trey spoke about how first experience with a sponsor, attending 90 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in 90 days and the gifts that his time in drug court gave him. He also recalled playing his first notes publicly while in drug court at a 2007 Dave Matthews Band concert at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, New York. Anastasio followed by speaking to those still struggling with addiction to tell them everyone can get sober.

The conversation then turned to the founding of the Divided Sky Foundation and the process of opening a treatment center. Anastasio discussed how special The Beacon Jams concerts were and how impactful the stories shared by families of addicts who donated money to the foundation were on him. The fifth anniversary of The Beacon Jams will be celebrated next weekend with three shows at the New York City venue. the Divided Sky Foundation fundraisers will be livestreamed for free.

Watch Anastasio’s appearance on The Small Bow Podcast below: