This month's letter is from an Australian reader- rockybihary@excite.com

Howdy to you lucky souls,

The purpose of this letter is to outline the plight of Jam music on the international scale. You see, I am a long-suffering Phish phan with next to no access to their music. Why? Because I am born, bred and live in Australia, and for some obscure reason, Phish are COMPLETELY unheard of here. Same can be said for Widespread, Dave Matthews, Allman Bros, Flecktones, and even, to a lesser extent, the Grateful Dead! Sure, many people may have heard OF the Dead, but ask them what style of music it is, and its rare you will receive a response other than "no idea". Jerry Garcia? "Isn't that an ice-cream?" etc..

As a Phish phan, this becomes immensely frustrating, as there seems to be no way I can get my hands on some live Phish tapes, nor to share these musical pleasures with those around me! It also means that I can not be exposed to other like-bands that fit within the jam framework. As a matter of fact, there is not one store in Melbourne that even stocks Phish albums! I have therefore been saved by Phish DryGoods over the Net for the studio sound (ONLY 3-4 weeks shipping time - I still haven't heard "Farmhouse" yet!). However, we all know the difference between live and studio Phish, and "Hampton" and "Live One" have proved to be a huge tease, albeit a very enjoyable one.

To outline their lack of fame DownUnder, I will explain how I got in touch with the Jam sound that I have grown to love so much. I only got exposed to these bands through traveling USA several years ago, and being repeatedly told to check out some band called Phish at the Great Went. I had never heard of them, but am always in for a party. Wasn't I in for a treat? Over New Years I spent all my savings on a ticket to USA, and to Big Cypress, where I was (obviously) completely overcome by what I saw. Unfortunately air travel is expensive, even to Japan, and so I am dying for the "sound" to come to me!

This letter is not meant as a complaint, but more to let you readers know how lucky you are, and to possibly get a "please explain" as to how and why such a popular and incredible sound could have never attempted to crack the Australian market? Can anyone suggest ANY way I can get my hands on the tapes of some shows, especially the Great Went and Big Cypress? They would be worth their weight in gold, and would allow me to expose the ignorant Aussie masses to the JamBand music. Apart from that, you would be doing a good, kind deed to a starved soul in need of help.

Just to clarify a point, Bela Fleck and Government Mule came out to Australia for the first time last month, for the East Coast Blues & Roots Festival, and were SO well appreciated by the shocked 50,000 fans, who had never heard the "jam" sound before. Perhaps, I prayed, this could open the door for Phish, and other jambands to come out? I caught up with both Bela and Woody at the Festival (as no-one else knew them from a bar of soap), and queried why it had taken so long for them to tour DownUnder. Their response was a mixture of it being up to management more than themselves as to where they tour, together with predictions of failure out here due to the mass ignorance of their music, of their sound. Well, while the ignorance does exist, so does the market, and the thirst for new, intelligent music. While the door may have been opened, it appears I can only pray!

So, if anyone can help me with an explanation, or those tapes, please feel free to contact me on: rockybihary@excite.com

I am eagerly awaiting a response so I can stop being endlessly exposed to nothing but Britney, Ricky, and the BackDoor Boys!!! Please help me!

Your Phellow Phan,

Rocky Bihary,