Back in November, Live For Live Music broke the news that veteran jam act Phish had given the nod to the New Jersey State Parks department to use the group’s music in a series of promotional videos. Eight total videos featuring high-definition drone footage of eight different state parks and a soundtrack provided by Phish were in the works and as of press time seven of those clips had just been posted to YouTube with the remaining one likely on its way.

New Jersey has a reputation for being an urban state and many peoples’ first impression comes from drives down the New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway. Yet, New Jersey’s nickname is The Garden State for a reason and the state has a number of gorgeous state parks, historic sites and lighthouses. Phish’s music is often misunderstood by the general public, so the pairing is a good one. In addition, two of the band’s four members grew up in New Jersey.

The first video posted on the Discover DEP – New Jersey Department Of Environmental Protection’s State Park Service YouTube channel features “Guyute” as the soundtrack of a look at Round Valley Recreation Area in Lebanon, New Jersey:


Video #2 gives us a look at the 16,205-acre Stokes State Forest in Branchville, New Jersey. The clip utilizes the Phish rarity “Party Time”:

Up next is a promo video for Spruce Run Recreation Area in Clinton, New Jersey. The drone footage of the 1,290-acre recreation area is accompanied by the live version of “Glide” off Live At The Roxy, a box set compiling audio from all three February 1993 shows Phish played at the Atlanta venue:

Cape May is a city at the Southern point of New Jersey. A drone tour of the 235-acre Cape May Point State Park features audio of “Cars Trucks Buses,” a Billy Breathes instrumental penned by New Jersey-bred Phish keyboardist Page McConnell:


Phish’s other New Jersey native is guitarist Trey Anastasio. One of his earliest compositions is “McGrupp & The Watchful Hosemasters,” a song that grew out of “Skippy The Wondermouse” with lyrics from Trey’s mom Dina. Check out drone footage of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park on the Jersey Shore in Barnegat Light, New Jersey featuring audio of “McGrupp” off Chicago ’94, a compilation of Phish’s two U.I.C. Pavilion concerts held in 1994:

Another Trey-penned gem is the mostly instrumental “Divided Sky.” The Parks Department used audio of a rendition played by Phish at Hampton Coliseum in November 1998 and subsequently released on the Hampton Comes Alive set to accompany drone footage from Batsto Village Historic Site. Batsto Village was founded in 1766 and is located within Wharton State Forest in Hammonton, New Jersey:


“You Enjoy Myself,” perhaps Phish’s signature song, accompanies drone footage from High Point State Park. Phish recorded “YEM” for their debut studio album, Junta, and the clip from the Sussex, New Jersey park uses the studio version:


Stay tuned for the eighth video. Phish Summer Tour 2018 begins at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena on July 17. The foursome plays Camden, New Jersey on August 7 and 8.