It’s been a week of tragedy for those in the way of Hurricane Irma, the enormously powerful storm that caused widespread and catastrophic damage throughout its now two-week lifetime, particularly in parts of the northeastern Caribbean. Of the many places affected is Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, which was struck by Irma as a Category 5 hurricane, leaving irreparable damage. Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio took to his Facebook to address the disaster, establishing a Tortola Relief Fund which will be focused on helping the people of Tortola rebuild their island. Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation will match donations to this fund, so please donate here. Trey has been visiting the island since 1992 with his family, and recounts the important career-shaping memories that took place there. In addition to the heartfelt stories, Anastasio shares a few recordings that he made while practicing for his first acoustic shows while there this past winter. Click to listen to “Brian And Robert,” “Strange Design,” and “Love Is What We Are.”

“I love Tortola. I’ve written so many songs there. It’s where I’ve gone in the winter to slow down, write, and to bring new song ideas to completion. Songs that were born as little germs of ideas elsewhere, often were crafted and came to life in Tortola,” writes Trey.

He continues, “The bulk of ‘Mercury’ was written while sitting by the water in Tortola. Recently ‘Breath and Burning,’ ‘Tide Turns,’ and ‘More’ were all written there. Loads of older songs were written there, too many to name, dating all the way back to the early 90’s.. I remember writing the melody for ‘Lifeboy’ while walking with my little travel guitar in the hot sun on that first trip in 1992. I can still hear the pace of the island in that guitar riff.”

Donate to the Tortola Relief Fund, and read the full message below:

As of now, and following a successful run of summer dates, Phish has no upcoming scheduled dates.