Yesterday, longtime Phish songwriter/lyricist Tom Marshall released the 42nd installment of his Under The Scales podcast featuring a conversation with Jay Curley of Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream company, to discuss their multi-year relationship with Phish.
Last month, Ben & Jerry’s released their third Phish-related flavor, It’s Ice…Cream, following the limited edition Freezer Reprise during last summer’s 13-night Baker’s Dozen run and 21-year-old staple Phish Food. The new offering is a caramel malt ice cream with almond toffee pieces, fudge fish, and a caramel swirl and was one of the flavor concepts in the running to become Phish Food back in 1997.
Ben & Jerry’s love for Phish should come as no surprise, however, considering both entities were founded in Burlington, VT, with the ice cream company forming in 1978 and the band forming in 1983. It doesn’t hurt that Ben & Jerry’s has a long history of catering to music fans with flavors like the Grateful Dead-inspired Cherry Garcia, the Dave Matthews Band-inspired One Sweet Whirled, the Queen-inspired Bohemian Raspberry, and the Bob Marley-inspired Satisfy My Bowl.
Ben & Jerry’s new It’s Ice… Cream flavor isn’t just inspired by Phish. It’s also a collaboration with the band. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the product will go Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation, and the new flavor even has its own Jim Pollock poster art, which fans can purchase via Ben & Jerry’s online store.
During the podcast episode, Marshall discusses the company’s history with Phish, the owners’ love of the music, and their dedication to using passion to develop changes and social movements in the world. Listen to the full episode below:
To listen to all the old Phish stories from Brad Sands and Tom Marshall, listen to the entire episode of Under The Scales here. For more episodes of Under The Scales head to the show’s website.