This remnant will be replaced soon. The FAQ is back, with a new design! What was the Karma Crew? The Karma Crew seeks to improve the life and face of the lot community, in part through the strength of the Phish.Net community. Origin: Jay Archibald (aka "Kid") launched the Karma Crew with this (5/6/97) post to rec.music.phish, an open letter to Phish and others: Last summer, in response to the fact that we are never going back to Red Rocks, and in response to the growing number of people on the road with us who do not care about the impact they have on the scene, band, venue, and local communities, I passed out a flier at the Clifford Ball, called the Top Ten Ways To Save This Scene. In this flier I gave ten examples from no nitrous to working to support yourself, in how we can individually, and as a group, work to make the Phish scene a more beautiful environment. I got mixed reactions, hugs and nugs from righteous brothers and sisters, and bad comments from the less desireables and lost souls on the road. I had a chance to talk to Amy Skelton about this in Sacramento in fall 96. She stopped when I handed her the flier and commented on how she had seen it before and was really happy I was passing it out. She mentioned how they were thinking about creating a crew, like the G Crew, to go around the lots and spread the message about responsibility and love that seems to be lacking in this scene. I also talked to Mike backstage in Vegas and in this winter overseas as well. Mike said he liked it, but wasnt too hip on scaring anyone away with power trips and superiority complexes. This past month I have talked with my touring buddies and randoms on the internet, and have been asking them what they feel are the problems with the Phish scene, if any, and what we should do about it, in a nonconfronting, educationally based manner. I recieved great input from my brothers and sisters, who have seen on average about 50 shows, as much as 150, about the bad aspects of the scene, and possible solutions to various reasons (I'm new to online and there is a serious hierarchy that is pretentious and shallow, most online members haven't had first hand experience at shows, they just read about them in a book and know all), but those are not important to me. I know in my heart there is a problem and know even moreso there is a solution. So I took a compilation of all these thoughts and feelings and started the KarmaCrew. We are a group of people who are dedicated to preserving the vitality of the Phish scene, creating a harmonious environment between fans, venues, and local communities, and educating the people who do not know what it takes to make this work. Our main focus is education, not poilice work. We are not going to be running around intimidating people. Our mission statement, if you will, is that everybody in the Phish community is a member of the karmacrew, its just how you go about making a positive change. Whether its picking up trash, not supporting beggars who do not suport a symbiotic community, not buying nitrous oxide or supporting "bad drugs" (not a well defined line between good and bad, basically drugs that dont make you think about you life, expand your soul, etc). Or even if your actions alone are used as an example to the rest of us on how to live peacefully and respectfully with thousands of other freaks like us. In addition to the official Karma Crew page (old), you may also want to check out some other phan-based organizations, including the Clifford Care Bears, Inside Out, and The Phellowship. "Success is never ending -- failure is never final."" -- R.H. Schuller" This page last updated January 24, 2007. All contents © 1992-2007 Ellis Godard. All rights reserved.