Trey Anastasio Spars With Hank Heaven At NYC Boxing Gym

On Saturday August 15th, NYC-based indie-folk artist Hank Heaven celebrated the arrival of their new EP, Welterweight. The release’s boxing-focused title and cover art inspired an off-the-beaten-path venue for the performance: Church Street Boxing Gym, a no-frills basement facility in the Financial District barely cooled by massive fans amid an intense summer heatwave. But much like the boxers who train there, the music fans who packed the dimly lit gym were rewarded for their sweat with a string of guest “opponents” including Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio.

Nashville-based songwriter James Eichman appeared between the ropes first for a set of ethereal solo acoustic guitar ballads. He thanked the crowd for being so engaged and attentive, an observation that held true as the undercard gave way to the main event.

Hank Heaven’s band—including guitarists El Kempner and Emeline O’Rourke, bassist Ned Steves, and drummer Zac Coe—exhibited electrifying presence in the ring-turned-stage, commanding the attention of all 200 or so people surrounding them with ease. As the headlining set progressed, Hank invited a string of special guests from the New York and Nashville music scenes to square off on songs new and old, released and unreleased, complete with banter about knocking each challenger out. Guests included Eichman, Brooklyn-based singer-guitarist Renny Conti, Nashville-via-NYC rocker Annie DiRusso, and alt-pop cellist/vocalist book NOT brooke.

The most seasoned challenger of all came during the night’s penultimate song. Hank joked that their final guest was the heavyweight champion, and expressed some doubts about landing another knockout. Quipping back and forth with guitarist El Kempner, Hank recalled a trip to Vegas a few months ago where they had been to the Sphere, seen Phish, and spent some time with a “new best friend.” With that, Trey Anastasio stepped into the ring wielding one of his recognizable Languedoc guitars.

Trey joined the band and book NOT brooke for “Hank Heaven’s 113th Wet Dream,” a catchy, country-flavored rocker that built to a thrilling climax. Each of the four guitarists onstage—Trey, El, Emeline, and Hank—wove in distinct musical ideas, with Anastasio’s unmistakable tone triumphantly cutting through. Hank and Trey rocked back and forth as they played, kicking the air in unison and sporting ear-to-ear grins that added credence to the aforementioned “new best friend” label.

Heaven and Anastasio may hail from different corners of the music world—a notion underscored by the fact that most of the audience didn’t seem to recognize the arena-filling Phish guitarist hanging in the crowd all night—but they have indeed formed a meaningful bond. The two artists, both avowed fans of French jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, initially connected in late 2025 at Jack Antonoff’s annual The Ally Coalition Talent Show, where they collaborated on a performance of Jonathan Richman’s “That Summer Feeling” alongside a few more indie favorites.

After their bout at the Welterweight EP release show, Hank Heaven publicly revealed for the first time that they have another exciting new project in the works: a collaborative project with Anastasio and book NOT brooke—more details on which we can only hope will be announced soon.

Below, listen to Hank Heaven’s Welterweight in its entirety and check a gallery of photos from the guest-filled EP release show at Church Street Boxing Gym via Emilio Herce.

Hank Heaven: Welterweight (Full EP)