Throughout the 90s, Phish established a cult-like following without the help of mainstream media and ushered in a new era of improvisation-based bands.

Although Phish disbanded in 2004, tribute band Strange Design formed this year to carry the torch of the group’s legendary live performances. The band will visit Athens for the very first time Saturday, July 19.

“We all followed Phish on tour from middle school through college, playing music at after-show parties or in the parking lots,” drummer Adam Chase said.

Taking its name from a rare Phish tune, Strange Design aims to deliver the same musical ethos of its heroes.

“We thought in a sense that Phish’s music itself is a ‘strange design,’” keyboardist Aaron Levy said. “It’s got really cool intricacies, and it can throw some people off upon first listen. But once you get deeper you start to see all the beauty in it.”

With Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra around, Chase said there was a need for that kind of experience for Phish fans.

“Our band naturally came together,” he said.

The group aims to re-create every detail of Phish’s live experience, including replicating its set lists in full.

“Rather than picking our favorite songs, it creates a more accurate feeling for what it was like to be at a Phish show,” Chase said.

Levy explained that covering a Phish show based on an exact set list had never been done before.

“If we were just gonna pick random songs, it would be lacking that extra bit of excitement and anticipation that people always wanted to get from Phish,” Levy said.

Since their inception earlier this year, the members of Strange Design have been hard at work learning the entirety of Phish’s catalog.

“We all individually practice 30-plus hours a week, and practice the same amount as a group,” Chase said. “And that doesn’t even count the shows we play, so we’re making this a full experience for ourselves to generate the right kind of energy behind it.”

Along with guitarist Matthew Chase and bassist Ben Markowitz, the foursome takes on each member of Phish’s exact role, vocal duties included.

“We’re going to be as literal as we can with who’s singing what parts and who’s singing which harmonies and try to re-create that as well,” Levy said. “As far as the musical aspect, we’re actually going for the style and the vibe and sometimes even the jams and teases. We take it to the extent that what happened in Phish’s live show is going to happen in our live show.”

Musically, the members plan to find a balance between loyalty to Phish’s music while still retaining their improvisational spirit.

“We try to do the compositional pieces exactly accurate,” Chase said. “But the spirit of their improvisation is being in the moment, so we want to be true to that and musically reach that place that Phish was able to tap into night after night.”

“Half of the experience is about the anticipation of what Phish was going to do next, because they would bring out things the audience would least expect,” Levy added.

Chase also mentioned that Phish “treated music as their religion,” and Strange Design likewise strives to treat Phish’s music with the same reverence.

“The energy they put into their music is so inspiring, and in the process of learning their music we’re trying to uphold treating music as a religious aspect,” he said.

The process of re-creating and combining entire Phish set lists into one, which the band has dubbed “Give the Phans What They Want,” gives fans “a chance to hear Phish in ways they haven’t gotten to hear,” Levy said.

“A lot of people might have only caught them towards the end of their career, so busting out a show from 1991 would give them a chance to see what Phish was doing in that era,” he said.

Fans can submit requests for specific set lists via Strange Design’s website, www.thestrangedesign.com.

Beyond the musical aspect, Strange Design will adhere to the visual component of Phish’s performance, including a full light show and stage antics.

“In the early 90s, they did several off-the-wall things during performances, using everything from trampolines to giant balls, and we want to bring out that side of Phish, too,” Levy said.

Strange Design even follows Phish’s environmentally friendly example.

“For the majority of Phish’s career, they had Greenpeace on tour with them,” Chase said. “So we’ve got Green Team Entertainment on tour with us, which is a company that specializes in green events, and they’ll have a booth set up at our shows.”