Fishbone

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Template:Infobox band Fishbone is an extremely influential band that plays a unique fusion of funk, ska, punk rock, reggae, heavy metal, and more. The band was formed in 1979 in the ghettos of South Central Los Angeles by Angelo Moore, also known as "Dr. Madd Vibe" (vocals, saxophones ranging from sopranino to bass, and theremin); Kendall Jones (guitar); John Norwood Fisher (bass); Philip "Fish" Fisher (drums); "Dirty" Walter A. Kibby II (trumpet); and Chris Dowd (keyboards, trombone). The group came from the same Los Angeles scene that spawned the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction.

Fishbone first gained attention with their unique live concerts, earning a reputation as one of the most original bands in the alternative genre. Their unique stew of different styles, mixed with hectic energy and pounding rhythms, were a huge influence on the funk/rock/metal/rap genre that would become popular in the 1990s. The band did not have any official recordings until the release of their self-titled EP, Fishbone in 1985, featuring their classic song "Party at Ground Zero". In 1987, in support of their first full-length album, In Your Face, the band toured with the Beastie Boys across the US and other parts of the world.

Though the band had a manic, kinetic sound and stage presence, the group was mainly a ska/reggae band in its early years. But by 1987, the band had turned up the distortion, and heavy metal and hardcore sounds started creeping into their music. 1988's Truth and Soul brought Fishbone wide critical acclaim, and is considered one of alternative rock's greatest albums. A brilliant piece of social commentary, Truth and Soul covered important topics such as the breakup of families, early 1900s racism, fascism, nuclear war, and oppression in lower income housing projects. The album was highlighted by a metal version of Curtis Mayfield's classic "Freddie's Dead," from the soundtrack of the movie Superfly. That same year, the group toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and was nationally known as a major player in the burgeoning alternative music scene.

In 1990, the band added a seventh member, former Miles Davis music director John Bigham on guitar and keyboards. Fishbone's winning streak continued with The Reality of My Surroundings in 1991 (1991 in music), a critical and commercial success. An hour-long masterpiece, Reality is widely considered Fishbone's greatest triumph. A psychedelic swirl of manic energy and witty commentary, the album successfully showcased the very different personalities of Fishbone's seven members. One month before the album's release, the group played a memorable performance on Saturday Night Live, with Moore doing a back flip into the camera pit a mere 5 seconds into their performance of "Sunless Saturday", whose video was later directed by Spike Lee. The sunny soul number "Everyday Sunshine" also became a modest hit on radio and MTV.

Their sound remained rooted in funk and ska, but focused more on hard rock and heavy metal on 1993's Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe. With the burgeoning popularity of alternative rock, Fishbone was suddenly gaining popularity in the mainstream, but the band was beginning to tear apart internally.

Just before hitting the road on the 1993 Lollapalooza tour, the band experienced their first personnel loss as guitarist Kendall Jones left the band to join a religious cult. Norwood Fisher tracked him down and attempted to kidnap him with duct tape and a stun gun, and was arrested and sued over the incident.[1] The band suffered another blow in 1994 when keyboardist Chris Dowd left the band, as he felt the band wasn't the same without Jones. Fishbone was then dropped by Sony Records.

Now a five-piece, Fishbone released the extremely heavy/punkish Chim Chim's Bad Ass Revenge in 1996, which did well in the undergroud music scene, but went completely unnoticed by the general public. By 1998, the band went once more through major personnel changes as founding member drummer Philip "Fish" Fisher (Norwood's brother) left the band (to be later definitively replaced by John Steward), John Bigham also left the band to pursue his own career (The Soul of John Black) and was replaced by former Sound Barrier and Mother's Finest guitarist Tracey Singleton (aka Spacey T). John McKnight (from Ben Harper's Innocent Criminals) joined on keyboard and trombone after a short stint by Anthony Brewster. During the latter part of the 1990s, Fishbone earned their keep on the road through constant touring, as they remained one of rock's most amazing live bands.

Fishbone's dedicated fan base was, for the most part, happy to travel down whatever musical path the musicians pursued, but the band's record sales dropped consistently after 1991. However, in 2000, the band was signed to a major record deal and given the chance to record a new album with a slew of special guests, such as Gwen Stefani, George Clinton, Rick James, H.R. from Bad Brains, Donny Osmond, and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. The result, Fishbone and the Familyhood Nextperience Presents The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx, was a critical success, and featured some of the band's best material in nearly a decade. However, the record company did not promote the album properly, despite the fact that it was the most accessible Fishbone release to date, which resulted in poor sales. The band was dropped from their label and headed back on the road. John McKnight left the band in 2001, and the group continued on as a 5-piece. On their own independent record label, they released in 2002 Live at the Temple Bar and More (2002 in music) which contained all brand new original material recorded throughout 2001 and 2002. This was later complemented by another live CD/DVD Live In Amsterdam containing most of their hits and filmed at the 2002 Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

In late 2003, Fishbone suffered another blow with the departure of founding member Walter Kibby in 2003, as well as guitarist Spacey T. Kibby was replaced by Dre Holmes while Spacey T by Rocky George of Suicidal Tendencies, later joined by Tori Ruffin of The Time. The band once again added a keyboardist, Dre Gipson and John McKnight re-joined in early 2005 on trombone. "Pastor" Dre Holmes was replaced in mid 2005 by Curtis Storey, a music teacher from Los Angeles. In 2005 this lineup contributed the song Date Rape to the Sublime tribute CD Look At All The Love We Found for which New Congress Pictures produced their first music video in 10 years.

While Fishbone has not yet gained the popularity of some of their early peers, the band has established a strong reputation of one of the best live acts in rock and roll, and continues to tour extensively despite the lack of exposure or record label support.

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Members

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Current

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Past


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Discography

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Albums

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External links

fr:Fishbone ja:フィッシュボーン fi:Fishbone

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