Information AboutFishbone |
Fishbone is an to Bass , and Theremin ); Kendall Jones (guitar); John Norwood Fisher (bass); Philip "Fish" Fisher (drums); "Dirty" Walter A. Kibby II (vocals, 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 . HISTORY Fishbone first gained attention with their live concerts, earning a reputation as one of the most diverse bands in the Alternative Rock genre. Their unique stew of different styles, mixed with hectic energy and pounding rhythms, were a huge influence on the funk/rock/new wave/metal/rap hybrid 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, which featured the classic ska favorite "Party at Ground Zero". In 1987, in support of their first full-length album, '' In Your Face '', the band performed "Jamaica Ska" (the classic Jamaican ska single specifically written as a breakthrough U.S. pop-charts hit) in the Annette Funicello / Frankie Avalon reunion movie '' Back To The Beach ''. Fishbone 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. A diverse 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 became nationally known as a major player in the burgeoning alternative music scene, a legacy sealed by live shows that were unrivaled in their fury and intensity. Also that year, Fishbone and Little Richard recorded the Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter song " Rock Island Line " for the album ''Folkways: A Vision Shared-A Tribute To Woody Guthrie And Leadbelly.'' 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, a critical and commercial success. An hour-long mini-epic, ''The Reality of My Surroundings'' is widely considered Fishbone's greatest triumph. A psychedelic swirl of manic energy and witty commentary, the album 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 five seconds into their performance of "Sunless Saturday" (a song which later featured an MTV video 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 . Dowd recorded with a band including Jeff Buckley under the name "Seedy Arkestra", releasing the album "The Puzzle", which included the incendiary anti-Fishbone track "Flog Your Dead Horse". He has since gone on to attend Peterson's culinary schools, and as a result has been asked to play some solo shows at the "Foundry on Melrose" on account of his instructor from Peterson's (Eric Greenspan) being the head chef. Now a five-piece, Fishbone released the extremely heavy/punkish '' Chim Chim's Badass Revenge '' in 1996, which did well in the underground music scene, but went completely unnoticed by the general public. By 1998, the band went through more 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 "Spacey T" Singleton. John McKnight (from Ben Harper 's band) joined on keyboards, trombone, and guitar 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 respected 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 several special guests, such as '', was a critical success, but saw 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. In 2002, on their own independent record label, they released '' Live At The Temple Bar And More '' (2002) 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 Festival in Amsterdam, Netherlands . In late 2003, Fishbone suffered another blow with the departure of founding member and trumpeter Walter A. Kibby II, as well as guitarist Spacey T. Walter Kibby had previously released a Solo album with "The Columbus Sanitation" (actually many of his current and former Fishbone cohorts including Spacey T). The two would later help form "The Year of the Dragon", releasing the album, ''A Time To Love Is A Time To Bleed'' in 2006. Kibby was initially replaced by Dre Holmes but would be permanently replaced by Curtis Storey. Spacey T was replaced by two guitarists - Rocky George of Suicidal Tendencies and Tori Ruffin of The Time , though Ruffin left soon thereafter. The band once again added a keyboardist, Dre Gipson. Two years later in 2005, John McKnight re-joined the band on trombone, guitar, and keyboards. In 2005, Fishbone contributed the song " Date Rape " to the Sublime tribute CD and DVD '' Look At All The Love We Found '', for which New Congress Pictures produced their first music video in ten years. The video was directed by Renee Tod and Josh Fischel. Also that year the band The Girlfriend Experience had been reporting to have played with a new Kendall Jones band calling themselves "The Cause." 2006 saw the return of the collaboration between Fishbone and producer David Kahne (who worked on the band's 80's recordings) for the first studio recording in 6 years, titled '' Still Stuck In Your Throat '' released in late 2006 in Europe and April 2007 in the USA. Some of these new songs can be seen on the live DVD "Bongidae!," also featuring Slightly Stoopid and Barrington Levy . Angelo Moore (also credited as musical director) and Norwood Fisher both appeared as part of the house band in the 2006 Outkast feature film 'Idlewild'. As of July 2007, trumpeter Curtis Storey has left Fishbone due to a serious illness from which he is currently recovering. Until he has recovered, Dre Holmes and Fernando Pullum, who previously performed with Fishbone on March 15, 1991, on '' Saturday Night Live '' during "Sunless Saturday have been filling in." TRIVIA
MEMBERS : ''For a complete list, see List Of Fishbone Band Members .'' Current
Past
DISCOGRAPHY Albums
Live Albums
EPs
DVDs
EXTERNAL LINKS
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