Fishbone

Fishbone :: 09.28.06 :: CBGB :: New York, NY

Fisher & Moore - Backstage CBGB :: 09.28
"You know how when dogs have sex their penis swells?" grins Norwood Fisher in response to my question about his band Fishbone's new album title: Still Stuck in Your Throat. I can feel myself flushing as the five men who make up the L.A.-based punk, funk, reggae, ska band laugh around me. I nod sheepishly. We are sitting between the stage and the bathrooms in the plywood-walled Green Room at the Lower East Side's CBGB's, talking band history and sharing sobriety tips.

Fishbone rehearsed for the first time in 1979, played their first club in '83, and cut their first record in '85. 21 years later, the band has changed some personnel but retains two of the founding members, Norwood Fisher and vocalist/sax man Angelo Moore.


Angelo Moore - Fishbone :: CBGB :: 09.28
This new CD has brought Fishbone past the 20-year mark, and Fisher seemed especially excited for their European tour, (they love 'em over there). He not only looks forward to pushing the new record, but he also looks forward to the next album, new inspiration, and more producing. After 25 years of playing music and a year of sobriety, Fisher seems to be working harder then ever.

On the 28th of September, a crowd gathered in front of CBGB and OMFUG, waiting for the surly security guards to open the doors and let them in. Anticipating a wicked quadruple bill starting with The Rodney Speed Experience and ending with Fishbone, the excited horde outside the club greeted, as true rockers will, the tour buses that troll Manhattan with raised arms and shouts, sarcastic laughter, and comments to hide the uncomfortable tension of the end of an era. The reality is that in mere days this club - the one and only CBGB - that housed the birth of Punk Rock will have been swallowed up by the NYC real estate wars, like so many venues before it.

The small dark room backstage was partially filled for the opening band, The Rodney Speed Experience, which is described best by this e-mail that went out days before the event:

The rock critics may not have figured it out yet, but the history of the New York City music scene over the last 15 years could never be complete without a chapter on Rodney Speed.

Rodney has been in the trenches of this shit - as literally as it gets - since the Dinkens administration.

And you think YOU love rock and roll.

Rodney LOVES rock and roll.

He's been working at CBGB since Wetlands closed. And now he's about to lose another club he loved.

There's no way we're letting this place close its doors for good before Rodney gets a chance to rock that stage. September 28th, we are staging the second-ever performance of The Rodney Speed Experience. A full set of rock classics, sung by a man who is living out his dream as fully as anyone will ever get to.

-Excerpt from an e-mail from Rocks off Presents

Fishbone at CBGB :: 09.28
For this rare rock show, Sir Joe Russo accompanied Rodney on drums, Backyard Bill Stites on bass, and Scott Boots Metzger on guitar. They raged the old school rock & roll as they do so well. Come on guys, full time cover band? And they left the stage for the next two acts.

Hours later, with the crowd hot, packed-in, and waiting, cheerfully but aggressively, Fishbone hit. After watching closely and continually counting heads, I conclude this tremendous and variegated sound was really coming from just seven men - John Steward on drums, Rocky George on guitar, John McKnight on trombone, vocals and guitar, Dre Gibson on keyboards and vocals, and Curtis Story Jr. on trumpet and vocals. The two remaining founding members, Moore and Fisher on bass and vocals, rode the front of the stage. Norwood's outspoken nature was eclipsed by Moore's flamboyant stage presence. He had changed from a purple caftan and cap that channeled Sun Ra to a suit, complete with suspenders, losing the jacket after the first few songs. He bounded between Theremin, barri sax and vocals.


Fishbone at CBGB :: 09.28
They played their hit, "Everyday Sunshine," with hard-pounding instrumentals and catchy lyrics. The announcement of the song "Alcoholic" brought more cheers and crowd-surfing to the reggae into ska into hard-rock sound. The audience crowded the stage, and suddenly Moore's suspenders broke, dropping his drawers as he flashed the audience. A true professional, he kept singing, shrugging rhythmically as he redressed himself.

There was such an intense male vibe to the evening: dark, sweaty, manly. They performed "Date Rape," which they had contributed to the Sublime tribute album. It was tight with a twisted sense of mania; the crowd and band were soaked in sweat. The small room pulsed. They played "Party at Ground Zero," written nearly 20 years before 9/11, so potent in our city's present state. An audience member climbed onto the stage, sang the chorus into the mic, and jumped off.

"Fishbone is red hot!" called the peo - Jambase.com - Words by: Gabriela Kerson http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=9344

FISHBONE is Red Hot....

I have always loved Fishbone. From the second I heard "PARTY AT GROUND ZERO" in 1985, I was hooked. They had a new sound, a mixture of Ska, Punk, Jazz, Reggae, and I had never heard anything quite like it before.

I was going away to camp in Europe, my parents always sent us off to secluded European towns for summer camp... Like Fatima, a small town in Portugal that became famous when the Virgin Mary appeared to some little girls in 1917. I'm not sure why they sent us there aside for the fact that it was culturally enriching - something that might have done George W. some good before he took office - but they were also places we could go and drink at any age and that proved to make for one wild summer after the next.

I took a cassette tape of "Party" on the trip and literally wore it out. It was great; their energy was a glimpse into the future where bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers, No-Doubt and Sublime all drew from. Although The Red Hots and Fishbone may have come up close to the same time, Fishbone hit first and paved a way for these bands to follow. I remember one time when Fishbone and The Chili Peppers squared off against each other - it may have been at huge public festival they used to do in Downtown L.A. called The L.A. Street Scene - where the two bands literally dueled on stage. It ended with Angelo from Fishbone singing... "Fishbone is Red Hot, Red Hots ain't diddley squat!"

That seems ironic now with the tremendous success of The Chili Peppers and Fishbone's status of being more of a festival band. I feel terrible that they haven't had the payday that some of the bands they have influenced have had, but I guess that happens all the time in the entertainment business and especially music.

I just recently had the amazing opportunity to work with Fishbone on my directorial debut The Tripper, a political horror film set at an outdoor music festival. Fishbone was the perfect band to headline the films' make-believe concert and their song "Party at Ground Zero" has taken on a strangely poetic and psychic connotation to it in this post 9-11 world.

They flew up to Big Basin State park in the mountains above Santa Cruz and ripped it up; two passes at "Party" to a group of shady hippie extras that we crammed together to look like a bigger crowd than they actually were. Needless to say, it was amazing and their zest of life and humor came across and lit up the night. The only flaw was that the horns were cold and the equipment we used to record them was not up to snuff. So, once I got back to L.A., we re-recorded the song for the film.

It turned out to be a few wild days in a studio in the North Hollywood hills that I will never forget. And while I was there witnessing their process, it occurred to me why they may not be as big as a No-Doubt or Chili Peppers. And that reason is because they play by their own rules - rules that border on insanity like some kind of human manifestation of Jazz. I just hope my film can bring a little more attention to a band that, to me, was pivotal and significant and badmotherfuckinass.

-David Arquette

Learn more about The Tripper by visiting IMDB.
Add David and The Tripper on Myspace by clicking here.
Learn more about Fishbone by visiting fishbone.net. - http://www.revolt-media.com/note-9.php

Fishbone (and the Familyhood Nextperience)
The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx
(Hollywood)
by Patrick Schabe

One of the great memories I have of seeing concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrisson, Colorado (one of the top five places to see a concert in the United States, easily), is from July 4, 1990. One of the Lollapalooza-imitator festival shows, ????, came to town and included a diversity of musical acts from small-time rap artists to John Wesley Harding, X, and Fishbone. Fishbone's performance was definitely the highlight of the show.

The band had just released The Reality of My Surroundings, a radio-friendly, MTV-video album that placed Fishbone in a category of their own and is considered by many to be the best album the band has produced. Frenetic front-man Angelo Moore kept the crowd hyped up with his trademark New Orleans Mardi Gras/funk-skank dancing, while the band rocked behind him with a power and energy that complimented and reverberated off the six story igneous rocks that ring the amphitheater.

Moore incited the crowd furiously. Fishbone took the stage on Independence Day with a shout of, "Happy Fourth of You Lie!" and proceeded to point out to the crowd that the Fourth of July is only Independence Day for white, rich males in this country's true history. This in front of an audience of thousands of predominantly white, middle-class concert goers who came to hear music, drink bootlegged liquor and watch fireworks after the show. Fishbone didn't let up from their political polemic either. Although engaging the crowd personally consistently, they also spoke between songs about the plights of blacks in America and how on Independence Day it was important to think about what true equality means and how far we have to go before reaching it.

But plenty of the people were there to have a good time, and there was a fair number of Reality of My Surroundings converts in the crowd, and people actually went with it. It was one of those moments of race-barrier destruction that can only come from a powerful charisma on a stage. Then Angelo jumped down into the crowd (much to the dismay of the hired bouncers) with a Carnival scepter and led a march-cum-conga line through the audience. I was about 50 rows up from the stage so I missed it, but he must have gone at least 20 rows up the side of a mountain, carrying waves of dancing people behind him like a Pied Piper before crowd surfing back to the stage.

I tell this story because these are the terms that Fishbone should be understood in: charisma, power, and energy. Otherwise, it would be too confusing to follow the chameleon shifts that Fishbone has gone through in 20 years of making music together. Right off the bat in their career, Fishbone were making waves and classics. Their self-titled debut in 1985 yielded the classic punk/ska/club song, "Party At Ground Zero." Fishbone's punk/ska sound melded with a heavy dose of funk erupted along with fellow scenemates The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Fishbone continued to produce albums and EPs that were consistently better and better. By the time that Fishbone cascaded with The Reality of My Surroundings and Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe, Fishbone had hit a stride that made them one of the top black rock forces to contend with.

This high peaked and faded as the band lost members for various reasons. Managing to re-coalesce around founders Moore, Norwood Fisher, and Walter Kibby II, Fishbone went through even further metamorphosis. From a skate-punk phase, the latest Fishbone incarnation has become a funk unit par excellence. Reducing the ska and punk to a minimum and bringing out the funk to a higher level seems to have given rise to an older but happier Fishbone. The politics is still there in tunes like "AIDS & Armageddon" and "Dear God," but it's filtered through a less angry, less in-your-face, style, one that instead relies on the message creeping in on the back of smooth grooves and catchy rhythms.

The press release brings up Sly and the Family Stone and that definitely seems to be the direction that Fishbone went with this release. If that's any indication, then you can see how this is not the power rock of Fishbone's peak. Instead, this is an immensely fun album for its "up" qualities. There's more dance than skank, an emphasis on the party and not the pain, but this is still an authentic and very alive part of the black musical experience. The Family Stone connection isn't limited to the sound either, it's a deliberate effort and includes a variety of guest appearances, including Gwen Steffani, George Clinton, Rick James, Perry Farrell, Donny Osmond, and the Chili Peppers crew (minus Anthony Keidis). Other musical contributions come from Blowfly, Billy Bass, Lenny Castro, the Fowler Brothers, Charles and Ivan Neville, and more. The Familyhood Nextperience that is tacked on to Fishbone's name on this album refers to both their musicia - http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/f/fishbone-psychotic.shtml

"Fishbone is the band that influenced me the most. On many occasions, my excitement level has erected to a place that could go no higher when seeing them play live. This is the best live band I have ever seen. Thank you Fishbone for years of inspiration."
~Adrian Young
No Doubt

"In the mid to late eighties Fishbone was, without a doubt in my mind, the world's greatest live band. Though many have tried, no one has been able to come remotely close to having as much charisma, energy or character as Fishbone. There are bands out there right now who owe much of their success to these fellows and in my opinion they should line up and kiss some Fishbone ass in gratitude."
~Les Claypool
Primus/Frog Brigade/Oysterhead

"Fishbone has shown me what it means to make music. They have been a part of my 20-year career, every step of the way. Thank you for doing it right."
~Tim Alexander
Primus - "various musicians"

FISHBONE
KNOCK-OUT
STIFF JIMMY AND THE VIAGRAS
EVE OF DESTRUCTION

March 9, 2006, @ Showcase Theatre (Corona, CA)

By Marcus Solomon

The recent British Invasion 2006 super-gig in San Bernardino ended with racist skinheads giving the police an excuse to play with their tear-gas and riot gear, but only a few days later, the Inland Empire was rocking with some funky-fresh ska fusion and heavy, joyful racial harmony. Like a tiny candle in the vast, dismal darkness, Showcase Theatre was a warm and comfortable place to temporarily escape the cold, violent world outside. Fishbone was in the house, and make no mistake, “Fishbone is here to party!” I even had the pleasure of escorting another young friend of mine to his first live concert.

I left work as early as possible and made it to the show just as Knock-Out began its set. Apologies to the two opening bands, but as the owner/operator of a little tutoring center, I had to help a couple of students with the y = mx + b thing. Anyway, Knock-Out is always a good show, and from the looks of things, this band is poised to really take off. The club was surprisingly full for a Thursday night, and surely Fishbone helped bring in the bodies, but the majority of the fans were also eagerly awaiting this Riverside, CA four-piece. Knock-Out has somehow tapped into the spirit of the late, great Sublime without becoming a cheesy rip-off. If you have never heard of this band before, remember that you learned it here first. These amazingly adept young men kick out the reggae-ska laden punk jams in with an ironic casual intensity. The music is clean, tight, and intense, but played in such a way that the notes seem to just flow from the musician’s bodies, through their respective instruments and into the air. The recent addition of a second guitarist adds a full and richer dimension to this soon-to-be-famous band’s already fine sound. Think of Sublime meets Fishbone with a healthy dose of Bad Religion, some Descendents, a heaping helping of Bad Brains, the wafting spirit of Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, and more, all channeling through the bodies of four young dudes who are allowing themselves to be vehicles for something larger than themselves. Crowd favorites on this evening included the band’s obligatory ska-infused rendition of Bad Religion’s “Generator”, and the extremely Sublime-ish “Nice Day”. The latter being a Knock-Out staple about a cheating girlfriend. “You say you’re sorry and you don’t know what to say. / Fuck you! That’s bullshit, why don’t you get the fuck away.” Brilliant! Everyone also really enjoyed the hilarious cover of Guttermouth’s “Lipstick”, which is a very funny tale about lazy and cruel teenage abuse of the female parental unit. Record labels looking for another great band to sign take notice! Go to: www.myspace.com/knockoutrock

“This band is all black dudes?” asked my 13 year-old friend as the members of Fishbone took the stage. “Yeah.” I replied. “Fishbone is all black dudes.” That made Deonta feel even more at home, being he is a big, black kid raised on the streets of Chicago. I was really happy to introduce him to something more than the Tupac and 50-Cent rap negativity he usually listens to. I was consciously trying to influence his mind and plant some positive seeds for the future via this Fishhbone show. Mission successfully accomplished. The eight musicians found a bit of space on the relatively small Showcase performing platform and began to tune up while bassist Norwood babbled some semi-coherent personal insights into the microphone. Everything just fell into place. Each band member seamlessly drifted into the first song, “Suffering” as the crowd pressed ever forward, eagerly melting into the musical moment. It was all so very warm, friendly, and quite stony in a hard, reggae-ska-funk vein. The energy continued to build until vocalist Angelo Moore was completely immersed in melodious possession. He jumped from the stage and ran about singing “Everyday Sunshine” as he danced through the crowd. There wasn’t much room for eight black guys to dance on that stage, but dance they did. Dancing all over the place, weaving in and out, knocking over mic stands, tangled guitar chords, and leading the happy fans in yet another celebration of life. We were treated to some rub-a-dub style reggae, straight-up ska, and some very Hendrix psychedelic blues. Angelo also took the time to impart this very important public service message, “President Bush, you suck!” Of course, this wise sentiment was loudly cheered. But wait! Another Sublime cover! Even I know the title of this one. It was the ever-popular “Date Rape”. Guitarist Tori Ruffin later informed me that Fishbone co-wrote that tune with the now departed Brad Nowell. Damn! What a fine show! In parting, here’s some info for all the racist pinheads out there. Black people invented rock ‘n’ roll. It is a blending of blues, jazz, and jungle rhythms. Whenever anyone enjoys rock music, homage is - By Marcus Solomon/www.skratchmagazine.com