Boy with a Fish

From the collegetown of Ithaca, NY, Boy with a Fish is: Jeff Claus (guitar and vocals), Judy Hyman (electric violin and vocals), Rick Hansen (moog, organ, accordion), Jay Olsa (bass), and Ryan Cady (drums) -- www.boywithafish.com

The band's most recent CD and vinyl release (2011), "I Put My Tongue On the Window", was mixed by 3 time Grammy winner Pat Dillett (David Byrne, Brian Eno, They Might Be Giants, The National, Beth Orton, Mary J. Blige) and mastered by Greg Calbi (Coldplay, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Interpol, Ra Ra Riot, Iron and Wine, Sonic Youth, Grizzly Bear, Shearwater, Lucinda Williams...). Songs from "I Put My Tongue on the Window" have been played on over 275 radio stations in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, and the band's previous album, "Birds Fly Backwards", has had a similar radio record.

Claus and Hyman are founding members of another band, The Horse Flies, about whom Rolling Stone has written, "A band that's earned a buzz. They churn out swirling, addictive songs, blending tradition with invention." Hansen and Olsa are now members of The Horse Flies, too. -- www.thehorseflies.com

The Horse Flies have recorded 8 albums, two on a major label (MCA). They've been featured on MTV, World Cafe, All Things Considered, eTown, Prairie Home Companion, and Mountain Stage, and they've been written about in Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, the Guardian (of London), and many other publications. They've also played many major festivals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including New York City's Central Park Summerstage; Brooklyn Academy's New Music America; Berlin's Independence Days; Vienna's Big Beat Festival; the National Folklife Festival at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC; The Telluride Festival; WOMAD, the Vancouver Folk Festival, etc. etc.

Claus and Hyman have toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, and Europe and have composed and performed full scores for four feature films (starring such actors as Martin Sheen, Kris Kristofferson, Genevieve Bujold, Rip Torn, and Michael J. Fox) and a number of nationally broadcast television documentaries. Critics have referred to Talking Heads/David Byrne, Neil Young, Counting Crows, Michael Stipe, and Freedy Johnston to describe Claus' songs and singing. His music has been used by Natalie Merchant, film director Oliver Stone in "Any Given Sunday", Rock the Vote on MTV, and the band Fiery Furnaces. Claus has also been featured in an article in Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

Hyman has toured and recorded with Natalie Merchant, numerous times, including her newest album, Leave Your Sleep. She has done three national tours with Merchant, including the U.S. and England, July - September, 2010 and has performed numerous concerts with her since then, as well. One of Claus' songs, "Sally Ann," is the opening track on Merchant's CD, The House Carpenter's Daughter, and Merchant and band (including Hyman) performed the song on the David Letterman Show, August 2004. This song is also included on Merchant's "Retrospective" collection. In addition, Hyman is the subject of a cover article in Fiddler Magazine, and is featured in Electronic Musician, June 2010. Her father is the jazz pianist and composer, Dick Hyman.

Additional musicians on the new CD and vinyl release, "I Put My Tongue On the Window", include: Erik Della Penna (guitar and lap steel -- a member of Natalie Merchant's band), Jason Shegogue (guitar and lap steel), Brian Wilson (percussion -- Jamie Lidell's drummer), Peter Glanville (guitar), Alex Shuhan (French horn), Ryan Zawel (trombone), and Paul Merrill (flugelhorn).