Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Huntington Beach, California, U.S. |
Genres | Ska punk[1] |
Discography | Reel Big Fish discography |
Years active | 1991–Present |
Labels | |
Spinoffs | |
Members | Aaron Barrett Matt Appleton Derek Gibbs John Christianson Edward Larsen |
Past members | Matt Wong Andrew Gonzales Zach Gilltrap Ben Guzman Lisa Smith Dan Regan Tavis Werts Adam Polakoff Robert Quimby Stephan Reed Eric Vismantas Scott Klopfenstein Grant Barry Carlos de la Garza Tyler Jones Justin Ferreira Ryland Steen Billy Kottage |
Website | reel-big-fish |
Reel Big Fish is an American
History
1991–2001: Early success
The band formed in 1991 while the members were in high school. The group started as a cover band until they released a demo in 1992, titled In The Good Old Days.[citation needed] With the departure of Ben Guzman soon after, then backup vocalist Aaron Barrett took his place as lead singer. The band then changed its genre to ska.
Reel Big Fish's self-released debut album,
2001–2006: Major label years
Trumpet player Tavis Werts left the band in 2001.[3] Former Suburban Rhythm drummer Carlos de la Garza and former Spring Heeled Jack trumpeter Tyler Jones, who tracked for two songs on Cheer Up! (because Werts had already recorded the majority of his trumpet parts before his departure), were brought in. De la Garza's last concert with Reel Big Fish was on June 20, 2003, at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. That concert was later released as a DVD in The Show Must Go Off! series. Jones appeared in the music videos for "Where Have You Been?" and "Monkey Man" (although neither featured any trumpet-playing), and continued to play live with the band until September 2004. Jones was replaced by trumpeter John Christianson, who had previously played with Barrett in the band, The Forces of Evil.
On April 5, 2005, the band released its fourth album on Mojo,
Compared to the previous album (Cheer Up!), which was more lighthearted and cheerful, Allmusic describes the songs in We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy as "angry" and "embittered", but also deemed the album as "super catchy". Common themes expressed throughout the songs include jealousy, regret, short-lasting fame, and disappointment toward mainstream record companies.
Aaron Barrett has stated that We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy was "the third record in a trilogy" that began with Turn the Radio Off. "The first one was about being in a band and trying to make it. Then Why Do They Rock So Hard? was like, 'we've made it, we're rock stars'. Cheer Up we made because we had to make it. But We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy is about us being old and jaded now."[4]
2006–present: Independent work
While on tour in early 2006, Reel Big Fish were dropped from the
On February 20, 2007, the band released
The band released its first studio album since leaving
On December 19, 2007, the band announced that it would play the entire Warped Tour 2008.[6]
Reel Big Fish released a new studio album on January 20, 2009.
On January 11, 2011, the band announced that longtime member Scott Klopfenstein would be leaving the band to focus on raising a family.[12] Matt Appleton of Goldfinger began filling in for Scott on the band's 20th Anniversary Tour, and he has since been announced as a permanent replacement. This marks the first time since 1995 that the band has had a saxophone player.[13]
In March 2012, Reel Big Fish announced via Facebook that the group had begun recording a new album of new, original songs. The album is titled Candy Coated Fury, though the band also considered Honk If You're Horny as a title.[14][15] The album was released on July 31, 2012.[16]
On October 21, 2013, the band announced via its website that long-time trombonist Dan Regan, who has played with Reel Big Fish since 1994, will depart from the band to spend more time with his family and follow his dream of starting a brewery.[17]
Reel Big Fish announced a co-headline UK and Ireland tour with Less than Jake with support from Zebrahead in early 2014.[18]
In November 2014, Reel Big Fish announced on Facebook that the group would release an EP titled Happy Skalidays scheduling release on December 15, 2014.
In February 2015, the band announced through its website that drummer Ryland Steen had gone on hiatus from the band in order to play drums in America. Since the summer of 2014, Edward Beach (née Larsen) of Suburban Legends has been filling in.
On October 9, 2018, through their Instagram page, the band announced a new single called "You Can't Have All of Me", released on October 12. They also confirmed the title for the new album to be Life Sucks...Let's Dance! and a December release.[19]
On April 11, 2019, Billy Kottage announced that he had quit the band via his Instagram page.
On March 22, 2020, former trumpet player Tyler Jones died of a cause that has not been made public. The band paid its respects via social media.[21]
On October 28, 2021, former member Scott Klopfenstein reunited with Aaron Barrett to sing on a track by Lo(u)ser titled No Hope. Former drummer Ryland Steen played drums and produced, and Dan Regan also appeared in the music video alongside the others.[22]
Band members
Current members
- Aaron Barrett – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards (1991–present)
- John Christianson – trumpet, backing vocals (2004–present)
- Derek Gibbs – bass, backing vocals (2007–present)
- Matt Appleton – saxophone, keyboards, vocals (2011–present)
- Ed "Smokey" Beach (née Larsen) – drums, percussion (2014–present)
- Brian Robertson – trombone (2019–present; touring)
Discography
Studio albums
- Everything Sucks (1995)
- Turn the Radio Off (1996)
- Why Do They Rock So Hard? (1998)
- Cheer Up! (2002)
- We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy (2005)
- Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free (2007)
- Fame, Fortune and Fornication (2009)
- Candy Coated Fury (2012)
- Life Sucks...Let's Dance! (2018)
Related projects
- Scott Klopfenstein and Dan Regan were also members of The Littlest Man Band.[23]
- Aaron Barrett, Derek Gibbs and John Christianson were also members of The Forces of Evil, along with former members of Jeffries Fan Club and other Orange County ska musicians. .[citation needed]
- Before they were members of Reel Big Fish, Aaron Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein, and Grant Barry were members of a band called The Scholars.[citation needed]
- Scott Klopfenstein was also a member of a ska band called the Nuckle Brothers and another band called 'Pal' [citation needed]
- Dan Regan has a techno project called Black Casper. Notably, he remixed Reel Big Fish's cover of "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", incorporating different sound bites, including Ali Tabatabaee from Reel Big Fish's live DVD, You're All In This Together.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b "Reel Big Fish". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ "Reel Big Fish Music News & Info | Billboard.com". M.billboard.com. Retrieved July 9, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Reel Big Fish - 10.18.06 - Interview". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ^ "INTERVIEW: Reel Big Fish: Aaron Barrett discusses 15 minutes of fame, new record, and SKA's next generation". In Music We Trust. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ Shuster, Fred (January 12, 2007). "Music Writer". www.thefreelibrary.com. Daily News (Los Angeles, CA). Retrieved February 20, 2015.
When word came in via phone from band management during a 2006 tour stop in Salt Lake City, happiness was instantly in the air.
- ^ "Warped Tour 2007". Warpedtour.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- Absolutepunk.net. October 16, 2008.
- ^ "Reel Big Fish maps real big tour". Livedaily.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ^ "New Album". Readjunk.com. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ^ "Another Album". Absolutepunk.net. June 23, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ^ "Myspace". Blogs.myspace.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
- ^ "Scott Klopfenstein leaves Reel Big Fish". Punknews.org. January 11, 2011.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "ForgeTV Music Spotlight: Reel Big Fish Interview". Youtube.com. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ^ "Reel Big Fish (official) on Facebook". Facebook.com. October 25, 2011. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ^ "Aaron Barrett Stickam Interview". Stickam.com. April 26, 2012. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ^ "Candy Coated Fury: Reel Big Fish: Music". Amazon. September 9, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ "Beloved Longtime Trombone Player Dan Regan Announces Retirement from RBF - Reel Big Fish". Reel-big-fish.com.
- ^ "LIVE: Less than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Zebrahead – Gigging NI". Giggingni.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- ^ "ᖇEEᒪ ᗷIG ᖴIᔕᕼ on Instagram: "#Repost @lifeofthepartysd with @get_repost ・・・ One of the many highlights from @hightidebeachparty was chatting it up with @reelbigfish and…"". Instagram.com. October 7, 2018. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ "Billy Kottage on Instagram: "I quit Reel Big Fish a few days ago. I am forever grateful for my experiences with them and was some of the most fun I've ever had."". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ @ReelBigFish (March 23, 2020). "Very sad to hear about the passing of our old friend and former trumpet player. RIP Tyler Jones" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Reel Big Fish members reunite on new Lo(u)ser song "No Hope" (watch the video)". BrooklynVegan.com. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "The Littlest Man Band official site". Thelittlestmanband.com. Retrieved October 15, 2011.