During the ’80s in Los Angeles,a band of Black kids from the South Central area and the San Fernando Valley playeda form of rock musicwith such vigor, bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers were afraid to play after them.
That band was Fishbone, a group thatintroduced funk music to punk rockerswithlive showsfeaturing an uplifting, party-like atmosphere. The groupwasunlike any others playing bothconventional and undergroundvenuesinLos Angeles. Lead vocalist Angelo Moore often doveinto the crowd from massive heights and danced on stage as if he had infinite energy. Audiences also couldn't get enough of the band's sound.
Fishbone will fillthe Rock Yard at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino with that sound Saturday.
The band's current lineup includes original members Moore, bassistJohn Norwood Fisher, trumpeter "Dirty" Walter A. Kibby II, keyboardist and trombonistChristopher Dowd joined by longtime membersMark Phillipson guitar,and John Steward on drums.
Several bands who followed in the ’90ssuch as No Doubt(who played shows with Fishbone)and Sublime listthe group as an influence, but Fishbone never saw the same success asRed Hot Chili Peppers andJane's Addiction, or many of the bands Fishbone influenced since itsformation in 1979.
During a recent interview, Moore attributed Fishbone'slack of success to the stillracially segregated music industry during the’80s and said"America is a racist culture."
"Fishbone's reality as Black men in white America, our lyrics end up being more controversial and threatening than a lot of white bands," Moore said. "A lot of people don't like that. They don't like to hear how people of color have been messed with in our culture by racism, bigotry and things of that nature."
Arevolving door of record labels
Like some of thegroup'scontemporaries in the Los Angeles music scene, Fishbone took the plunge by signingto a major label,Columbia Records, and released its debut "In Your Face" in1986. The album received mixed reviews, andmanycritics didn't understand the band's music. The 1988 album "Truth and Soul" featuring the singles "Ma and Pa" and a cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead" fared better and was No. 153 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The1991 album "The Reality of My Surroundings" is considered to beFishbone'smost successful and reached No. 49 on the Billboard 200.
While some believe Fishbone did achieve a fair amount of mainstream success, the band was later dropped by Columbia Records and went through a revolving door of labels such as Sony Records,Arista RecordsandHollywood Records.
Fishbone's ever-evolving soundis combined withpolitically charged songssuch as "Sunless Saturday," "Fight the Youth," "Unyielding Conditioning" and many others callfor unity and bring light to social justice issues. Moore said thiscreated problems for an all-Black rock band.
"When westart to sing about that, the powers that be aren't trying to put that kind of stuff out there, especially if it's backed by rock music. If it's backed by hip-hop, which is supposed to be designated and for people of color, then it's OK," Moore said.
One particular subjectMoore takes issue with is a revisionist version of history taught in schools, he said,or a lack of discussion around historical events such as slavery.Heviews this moveas blocking a path to reconciliation.
"Why would you want to hide those realities and truths about our history and culture from our kids when they really need to know?" Moore said. "They need to know everything, the ugly stuff, the good stuff and everything in between. You have a lot of people who are against exposing a lot of the ugly stuff, becauseif you expose a lot of ugly stuff, that's a better road to cleaning up your present and future."
Fishbone's legacy has been represented several waysin popular culture. The band appeared in films such as "Tapeheads" and"I'm Gonna Git You Sucka," and has been featured on several soundtracks.The group's t-shirts and logohave appeared in films such as "Slacker," "Say Anything," "Mo' Money," "Hot Tub Time Machine" and on the TV shows "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Northern Exposure."
"There's a lot of surreal elements to the Fishbone legacy at this point in my life, and I'm glad people are still interested and want to hear more," Moore said."People that don't know about it but have heard the name or the phenomenon of Fishbone, they still want to know, see and hear what we're saying."
One ex-member joined a religious cult
The 2010 documentary "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone" highlighted many of the band's internal struggles, such as the departure of many former members including guitaristKendall Jones, who left the band in 1993 to join a Northern California religious cult. Fisher attempted to rescue Jones from the cult andwas charged with attempted kidnapping but later acquitted at trial.
Through all of Fishbone's struggles as a band, Moore said it's the "legacy" that keeps the bandtogether,knowing the groupmade an impact with the music andpeople like the music.
"(The music) has inspired people to live on, persevere and become more educated. That's what I've heard a lot of people say to me after they've heard our music or saw one of our shows," Moore said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Moore said he got sober and used the time to work on creative projects, including a TV show on Patreonwhere he interviews other bands and artists.
"I wasn't trying to wait around and some of the members in Fishbone were trying to wait until (the pandemic) was over, and I'm like 'You know what? This thing is never going to be over, it may slow down a lot, but the pandemic is never going to be over," Moore said.
Fishbone hasn't released an album since 2006, but has put out two EPs. Moore also performs soloasDr. Madd Vibe and the Missing Links and has released seven albums. Fishbone also has a newrecord on the wayafter signingto the San Francisco labelFat Wreck Chords, owned by Fat Mike ofNOFX.
"(Signing to Fat Wreck Chords)feels like it'sabout time and long overdue," Moore said.
Fishbonehasperformed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, The Date Shed in Indio and The Hood Bar and Pizza in Palm Desert. Moore said the band'sperformance at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino will be "great" if a large crowd shows up.
"They've got to show up, because if they don't, they're going to miss the magic," Moore said.
If you go
What:Fishbone concert
When:7 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Rock Yard at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino,84-245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio
How much:Free
More information:fantasyspringsresort.com
Brian Blueskye covers artsand entertainment for the Desert Sun. Hecan be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.
