A long time ago I was handed a cassette of Truth and Soul, the second Fishbone release. From the first note of the first song, a cover of Curtis Mayfield's, Freddie's Dead, I was hooked.
While every decade produces good music, great music and total crap, sheer genius appears in one form or another. Sometimes, though, the genius is too much for the mainstream.
In the early 1950's, blues music spawned rock and roll.
In the late 1950's ska music quietly spawned reggae.
In 1959 and well into the 1960's Motown spawned R & B, soul and funk.
In the 1970's, over produced rock spawned a rebellion called punk.
In the 1980's a rock/funk/punk/ska movement spread. Fishbone pioneered the hybrid.
And while I don't know much about the Fishbone behind the scenes story, I've always felt that the music was something special. I urge everyone to YouTube Fishbone and listen to any song. From Ugly to Subliminal Facism and Howard Beach Party, to their cool version of The Temptations, Shakey Ground. This band rocks out with their cocks out ALL THE TIME.
I continued to buy the CDs and listen in awe to their genius, while never understanding why they weren't more popular. I look forward to seeing Everyday Sunshine to learn more and once again, be inspired by the music of Fishbone.
So right you are brother... and don't know how I missed out on this insanely talented, eclectic band - what the hell was I on? Guess when you can't be pegged in the turf warz of the '80s, you don't exist (except to other hip musicians). All the more reason to see this beast and revel...
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