Reel Big Fish
is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out." The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the album Turn the Radio Off
. Founding member Aaron Barrett has been with the band since 1992, and horn players Dan Regan and Scott Klopfenstein have been involved with the band for more than 14 years.
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REEL BIG FISH TICKETS
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History
Early success (1992-1999)
The band's debut album,
Everything Sucks
, was successful and resulted in a deal with
Mojo Records. The album
Turn the Radio Off
appealed to fans of ska punk style, and the band began touring throughout the United States. After the single "Sell Out" became well-known in mainstream venues, including
MTV, the album scored on the charts. However, the ska revival was short-lived, and their 1998 album
Why Do They Rock So Hard?
was not popular. During 1998, the band appeared in the movie
BASEketball
, performing in the stands to rouse the crowd. The band also collaborated on the
soundtrack with a cover of cover of
a-ha's "
Take on Me".
Why Do They Rock So Hard?
was the last album for three members of the band. Trombonist Grant Barry and trumpet player Tavis Werts were fired
[1]. Drummer Andrew Gonzales left the team to spend more time with his family. Reel Big Fish then had a changing cast of drummers and trumpeters over the next six years.
Major label years (2000-2005)
In 2002 the band fared much better on the rock charts, particularly because of the single "Where Have You Been?", which did not prominently feature the horn section. Former
Suburban Rhythm drummer Carlos de la Garza and ex-
Spring Heeled Jack U.S.A. trumpeter Tyler Jones, who tracked for two songs on
Cheer Up!
(because Werts had already done the majority of recording 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
The Show Must Go Off!
series. Jones appeared in the Music Videos for
Where Have You Been?
and
Monkey Man
, and continued to play live in Reel Big Fish, until early 2005, when he was fired by Barrett for his excessive drinking. He was replaced by trumpeter
John Christianson, formerly of
The Forces of Evil.
On April 5, 2005, Reel Big Fish released their fourth album on Mojo;
We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy
. Justin Ferreira (who replaced De La Garza) was on drums for the recording, but left before the album's release to join the Orange County band
Takota and subsequently is listed as an additional musician on the CD. He was replaced by
Ryland Steen.
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."
[2]
Independent work (2006-Present)
While on tour in early 2006, Reel Big Fish were dropped from the
Jive Records label. The band formed their own label and released a 3-disc live performance CD/DVD set,
Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album
. This package became available on
July 18,
2006 on the Internet and in retail stores on August 22. Jive later released a Reel Big Fish greatest hits album,
Greatest Hit...And More
, because they owned the rights to all previous songs. The band did not approve of, or make any money from the album, and have spoken out against it.
On February 20, 2007, the band released
Duet All Night Long
, which is a split EP with
Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer
. It features six cover songs (three from each band), with the vocalist of each band performing in the other band's songs (except in the case of
Scott Klopfenstein singing in the song, "Say Say Say".)
Reel Big Fish released their first studio album since leaving
Jive Records;
Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps For Free
worldwide on
July 10,
2007, on the
Rock Ridge Music record label. On
June 26,
2007, shortly before its release, the band announced in a Myspace blog that
Matt Wong was leaving the band to spend more time with his wife and newborn child. He was replaced by
Derek Gibbs who played bass in
Jeffries Fan Club and Aaron Barrett's now defunct side project,
The Forces Of Evil. Since Matt Wong was very popular with fans, some are skeptical of the new bassist's ability, but the band has stated that Derek is "Matt Wong Approved" and fans have nothing to worry about. Gibbs had been filling in for Wong on various tours since early 2002.
On
December 19,
2007, the band announced that they would play the entire
Warped Tour 2008.
[3]
Reel Big Fish released a new studio album on January 20, 2009.
[4] The name of the album is
Fame, Fortune and Fornication
, and it consists of 10 cover songs.
[5] Another album, with original material, is planned for late 2009.
The band has also recorded a live DVD at
The Grove in
Anaheim, California, on January 4, 2009; which was released on July 21, 2009.
[6]
Band members
(1992–1994) In the Good Old Days...
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- Ben Guzman - lead vocals
- Aaron Barrett - guitar, backing vocals
- Lisa Smith - guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Zach Gilltrap - keyboards/synthesizers
- Andrew Gonzales - drums
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(1994) Return of the Mullet
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- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Stephan Reed - saxophone
- Eric Vismantes - trumpet
- Andrew Gonzales - drums
|
(1994) Buy This!
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- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Adam Polakoff - saxophone
- Dan Regan - trombone
- Tavis Werts - trumpet
- Andrew Gonzales - drums
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(1994–1995) Everything Sucks
|
- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Adam Polakoff - saxophone
- Dan Regan - trombone
- Robert Quimby - trombone
- Tavis Werts- trumpet
- Andrew Gonzales - drums
|
(1995–1998) Turn the Radio Off
Keep Your Receipt
Why Do They Rock So Hard?
|
- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Dan Regan - trombone
- Grant Barry - trombone
- Tavis Werts- trumpet
- Scott Klopfenstein - trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals
- Andrew Gonzales - drums
|
(1998–1999) live shows only
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- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Dan Regan - trombone
- Tavis Werts- trumpet
- Scott Klopfenstein - trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals
- Andrew Gonzales - drums
|
(1999–2001) Cheer Up!
|
- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Dan Regan - trombone
- Tavis Werts- trumpet
- Scott Klopfenstein - trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals
- Carlos de la Garza - drums
|
(2001–2003) Live at the House of Blues
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- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Dan Regan - trombone
- Scott Klopfenstein - trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals
- Tyler Jones - trumpet
- Carlos de la Garza - drums
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(2003–2004) live shows only
|
- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Dan Regan - trombone
- Scott Klopfenstein - trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals
- Tyler Jones - trumpet
- Justin Ferreira - drums
|
(2004–2005) We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy
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- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Dan Regan - trombone
- Scott Klopfenstein - trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals
- John Christianson - trumpet
- Justin Ferreira - drums
|
(2005–2007) Duet All Night Long
Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Album
Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free
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- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Matt Wong - bass
- Dan Regan - trombone
- Scott Klopfenstein - trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals
- John Christianson - trumpet
- Ryland Steen - drums
|
(2007–present) Fame, Fortune and Fornication
|
- Aaron Barrett - lead vocals, guitar
- Scott Klopfenstein - trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals
- Derek Gibbs - bass
- Dan Regan - trombone
- John Christianson - trumpet
- Ryland Steen - drums
|
Current members
- Aaron Barrett
- guitar, lead vocals (1992–present)
- Dan Regan
- trombone, backing vocals (1994–present)
- Scott Klopfenstein
- trumpet, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1995–present)
- John Christianson
- trumpet, backing vocals (2004–present)
- Ryland Steen
- drums (2005–present)
- Derek Gibbs
- bass guitar (2007–present)
Past members
- Ben Guzman
- vocals (1992–1994)
- Zach Gilltrap
- keyboards/synthesizers (1992–1994)
- Lisa Smith
- guitar (1992–1994)
- Eric Vismantes
- trumpet (1994)
- Stephan Reed
- saxophone (1994)
- Robert Quimby
- trombone (1994–1995)
- Adam Polakoff
- saxophone (1994–1995)
- Grant Barry
- trombone (1995–1998)
- Andrew Gonzales
- drums (1992–1998)
- Tavis Werts
- trumpet (1994–2001)
- Carlos de la Garza
- drums (1999–2003)
- Tyler Jones
- trumpet (2001–2004)
- Justin Ferreira
- drums (2003–2005)
- Matt Wong
- bass, backing vocals (1992–2007)
Discography
Studio albums
Year
| Album
| Record Label
| Chart Position
|
1995 (Re-released 2000)
| Everything Sucks
| Piss-Off Records
| --
|
August 13, 1996
| Turn the Radio Off
| Mojo Records/Jive Records
| US #57
|
October 20, 1998
| Why Do They Rock So Hard?
| Mojo Records/Jive Records
| US #67
|
June 25, 2002
| Cheer Up!
| Mojo Records/Jive Records
| US #115
|
April 5, 2005
| We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy
| Mojo Records/Jive Records
| US #155
|
July 10, 2007
| Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free
| Rock Ridge Music
| US #106 UK #40
|
January 20, 2009
| Fame, Fortune and Fornication
| Rock Ridge Music
| US #177 UK #
|
Live album
Year
| Album
| Record Label
| Chart Position
|
August 22, 2006
| Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album
(Sold with You're All In This Together
DVD)
| Rock Ridge Music
| Never charted
|
Band members' other projects
- Scott Klopfenstein and Dan Regan were also members of The Littlest Man Band. [7]
- 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. This band broke up in early 2005.
- Before they were members of Reel Big Fish, Aaron Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein, and Grant Barry were members of a band called The Scholars.
- Scott Klopfenstein was also a member of a ska band called the Nuckle Brothers.
- 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
.
References
- Reel Big Fish - 10.18.06 - Interview - AbsolutePunk.net
- In Music We Trust - INTERVIEW: Reel Big Fish: Aaron Barrett discusses 15 minutes of fame, new record, and SKA's next generation
- Warped Tour 2007
- "Reel Big Release Date." Absolutepunk.net. October 16, 2008.
- http://www.livedaily.com/news/15091.html
- http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=11034452&blogID=457180360
- The Littlest Man Band Official Site