After stopping into HMV to purchase a cd, I made my way out of the store and noticed a flier on the wall that was promoting a Fishbone concert at the U of L. To my surprise the concert was the next night, and if not for this flier I would have had no idea that this concert was even scheduled. No word in the paper, radio, or TV that the legendary funksters were making their way to little old Lethbridge.

The concert was promoted by Dead End Productions, and the bill featured two other bands besides Fishbone. The first, actually a solo guitar player, was some version of the band The Impaired. After listening to the titles and lyrics of the songs (interesting to say the least) the name seemed to suit the band.

Next up was Grim Skunk, a band from Montreal that formed out of the 80's hard-core band, Fatal Illness. Grim Skunk’s set list was a total of 11 songs which varied between punk, rock, progressive and ska music. As stated on their web site Grim Skunk’s main interest in playing together is to have fun and create their own sound, fueled by their love for these styles of music. Their latest album is entitled Seventh Wave and the band played several tracks off the album. Some notable tracks were “Super Heroes,” “PCP,” “I Gotta Find A Way,” and an anti-racist song titled “Don't Hide” (this song featured a guest rapper). Grim Skunk have several albums to their credit, and recently started up an independent label titled Indica Records. The Band is made up of Franz (rhythm guitar/vocals), Joe evil (keyboards/vocals), Alain (drums/vocals/percussions), Todd (bass) and Peter (lead guitar). For more info on the band check out grimskunk.com
and indica-records.com.

Fishbone is probably the funkiest band you've never heard of. For some reason the band has failed to catch the attention of a mainstream audience, which was proven once again by the poor attendance at Thursday’s show. With a career that spans over 20 years, big-name acts such as The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones along with numerous others have sited Fishbone as a major influence.

Fishbone, from Los Angeles, broke out onto the scene in the late 80's and early 90's. They combine funk, punk, ska, and R&B to create a unique fusion of sounds. Over the years members of the group have come and gone, but founding members Angelo Moore, Norwood Fisher, and Walter Kibby II have done a fine job with replacing those that have left. Performing as a quintet now, Fishbone features founders Norwood Fisher (vocals/bass), Angelo Moore (vocals/sax/theramin), Walter Kibby II (trumpet), with current members Spacey T (guitar) and John Steward (drums).

The band treated those few of us in attendance to a great show combining rhythmic drums, jazzy saxophones and trumpets, guitars, funky bass lines and soulful vocals. I was extremely impressed with the talents of lead vocalist Angelo Moore. Throughout the show he proved that he is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist. At times it was almost difficult to keep track of the different instruments Moore was getting from his stage-hand. As far as I could tell, Moore played three different saxophones, a cuica (percussion instrument), and lastly the theramin. This is a device that’s tone is determined by how far you hold your hand from the receiver. True followers and those newly acquainted to Fishbone in the crowd were not disappointed by the set list. They were treated to a wide range of tunes spanning from all of their albums and ep’s, both old and new.

The show started off with a spoken word selection by founding member Angelo Moore, better known as "Dr. Madd Vibe." After this interesting piece the funk began and the band performed the Curtis Mayfield classic, “Freddies Dead.” This track is featured on the bands album Truth and Soul (one of my favorites) and they managed to make it sound even better live. From there they moved on to “Aids and Armageddon” off of the Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx album released in 2000. This album features a wide variety of guests including The Red Hot Chile Peppers, George Clinton, Gwen Stefani, and numerous other notable musicians. This song had a heavier feel to it, which was followed by some more ska-influenced tunes. Alcoholic, Fat Chicks, Boning in the boneyard, Ma and Pa were just some of the 14-15 tracks that were performed. The crowd favorites this night seemed to be the heavier more punk influenced songs, which was not hard to understand due to the younger, punk-styled crowd.

I have personally always enjoyed the ska, funk, and horn sound of Fishbone and I was treated with the final track of the night, the brilliant, “Party at Ground Zero.” It was the perfect way to end the night. Those of us there definitely enjoyed the party and appreciate the stellar performance and effort of Fishbone, despite the low numbers. My only concern is that if limited promotion and non-support continue, talented musicians like Fishbone may pass on Lethbridge next time around.

Dan Faassen - Lethbridge Insider
http://www.lethbridgeinsider.com/music/ckul2.php?articleMain=130