The Preservation Of Fishbone

First things first, a huge congratulations on the band’s 40th anniversary 🫡

Can you please introduce me to the members of Fishbone…

Well, it all depends how the band members feel.

Let’s hop right into this lead single, “Estranged Fruit,” featuring Fat Mike — Tell me about this particular track; how did it come to fruition?

We wanted to address the times that we live in that are filled with racism, bigotry and despair, and have it be somewhat of a parallel reminiscent to Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit.”

Of course “Estranged Fruit” comes courtesy of your brand new self-titled EP — That said, how then do the new materials either differ and / or compare to previous entries?

The present songs that we have managed to put together have subject matters that usually end up being the same, whether it be social commentary or of personal struggles.

In having said that, how do you all feel that Fishbone has either changed and / or evolved since your whole inception into music?

I cannot speak for the rest of my band members because we all have our own perspectives of how Fishbone has survived throughout the decades. Personally, I feel that because of our music that we have created in the past has given us a bridge to cross over into the now and hopefully into the future.

What particular string of events actually led to you all linking up with NOFX’s Fat Mike and later linking with / to his Bottles To The Ground imprint?

Fat Mike and the guys in NOFX have been fans of Fishbone for as long as I can remember; ever since NOFX was opening up for us during the Warped Tour days. Chris Dowd literally ran into Fat Mike about 4 years ago in a parking lot and they got to chatting. Fat Mike thought it was a great idea to put out Fishbone’s next release into the world for the preservation of Fishbone. The rest is history.

Switching gears here…

What do you all feel has and will continue to be the key to your longstanding success?

I try to keep an attitude of unconditional love, toleration and forgiveness. That helps me get through when the going gets tough. Other than that, it’s the bond we have as brothers through our music and our intense commitment putting on the show of a lifetime every night. The stakes are high and we take that seriously.

What do you all want people to get from your music?

We want to create social awareness and a solution to one’s problems. Whether it be dark or light.

On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of music?

The business is always evolving. We are creators. There has always been a somewhat predatory aspect to the business side. But at a certain point, it’s a necessary evil. First it was Napster, now streaming; I can’t worry about the means of distribution too much. I think the other guys probably feel similar. It’s just about creating and believing it what you’re doing. The state of music simply is what it is. There are some great new and innovative artists out there, and there’s a lot that are less than great…but it’s never been easier to find something cool if you look hard enough. We played a few shows with a really cool up and coming band called Son Rompe Pera as an example.

Do you all have any other outside / additional aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?

We all do. I’ve been working on a line of hair and skin products Which can be found in my new manifestation called Dr. MadVibe’s Underground Contraband Railroad. I also have written 7 literary pieces. I would like to do commercial and television work; I am presently in a movie coming out soon called In-betweening, which is about staying true to your integrity as a writer and a musician.

To date, what has been your greatest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?

Oh, man, there are so many! The Beastie Boys’ tour, Lollapalooza. Our first time in Japan. Hard to say. We got signed at a very young age, it’s all been an incredible ride. One thing that’s recent was the 2 weeks we did with (Colonel) Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade. Man, we’ve known him for 30 years, it was such a good time hanging every night. His sax player wasn’t able to do the tour, so I played a couple of songs with him at every show. We had an amazing time.

What’s an average day like for you all?

Ha, when I think about it, it seems like I spend half my life driving around Los Angeles to different gigs, rehearsals and other happenings. I have a studio in Glendale, California, called The Medicine Cabinet. Where I record my music and record with band rehearsals of solo projects. Other guys all have different hustles going on; everyone stays busy gigging with other projects, recording, etcetera. We all stay active.

Please discuss how you all interact with and respond to fans…

Ideally, I, myself, face to face whenever possible. We try to be authentic and engaged. It’s not always easy when you might not have eaten or had a shower or be tired or just not have the energy, but at the end of the day the audience put us here, they pay to see us, they wanna dance, sing, pogo, slam dance and get transported to another dimension for an hour and a half. I feel we have to respect that, so I try to return the love as best as I can.

What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?

Well that goes back to the previous question, interacting with fans is definitely one aspect, some of them are second generation at this point, it’s amazing; really a trip. And then, of course, the joy of performing these songs that have been in our lives for 4 decades now in some cases. It just never gets old.

What advice would you all have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Don’t worry about making a living. Be authentic. Be freaky, do your thing, the combination of who you are, the sum of your life experience and gifts, talents and energies will produce whatever outcome is destined to happen, and whatever that looks like, as long as you’re being true to yourself, do it till the wheels fall off.

Lastly, what’s next for Fishbone?

We are currently in Europe playing a mix of club shows and festivals. After a short break, we’ll pick up in July and August with about a month of shows throughout the United States, with George Clinton (and) Parliament / Funkadelic. We will also do a few headlining shows over the course of that tour. Other things are in the works, so stay tuned for future announcements.

Is there anything I left out, or just plain forgot to mention?

No.

Any “closing” thought(s) for our readers?

Check out our new music, come see us, get freaky, love each other and thanks for all the years of family-hood.

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