"Why Do They Rock So Hard?
Well lemmie tell ya..."
It has been almost two years
since REEL BIG FISH raised a mighty middle finger to humorless music snobs
everywhere with their single "Sell Out,'' and what a whirlwind it has been.
The monumental leap Aaron
Barrett, Matt Wong, Tavis Werts, Dan Regan, Scott Klopfenstein, Andrew
Gonzales, and Grant Barry took from being just a bunch of Orange County
high school geeks to world-touring pros is nothing to be sneezed at. Not
only has their debut album, Turn The Radio Off, surpassed gold status and
continues to sell very well, they've reached beyond the confines of alt-rock
stardom to convert the rest of humanity to the pleasures of REEL BIG FISH.
Last year their song "Trendy,"
had everyone doing the Fish, including the 1997 World Champion Florida
Marlins, who made it their theme song which led to the band crooning the
national anthem at a Miami Dolphins/Buffalo Bills game on Monday Night
Football. The guys even made their movie debut (playing themselves, of
course) as the house band in Universal Pictures' "BASEketball" with Matt
Stone and Trey Parker, creators of "South Park".
To top these successes, the
suburban septet won BAMMIES from local magazine BAM for best ska album
and best ska artists of 1998. In addition, the band's horn section had
the opportunity to play with Green Day on several North American tour dates
this past summer and the rhythm section played a memorable gig backing
up the legendary Don Ho on "Tiny Bubbles" at the KROQ Weenie Roast. In
the course of their touring history, REEL BIG FISH have opened for artists
such as KISS, The Cure, The Blues Brothers and Coolio.
It should come as no surprise
that rabid fans of all ages have not only gobbled up the sarcastic ska
party of their first album, but kept demand at such a fever pitch that
the group had no choice but to put together a five-song enhanced EP, Keep
Your Receipt, to ease their yearning. Devotees who've wanted to wear their
RBF-infatuated hearts on their sleeves have been clamoring for key chains,
antennae balls, frisbees, t-shirts (and the mysterious, still-in-development
Andrew Gonzales whoopee cushion) that are all part of the band's fan-friendly
merchandise.
It's hard to believe that
eight years ago, with little more than a desire to play classic metal covers
and pick up chicks, original members Barrett, Gonzales and Wong were just
hashing out Poison riffs until ska slapped them upside the head. In fact,
so much has happened so fast for the band, even the most devoted Fish fans
may wonder if the bright lights and big cities haven't softened the group's
sharp edges, turning gleeful young punks into tiresome, glamour-soaked
rock stars.
"Fame has only brought me
heartache and woe," sighs Barrett.
"And a good case of paranoid
schizophrenia," offers Werts. But what about growth? Insight? Maturity?
"Maturity?" snorts Werts. "I had to go from shaving once a week to shaving
twice a week, that's how I've matured."
Rest assured, they're still
REEL BIG FISH.
And yet on the eve of the
debut of their second album for MOJO Records, Why Do They Rock So Hard,
it is abundantly clear that this band has grown, managing an even finer
balance of churning out the sharp hooks while keeping its soul intact.
Months of touring have paid
off in a wealth of sonic riches, such as the aggressive pop of "The Set-Up"
and the deceptively bouncy assault of "Somebody Hates Me." And it's not
every band that can get away with the chorus "Scott's A Dork," but REEL
BIG FISH makes it sing. As Werts explains it, "When we were coming up with
the chorus, that fit, and we said we'd change it when we came up with something
better, that was a year and a half ago."
The sharper focus may have
something to do with the band jumping into the studio mix to an even greater
degree this time around. "This is our record," explains Barrett. "I'm taking
the attitude now that it's gotta sound right."
Nevertheless, the sound on
Why Do They Rock So Hard has received a resounding thumbs up from all involved.
"I think on the album we concentrated a lot more on harmonies and melodies,
and musically it's just better," says bassist Wong. "It's a lot catchier,
a lot poppier. But it's still ska. It's still reggae. We're just changing
it up a little bit." Not bad for a band that can cover the '80's a-ha chestnut
"Take On Me" and The Cure and make both merrily, unironically their own.
Their unabashedly mix-and-match
style, which Barrett attributes to the fact that "whether I've liked it
or not, I've taken from it," is one of the band's strengths, and a happy
by-product of seven very different personalities ranging in age from 21-25
plugging into the mix. While having so many distinct personalities rubbing
up against each other on the road isn't always fun, in the studio it's
magic. "I don't know if we'd be friends if we weren't playing music together,"
says Barrett. "But I think that helps make the music. If we were all the
same and listened to the same music, it just wouldn't work as well."
Even if they haggle over
what goes in the CD player, the group does agree on a few things. While
fan appreciation is just a hollow promise for most musicians, REEL BIG
FISH goes the distance. "We always answer our mail, especially the hate
mail (well almost always)" says Barrett. No fan hoping to hobnob with the
guys will be turned away. "If people like your band, you should talk to
them," says Barrett. "What if you wanted to meet somebody and they were
mean to you?" To keep their younger fans in on the fun, the band has even
adopted a policy of exclusively playing all-ages shows.
That down-to-earth attitude
may have more than a little to do with the fact that these guys are still
bug-eyed, knee-shaking fans themselves. "That's our problem, we're way
too starstruck," says Barrett, recalling the thrill of playing with the
King of "Tiny Bubbles," Don Ho. No disaffected cool for these guys, thank
you very much.
Maybe it's exactly that sweet
nougat center that makes pull-no-punches songs like "Big Star" go down
so easy, that makes their raucous live shows rejuvenating rather than punishing.
Deep down REEL BIG FISH is just a bunch of decent, hardworking guys who
couldn't care less about becoming ridiculous rock gods. But don't tell
them that. "My dream is to date an actress," says Werts.
"I want to be really super
rich and famous. That would be fun," Barrett adds. Werts shrugs. "So would
dating an actress." Oh yeah. They're still REEL BIG FISH.
