MrToxin

Years Active
1992 - Present

Genre
Ska, mostly

Members
Aaron Barrett - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Scott Klopfenstein - Trumpet, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
John Christianson - Trumpet, Vocals
Matt Wong - Bass, Vocals
Dan Regan - Trombone, Vocals
Ryland Steen - Drums

Former Members
Ben Guzman
Adam Polakoff
Andrew Gonzales
Zach Freeman
Grant Barry
Tavis Werts
Carlos de la Garza
Tyler Jones
Justin Ferreira
Robert Quimby

Discography
Everything Sucks - 1995/2000
Turn the Radio Off - 1996
Why Do They Rock So Hard? - 1998
Viva La Internet - 2001
Favorite Noise - 2002 (Europe)
Cheer Up! - 2002
We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy - 2005
Our Live Album is Better than Your Live Album - 2006
Greatest Hit...And More - 2006

History
Reel Big Fish is a big, famous abomination of a band that remains a big name in the third wave of American ska. They first came to mainstream success after the success of other ska bands such as No Doubt. The first big single was Sell Out, which was on Turn the Radio Off. While they have yet to sell more copies of an album since, they have still had a great deal of well-known songs, such as She Has a Girlfriend Now, Beer, and Everything Sucks.

After Everything Sucks, Turn the Radio Off, and greater levels of success, three members of the band either left or got fired, leading to reorganization of the lineup. Obviously, the band continued to live, play, and tour, having yet to break up completely. Their sound has remained mainly unchanged.

Reel Big Fish's first record label was Mojo Records in 1996, which was owned by Universal Records at the time. Mojo was later signed to Jive Records, which dropped the band in 2006. Rather than search for a new record label, Reel Big Fish has instead returned to the DIY roots they grew in the ska/punk scene and went indie.

The Music
Reel Big Fish's sound is typical of the later ska genre. They mix elements of punk, jazz, and reggae, going so far as to sometimes have distorted guitars and a horn section in the same song. The lyrical content is usually a mix of the light-hearted nature of ska, serious topics (drinking heavily to escape reality seems to show up from time to time), and bizarre humor.

Specifically, She Has a Girlfriend Now is a song about a girl leaving you for another girl. Drinkin' is about drinking away failure that comes from being "poor, unintelligent, and ugly," while Sell Out, most of Why Do They Rock So Hard, We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful, Don't Start a Band, and One Hit Wonderful are about the music industry as a whole. As the albums progress, they seem to tell a story about the rise and fall that is typical of bands in the music industry.


OK, as a side note, these guys have been one of my favorite bands for a very, very long time. Highly recommended.

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MusicMan

Another great Featured Artist article! Thanks for the contribution and enjoy your well-earned Premium Membership upgrade for free.

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Rules! A definite must-read

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