School of Fish
Encyclopedia
- For the biological phenomenon of schooling fish, see shoaling and schoolingShoaling and schoolingIn biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling , and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling . In common usage, the terms are sometimes used rather loosely...
School of Fish was an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band which formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1994. The core members were Josh Clayton-Felt
Josh Clayton-Felt
Josh Clayton-Felt was an American singer-songwriter. He grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and attended high school at the Cambridge School of Weston. He later enrolled at Brown University, but discontinued studies soon after to found the band School of Fish.He worked for acclaimed comedy...
and Michael Ward
Michael Ward (musician)
Michael Ward is an American guitarist who has played with the bands School of Fish and The Wallflowers. He also played on John Hiatt's album Perfectly Good Guitar.-With School of Fish:* School of Fish * Live in L.A....
who would play club dates in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
as a duo accompanied by programmed drums and bass. The band signed with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in 1990, and released their first single on that same year on 7-inch vinyl. Their self-titled debut
School of Fish (album)
School of Fish is the debut album by the band of the same name. It was released in March 1991.-Track listing:All tracks written by Felt & Ward, except where noted.# "Intro" - 1:42# "3 Strange Days" - 5:12# "Talk Like Strangers" - 3:37...
was released in March 1991, followed by their first single, "Three Strange Days." Also during the same year, they appeared on a KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
concert disc called the Acoustic Christmas
KROQ Acoustic Christmas
Acoustic Christmas is an annual concert run by the Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM.The first show was held in December 1989 though it was simply called the KROQ Xmas Bash. In 1990 the show became bigger and attracted increasingly popular alternative rock bands and singers...
. Their second album, Human Cannonball
Human Cannonball (album)
Human Cannonball is an album by alternative rock group School of Fish, released in 1993 by Capitol Records.-Track listing:All tracks written by Felt & Ward.#"Complicator" – 3:07#"Take Me Anywhere" – 4:44#"1/2 A Believer" – 3:17#"Fountain" – 6:14...
, was released in 1993. The album did not sell very well and was not as successful as the self-titled album. Shortly thereafter, the band broke up.
Singer Josh Clayton-Felt died on January 19, 2000 at 32 of testicular cancer
Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. In the UK, approximately 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of...
.
Guitarist Michael Ward went on to play with John Hiatt
John Hiatt
John Hiatt is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New Wave, blues and country. Hiatt has been nominated for several Grammy Awards - although he has never won- and has been awarded a variety of other...
and eventually became a member of The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers is a rock band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Jakob Dylan. Formed in 1989 and originally known as The Apples, the ensemble has gone through numerous personnel changes with Dylan the only constant....
. After The Wallflowers split, Ward spent many years as a member of Ben Harper
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
's band, The Innocent Criminals. He is also a sought-after session guitarist in LA, and the author of the childrens books 'Mike and the Bike' and 'Mike and the Bike Meet Lucille The Wheel.' Chad Fischer went on to form the band Lazlo Bane
Lazlo Bane
Lazlo Bane is an alternative rock band hailing from Santa Monica, California, United States. They are well known for collaborating with former Men at Work member Colin Hay, and providing the song "Superman" as the theme for the television show Scrubs...
, most known for original opening credits of the TV show Scrubs. He also performed music in the Garden State
Garden State (film)
Garden State is a 2004 comedy-drama film written by, directed by, and starring Zach Braff, with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sir Ian Holm. The film centers on Andrew Largeman , a 26-year-old actor/waiter who returns to his hometown in New Jersey after his mother dies...
movie soundtrack. Christopher MacDonald, who played bass with the band on tour, but did not play on any School of Fish recordings, records synthesizer space music under the name Telomere.
Members
- Josh Clayton-FeltJosh Clayton-FeltJosh Clayton-Felt was an American singer-songwriter. He grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and attended high school at the Cambridge School of Weston. He later enrolled at Brown University, but discontinued studies soon after to found the band School of Fish.He worked for acclaimed comedy...
– vocals and guitars - Michael WardMichael Ward (musician)Michael Ward is an American guitarist who has played with the bands School of Fish and The Wallflowers. He also played on John Hiatt's album Perfectly Good Guitar.-With School of Fish:* School of Fish * Live in L.A....
– guitars and vocals - Dominic Nardini – bass
- Michael Petrak (aka M.P.) – drums
- John PierceJohn PierceJohn Pierce is the name of:* John J. Pierce , writer* John M. Pierce , American amateur astronomer* John R. Pierce , American engineer, Professor, and author* John Pierce, member of the group Pablo CruiseSee also...
– bass and cello - Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
– drums - Chad Fischer – live drums
- Chris MacDonald – live bass
- David Lipson – original bass player (1989)
- Craig Aaronson – original drummer (1989)
Albums/Singles
| Year | Album | Chart peaks | Certification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
|||
| 1991 | School of Fish School of Fish (album) School of Fish is the debut album by the band of the same name. It was released in March 1991.-Track listing:All tracks written by Felt & Ward, except where noted.# "Intro" - 1:42# "3 Strange Days" - 5:12# "Talk Like Strangers" - 3:37... |
142 | 5 | - |
| 1991 | Live in L.A.' | - | - | - |
| 1993 | Human Cannonball Human Cannonball (album) Human Cannonball is an album by alternative rock group School of Fish, released in 1993 by Capitol Records.-Track listing:All tracks written by Felt & Ward.#"Complicator" – 3:07#"Take Me Anywhere" – 4:44#"1/2 A Believer" – 3:17#"Fountain" – 6:14... |
- | 16 | - |
| Year | Title | Chart peaks | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Mod | US Main | |||
| 1991 1991 in music See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year... |
"3 Strange Days" | 6 | 12 | School of Fish |
| 1993 1993 in music This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992.... |
"Take Me Anywhere" | 5 | - | Human Cannonball |
External links
- [ School of Fish article at Allmusic Guide]