FISHBONE with COWBOY WINTER-LIVE AT HIGH NOON SALOON: MARCH 31, 2017

FISHBONE
"CHIM CHIM RISES: THE RETURN OF THE MONKEY TOUR"
with COWBOY WINTER
LIVE
HIGH NOON SALOON
MADISON, WI
MARCH 31, 2017

It just never--and I mean, NEVER--gets old!!

For the second time in just under one year, I was blessed to see the legendary, iconic, dare I say, revolutionary yet criminally under-heard, under-represented, under-appreciated 30 year plus veteran band Fishbone perform live at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, WI. Yes, the show was an outstanding one, definitely even better than the blistering show I witnessed last year in the exact same venue and I'll get to those details shortly.

On a larger note, this night unquestionably held a greater weight for me, a grander significance that not only felt as if I was seeing the band for the first time all over again, as now five members of the classic Fishbone lineup have reunited and are performing together for the first time in 25 years--a sight I never imagined would have been possible before. In addition, these men joined forces with three of the more recent members to form an unstoppable eight man coalition to perform the entirety of "Chim Chim's Badass Revenge" (released May 21, 1996), what I feel is the band's most incendiary, unrepentantly militant release in their staggering discography (as one gobsmacked, and more importantly, Black concert goer said to me after the show concluded well past 1 a.m. "These folks just don't know what they heard tonight!" True dat!). And again, I will get to those details shortly as well.

Overall, it was a night that brought my love of Fishbone full circle, completely to the moment in time when I first fell in love with them and have ever since considered them nothing less than heroes. Tall words, certainly. Hyberbolic? Not at all. Yet, before I reach the culmination, let me go back to the beginnings of the night.

I feel it necessary to first explain to you what specifically never gets old. Of course, there is the wonderment of seeing a brilliant live show. Yet, when you are in a location like the High Noon Saloon, an establishment small yet comfortable enough where you are able to literally rub shoulders with the performers, especially ones you have held in the highest of regards for so very long, the sensation is spectacular.

Just as last year, I stood outside the High Noon Saloon awaiting entrance as the bands of the evening were going through their respective soundchecks. And just as last year, I was amazed to see various members of Fishbone--from co-founder/bassist Norwood Fisher, the flamboyant lead vocalist/saxophonist Angelo Moore to even the astonishing co-founder/ returning drummer Phillip "Fish" Fisher--just casually walking around the area. And again, as always, I was starstruck, just wishing to try and approach them but ultimately, feeling otherwise due to extreme nervousness coupled with the fear of disrupting their artistic headspace before the show itself.

Additionally, as I waited entrance, I found myself in the position of again being a Black face in a predominantly White space as some concert goers' eyes curiously regarded me, wondering if I happened to be a member of either the band or their entourage...just as last year. No folks. I'm just here to see the show. I'm not in the show.

If there was any element that was initially different than last year it was the fact that I happened to know a member of one of the evening's two opening acts. Kevin L. Willmott II, lead singer of the Madison based band Cowboy Winter, is a figure that I have met and seen a little bit here and there in my Madison concert travels and I have also forged a virtual friendship with him upon Facebook. I was thrilled and amazed that his band had been chosen to perform that evening and for Fishbone no less! I said as much to Kevin as we stood outside the High Noon Saloon as he awaited his band's turn for soundcheck, and he was himself more than touched and grateful for this priceless and unprecedented opportunity for himself and his band. Excitedly yet very quietly, he expressed to me, "I feel so blessed. I feel blessed to be a part of this. To be a part of a Black show in Madison like this and for Fishbone." Deeply felt words to be said, as well as to be heard and felt because, as previously expressed, the significance of the night was certainly in the air.

With all due respect to Mr. Jackson, the first of the evening's opening acts, who bridged the gap between classic soul and current hip hop with a collection of synthetic slow jams, I primarily spent the time during his performance ensconced in precious conversations, one of which was held with Mr. Angelo Moore himself (!), whom I first met last year at the merchandise table of all places. This year, there he was again, promoting his own copious solo material released under his Dr. Madd Vibe moniker as well as his Angelo Moore and the Brand New Step project. Just as before, Moore was warmly gregarious and loquacious, excitedly chatting up his artistry, signing autographs as well as answering any and all manner of questions.

The original members of Fishbone reunited Fall 2016
originally posted by Phillip "Fish"  Fisher

When I remarked to him about how amazed I was that Phillip "Fish" Fisher and guitarist John Bigham had returned to the fold, a reunion foreshadowed by a miraculous group photo posted on the internet last fall by Fisher himself, Moore remarked to me that he was feeling very positive about the current tour, which by this point had been active for "a couple of weeks." Regarding anything further, in reference to Fisher and Bigham's participation after the tour, "We'll see," he said, offering me his trademark Cheshire Cat smile as he gave me a firm handshake and fist bump.

COWBOY WINTER:
Andrew Greenwood: Guitar, Vocals
Zachary Greenwood: Bass Guitar
Hart Miller: Drums
Kevin L. Willmott II: Lead Vocals

By the time Cowboy Winter took to the stage, I made my way straight to the lip, anxious to catch all of the action up close and personal, just as is my wont in recent years. Without question, Fishbone could not have asked for a better warm-up attraction to excite and hype the crowd as the band blasted from the starting gate with a feverish flurry of songs that fused garage rock, power pop, and punk rock effortlessly and was executed with a palpable force that made me instantly think of nothing less than The MC5!

 

With his extensive, natural afro and adorned in an Obama '08 T-shirt with brilliant star spangled pants, Kevin L. Willmott II made for a commanding, compulsively watchable presence, one that was equal parts explosive and exuberant as he nearly carried the nearly 45 minute set through his sheer enthusiasm.

What their performance proved to me was that Cowboy Winter is exceedingly another Madison band worthy of your attention as Willmott II, augmented by the furious power trio of guitarist Andrew Greenwood, bassist Zachary Greenwood and drummer Hart Miller, propelled themselves through roof raisers that were as melodic as they were raucous. I was told that the band had not performed live since July 2016 and the time away from the stage was not evident in any way to my eyes and ears. This was a band completely in sync with each other and the audience as well as being fully adrenalized with a spirit that was aggressive and infectious.

Cowboy Winter treated their small patch of the modest High Noon stage as if they were performing in a much larger arena, taking their blessing of an opportunity and making it a blessing of an opportunity for all of us in the audience, especially those of us who were previously unfamiliar with their output. So, at this time, I excitedly urge you to visit the group's Bandcamp page, just as I did afterwards. I am certain you will be as happily surprised as I.

FISHBONE:
"Flyin'" Jay Armant: Vocals, Trombone
John Bigham: Guitar, Vocals
Norwood Fisher: Bass Guitars, Vocals
Phillip "Fish" Fisher: Drums
Rocky George: Guitar
Paul  Hampton: Keyboards
"Dirty" Walter A. Kibby II: Vocals, Trumpet
Angelo Moore: Vocals, Saxophones, Theremin

By 11:00 p.m., it was time for the main event, one the eight members of Fishbone owned completely mere moments after hitting the stage. As Phillip "Fish" Fisher took to his drum kit, which faced sideways instead of straight into the audience, he immediately launched into an astonishing and beautifully fluid drum solo that instantly set the tone for the following two hours of music that was hurled our way passionately and brilliantly.

It is a difficult thing to fully explain but seeing and hearing Fisher behind those drums, delivering a solo that segued richly into the band's dancehall reggae groove of "Unyielding Conditioning," an inexplicable rightness that was not apparent in the Fishbone show I saw a year ago regardless of its excellence, became exceedingly undeniable.

As previously stated, this night's performance felt akin to seeing the band for the first time all over again. All of the so-called disparate parts fit together seamlessly as the full story of the band was displayed so poignantly and powerfully. To my right, there stood bassist Norwood Fisher and guitarist John Bigham, pictures of intense stoicism and concentration with the menacing figure of trumpeter/singer "Dirty" Walter A. Kibby II prowling in the background. To my left, stood the equally stoic keyboardist Paul Hampton and guitarist Rocky George (whom I had no idea was once a member of Suicidal Tendencies).

 

And dead center contained not only the aforementioned Fisher, but of course, the virtuoso, peerless frontman that is Angelo Moore, who himself was flanked by the diminutive powder keg of trombonist/singer "Flyin'" Jay Armant who matched Moore's intensity and delirious energy beat for beat and note for note. Trust me folks, when Armant valiantly took over the rap section of "Psychologically Overcast," a section originally recorded by no less than the indomitable Busta Rhymes, he won me over tremendously, demonstrating to me beyond measure that he has more than earned his stripes to be an essential part of this iconic collective.

While I have no idea if this set up was intentional or not, having the classic members on one end of the stage while the newer members claimed the opposite side, it felt that we were all being given the history of the band, where the past and present flowed back and forth evenly, and entirely serving to keep their music as up to the minute as when it was first written and recorded. The connection between the band members and from the band to the audience was electric!!

As advertised, the night found Fishbone performing "Chim Chim's Badass Revenge" in its entirety, (save for two of the albums brief cacophonous and poetic interludes) and all sandwiched in between a hefty serving of classics and rarities, from "Freddie's Dead," "Swim," "Pray To The Junkiemaker," and of course, their game changing debut "Party At Ground Zero."

While "Chim Chim's Badass Revenge" is conceptual, this night's performance really made the work stand out as not just a rock opera but a work that simultaneously serves as an impassioned manifesto decrying all forms of institutionalized and internalized racism as well as functioning as an intensely personal story of the band circa 1996 and for that matter, 2017.

Opening with the album's introductory spoken word poem, which serves as the prelude to the speed metal of the title track, Fishbone superbly relayed the extended subterranean funk of "In The Cube" and "Sourpuss," the blinding white light fury of "Rock Star" and "Riot," the roaring freight train of "Beergut," the Zappa-esque ska of "Alcoholic," the whiplash time shifting thrash of "Monkey Dick," the jazz inflected funk of "Love...Hate" (featuring Norwood Fisher's jaw dropping spiral staircase bass work) and the ten minute plus anthemic molten lava of "Fight For The Nuttmeg."

Fishbone was nothing less than superlative, again announcing themselves as true sons of Funkadelic, again proving themselves to being a band that truly possesses no equal. With their trademark musical stew which blends rock, funk, punk rock, ska, reggae, jazz, hip-hop, gospel and more, they re-confirmed to their passionate fan base and the audience of the High Noon Saloon that while there are bands that perform music within a variety of genres, Fishbone is one of the rare breeds that have spent their career inventing their own musical genre...and such as it so often is for Black artists, the band has never fully received the proper credit and respect for their ingenuity, inventiveness and seismic influence.

Progressive, meticulous, furious and filled with graceful virtuosity, all eight of the members of Fishbone displayed their musical agility and dexterity with a skill that would put bands decades younger to shame. Seeing Fish behind the drum kit for the very first time was thunderous poetry in motion as he possessed a powerful wallop that arrived via a jazz/funk inflected flair much like Rush's Neil Peart, The Smashing Pumpkins' Jimmy Chamberlin or the masterful, majestic Billy Cobham. It was just impossible playing made to look so, so easy and to see him alongside his brother again--it was undeniably beautiful to behold.

Additionally, it was truly a wonderment to see not only the five individuals who created the original album together performing in solidarity again. It was an evening where Paul Hampton, Rocky George and especially "Flyin'" Jay Armant took material created before their arrival in the band and fully made it their own, often to the point where it felt as if they had been a part of Fishbone all along. The sense of brotherhood on stage felt pure and authentic.

And then, of course, there was Angelo Moore, frontman extraordinaire, stylish and sinister, revelatory, refined and ruthless. With copious dollops of Louis Jordan and Cab Calloway at one point and waves of Joe Strummer and Gil Scott-Heron at others, Moore's superb vocals continuously revealed its power as it seemingly has not aged even one day in nearly 40 years of usage. Furthermore, his own musicianship, upon a plethora of saxophones remained stunning. And trust me again, you ain't never heard a theremin performed in the way Moore fully re-invented it.

Remember the gentleman I spoke of earlier in this piece who professed that the bulk of the audience most likely had no idea of precisely what messages were being conveyed through the music this evening? Fishbone has a full history of crafting lyrical and thematic concepts via socio-political outrage and satire that merge the philosophical with the scatological while promoting a racial unity and also delving into the harsh realities of our racist society via a uniquely Black perspective. "Chim Chim's Badass Revenge" is Fishbone's vision at its most uncompromising, musically and most definitely, lyrically.

Certainly, for those just wishing to have a thrashing good time at a club show, Fishbone more than delivered the goods and then some (as evidenced by the more belligerent attendees who drunkenly bashed around members of the audience--myself included). But, generally, who knows how the band's intended messages are received for those who were either unfamiliar with the original album or even perhaps those who just happened to be White and may not catch certain nuances that are weaved into the Black experience. To be clear, this observation is not to suggest that White Fishbone fans are unable to understand or empathize, but the music of Fishbone-especially from this album--truly goes to the core of what it means to be Black in America, and that even includes being Black in Black America where the prejudices are especially multi-layered.

All of these musing go directly into why this night's performance was so significant to me, as a passionate fan of music, and of Fishbone and existing as a Black man regarding both. Honestly, to take cartoon characters and truly "naz-tee" toilet imagery in some cases and utilize them as enraged metaphors decrying the racism inherent within the music industry, which itself can be seen as a metaphor for American society is "brick through a window" provocative and it meant the world to me to see those eight Black men fully in unison on that stage in Madison, WI roaring their music for our benefit.

The members of Fishbone have always been heroes to me because they demonstrated a fierce independence and individuality from the very beginning that destroyed boundaries. It lifted my spirit at the age of 16 to see this collective of Black men who looked like they were "not supposed" to look, playing music they were "not supposed" to play and vibrantly thrusting a proudly extended middle finger at any and all detractors. To me, this is a band that should be on top of the world, especially as they created "Truth And Soul" (released September 13, 1988), what I feel to be one of the best albums of the 1980s as well as "The Reality Of My Surroundings" (released April 23, 1991), "Give A Monkey A Brain And He'll Swear He's The Center Of The Universe" (released May 23, 1993) and "Chim Chim's Badass Revenge," all three being some of the finest albums the 1990's offered to anyone, in my humble opinion.

Yet, through interpersonal tensions, music industry tribulations, and all manner of challenges, obstacles, and crushing disappointments, Fishbone has remained intrepid. Fishbone has endured. They were, and remain, a band that has infuenced and changed the game for countless others while not receiving the full credit that they have so long and richly deserved. The imprtance of this night for me is how the band has also mirrored and reflected the Black experience in America, how we as a people have remained intrepid and have endured regardless of the mountain of obstacles that are continuously thrown our way and designed to eradicate us. They have remained and so have we and that reality spoke to the power of the night.

Furthermore, it also made the reunion with Phillip "Fish" Fisher and John Bigham so special. Never mind the future, so to speak, but knowing that they are here NOW gives me the feeling that their fan community, and Black fans in particular, will indeed show up and reciprocate genrously. From the Black faces I saw at the Madison, WI show, during the performance and even afterwards as as audience members, including myself, excitedly shook hands and held  open and casual conversations with several of the band members, including Mr. Norwood Fisher himself, a figure who truly intimidated me but gave me a warm smile and handshake at the merchandise table before engaging more fans with extended conversations about his own influences as a bassist. If it wasn't already 1:30 a.m., I would have stayed longer to just listen to him.

But here's hoping that this current tour provides Fishbone with more energy, solidarity and an even stronger sense of purpose as they soldier onwards. And here's hoping that they make their way right back here to Madison.

All photos by Scott Collins except Phillip "Fish" Fisher's band photo