Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Los Alamitos, California. Formed in December 1991, the group originally consisted of vocalist Ben Guzman, guitarists Aaron Barrett and Lisa Smith, bassist Matt Wong, keyboardist Zach Gilltrap and drummer Andrew Gonzales. The group's current lineup features Barrett, who took over as lead vocalist in 1993, alongside trombonist Dan Regan (who first joined in 1994), trumpeter John Christianson (since 2004), bassist Derek Gibbs (since 2007), saxophonist Matt Appleton (since 2011) and drummer Ed "Smokey Beach" Larsen (since 2014).
Reel Big Fish was formed as a hard rock outfit in December 1991. [1] The original lineup featured Ben Guzman, Aaron Barrett, Lisa Smith, Matt Wong, Zach Gilltrap and Andrew Gonzales, who released the band's first self-titled demo tape (known as In the Good Old Days...) in 1992. [2] By the following year, Barrett had taken over on lead vocals and decided to pursue a ska direction for the group, which was now a three-piece comprising himself, Wong and Gonzales. [3] For their second self-titled demo (known as Return of the Mullet), the trio employed the services of trumpeter Eric Vismantas and saxophonist Stephan Reed. [4]
By 1994, the band had added Tavis Werts on trumpet, Dan Regan on trombone and Adam Polakoff on saxophone, who released Buy This! that year. [5] By the time the group recorded its debut full-length album Everything Sucks , Robert Quimby had joined as a second trombonist. [6] Quimby and Polakoff left before Turn the Radio Off , on which second trumpeter Scott Klopfenstein and new trombonist Grant Barry debuted. [7] During the tour in promotion of 1998's Why Do They Rock So Hard? , Gonzales left in February 1999 to "pursue other interests and spend more time at home". [8] He was followed the next month by Barry, who was dismissed for "personal differences". [9]
With new drummer Carlos de la Garza, Reel Big Fish recorded much of Cheer Up! during 2000, before Werts quit in October 2001 and recording was completed by Tyler Jones, who took over his position the next month. [10] In the summer of 2003, de la Garza was replaced by Justin Ferreira, a bandmate of Barrett's in the Forces of Evil. [11] Another member of the Forces of Evil, trumpeter John Christianson, replaced Jones following his departure in September 2004. [12] [13] In 2005 the band released We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy , before Ferreira left in early 2005 and was replaced by Ryland Steen. [14] Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free followed in July 2007. [15]
In June 2007, founding member Matt Wong announced his departure from the band in order to "settle down and be a family man"; he was replaced by the Forces of Evil bassist Derek Gibbs. [16] The new lineup released Fame, Fortune and Fornication in 2009, followed by A Best of Us... for the Rest of Us and Skacoustic in 2010. [17] In January 2011, long-term trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Scott Klopfenstein left the group for a similar reason as Wong, stating that he wanted to "dedicate his life to raising a family". [18] John Christianson subsequently became the band's sole trumpeter, as Klopfenstein was replaced by Goldfinger touring saxophonist Matt Appleton. [19]
After the release of Candy Coated Fury in 2012, another long-term horn player, trombonist Dan Regan, left the band in October 2013 to focus on life with his family. [20] He was replaced by Billy Kottage. [21] In the summer of 2014, Steen left to tour with America and was replaced by Ed "Smokey Beach" Larsen. [22] This lineup released one album, Life Sucks... Let's Dance! in 2018, before Kottage left the band and was replaced in the summer of 2019 by touring musician Brian Robertson of Suburban Legends. [23] The band went on hiatus in 2020 and has not returned to live performing since. In July 2024, Ice Nine Kills released a cover of "Walking On Sunshine" in collaboration with Reel Big Fish, featuring Dan Regan as a credited band member for the first time since 2013. [24]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aaron Barrett | 1991–present |
| all Reel Big Fish releases | |
Dan Regan |
|
| all releases from Buy This! (1994) to Candy Coated Fury (2012), and from "Walking On Sunshine" (2024) in collaboration with Ice Nine Kills | |
John Christianson | 2004–present |
| all releases from We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy (2005) onwards | |
Derek Gibbs | 2007–present |
| all releases from Fame, Fortune and Fornication (2009) onwards | |
Matt Appleton | 2011–present |
|
| |
Ed "Smokey Beach" Larsen | 2014–present |
| Life Sucks... Let's Dance! (2018) | |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Matt Wong | 1991–2007 |
| all releases from Reel Big Fish (1992) to Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free (2007) | |
Andrew Gonzales | 1991–1999 |
| all releases from Reel Big Fish (1992) to Sold Out E.P. (2002) | |
Ben Guzman | 1991–1993 | lead vocals | Reel Big Fish (1992) | |
Lisa Smith | rhythm guitar | |||
Zach Gilltrap |
| |||
Eric Vismantas | 1992–1994 | trumpet | Reel Big Fish (1994) | |
Stephan Reed | 1993–1994 | saxophone | ||
Tavis Werts | 1994–2001 |
| all releases from Buy This! (1994) to Cheer Up! (2002) | |
Adam Polakoff | 1994–1995 | saxophone |
| |
Robert Quimby | trombone |
| ||
Scott Klopfenstein | 1995–2011 |
| all releases from Turn the Radio Off (1996) to Skacoustic (2010) | |
Grant Barry | 1995–1999 |
| all releases from Turn the Radio Off (1996) to Sold Out E.P. (2002) | |
Carlos de la Garza | 1999–2003 |
|
| |
Tyler Jones | 2001–2004 (died 2020) | trumpet |
| |
Justin Ferreira | 2003–2005 |
| We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy (2005) | |
Ryland Steen | 2005–2014 |
| all releases from Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album (2006) to Life Sucks... Let's Dance! (2018) | |
Billy Kottage | 2013–2019 |
|
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
James Valentine |
| lead guitar | Valentine took over guitar duties when Barrett injured his hand in 2000, [25] and again in 2001 when Barrett fell down the stairs. [26] | |
Chris Rhodes |
| trombone | Rhodes played on the 2002 Warped Tour. [27] | |
Michael Soprano |
| Soprano played on the 2008 Warped Tour. [28] | ||
Brian Robertson | 2019–2020 | Robertson played trombone following the departure of Billy Kottage. [29] |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
December 1991 – 1992 |
|
|
1993 |
| none |
1993–1994 |
|
|
1994 |
|
|
1994–1995 |
|
|
1995 – February 1999 |
|
|
February – March 1999 |
| none |
March 1999 – October 2001 |
|
|
November 2001 – summer 2003 |
|
|
Summer 2003 – September 2004 |
| none |
September 2004 – February 2005 |
| |
February 2005 – June 2007 |
|
|
June 2007 – January 2011 |
|
|
January 2011 – October 2013 |
|
|
October 2013 – July 2014 |
|
|
July 2014 – April 2019 |
|
|
June 2019 – July 2024 |
| none to date |
July 2024 - present |
| "Walking On Sunshine" (2024) in collaboration with Ice Nine Kills |
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band lost mainstream recognition but gained an underground cult following. As of 2006, the band was no longer signed to a major record label and has since been independent. After numerous line-up changes, frontman Aaron Barrett is the last remaining founding member still performing in the band.
The Forces of Evil was an Orange County-based ska punk band, formed in January 2001 with the intention of creating a ska supergroup, being the side project of fellow ska punk band Reel Big Fish. The band split in 2005 after releasing a four-song EP, which was available on their website.
Turn the Radio Off is the second album by ska punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released in the U.S. in 1996 on Mojo Records.
Goldfinger is the debut studio album by punk rock band Goldfinger, released on Mojo Records in February 1996 and produced by Mojo founder Jay Rifkin. The album was a hit on college radio. The single "Here in Your Bedroom" was a top 5 rock hit in the U.S. in the summer of 1996, and also reached No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, making it their highest charting single ever. The album was certified gold in Canada in 2002. It is the only album by the band not to be produced by frontman John Feldmann in any capacity.
Hang-Ups is the second studio album by American punk rock band Goldfinger, released by Mojo Records on September 9, 1997. Many of the album's tracks feature more of a ska sound than their debut. The album's first single "This Lonely Place" was not as successful as "Here in Your Bedroom", a single off their debut album, but it did gain them numerous talk show appearances and spins of the video, which parodies the 1979 film Alien.
Scott Allen Klopfenstein is an American musician and a former member of the band Reel Big Fish. He sings and plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard.
Suburban Legends are an American ska punk band that formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1998 and later based themselves in nearby Santa Ana. After building a fanbase in the Orange County ska scene through their numerous regular performances at the Disneyland Resort, a series of lineup changes in 2005 introduced elements of funk and disco into the group's style.
Big D and the Kids Table is a ska punk band formed in October 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork in Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records and SideOneDummy. The band has been noted for its strict DIY work ethic, such as engineering, producing, and releasing their own albums and videos and self-promotion of their own shows.
Everything Sucks is Reel Big Fish's first full-length studio album. It was recorded at Sound Art Studios in 1994 and 1995, and released in 1995 on Reel Big Fish's independent label Piss Off Records. The album was engineered by John Gregorius.
Why Do They Rock So Hard? is the third full-length studio album by the ska punk band Reel Big Fish.
Cheer Up! is the fourth studio album by American rock band Reel Big Fish. Released on June 25, 2002, the album was the band's first after the turn of the new millennium, following the release of 1998's Why Do They Rock So Hard? With the advent of the 2000s, and following the band's mainstream success during the third wave of ska, the marketability of and interest in ska waned; despite this, Reel Big Fish continued to tour successfully and maintain a significant fan base while recording Cheer Up! across a number of different recording studios in California. Val Garay produced the majority of the tracks, with frontman Aaron Barrett, trumpeter Scott Klopfenstein and Gordie Johnson producing select songs.
We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy is the fifth studio album by ska punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released on April 5, 2005 on Mojo Records to mixed reviews.
Suburban Rhythm was a ska punk band from Long Beach, California. Formed in 1990, they played numerous shows in small-venue clubs with many now famous O.C. bands opening their performances, including Sublime, No Doubt, and Reel Big Fish. Suburban Rhythm met with various roster changes and broke up in 1994. Three years later in 1997 their only full-length album, Suburban Rhythm was released.
Hearts on Parade is the third studio album by American rock band American Hi-Fi. It was released on April 12, 2005, through Maverick Records. The album peaked at #129 on the US Billboard 200. Hearts on Parade received a nomination for "Album of the Year" at the Boston Music Awards in 2005.
"Sell Out" is the debut single by American ska punk band Reel Big Fish. Released as the first track on the group's second album Turn the Radio Off in 1996, the song has proven Reel Big Fish's most popular release.
Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free is the sixth studio album from Reel Big Fish, This is their first studio album after being dropped by Jive Records and their final album with bassist Matt Wong.
Fame, Fortune and Fornication is a cover album by ska punk band Reel Big Fish.
Candy Coated Fury is the eighth studio album by the American ska punk band Reel Big Fish, released on July 31, 2012. The cover art was made by artist Thom Foolery. The album was recorded at the band's personal studio in Orange, California.
"Beer" is a song by American ska punk band Reel Big Fish and featured on their debut album Everything Sucks in 1995 as well as their major label debut Turn the Radio Off the following year. While not achieving the chart success of the album's lead single, "Sell Out", the song is credited with having kept the band's popularity alive over the years and becoming the band's most downloaded song, and continues to be a staple at live shows.
Life Sucks...Let's Dance! is the ninth studio album by American ska punk band Reel Big Fish, released on December 21, 2018, through Rock Ridge Music. It is their first album since 2012's Candy Coated Fury. It is supported by the lead single "You Can't Have All of Me".
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