History
Aaron Evil, guitar (Aaron Barrett), of Reel Big Fish fame, formed The Forces Of Evil in January 2001 by recruiting three members of the then recently defunct ska group Jeffries Fan Club at their farewell concert, Justin Evil, drums (Justin Ferreira), Chris Evil, trombone (Chris Colonnier) and Derek Evil, bass (Derek Gibbs). Jay Evil, trumpet (Jay Lafayette of The Scholars) and Jonny Evil, trombone (John Throop of Lone Raspberry) were later added to the line-up, and with the addition of friend John Evil, trumpet (John Christianson), the band was made complete.
According to Barrett, He created the Forces of Evil as a fall-back plan, as he believed that Reel Big Fish was going to tank after releasing Cheer Up! , thinking everyone would hate it. In the commentary for the Reel Big Fish DVD You're All In This Together, He said he started FoE because "if Reel Big Fish was over, then I'd still want to prove to everyone that I still love ska and love to play it."
Between formation and June 2002, the band played many concerts across the U.S., playing both songs written by the band and covers of other songs from many genres.
In June 2002, the band released their first record, an EP titled Because We Care..., featuring tracks that had seen popular receptions during concerts. The first album to be released by The Forces Of Evil appeared in October 2003, titled Friend Or FOE? and featuring all of the tracks previously released on the EP as well as many new tracks, one of particular note being "Fight", which was the theme song for Ska Summit 2003, a huge achievement for such a newly formed band and one that served to increase the group's popularity not only in US Ska circles but also in Ska fans across the world. As such, the band was signed by Jive Records.
In 2005, The Forces Of Evil disbanded, while in the process of recording their second album for Jive Records. Finished songs from the planned albumwere later posted on the internet under the title Four Song Obituary.
Barrett later stated the work effort was too similar to the work he was doing with Reel Big Fish, and he decided to concentrate his efforts on the other band. Barrett also noted the president of Jive at the time of the release of Friend or Foe? was angered by the fact that it was not the new Reel Big Fish album, and wondered why it wasn't; former Reel Big Fish bassist Matt Wong said he wondered the same thing as well.
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.
Turn the Radio Off is the second full-length album by ska punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released in the U.S. in 1996 on Mojo Records.
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.
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.
The Nuckle Brothers were a third wave ska band from Huntington Beach that was part of the early 1990s music scene in Orange County, California, United States, inspiring such bands as Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris and The Aquabats.
Jeffries Fan Club was a southern California Third-wave ska band formed in 1996. The band released several albums on now-defunct Vegas Records before breaking up in 2001. The band played their final show January 6, 2001, at The Glasshouse in Pomona, which was later released on CD under the title Last Show at the Glasshouse. Their breakup was the cover story in the OC Weekly issue dated January 5, 2001. In the OC Weekly article, it was revealed that the primary reason for the band's breakup was lead singer/guitarist Mike Dziurgot's desire to return to school. In the article, he also mentioned that he and several of the members didn't enjoy performing unless they were under the influence of alcohol, and that this affliction had prompted him to return to his Christian roots.
The Scholars were an American band. Like the Nuckle Brothers, No Doubt and Reel Big Fish, they are one of the main founding bands of the Orange County ska scene.
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.
After the departure of lead singer Chris Batstone, Suburban Legends re-released their first EP, Suburban Legends, by removing the vocal track featuring Chris, and replacing it with a vocal track of new lead singer, Tim Maurer. Suburban Legends (Tim Remix) is essentially the same album from the Orange County based ska punk band. It was first released in 2002 in Los Angeles, California by We the People Records. Its first pressing came with a green cover which was later changed to an orange cover. The green cover version is now very hard to find. The music, however, is the same on both editions. The main difference between the two versions is that the green cover edition was released by We the People Records, while the orange cover edition was self-released by the band at the end of the year. As of 2012, both versions are out of print.
"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 on August 13, 1996, the song has proven to be one of Reel Big Fish's more popular releases.
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.
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".
