Hagfish (band)
| Hagfish | |
|---|---|
 Hagfish at the Gypsy Tea Room in Deep Ellum June 18, 2006 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Dallas, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Punk rock, Pop punk, Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1991–2001 (Reunions: 2003–2004, 2006) |
| Labels | Dragon Street Records London Records Honest Don's Coldfront Records |
| Associated acts | Rise Against, Toadies, Only Crime, Armstrong, GWAR, Burden Brothers, The Mag Seven |
| Website | http://www.hagfishonline.com |
| Members | |
| George Reagan III Zach Blair Doni Blair Tony Barsotti |
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Hagfish were a punk rock band from the Deep Ellum district of Dallas, TX that included George Reagan III, Zach Blair, Doni Blair and Tony Barsotti for the majority of the bands career, including all of their studio albums. They emerged with contemporaries Tripping Daisy and Toadies, as part of the 1990s Dallas/Fort Worth alternative rock scene.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Formation and early years (1991–1994)
Hagfish was created when brothers, guitarist Zach Blair and bassist Doni Blair met drummer Banning Lyon after his band Conniption Fit broke up in the early 1990s. Their chemistry lead them to pursue frontman James Newhouse, formerly of the band Terminal Rot, who would fill the position.[1] During this time they began touring the Texas punk circuit, opening for such bands as All, Swervedriver and Poster Children. A demo tape was released, following the contrasting sensibility of punk band the Descendents, with tracks like "Tallman", about the middle finger, and "Maybe", a love song composed by Lyon.
Tensions between Lyon and the Blair brothers culminated in Lyon leaving the band in 1993, and John Frum took over on drums, bringing with him guitarist Mike Brown to fill out the sound.[1] This lineup pushed the quintet into new territory, and although popular with fans, the band was collapsing due to internal conflict. Newhouse was fired from the group, and the Blair brothers severed ties with Frum and Brown after an attempted recording project, bringing with them the Hagfish moniker. The Blair brothers reunited with Lyon and began searching for a singer, finally finding George Reagan III during a rehearsal one afternoon at Musician's Exchange in Dallas, Texas.[1]
In 1993, after Lyon left the band, never to reunite, drummer Scott Carter joined Hagfish, and along with the Blair brothers and Reagan, began work on the debut studio album, Buick Men, released on Dragon Street Records, who issued the Tripping Daisy debut the previous year. During the recording of the album, Carter was replaced with drummer Tony Barsotti, the last lineup change to occur within the band for what would prove to be a near decade run together. Buick Men was followed up with a four song 7" vinyl release on BYO Records in 1994.
[edit] Major label debut and sophomore jinx (1995–1997)
Hagfish signed with London Records and refurbished much of their debut into the 1995 album Rocks Your Lame Ass, produced, engenered and mixed by Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton. They embarked on their first major tour with Bad Brains, prior to Rocks Your Lame Ass reaching record store shelves. Immediately after the album’s release, a long year of constant touring ensued, supporting the likes of Everclear, Save Ferris, NOFX, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Offspring, Face to Face, Die Toten Hosen, The Reverend Horton Heat, and the Supersuckers. The band made an infamous appearance on KROQ-FM's Loveline, after the suggestion of host Riki Rachtman in the summer of 1995, which revolved heavily around farting, queefing, and the cult porn film Let My Puppets Come.[2] The Rocks your Lame Ass album would go on to become their most commercially successful release, with videos for both "Happiness" and "Stamp" appearing on MTV's 120 Minutes. In 1996 Hagfish was voted best Alternative Rock/Pop act by the Dallas Observer.[3]
The momentum never translated into album sales, and after numerous arguments with the label, the follow-up album was rejected by London Records; who subsequently dropped the group. The album would eventually be reworked, re-recorded and released independently. "Unidentified" would be the only song from the sessions to transpire when it was made available as a free download on the bands official website.[4]
[edit] Final album and subsequent releases (1998–2001)
They returned to the independent scene in 1998 with their self-titled album Hagfish, released on Honest Don's, a subsidiary of Fat Wreck Chords, produced again by Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton at the Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO where they had recorded Rocks Your Lame Ass, but did not see any real commercial success. A stream of releases on Coldfront Records would be the bands last, including a live album, Caught Live, as well as That Was Then, This Is Then, a compilation of b-sides and unreleased tracks. Several breakups soon followed, and the bands touring stopped.
[edit] Reunion and post breakup
Since the official break up in 2001, the band members would go on to other projects, as well as participating together in sporadic reunions. On April 18, 2003 Hagfish reunited and performed at the Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas, TX. With the inclusion of three new songs in the set, they announced plans to release a new album in late 2003 or early 2004.[4] The following month they toured with Lagwagon and continued to play locally throughout the year, making an appearance at the Buzz-Oven Festival. However, the official website last updated on March 7, 2004, would fall dormant, and to date, no new Hagfish album has surfaced.
The Blair brothers continued working together in various bands over the next several years. They formed Armstrong and released Dick, the Lion-Hearted in 2002, featuring drummer Brad Roberts. Four songs from the album were originally co-written by both Zach Blair and Reagan, intended for release on the rejected Hagfish album.[5] The Blair brothers also joined Only Crime, a supergroup featuring Russ Rankin, Aaron Dalbec and Bill Stevenson, releasing two albums with the band before their eventual departure. The Blair brothers collaborated yet again for the instrumental band The Mag Seven, appearing on the album The Future Is Ours, If You Can Count in 2006.
Reagan went on to homegrown hip hop group The Brothers, but mainly moved his focus to his two children, while Barsotti started his own furniture design company.[5] Doni Blair joined the Toadies following their reformation and release of No Deliverance in 2008. Zach Blair played with GWAR, Armstrong, Adventures of Jet,Only Crime(a 'super group' consisting of himself,his brother,Doni,Bill Stevenson from Black Flag/Descendents/All,Russ Rankin from Good Riddance and Aaron Dalbec from Bane) and most recently became a member of Rise Against, making his debut with the band on their 2008 album Appeal to Reason.
[edit] Band members
- George Reagan III – vocals (1993–2001)
- Zach Blair – guitars, backing vocals (1991–2001)
- Doni Blair – bass (1991–2001)
- Tony Barsotti – drums, backing vocals (1993–2001)
- Former members
- Banning Lyon – drums (1991–1992)
- James Newhouse – vocals (1991–1992)
- John Frum – drums (1992)
- Mike Brown – guitars (1992)
- Scott Carter – drums (1993)
[edit] Discography
Hagfish has released three studio albums, four singles, a live album, and a compilation album, as well as an interview disc with their Loveline appearance from August 16, 1995, which originally appeared as the final track on the "Happiness" promotional single. They have also appeared on a multitude of various artists compilations.
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album Details |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Buick Men
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| 1995 | Rocks Your Lame Ass
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| 1998 | Hagfish
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[edit] Extended plays and singles
- Minit Maid (1994) BYO Records
- Stamp (1995) London Records
- Happiness (1995) London Records
- Moaner (1997) Go-Kart Records
[edit] Miscellaneous
- Caught Live (1999) Coldfront Records
- On KROQ's Loveline (2000) Coldfront Records
- That Was Then, This Is Then (2001) Coldfront Records
[edit] Compilations and soundtracks
- Get It Through Your Thick Skull (1993) Idol Records – "Minit Maid" (demo)
- We're From Texas (1993) Scratched Records – "Happiness" (demo)
- How to Start a Fight (1996) Side One Dummy Recordings – "Red, White & Blue"
- Barb Wire (1996) London Records – "Hot Child in the City" (Nick Gilder)
- Sample This! (1997) BYO Records/Big Daddy Records – "Moon"
- Before You Were Punk (1997) Vagrant Records – "Walking in L.A." (Missing Persons)
- Come On Feel the Metal (1997) Steve Records – "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (AC/DC)
- Honest Don's Greatest Shits (1998) Honest Don's – "100% Woman"
- The Blasting Room (1999) Owned & Operated Recordings – "Moaner"
- Music to Listen to Music By (1999) Coldfront Records – "Stamp" (live)
- Going Nowhere Fast... (1999) Destined to Fail Recordings – "Envy"
- Serial Killer Compilation (1999) Fearless Records – "California"
- Not So Quiet on the Coldfront (2002) Coldfront Records – "Teenage Kicks" (The Undertones)
[edit] References
- ^ The Stash Dauber: Rants of an Unreconstructed Music Geek
- ^ Bizarre Loveline Episodes
- ^ Dallas Observer Best of: 1996
- ^ Official Website - hagfishonline.com
- ^ Kaffeine Buzz: Zach Blair Interview
