Hagfish (band)

Hagfish

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.

History

Formation and early years (1991-1994)

Hagfish was created when brothers Doni and Zach Blair met drummer Banning Lyon after his band Conniption Fit broke up in the early 1990s. Their successful output together caused 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 Swervedriver, All, 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 "Marry Me", a love song composed by Lyon.

Tensions between Lyon and the Blair brothers culminated in Lyon leaving the band in 1992, 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.^[1]

The third and most well-known incarnation of the band followed and would remain long lasting, including vocalist George Reagan III, brothers Doni and Zach Blair, and drummer Tony Barsotti. In 1993 they recorded their debut studio album, Buick Men, released on Dragon Street Records, who issued the Tripping Daisy debut the previous year. Buick Men was followed up with a four song 7" vinyl release on BYO Records in 1994.

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'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]

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. Several breakups soon followed, and the bands touring stopped. 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.

Reunion and post breakup

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. Since the official break up in 2001, the band members would go on to other projects.

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, the Burden Brothers, Adventures of Jet, and most recently became a member of Rise Against, making his debut with the band on their 2008 album Appeal to Reason.

Band members

• George Reagan III – vocals
• Zach Blair – guitars, backing vocals
• Doni Blair – bass
• Tony Barsotti – drums, backing vocals

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.

Albums

Date of release	Title	Label	Format
January 1, 1993	Buick Men	Dragon Street Records	CD/CASS
June 27, 1995	Rocks Your Lame Ass	London Records	CD/CASS
March 24, 1998	Hagfish	Honest Don's	CD/LP

Singles

• "Minit Maid" (1994) BYO Records
• "Stamp" (1995) London Records
• "Happiness" (1995) London Records
• "Moaner" (1997) Go-Kart Records

Miscellaneous

• Caught Live (1999) Coldfront Records
• On KROQ's Loveline (2000) Coldfront Records
• That Was Then, This Is Then (2001) Coldfront Records

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)

References

1. ^{^} The Stash Dauber: Rants of an Unreconstructed Music Geek
2. ^{^} Bizarre Loveline Episodes
3. ^{^} Dallas Observer Best of: 1996
4. ^{^} Official Website - hagfishonline.com
5. ^{^} Kaffeine Buzz: Zach Blair Interview

External links

• Hagfish MySpace
• Hagfish: AllMusic Guide listing
• Honest Don's Catalog
• 1995 Dallas Observer Interview with Hagfish
• 1996 DropD Interview with Hagfish