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Jon Fishman

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Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman on stage with Phish at Madison Square Garden, December 3, 2009.
Jon Fishman on stage with Phish at Madison Square Garden, December 3, 2009.
Background information
Also known asFish, Princess, Henrietta, Bob Weaver, Morton Charlton Heston, Tubbs, Sarah, Moses Brown, Showboat Gertrude, Tommy Dorsey, Greasy Fizeek, the Wolfman's brother, The Noble Steed, Friar Tuck, Little Beast boy, Moses, Don Hellmann, The Man Mulcahey and numerous others[1]
Born (1965-02-19) February 19, 1965 (age 59)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
OriginSyracuse, New York, US
GenresJam, jazz fusion, neo-psychedelia
Occupationmusician
Instrument(s)Drums, percussion, vacuum, guitar, trombone, Marimba Lumina [2]
Years active1983–present

Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit.[3]

Fishman was born in Philadelphia. He was then adopted, and grew up in Syracuse, New York with a Jewish family.[4] Fishman had a passion for the drums from an early age, and emulated John Bonham, the drummer for Led Zeppelin, Bill Bruford of Yes, and Keith Moon of The Who. He went to Jamesville-Dewitt High School in a suburb of Syracuse, and after graduation in 1983, he attended the University of Vermont to study Engineering. Shortly after his arrival, he met Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio, where they co-founded Phish. Being an engineer was not his true calling, and he transferred with guitarist Trey Anastasio to Goddard College, where he wrote his senior study on "A Self-Teaching Guide to Drumming in Retrospect." He lives in Maine.

Phish

The band Phish was named after him (he is commonly referred to as “Fish” among many other nicknames) though other explanations for the name have been given.[5] Other than drumming, he also sings back-up vocals and occasionally lead-vocals (usually on cover songs, most of them humorous - the best examples are Prince's "Purple Rain", Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rosie", Will Smith's song "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd's "Bike"). Worthy of note are his more serious vocal efforts, including lead vocals on Phish's cover of the Talking Heads song "Crosseyed and Painless," and his vocal duties on the Phish originals, "The Moma Dance," "Taste," and "Ghost." He is well-known on tour for his Electrolux vacuum cleaner solos and playing while wearing a muumuu dress.

Playing his Electrolux vacuum with Phish at American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL 12-28-2009 Photo: Dan Shinneman

Equipment

Jon uses a variety of drums and cymbals on his kit; brands such as Noble & Cooley, Gretsch, Ayotte, Eames, Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, and Wuhan. He also uses Remo drum heads, and Vic Firth drum sticks. His setup consists of:

  • 22x14 Gretsch bass drum (1958–63) re-wrapped by Precision Drum Company.
  • 6x6 Noble & Cooley tom (in Black Finish)
  • 8x7 Noble & Cooley tom
  • 10x7 Noble & Cooley tom
  • 12x8 Noble & Cooley tom
  • 14x12 Noble & Cooley Floor Tom
  • 16x14 Noble & Cooley Floor Tom
  • 14x6.5 Ayotte 18-Ply Maple Snare (or 14x6.5 Precision 21-Ply Maple Snare w/ custom 3D phish logo).
  • 45x56 Hawiian Muumuu

Cymbals include:

  • 14" hi-hats (Zildjian A New Beat top, Paiste Formula 602 bottom)
  • 13" Paiste Mega Cup Chime
  • 15" Istanbul Agop Medium Thin Crash
  • 18" Sabian HHX Evolution Crash
  • 6" Rancan Ice Bell
  • 8" Zildjian A Custom Splash
  • 16" Sabian HHX Evolution Crash
  • 21" Sabian AA Dry Ride
  • 20" Zildjian A Custom Flat Ride w/ rivets
  • 18" Wuhan China
  • 22" Zildjian Pang

He uses Vic Firth drum sticks. His preferred "perfect pair" is the Peter Erskine Ride Stick and the American Classic 55A. He uses TG12 Sticks for practice, Vic Firth and Regal Tip Brushes, and Vic Firth T1 Mallets.

He uses Remo drum heads. His preferred setup:

  • Snare: Coated Ambassador; Bottom: Clear Diplomat
  • Toms: Clear Emperors; Bottoms: Clear Emperors
  • Kick: Coated Powerstroke 3; Bottoms: Ebony Ambassador

Other musical projects

Fishman is a current member and regular touring drummer of the Burlington, VT comedy troupe Touchpants with Colby Dix, Chris Friday and Aram Bedrosian. Their foul mouthed comedy shows often occur directly after Phish performances and show a very amusing side of Fishman's personality.[citation needed] He also plays drums in the rock band Pork Tornado, and performed with the Jazz Mandolin Project for several years. He has been a member of two large musical collectives, The Everyone Orchestra and The Village. In 2007, he emerged from semi-retirement to perform a series of shows with the Yonder Mountain String Band, including a large portion of their set at the Rothbury Music Festival which happened the summer of 2008.

References

  1. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Phish.net. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  2. ^ "Phish "Scent Of A Mule" at Merriweather with Fishman on Marimba Lumina". Relix. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Book". Mbird.org. 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  4. ^ "Jon Fishman". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
  5. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Phish.net. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
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