School of Fish
| School of Fish | |
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| File:School of Fish.JPG
School of Fish, 1991. L-R: Michael Ward, Dominick Nardini, Michael Petrak, and Josh Clayton-Felt.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Alternative rock, jangle pop, rock and roll |
| Years active | 1989–1994 |
| Labels | Capitol Records |
| Associated acts | Lazlo Bane, The Wallflowers, Telomere |
| Website | none |
- For the biological phenomenon of schooling fish, see shoaling and schooling
School of Fish was an alternative rock band which formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1994. The core members were Josh Clayton-Felt and Michael Ward who would play club dates in Los Angeles, California as a duo accompanied by programmed drums and bass. The band signed with Capitol Records in 1990, and released their first single in that same year on 7-inch vinyl. Their self-titled debut was released in March 1991, followed by their first single, "Three Strange Days." Also during the same year, they appeared on a KROQ-FM concert disc called the Acoustic Christmas. Their second album, Human Cannonball, was released in 1993. The album did not sell very well and was not as successful as the self-titled album. Shortly thereafter, the band broke up.
Singer Josh Clayton-Felt died on January 19, 2000 at 32 of testicular cancer.
Guitarist Michael Ward went on to play with John Hiatt and eventually became a member of The Wallflowers. After The Wallflowers split, Ward spent many years as a member of Ben Harper's band, The Innocent Criminals. He is also a sought-after session guitarist in LA, and the author of the children's books 'Mike and the Bike' and 'Mike and the Bike Meet Lucille The Wheel.' Chad Fischer went on to form the band Lazlo Bane, most known for original opening credits of the TV show Scrubs. He also performed music in the Garden State movie soundtrack. Christopher MacDonald, who played bass with the band on tour, but did not play on any School of Fish recordings, records synthesizer space music under the name Telomere.
Members
- Josh Clayton-Felt – vocals and guitars
- Michael Ward – guitars and vocals
- David Lipson – bass(1989)
- Craig Aaronson – drums (1989)
- Dominic Nardini – bass (1990-1991)
- Michael Petrak (aka M.P.) – drums (1990-1991)
- John Pierce – bass and cello (1992-1994)
- Josh Freese – drums (1992-1993, appears on Human Cannonball only)
- Chad Fischer – live drums (1991-1994)
- Chris MacDonald – live bass (1991-1992)
Discography
- Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart peaks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Heat | ||
| 1991 | School of Fish | 142 | 5 |
| 1993 | Human Cannonball | - | 16 |
- Singles & EPs
| Year | Title | Chart peaks | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Mod | US Main | |||
| 1991 | "3 Strange Days" | 6 | 12 | School of Fish |
| The Wrong Sampler | - | |||
| Live in L.A. | - | |||
| 1993 | "Take Me Anywhere" | 5 | - | Human Cannonball |
Note: 2 previously unreleased songs were released as downloads circa 2007. Broken Arm (recorded before the Human Cannonball sessions) and Goodbye Green World (recorded before the self-titled album sessions). A demo version of Three Strange Days was released on a compilation in 1991. The idea of releasing a rarities compilation was in talks with surviving past members but was aborted completely.
The Wrong Sampler was released in 1991 as a promotional CD and LP. 4 songs were recorded in 1989 and the fifth being a radio edit of "Wrong". Songs include : 1. The Greatest Living Englishman 2. The Turtle Song 3. Disconnected 4. This is Where I Belong 5. Wrong [Radio Edit]. All songs written by Josh Clayton-Felt and Michael Ward except #4, Ray Davies (The Kinks cover version).
