Retroactive

With its horn-filled ska and good-time beats, Fishbone may not be swimming in the mainstream -- but it's the mainstream that's missing out. Since the then-junior-high-schoolers formed this band in 1979, its musical underbelly has always been rocking rhythms layered with alternative-tilted tracks. A saxophonist-singer further defined the group's funky...

By Catalina Soltero

October 14, 2004

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With its horn-filled ska and good-time beats, Fishbone may not be swimming in the mainstream -- but it's the mainstream that's missing out. Since the then-junior-high-schoolers formed this band in 1979, its musical underbelly has always been rocking rhythms layered with alternative-tilted tracks. A saxophonist-singer further defined the group's funky direction, eventually hooking Fishbone to a Capitol Records contract and an eponymous EP in 1985. While subsequent albums have displayed even more stylish production and savvy songwriting, Fishbone's uninhibited, enthusiastic live performances keep fans floating in. As the title of its somewhat satirical Christmas album promises, you're Gonna Have a Good Time. But then, the band also boasts that it's the act to bridge the gap between George Clinton and Rush, a claim that was underscored when Spike Lee directed the "Sunless Saturday" music video. So we'll be "Bonin' in the Boneyard" when Fishbone surfaces at the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins this Friday, October 15.

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