Audio By Carbonatix
The flagship band of the West Coast Black Rock Coalition wing, beloved by artists including the late Miles Davis and OutKast, Fishbone has long persisted as a vital pioneer of stateside ska, striving tirelessly toward an equivalence of diverse styles and visions. Sadly, ‘Bone’s adherence to 2-Tone as well as P-Funk, and Marley as well as metal, was not in step with the sort of crossover prized in the ’80s beyond the country’s then-hip underground.
And the band — despite an aesthetically fruitful run on Columbia Records back in the day — has mostly suffered for its liberation struggles. While scene buddies Red Hot Chili Peppers and No Doubt have globally dominated with the form Fishbone patented and perfected, veteran Angelo Moore and his partners continue to be sidelined by plantation radio syndrome (the odd surfacing in mainstream-aimed projects such as Idlewild aside). But never count out this long-lived outfit’s spirit of sonic possibility and the impact of its influence.
