With a sound that falls somewhere between early 90's rock and emo, Hellfish creates musical textures ideal for competitive roller-skating, or comparative to the sound of an old man humming a Nirvana song on a porch, while whittling wood in the 1920's. Each member of Hellfish brings their own long list of influences, but most obvious are bands: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Pearl Jam, Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Citizen Dick, and Hot Water Music. Hellfish is an emotional rock band that builds in energy within each song that wants to crack and scream, within a melody that often demands a whisper. I like the term angry indie hippy.
The band began to form around the spring of 2003, when members of Bellingham band Pomeray, Derek Nickerson and Jake Hemming, began jamming with friends Mike Kershner and Dan Pringle on ideas founded on drunken late night bedroom recordings. Two shows later at the Rogue Hero and World Famous Up&Up Tavern, and new material began to develop as the band members discovered a chemistry built on long emotional jams, sticky with sweat and beer. Although Nickerson and Hemming moved to Seattle, and Pringle to Olympia, the band continued writing and recorded a demo in the fall. More writing and practice continued, and the band is planning on recording again soon with enough material for an entire album.
Hellfish plays pop songs with real rock n' roll intensity, layering stripped down song structures with emotional guitar solos, hard, funk driven percussion, scary-mad-scientist melodic bass, and throaty sweating vocals. The range of influences keeps the music fresh and suprising, as a funk ode to innocence crushed will likely be followed by an optimistic pop song about dancing throught the night with girls and sweet music and romantic idealism, then switched to an angry rock anthem concerning the destruction of art and culture. The sound, however, remains distinct and is often catchy. Hellfish is a good, loud, rock and roll band. |
