Fishbone’s sound is nigh indescribable. Heavily influenced by ska, reggae, metal and funk, this band appeals to a diverse section of music lovers. Punks, rude boys and headbangers come together is peaceful harmony at their shows and happily bounce off one another on the dance floor. Next stop: world peace.

The band’s members came together at a rather unlikely origin; they were thrown into each other’s company because of the Los Angeles Bussing Program and in 1979 they decided to try their luck at L.A.’s fertile music scene. Angelo Moore sang lead and played saxophone; Kendall Jones played guitar; John Norwood Fisher was the bass player; Philip Fisher played drums; Walter Kibby played trumpet and also sang; and Chris Dowd was on keyboards and the trombone. They started out as a primarily ska/punk outfit, gigging around California before they landed a record contract in 1985. Fishbone released a self-titled EP containing “Party At Ground Zero”, exploring the not-too-jolly theme of nuclear annihilation in trademark irreverent style.

Fishbone’s first full-length album was In Your Face, released in 1986. They followed it with a movie appearance in the Frankie Avalon/Annette Funicello reunion comedy Back to the Beach, where they performed “Jamaica Ska”, a pop-ska-reggae fusion tune. Around this time, they also hit the road with the Beastie Boys, touring around the country. They continued to release records, most notably a Christmas EP containing “It’s a Wonderful Life”—a humorous retelling of the much-loved holiday classic—and the full length Truth and Soul, which helped them break through to a wider audience. Songs from that album, like the cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “Freddie’s Dead”, “Subliminal Fascism” and “Bonin’ in the Boneyard” quickly became fan favorites.

Frequent live shows and college radio established Fishbone as one of the most popular alternative rock bands. They released The Reality of My Surroundings in 1991, widely considered their best work. The album was a commercial success as well as a critical one, due in part to the addition of John Bigham on guitar and keyboards. After releasing another album, Give a Monkey A Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of The Universe, Kendall Jones left the group followed by Chris Dowd’s exit two years later. Fishbone’s lineup was in flux for a while, losing founding members and replacing them with new musicians. Friction between several members came to the forefront and Fishbone couldn’t recapture their earlier success. Regardless, they remain one of the best-loved live bands because of their frenetic, exhilarating performances and down-to-earth attitude and hard-core fans would brave rain, sleet and snow to catch one of their gigs.