StoneFish
The Band, The Myth, The Legend StoneFish
The Band, The Myth, The Legend
Music fades in with song “Cassidy” and black and white StoneFish logo with gothic text “Behind the Music, The Band, The Myth, The Legend of The Greatest Rock-n-Roll Band that Never Was”.
JOHNNY COCHARSKI (JASON BARGER NARRATOR)
[setting Urban Coffeehouse or Bag of Nails Irish Pub. Jason “Johnny Cocharski” Barger will be our narrator dressed in a corduroy jacket and hair spiked up like a British music journalist. ]
"In the next few moments, we'll be taking a behind the scenes look at one of the most successful rock-n-roll bands that never was. Joining the ranks of rock legends like Spinal Tap and Tenacious D, StoneFish has become a musical and cultural icon and locked their place in rock-n-roll history. Please join me on our magical mystery tour through the StoneFish history and venture into the minds of the creators of StoneFish."
Johnny
Cocharski (Jason): "Jackson, tell me how the band StoneFish got started."
Jackson:
"Great question, Johnny. That's a funny story. My bandmate and one-of-a-kind
compadre Jeremiah Fish and I were sitting at a local pub, I think it was a pub,
or maybe it was the corner coffeehaus...but anyways we were discussing the
possibilities of putting together a rock-n-roll band. At the time, neither or
us played an instrument or knew how to sing so needless to say, we were slightly
disadvantaged from the start. But we had a dream, a vision, to become
rock-n-roll stars. I knew a couple of songs and Jeremiah knew a couple of
chords and so the story began. We bought some cheap recording equipment and
went to Jeremiah's basement which we called the Dogpound and recorded a couple
of takes and the rest is history."
Cocharski: "Where did you get the name StoneFish?"
Jackson:
"Well, actually we borrowed it from an eclectic store that sold artsy wearables
in Louisville on Bardstown Road in the Cherokee Park District. The store was
going out of business and we approached the store owner about purchasing the
rights to use the logo. We didn't even have a song yet but we told him we had a
band named StoneFish and could we use the logo."
Cocharski: "Where did you come up with the concept for 'One Fish Two
Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, StoneFish' album?
Jackson:
"Another great question. We were searching for the name of our first album
when I stumbled across an old Dr. Seus book I had when I was a wee-little boy...
Q Tell me about the 2nd album, “Ye Those That Speak of StoneFish
A
DAN “DR. WHOSHINSKI” TROCHIO
Cocharski: Dr. Whoshinski, what can you tell us about your involvement with the band?
Whoshinski: Sorry, I’m under a gag order right now, pending appeal. See me in 5 to 10.
Cocharski: What instrument do you play? Where did you learn how to play?
Whoshinski: Harp. And I learned to play it under the by-pass bridges hitch hiking through more sixties silliness than you can shake a stick at.
Cocharski: You strike me as a cross between Bob Dylan and Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld. Where you always like that? What were the major influences on your musical career and how did you hook up with StoneFish?
Whoshinski: Yes, but when I was a baby I was more like a baby Bob Dylan and a baby Cosmo Kramer combined with a full diaper. My major musical influence would have to be the night birds that sing near the hyway. And how I got hooked up with Stone Fish?...Hummm…It’s hard for me to remember, they had me on so many drugs in the psyche ward.
Cocharski: Your nickname is “Whosh”…can you elaborate on that?
Whoshinski: Oh yeah, I remember it well. We were having a business luncheon with Graybar in a medium scale restaurant and I had one of my hellevolutional flash backs from the sixties and I thought I was being pursued by the evil demon named the Whoosh. Well, after I cleared the restaurant out and the police officer wanted to know my name, Jackson Stone piped up and said: “This is the Whosh” The rest is history, and a damn good thing.
Cocharski: Word on the street is that you are a bit of a blues man, where did you learn to play the blues on the harp?
Whoshinski: I already told you, don’t you listen.
BILLY “BAD BOY” BENNETT & TOMMY TWO TONE
Cocharski: [driving in a taxi cab in downtown Chicago] And where do you fit in to the legend?
Billy Bad Boy: Well, I was out of work, you know? I needed a job. I'd never had a job and this gig didn't pay, but that was my reasoning at the time. Next thing I know I'm on tour down to Louisville with Tommy Two-Tone puking my guts on the way to the show. That's rock 'n roll.
Cocharski: What is?
Billy Bad Boy: You know, puking and stuff.
Cocharski: It's rumored that Stone-Fish went through a tough period around this time.
Billy Bad Boy: Well, I did have to take some advil and wash my mouth out for a while.
Cocharski: Right. Did the band ever have any personality conflicts?
Billy Bad Boy: There was the night that our two hour "Chili is my little girl" jam set off Mamajuana. I mean set that b*^&tch off. She was probably high or something. She was always high when she was pregnant.
Cocharski: Really...
Billy Bad Boy: I never saw it, but that's the road man. It'll get to you. I mean it is so easy, it's everywhere... there also was my album.
Cocharski: Your album?
Billy Bad Boy: Well, Tommy Two-Tone and I had done some good work toward creating a concept album. Each song would lead to the next.
Cocharski: What was the concept?
Billy Bad Boy: [pause] Well we had the concept for the concept. It's one of those, you know, stalled out before she ever fizzled kind of things. You know?
Cocharski: Hmm. And the bad blood?
Billy Bad Boy: Oh, no bad blood. It just didn't happen, you know?
[segue to Tommy Two-Tone and Niels conducting an interview from TTT's famous guitar shaped hot-tub.]
[Insert Interview with Tony “The SwordFish” at the Bambi Bar in Louisville]
TIM “UNCLE T” KEELER
Cocharski: Uncle T, you are known as Stonefish’s biggest fan, but you have never actually seen the band in concert.
Uncle T: Ahh, yes. This brings up the greatest mystery of Stonefish. Nobody has ever remembered a Stonefish gig. No fan can produce any details. The band never allowed still or video photography at their gigs…there is no evidence that they actually played a concert. It’s kinda like if a bear shits in the woods and no one sees the bear shit, does he really shit…or something like that.
Cocharski: Why did you, the biggest fan, never see a concert?
Uncle T: It’s all my van’s fault…a ’74 VW Westfalia. Beautiful…tan paint job, plaid curtains, pop up camper, the whole deal…The damn thing always broke down before I got to the gig.
Cocharski: Why didn’t you buy a reliable vehicle?
Uncle T: Have you ever seen a true roadie drive a Toyota Camry? Yeah, me neither.
The reason I always broke down is because I experimented with alternative fuels…you know, biodiesel, spent vegetable oil, methane, ethylene, solar panels, alcohol, reefer, shrooms, etc…
Cocharski: Sounds like you experimented with more than alternative fuels.
Uncle T: Yeah, I guess man, but that’s rock ‘n roll…the van didn’t run so well on the reefer…the exhaust always attracted the cops.
Cocharski: When did you first hear Stonefish?
Uncle T: Way in the beginning. You know some of the band and me are like family…they sent a demo record and I was hooked.
Cocharski: So you toured full time with the band?
Uncle T: Yeah, man, the Phish scene got too crazy. Too many teenie boppers and newbies – just couldn’t handle it anymore. Also, too many trustafarians – I couldn’t sell my grilled cheese in the parking lot anymore. All they wanted was “kind veggie organic burritos on free range whole wheat tortillas topped with magic salsa.” I got sick of it. Decided to follow Stonefish, so I started selling Evian water to get enough cash to fix my van and hit the road. I guess I went from a Phishhead to a Fishhead…get it.
JEREMIAH FISH (TODD KEGLER)
Q What songs are your favorite and have the most emotion behind them? Is there a particular chord progression that strikes you in a special way?
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Q Who were the greatest influences on the band and what has shaped your musical style?
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Q Tell me about your first live performance at Thirsty Ear?
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JEBEDIAH FISH (SCOTT KEGLER)
Q You’ve been very close with the band since 2000, what do you see as the core strengths and what creative/artistic edge do you bring to the band?
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Q You’ve certainly seen the good, bad, and ugly sides of the rock-n-roll business, how is it that StoneFish has survived all these years?
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Q What musically instruments or sounds do you think are lacking from StoneFish and what’s the “texture” of the new album “As Real As You Want It To Be”? What does it look, smell, feel like?
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DAVID “GONZO” HARPHAM
Q As the co-founder of TreeHouse Records and band manager of StoneFish, what is your greatest challenge?
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Q What words would you use to describe the StoneFish sound/experience?
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Q What other bands do you manage and what market niche does TreeHouse Records fill?
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Q Where do you see StoneFish in the next 5-10 years down the road?
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DAVID “EL CAPITAN” RUTCHIK
Q David, it is said that you were there when it all began that one magical evening in Nashville back in 1998. What do you remember from that evening, if anything?
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Q As the Band’s international liason/ambassador, what gigs have you lined up for 2006 and where are they?
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Q Let’s talk about today’s rock-n-roll bands. What sets StoneFish apart from all the others?
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DAN “LEDDAWG” LEDMAN
Q As the Chief Creative Officer and Multimedia Guru, how do you capture the “essence” of the StoneFish experience?
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Q I understand that there will be a worldwide launch of the new StoneFish website and LIVE webcast of the Band’s 3rd album single “As Real As You Want It To Be”.
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Q What else do you have in store for 2006 (ie. podcast, downloadable ringtones, iTunes videos, etc.)
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UNCLE FUDD (BROTHER 8-BALL)
Q For years, you have been a bit of a Spiritual Leader for the band StoneFish, can you describe the evolution of the band and how they matured over the years?
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Q You write a lot of the songs. Is there a common theme or motif that is most familiar to you?
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JOHN “EL PROFESSOR” BENNETT, GUITARIST FOR FOREVER DIAMOND BAND
Q I understand that you are one of the founding members of The Forever Diamond Band and that you have jammed with the Band StoneFish on several occasions. When and where was your first gig?
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Q What is the commonality between Forever Diamond and StoneFish? Do you guys tour together?
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Q When is Forever Diamond going on tour? Do you see a world tour with StoneFish as your opening band?
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ROGER “ROCKIN” RAWLINS, GUITARIST LEAD SINGER FOR THE DEBITS
Q I understand that you are one of the founding members of The Debits and that you have jammed with the Band StoneFish. Tell me about the Cinco de Mayo kick off for the Reunion Tour
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Q What is the creative bond between The Debits and StoneFish?
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Q How would you describe the StoneFish Experience?
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