Fishwife Biography
by Rick Kutner
Before Rocket From the Crypt and Drive
Like Jehu put San Diego on the indie rock map in the early '90s,
Fishwife was the undisputed king of scene with over-the-top live shows.
Although Fishwife had its roots in '80s hardcore, the schizoid
post-hardcore zaniness that the group unleashed on its audience no doubt
had any straight-edge kid running for the nearest exit. Lead singer
Ryan Foxe's insane stage antics included, among others, things like
getting naked, a dildo ventriloquist act, leaping from a six-foot-high
Marshall stack and landing on a cup of the favorite Mexican rice drink
Horchata, as well as handing out peanut butter and jelly sandwich's at a
local San Diego club that got them banned from playing the joint
forever.
The group initially released their
self-tilted 7" EP on local hardcore punk label Nemesis. Not long after,
Canadian indie label Cargo Records opened its new headquarters in San
Diego and started a new label, Headhunter. Fishwife was the first band
signed to the new Cargo imprint. In 1990, Snail Killer hit the shelves,
with tunes like "Postcards From the Planet of the Apes," "Dumb Indian
Songs," "Eggs," and "Chiva." Fishwife were pushing the boundaries of
hardcore punk with their hilarious punk-fueled lunacy. Foxe's vocals
were somewhere between Jello Biafra's nasal croon and the cartoon growl
of Cookie Monster. The group's sound easily shifted from frantic
spazz-outs to mosh pit dirges to tripped-out acid rock chants in the
blink of an eye. The group gained a large following in their hometown of
San Diego, occasionally making their way up the West Coast. 1992 saw
the release of the group's second LP, Ritalin, which perfected the
group's unique sound; tighter and more focused, Ritalin grabs you by the
jugular and the funny bone simultaneously with such memorable classics
as "Doggies Nightmare," "Almighty Wurlitzer," "Poopy," and "Hukilau."
The group called it quits in 1993 when
Foxe decided to move to New York and pursue school, while the remaining
three quarters of Fishwife re-formed and took shape as the math rock
trio Tanner releasing Ill Gotten Gains for Caroline Records in 1995,
1997's (Germo) Phobic for Headhunter, as well as several 7" EPs.
Eventually, Foxe relocated back to San Diego and joined the '60s garage
rock group the Let Downs. Fishwife recorded more than an album's worth
of material before they broke up which was released in the form of their
third LP, Poquita Rosada Mona, as well as a two-song 7" EP for local
San Diego punk/indie label Goldenrod Records. Guitarist Gar Wood plays
bass in Beehive & the Barracudas, while drummer Chris Prescott plays
in longtime San Diego favorite No Knife, and bassist Matt Ohlin owns
Rt. 44 Skate Shop in San Diego and plays bass and sings in the group
Hiatus. Singer Ryan Foxe works and lives in Los Angeles.