Fishboy is a four-piece eccentric indie pop band from Denton, TX that began as the bedroom solo project of front man Eric Michener. He was given the nickname on a middle-school field trip after a dare to pluck and swallow a fish at the Dallas World Aquarium. Six years and several shoe boxes full of cassette tapes later, Michener moved from the suburbs to the Texas rock-and-roll Mecca of Denton with a handful of low budget recordings released by the close-knit Austin music collective Business Deal Records. It’s here that the little project became a full-fledged rock band that has since taken on several forms, the most current of which meshes the band’s lo-fi twee pop roots with a loud, energetic rhythm section topped with the occasional horn, piano, or organ, the result of which is somewhere along the lines of fellow Texans Daniel Johnston and Britt Daniel (Spoon) joining the Danielson Famile to play for Anthony Daniels (C3PO) and Daniel Day Lewis (moustache) as they both drink Jack Daniels on a Sunday afternoon.
Since 2005 the band has toured across the nation more than a few times and has walked away with a couple of broken vans and a few gold nuggets, the first of which is a partnership with the Athens, Georgia label Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records. The second is a greater appreciation of their home, the folks that surround them, and the rich history of Texas music. These themes run deep through the band’s new album, Albatross: How We Failed To Save The Lone Star State With The Power Of Rock And Roll, a record that Michener calls “a rock opera about how myself, the band, and the ghost of Buddy Holly attempt to save Texas by going on a tour/crime spree in order to perform all 8,030 of the songs I've written in my sleep since I was in the womb.”
Here are some kind things people have said about ALBATROSS:
"Like the Who if the Who were four skinny kids with a surprisingly wiry strength and a predilection for wearing headbands."
-ALLMUSIC
“what may stand up to be one of the best records of the decade”
-RETROLOWFI
Fishboy is perhaps ill-prepared for taking on the second largest state in the United States by themselves but they’re quite capable of smashing out a few amazing pop hooks or two.
-SMOTHER
"this is eleven blasts of sugar rush indie power pop."
-75ORLESS
"It's nice to come across a band that genuinely makes you laugh and enjoy life. Fishboy does that and more."
PASTA PRIMAVERA
"After a brilliant story, beautifully written and performed songs, a concept that will touch your heart and make you fall in love; how can you not love this band and this album? Were this Ebert and Roeper, it would be two thumbs way up (hell, they'd throw in the other two just for fun to make it four). Were it a play it would receive massive cheers from the crowd and a standing ovation. Were it a charity, I’d give a million dollars if I had a million to give. Were this site to have ratings out of 10, my answer would be 10 ten times over."
-FENSEPOST
"Albatross stands as one of the finest rock albums to come out of Texas this year, loaded with loud guitars, catchy melodies, and fun verses."
KERA.ORG
"1 Album of 2007:
...But what's more important is that underneath all of this manic energy is a batch of amazingly catchy songs with clever lyrics,. Basically, this is one of the best records released this year, and deserving of any and all praise heaped upon it. MTQ=11/11"
INDIE PAGES
"Creating good lo-fi pop/rock music isn't an easy task, yet Fishboy have produced an entire album's worth of material that makes it seem easier to do than swallowing a fish. Gulp!"
I GUESS I'M FLOATING
Please read about our many exploits over at the FISHBLOG
Please view our many videos onYOUTUBE
andVIMEO
Hey!:) How's it going? Hopefully all awesome and swell! So 2 new songs are up!! Go check them out tell me what you think :) And help spread the word of it they're called "You're Wonderful" and "I'll Scissor Kick You" Add one if you can :) Let's chat it up!!!
Hey Eric! I haven't checked out your page in forever. I'm really liking the songs on here. funny story...I have a friend who is a singer/song writer and I told him a couple of years ago that he reminded me of you (when I was living in San Marcos) and he knew of your band! i actually still have one of your old tapes... i love that kristen song... congrats on your success :)
So, any more news on the new album, or the vinyl reprinting of old albums? Also, you said in a blog that the Om Nom Noms album would be a bunch of AU tangents from Albatross - will the tracklisting be so that we can tell which songs would have gone where in the story, or will we be able to tell from the songs themselves?
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