Reel Big Fish Breaks Up After 21 Years
Music News | Apr 1st, 2013
It’s a sad day in the ska world! Long-running Orange County ska punk band Reel Big Fish have called it a career after 20 plus years as a band. Their camp has stated that there will be no last album, nor a final tour. Well this sucks rudeboys and rudegirls!
Word from the band is that Aaron Barrett, the soul founding member remaining in the band, no longer wanted to tour in order to pursue his love of acting. Perhaps with Yo Gabba Gabba or The Aquabats Super Show? Trombonist Dan Regan stated, “A Reel Big Fish without Aaron is like Wham without George Michael. When your main songwriter and leader decides to leave, it is time to leave with him.”
Reel Big Fish started in 1992 but gained the most notoriety following the release of their 1996 sophomore album, Turn The Radio Off. The record contained the radio hit ‘Sell Out’ which peaked at number 57 on the Billboard charts and remained on the charts for 32 weeks. This propelled the band’s popularity even leading to an appearance as the house band in the movie Baseketball.
Since that time the band has been touring almost non-stop. The band also kept busy on the recording front releasing 8 full lengths, 1 live record, 2 7” records, and 3 EPs.
They have seen their fair share of line-up changes over the years as well, with Aaron remaining as the core member of the band. “There were times before when I thought it may have been over,” Regan went on to say. “When Matt (Wong, founding bass player) left in 2007, I thought it may have been over for good. Same thing when Scott (Klopfenstein, multi-instrumentalist) decided to go. But with Aaron gone, it is time to call it a day.”
You can read more about the news at their Facebook page.
Read our latest concert review of Reel Big Fish live in Pittsburgh.
UPDATE: The band got back together already.
