Fishbone Brings New Movie and Live Shows to the Bay

The Roxie theater was packed Thursday night for a special screening of a new film, "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone," showing the history of the unclassifiable Los Angeles-based band.

The screening kicked off this year’s Docfest, and was followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and the two remaining original members of the band, Angelo Moore and John Norwood Fisher.

Directors Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler did a great job reaching back to the high school days of the all African American band, who were bussed into the white suburbs of Los Angeles, where they found each other, and their unique style of music.

The movie also shows the highs and lows of the band, signed to a record deal right out of high school, but never quite hitting the peak of fame that most expected them to.

The film is sprinkled with fun animated sequences narrated by Laurence Fishburne, as well as interviews by many famous musicians -- Gwen Stefani, Flea, Les Claypool, etc. -- who give the band credit for helping them find their way.

"Everyday Sunshine" also does a good job of showing the interpersonal struggles of the band, with members dropping out, taking others to court, and openly talking about dislikes for each other to the camera, and to each other.  Only two original members remain: singer, saxophonist and theremin maestro Angelo Moore, and bassist, singer John Norwood Fisher.

The two answered questions from the audience after the film, and then played a show at the DNA Lounge that was great fun, especially after having just seen the film.  The onstage energy level was still sky high with Angelo Moore prancing, dancing and hopping around the stage and occasionally diving off for a quick crowd surf.

Friday night the Mill Valley Film Festival hosts another screening and concert at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley.

Fishbone said they’d be back in the Bay on Saturday Nov. 6 playing at the Warfield, which is the same stage the band plays an epic show at in the early 1990s that starts the film. The film will screen again at the Roxie on Thursday Oct. 21 at 9:30 p.m.

Fishbone fan or not, the film is a great documentation of a band still keeping their dreams alive, and well worth the watch.
 

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