Forgotten 90s: School of Fish and “3 Strange Days”
Great pre-grunge before Nirvana became a thing
Prior to September 1991, alternative rock was largely a term used to describe a wide landscape of bands from different places and radically different sounds. Yet “alternative” bands and solo artists shared one thing in common. That factor was that were not widely played on the radio, except for college and community radio.
Nevermind that in the very late 80s and early 90s, artists like the Pixies and Sinead O’Connor had pushed their way into mainstream popularity, while Living Colour and The Cure were selling out medium-sized stadiums. Commercial radio was busy with the likes of hair metal (think Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and Europe) or the sugary love-pop of Amy Grant and Debbie Gibson. To add a little perspective, consider that in 1988 that the New Kids On The Block got way more attention on radio than R.E.M.
Regardless, America’s cities and college towns had scenes that were slowly grinding down music’s superficialities.
The Twin Cities were known mainly as the fiefdom of Prince, but bands like The Replacements, Hüsker Dü and Babes In Toyland showed that Minneapolis wasn’t just a junior varsity Motown. Like Athens, Georgia, Olympia, Washington and it’s bigger neighbor Seattle were spawnign bands that were creating real innovation.
And out in Los Angeles, the rock scene showcased two sides. There was the funk-influenced vibe that launched the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More as well as lesser known great bands like Mary’s Danish and 24–7 Spyz. Then there was the other wing of L.A. alternative rock, with its steady and thoughtful, radio-friendly sound put forth by School Of Fish.
School Of Fish was formed in 1989 and led by Josh Clayton-Felt (May 18, 1967 — January 19, 2000), a multi-talented singer/songwriter who had the youthful, dovish looks of TV star Joseph Gordon-Levitt but with a brain that spun out songs suggesting a wisdom beyond his years.
The best-known song by School Of Fish, called “3 Strange Days,” came out right after the band signed with Capitol Records in late 1990 on 7-inch vinyl, prior to the band’s self-titled debut album, released March 1991.
The single’s lyrics seems to describe a three-day bender or perhaps lurid mental health episode, during a time in which popular music didn’t much dare to address personal struggles or mental health. You could say that School Of Fish was part of the tipping point that eventually changed all that.
Notably, the single was released and ended up playing all over college radio from late 1990 and into the summer.
Just six months after the band’s debut album, Nirvana’s mammoth song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit MTV and the airwaves worldwide. But while Seattle grunge seemed to bulldoze the American musical landscape from coast to coast, that change seemed to legitimize not just Pacific Northwest hardrock bands but also other alternative music across the board.
Likewise, that scene change—from boy bands to rock bands that wrote their own music and played instruments—held up bands like School Of Fish, who played quality rock with something important to say.
Andy Frye has written for Forbes, ESPN and Rolling Stone. His rock ‘n’ roll time-travel novel Ninety Days In The 90s comes out this spring.
