Woodfish

Capping off a thunderous breakthrough year on the local music scene, Woodfish was named the winner of Jersey Shore Music TV's "Performer of the Year 2006" award.

Woodfish's win was announced during a special December 27 airing of Jersey Shore Music TV, which aired on Comcast Television in 48 cities and 200,000 homes. Woodfish was selected a the top perfomer leaving other NJ nominees.

Earlier this year, Woodfish won three Asbury Music Awards and was featured in the December, 2006 cover story of Upstage Magazine.

- Upstage MagazineDec 28, 2006

The band Woodfish is based out of the Middletown and Red Bank, NJ, area. I’ve watched these guys go from sideline weekend warriors playing the good old Broadway Central Café in South Amboy to a fully blown rising star of the garden state and (The World Beyond). Woodfish write and perform a selfdefined style of rock music that blends several genres of music together with each member’s individual influences. Woodfish groove but yet maintain a hard rock/alternative edge.They strive to keep the integrity of the art of self-expression through music while trying to maintain a sound that will appeal to a wide variety of people. The band says what they do is not about being pre-packaged and targeted to one specific audience. If there is a formula it’s simple, play from the heart and appeal to as many people as possible.Now this is easier said than done in our universe of poseurs and emorexia clones that glut the music world today. But if anyone can pull it off, my money is on Woodfish. I can remember Chris Barry singing this band’s praise way back in the days when I would just look at him and shake my head. Some of his predictions didn’t come true, but he knew what I would eventually learn:Woodfish are a dynamic and rising force that that has been growing steadily at a blazing groove oriented pace. Sometimes labeled funksters or even considered a jam band, Woodfish just shrug it off, plug in and show what they do best in action.They leave the labeling to the listeners. While doing my research on the band I was curious as to where the name Woodfish came from. I pictured some bizarre lost world surfers’ island in the mondo hodad jungle overgrown with cannabis and Palm trees but found that the simple explanation was that a few years ago, Steve Kalorin was sitting at a San Diego diner when he saw the word “Woodfish” carved into a surfboard hanging on the wall. Steve said; “I just saw it and said, “You know what? I’m going to start a band with that name when I get back,” Okay so it’s not as adventurous as what I had in mind, but that’s how most great bands get started. Simple goals turn into bigger end results. I had a chance to see Woodfish at The Stone Pony recently and was impressed with their boundless energy and dynamic presentation of their music.

With influences ranging from older Chili Peppers to Blues Traveler and even Jethro Tull and Primus, Woodfish carry the broad appeal needed to attract the big crowds with their own original slant on things, and let me tell you, according to the number of people that I saw at the Pony gig, their methods are working. Woodfish are also one of the few bands in the Jersey area that can claim to deliver two straight hours of music.

The band’s debut album, Bamm Diddley, on the independent Meanfish Records, was produced by well-known engineer and producer Rober "Void" Caprio who was introduced Woodfish through the band's attorney Ron Bienstock, whose bio is quite impressive and holds many accomplishments
starting with his famed stint with The Suits on Viceroy Records to being voted by BAMmagazine as one of the top 100 “Most Influential People in the Music Business.” The band can’t go wrong with guys like
this on their team. And as Ron is also a super wellknown music attorney, it’s like having Christmas twice a year.

The album, which the band considers “fun, upbeat groove rock,” has sold well and the band hopes to continue to increase their strong fan base in the Jersey Shore area and then spread out to accommodate expected growth as well. Woodfish have the goods across the board, appealing to both young and older listeners alike. Go check ’em out and catch the excitement for yourself.Woodfish is good fish! See them at the
Asbury Music Awards at The Saint on Nov. 11 or find them at www.woodfishmusic.com
- The Aquarian Weekly

By BOB MAKIN

Woodfish will preview songs from its forthcoming 5-song indie demo, "Down Bound," tonight at Downtown Cafe in Red Bank. The disc, which features such favorites as "Scrap," "Thinking Of You," "If You Believe," "Melody". In the meantime, you can hear the live versions of the tasty tracks over some tasty eats at Downtown Cafe. They make a particularly good portobello salad there with fresh greens. The portobello is so meaty it tastes like steak.

As for Woodfish, the Red Bank-based outfit is refreshingly original. Melodic, yet heavy, the band has an accessible yet edgy sound.

If you like passionate music that could be as home at the center of the radio dial as it is to the left, then you'll dig Woodfish, which also can be heard on WHTG 106.3-FM in Eatontown and WRAT 95.9-FM in Belmar.

Info: www.woodfishmusic.com

- Published in the Courier News

I went to see Woodfish open for Foghat at the Blender Theatre in New York City. I kept telling people where I was going on Friday night and the most popular reaction was a slightly startled “really?”

Really. Actually, I never made it through the exhausting succession of openers to see the headliner, but I did see a little kid wearing an actual Fog hat.

Meaning, he was wearing a navy mesh trucker cap with the word FOG spelled out for all the world to witness and enjoy.

Since 2001, Red Bank’s Woodfish have been collaborating to create the kind of rock that forces music fans, young and old, to their feet; cheering, dancing, and representin’ for Jersey in the way that only the the very drunk are capable of. On Friday night they played an energetic set of funky, keening shorehouse rock for the good folks at the Gramercy. As the youngest act in a succession of the variously grizzled and legendary, Woodfish was in an ideal position to show off some serious incendiary chops.

Devils-only-soul-sale chops. Their bass player, Steve Kalorin, whose curly hair poured from his cap, in particular deserves special recognition for his fast fingers and sexy flange.

Woodfish worked the crowd, playing the beach party atmosphere with exhortations to “get up” and “feel it”. Scary stuff. I bought a T-shirt. - Downtown Money Waster