FisherGreen
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FisherGreen

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"2012 Albums Not to Miss: Alabama"

FisherGreen's "Keep It Together" is such a fun album, full of energy and well paced. The elements all come together to get you moving, vocals, the message of the lyrics… and the guitar flows with a smooth power into the horns…it’s really cool. http://fishergreen.bandcamp.com/album/keep-it-together - South Sounds Review .com


"2012 Albums Not to Miss: Alabama"

FisherGreen's "Keep It Together" is such a fun album, full of energy and well paced. The elements all come together to get you moving, vocals, the message of the lyrics… and the guitar flows with a smooth power into the horns…it’s really cool. http://fishergreen.bandcamp.com/album/keep-it-together - South Sounds Review .com


"This Is American Music Gang's Top 50 for 2012"

FisherGreen's "Keep It Together" Named in 'This Is American Music' Gang's Top 50 CD's of 2012 - This Is American Music .com


"This Is American Music Gang's Top 50 for 2012"

FisherGreen's "Keep It Together" Named in 'This Is American Music' Gang's Top 50 CD's of 2012 - This Is American Music .com


"Review: "Keep It Together" by FisherGreen"

from You Hear This
Review: Keep It Together by FisherGreen
by Sam George on September 19, 2012 • 3 Comments

There is a certain fairytale reality perpetuated in the music business, one in which it is possible for hipsters in ironic mustaches to gain instant fame by producing quirky videos for music that blends so seamlessly into the ocean of content we are barraged with every day that you forget what it sounds like instantly. Not that I have anything against quirky videos, mustaches and irony, but they mean nothing to me besides a quick chuckle unless the music is memorable, and often it is not.

There is a flip-side to that coin, a world in which a host of faceless bar bands inhabit a multitude of dingy stages, regurgitating the same playlist of crowd favorites to the inebriated masses ad nauseum until everyone collectively forgets that music is actually something people are still inventing.

Now, there is truth in both these scenarios, as there is truth in any cliché, but not the whole truth, and predictably, it’s all a matter of perspective. The bands in the bar trenches find it easy to dismiss hipsters because of the emphasis they place on “surface” values like how they look, while the hipsters ignore the bar bands for precisely the same reason.

Thankfully, once and a while, a band comes along which makes it clear this whole divide is malarkey. A band that paid its dues in the trenches, played its four-hour sets filled with cover songs, and then produced a rollicking, genre-bending original album that stands with any of the albums released by any of the trendier Birmingham bands this year. That band is FisherGreen.

A collaboration between brass-master Chad Fisher and soulful rocker Heath Green, FisherGreen has its beginnings in late night free-form jams.

“A couple of years before, Heath began hiring me and guys like Rob Alley, Gary Wheat, Brad Guin, and Chris Johnson to play horns with his band The Starmakers,” Fisher recalls. “Heath Green and The Starmakers was a rotating cast of musicians, as was The Chad Fisher Group. Heath’s voice and his songs immediately struck me as something special. We would play four hour nights at Bailey’s, The Open Door, and just about anywhere that paid. The energy of playing unrehearsed and with different personnel is awesome, but it has a flip side. Some nights are better than others. ”

The two decided that the chemistry they were forming on stage was too good to release into the ether, so they joined forces. “What we were coming up with naturally on the bandstand at that time was very unique,” Fisher says. “It seemed like a logical step to try and tighten things up and get a steady band together.”

That the newly minted FisherGreen found its way to its current sound through such late-night experimentation is as good a proof as any that such noodling shouldn’t be dismissed.

fishergreen

FisherGreen will celebrate their debut album release this Friday at Bottletree.

“FisherGreen has always been somewhere in between [a cover band and an original band],” Fisher explains. “Early on we were playing a lot of three and four hour nights; covers were essential. Some folks look down on original bands that play covers. This seems silly to me. Good songs are good songs. Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett covered the Beatles. The Rolling Stones covered The Temptations. Learning and playing covers helped us learn how to play together.”

Learn to play together they most certainly did, and people began taking notice. Already known for their ability to get a late-night scene hopping, they were brought on to finish the final evening out at this year’s Secret Stages, a local music festival featuring up and coming bands from across the nation, and were featured in B-Metro’s latest music issue. They’ve played the hipster haven Bottletree, and didn’t think twice about bridging the divide.

“Birmingham has several scenes,” Fisher says. “I have been fortunate to play with bands from all over the area. Some bands have been better at putting out records and getting reviews, while others have been great at putting on shows and getting people to dance. Some people notice the records, others notice the shows. It just depends on what scene you’re in. I have noticed over the last year or so that the lines are beginning to blur. Musicians from all over the city are coming together on the bandstand and as friends. It is good to see.”

Finally, with enough new material under their belt, FisherGreen began the process of laying down tracks. They approached Les Nuby at Ol Elegante studio, whose stellar work includes the recent Delicate Cutters album Ring.

“Les was awesome,” Fisher exclaims. “For the initial sessions, we wanted to track the whole band together in one room and Les had the capability to do this. We also knew he had been doing some great things at Ol Elegante. Throughout the process, Les was great at being the mediator and voice of reason in the studio, and al - You Hear This .com


"John Seay's Top 20 Albums of 2012"

FisherGreen: Keep It Together Great funk-soul-rock band from Alabama. My favorite tracks are “The Spins,” “Tryin’ To Get Paid,” “Flicker,” “Free To Play” and “Sisters Brothers.” - Flagpole Magazine / Athens GA


"Who to see at Secret Stages: FisherGreen"

In its second year, Secret Stages can still be an overwhelming festival. With over 80 bands and comedians performing in Birmingham's Historic Loft District over two days in May, people sometimes have a difficult time choosing which emerging acts to see.
The easy answer is "all of them," but it's not practical. The festival has a lineup with enough diversity to satisfy every taste: rock, country and hip-hop acts from every corner of America invade bars and clubs like Matthew's Bar & Grill, Pale Eddie's Pour House, Metro Bar, Das House, Rogue Tavern, Steel Urban Lounge, and the Wine Loft. VIP weekend passes are $60, while a general admission weekend pass is $25. Day passes are $15. All passes allow admittance to all bars that are part of the festival. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.secretstages.net.
I have chosen a few artists from different parts of the musical spectrum to highlight. I'll not be able to touch all of the terrific music that will soundtrack the Magic City on May 11 - 12, but perhaps these pieces can offer some direction.
Birmingham's own FisherGreen offer late night jazz that has been a staple of the Birmingham scene before the current project and lineup even existed. This is the child of tromonist Chad Fisher and vocalist Heath Green, along with a supporting band that rotates with as many as seven musicians. They will end your Friday evening, taking the M-Loung stage at 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 12. Fisher is a working musician, that has taken the stage with artists as eclectic as the Temptations, Gregg Allman and Jason Isbell. I spoke to Fisher about how he met Isbell, the Birmingham scene and the city's recent decision to ban smoking in most of the bars Fisher plays.
Blake Ells for Birmingham Box Set: How did you meet Isbell? How often do you guys play together?
Chad Fisher: I met Jason recording in Muscle Shoals four years ago. We became friends and when he needs horns, I give him horns.
BE: How long has FisherGreen been around?
CF: Going on three years now - me and Heath Green, with Heath being the primary vocalist. We share songwriting duties, and our band is a rotating cast. He has his thing, and I have mine. Everybody plays with so many other bands - it's not the only thing all of us do, so sometimes, it can be difficult.
This show, we'll actually have our friend Les Nuby (Verbena, Vulture Whale) joining us. And Jason Lucia (13ghosts) will be playing drums. We have to plug members in from times to time to make it work - it's a big band with a lot of other obligations. Our biggest problem is that we're too busy with other bands - but it makes for good shows when we do get together.
BE: How important are places like Ona's and Marty's to the Birmingham scene?
CF: Immensely important for bands like ourselves that are actually - there are different ways to go about it - knowing you want to make money and playing a set for however long without leaving with much. You know, working Joes like us can play for four hours at Marty's and get tips and no one's breathing down your neck to play "Brown Eyed Girl." But the biggest difference is really the length of time you play.
BE: Do you think that those places will be affected by the smoking ban?
CF: Well, Ona had already banned smoking at the new place. Marty isn't happy, but he'll comply. The market was taking care of the problem. All of the new places opening were opening smoke-free. I think it was just government stepping in at the last minute and showing their ass.
The people that passed it aren't going to Marty's and they were never going to go to Marty's. We've been playing four hour nights since we were 18. And they are great places to play. They're smokey, but you're in a bar. You get over it.
I mean, everyone knows that smoking is bad. And owners are hip to it now. Pale Eddie's - everywhere that opens now is smoke-free. There are more bars that are smoke-free than bars that aren't, especially among new places. If I was going to open a place - and I wouldn't - it'd be smoke-free. Ona smokes, but he chose to open the new place smoke-free.
It'll be nice to breathe clean air, and hopefully it won't affect their business. It's going to be a strange world without cigarettes at the Nick.
BE: Who are the top five American rock bands of all time?
CF: The Band. James Brown. the Count Basie Orchestra from the 1930's. Hank Williams. Merle Haggard.
FisherGreen are putting the finishing touches on a new record that is expected to be released this year. For more information, visit www.fishergreen.com. - Birmingham Box Set


"FisherGreen Horns featured on Jason Isbell's Live in Alabama"

Jason Isbell's 'Live From Alabama' set for release Nov. 20 (video)
By Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com
on November 01, 2012 at 4:17 PM, updated November 01, 2012 at 4:18 PM Email | Print

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit packed the house at WorkPlay when they recorded part of their new record, "Live From Alabama." (Jason Isbell Facebook page)
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Maybe you missed Jason Isbell's concerts this summer at the WorkPlay theater in Birmingham and the Crossroads Cafe in Huntsville.

The Aug. 17-18 shows were sold out, and with good reason. Isbell, a talented singer-songwriter and former member of the Drive-By Truckers, was recording them as fodder for his first live album.

The result, "Live From Alabama," is set for release Nov. 20 on Lightning Rod Records/Thirty Tigers. Isbell performed at the shows with his band, the 400 Unit: bassist Jimbo Hart, keyboard player Derry deBorja and drummer Chad Gamble.

The credits also include three horn players from Birmingham and Tuscaloosa: Chad Fisher (trombone), Rob Alley (trumpet) and Brad Guin (tenor saxophone).

Here's the track listing:

1. "Tour of Duty"
2. "Decoration Day"
3. "Goddamn Lonely Love"
4. "Heart on a String"
5. "Danko/Manuel"
6. "In a Razor Town"
7. "Alabama Pines"
8. "Outfit"
9. "Cigarettes and Wine"
10. "TVA"
11. "The Blue"
12. "Dress Blues"
13. "Like a Hurricane"


Cover art for Jason Isbell's "Live From Alabama."
Isbell, 33, is a native of Greenhill, a small town near Muscle Shoals. He left the Drive-By Truckers in 2007 and has released five records as a solo artist, including the new live set. Isbell received four award nominations this year from the Americana Music Association, and won the song of the year accolade for "Alabama Pines."

He's played two more shows in Birmingham in recent months, most recently on Oct. 21 at Vulcan Park and Museum, as part of the Vulcan Aftertunes series. In mid-June, Isbell performed in a duo with his fiance, fiddler Amanda Shires, at the Alys Stephens Center.

Isbell's winter tour will stop in Auburn on Nov. 30 at Bourbon Street Bar and in Florence on Dec. 22 at the Shoals Community Theatre.
- The Birmingham News


Discography


Keep It Together
Release Sept. 18. 2012

1. Tearin' Down My Soul 04:05
2. Leave It At The Door 03:33
3. Flicker 04:32
4. Free To Play 02:54
5. Sick Or Well 04:25
6. Sisters Brothers 04:07
7. The Spins 03:46
8. It Was, It Is 03:28
9. Tryin' To Get Paid 04:32

Recorded at OL ELEGANTE in Birmingham, Alabama
All Songs By FISHERGREEN / Copyright 2012

Photos

Bio

Heath Green and Chad Fisher met a few years ago playing gigs around Birmingham. They soon discovered their shared love and country, soul, and rock & started playing together in clubs around the city. These shows were never rehearsed and featured a rotating cast of musicians. The results were often very raw and always had great energy. Green and Fisher started FisherGreen out of a desire to refine this sound, form a steady working band and focus on writing new material. Soon after FisherGreen was formed. Former friends and bandmates of Fisher and Green joined forces to create somewhat of a Birmingham supergroup; it wasn't long before the band had gained the reputation as one of the best live acts in the area.

Fisher plays regularly as a sideman for many acts, such as The Temptations, Gregg Allman, and Jason Isbell - most recently arranging and leading the horn section on Isbell's recent album, Live From Alabama.
Green is one of the most in-demand musicians in Birmingham and is regarded as one of the most soulful singers in Alabama. On September 18th, 2012 FisherGreen released their Debut Album, Keep It Together. The album was recorded at Ol Elegante Studio and produced by Les Nuby (Verbena, Vulture Whale) and FisherGreen.