Triggerfish

Drums, bass and guitar. No vocals. Not a “jam” band, though most of their songs contain moments of spirited improvisation. Melodies that stick, grooves that either move you or knock you over with a sudden left turn, compositions that draw upon rock, jazz, funk, blues, country… it’s really no wonder the guys in Triggerfish finally settled on the simple phrase “songs without words” to describe what they’re about.

The band took shape in late summer of 2007 in the mountain town of Sylva, NC. After a few chance jam sessions around town, guitarist Chris Cooper started talking to percussionist Nick Demos about the kind of music they really wanted to play. To the guitarist’s surprise, he wasn’t the only person that had wanted to play in a real live fusion band for a very long time. Both musicians had spent the prerequisite time in “bar bands,” experienced a taste of making a living off of music, but neither had been able to find or form a band that truly reflected the music they wanted to make. With the addition of bassist Adam Bigelow, the songs- many of which had been banging around in Cooper’s head for years- finally had the rhythmic backbone they needed.

The three players that make up Triggerfish come from remarkably diverse backgrounds. Nick Demos developed and honed his skills playing in and eventually directing several award winning jazz and marching bands. His love of vintage soul and the tight grooves of the Meters, the ensemble playing of bands like the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead, and head-on rock and blues perpetuated by Gov’t Mule, informs his approach to the drums and the band interplay that’s key to the music of Triggerfish.

Chris Cooper initially came to the guitar via the alternative and punk music he loved as a kid, but soon found his real inspiration in the playing of greats like Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck, SRV and Joe Satriani. A brief stint studying jazz introduced him to some of the more sophisticated ideas of musicians like Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery and Allan Holdsworth. The experiences acquired through years of playing in rock, blues and country bands, along with an innate love of both the melody of the Beatles and the complexity of the Dixie Dregs contributes to his continuing musical schizophrenia.

Bassist Adam Bigelow plays because he loves music, plain and simple. A member of popular local bands Cooking With Quanta and Ebb and Flow, as well as being a participant in any and every jam session that might spring up around town, it’s tough to find a moment when he doesn’t have his hands on a bass- either electric or upright. His varied musical tastes, from the jangle of early REM, The Clash, Thelonious Monk, or the best of bluegrass, along with an ear for what best serves the song, brings yet another set of colors to the bands musical palette.

As a unit, Triggerfish has come far in a short time. Since their first gig in September of 2007, the band has become one of the bigger local draws. Guadalupe Café has described the music as a “tasteful, melodic shred-fest,” and local online music forum Quietzine refers to the band as “local fusion masters.” But the guys in the band just want to play music that blends fire and finesse, giving the audience something to think about while they’re bobbing around on the dance floor. Jamming jazz rock fusion? Electrified country funk? Gritty blues bumping hips with spacey atmospherics? Triggerfish’s music draws on all of the above and more…

www.myspace.com/triggerfishfusion
JAMBASE.COM Artist: Triggerfish