Reel Big Fish (indie/pop/rock)

Reel Big Fish is a band that has been together for over 15 years. First formed by two members of the band in art school, the ska-punk band has traveled all over the world. There are currently six members of the band, and they released their newest album, “Monkeys for Nothings and the Chimps are for Free,” in July.

Reel Big Fish will be coming to Iowa State to play for the 10,000 Hours Show, which is a student organization that holds a free concert for students who volunteer more than 10 hours of community service over the course of the year. The volunteers receive a ticket to a free concert with such acts as Cake, Jet and Reel Big Fish.

AMUSE sat down with John Christianson, 3-year member of Reel Big Fish, to talk about being part of the band.

See them:

7:30 p.m. Monday in the Durham Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Tickets are available only to those volunteers who have registered with the 10,000 Hours Show and received their free tickets.

Hear them:

www.reel-big-fish.com or buy their latest CD

Current plans:

Reel Big Fish are playing at Bamboozle in Orange County now and will soon head out on an east coast college tour. This summer, they will play in the Warped Tour.

Musical Influences:

“One of the great things about being in a band, is that there are so many different influences that each member has,” Christianson said. Some of his personal influences include jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong. Overall band influences also include traditional ska bands such as the Wailers and punk bands like No Doubt.

How would you describe your own music?

“We’re a ska band,” Christianson said. “But we don’t sound like the typical ska band.”

How did you get your big break as a band?

“We wrote some great songs early on, and we were in a great place to start a ska band (Orange County),” Christianson said.

Where did your name come from?

“I’ve heard many tales about where our name came from; it happens when you’ve been together for so long,” Christianson said. “Originally, we were called the Fisher Kings, named after a movie with Robin Williams. We then released a tape with a song called “Reel Big Fish,” and everyone started calling us Reel Big Fish, instead of Fisher Kings.”

Where is your favorite touring spot?

“We’ve been to some really cool places,” Christianson said. “My favorites have been Switzerland and Austria because of the mountains. But Dubai was really neat too because of the desert.”