Fishbone is one of the greatest live bands I have ever seen. Their shows were a whirlwind of sweaty manic energy from the get-go with band members twirling their keyboards around and stage diving with trombones and saxophones. The recent documentary “Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone”, narrated by Laurence Fishburne, does an extraordinary job of telling the band's compelling story.
The band members met as high schoolers in the late 70s when they were bused from South Central LA to the San Fernando Valley, an era captured hilariously via a series of interviews and animated clips. By throwing into the musical blender the diverse range of sounds that they were exposed to (funk, punk rock, R&B, and soul), Fishbone was able to create a style that had never been heard before but that has influenced scores of musicians who came after them. Many of them, like Gwen Stefani, Les Claypool, and Flea, offer appropriate gushing tribute.
“Everyday Sunshine” captures the full ride of the band, from their signing while in high school to the near hits and the career-long struggle to find a niche while being too black for rock radio and not black enough for black radio. The film bares it all, including the tensions that drove most of the original lineup away. In what must be one of the oddest band breakup stories ever, guitarist Kendall Jones, seemingly in the midst of a serious mental disorder, leaves the band to join a cult. This leads to a kidnap attempt by band members that almost ends with prison sentences. As the film gets closer to the present day, there are only two original members left, singer Angelo Moore and Norwood Fisher. Their quest to keep the band going is full of challenges (especially in trying to get along with each other) but their belief in Fishbone holds strong and by the end of the film, one is left with a sense of hope that Angelo and Norwood will make it all work out.
“Everyday Sunshine: The Story Of Fishbone” is a long-overdue tribute to one of the greatest bands to grace a stage.
