Fishnak - The Union - Athens, OH - 1999

Fishnak - The Union - Athens, OH - 1999

The last band I had in Athens, Ohio was a supergroup called Fishnak. These live tracks are from an awesome show Fishnak played at The Union in 1999. Later that year a college-long dream of mine would come true when Fishnak would play on the stage on Court Street for Halloween. Fishnak was the name of a fish sandwich sold at Dairy Queen. The Nelsonville Dairy Queen's old school sign (including the Fishnak name) was featured on the cover of a Planet of Pants 7" that I had. One day, while driving through Nelsonville, I noticed something awful. The Nelsonville Dairy Queen had been DEMOLISHED. I practically swerved my '62 Galaxie 500 across the lanes to get over into the parking lot STAT to dig through the rubble to salvage that Fishnak sign. Of course, it was buried at the bottom of the heap of shattered signage and in several pieces, but I gathered them all up and took them back home and glued them all back together. A few weeks later, my housemate Craig and I had a party, and who should show up but Al Schmidt. Upon seeing the repaired Fishnak sign backlit with a fluorescent lamp, he ran over to me, and grabbing me by the shoulders, shouted like a fiend into my face: "YOU!!!!!!! IT WAS YOU!!!!!!!!!! Do you know how LONG I dug through that pile of rubble trying to find the Fishnak sign! For over an hour, and I just couldn't believe that SOMEBODY took it!!!!" We both had a good laugh. A month later I had a thought that I should form a band with Al and Ian Mykel and Brandon Robinson. Of course, it would be called Fishnak. The tracks are "What You Stole From My Heart (Giving It Back To Me)" the music was Al Schmidt, lyrics by Robert Rial. "Stitches" a cover Al brought to the group, by I can't remember who, and "Star Destroyer" a Maladroid classic made better by Al Schmidt's lead work! Enjoy! Here is a link to the only Fishnak video on YouTube (so far....): https://youtu.be/9VJga6g8Szc

"Stitches" ia an Urge Overkill cover.

Fishnak

Robert J. Rial

1999

Fishnak_01