By Mario Tarradell
Badfish is a vibe. Badfish is a sonic house party complete with plenty of gyrating fans. Badfish is feelgood music.
For 22 years, the Rhode Island-based band—Joel Hanks on bass, Scott Begin on drums, Pat Downes on vocals and guitar, and Danny Torgersen on horns, keyboards and guitars—have paid tribute to Sublime, the short-lived but influential California group that brought ska-punk and reggae-rock to the mainstream. Badfish’s celebration of Sublime’s musical spirit and legacy is so sought after that they’ve headlined theaters, sold out shows and played 15–20 gigs a month.
But after two decades of Sublime reverence, it’s time for Badfish originality. The group has recently released self-created music, so the Sublime repertoire will be augmented by some fresh original tracks.
Catch Badfish playing the best of Sublime, and the new best of Badfish, in concert at Murfreesboro’s Hop Springs on Sunday, April 7, at 7 p.m.
“Putting out original music alongside being a tribute band has always been a point of interest to us,” said Begin. “It’s been a tricky path to walk, though. Yet as the years have gone by and we’ve gotten to witness our little show turn into somewhat of a movement within the scene, we are at the point where we feel we have something of real heart and value to add not only to our show but to the American reggae scene.”
That means you’ll hear Sublime staples “What I Got,” “Santeria” and “Wrong Way” alternated with Badfish’s own groove-heavy “High With You,” “Surf Party Lord,” “Trippin’” and the in-your-face swagger of “FYPM.” The new tunes are vibrant, brimming with reggae beats and rock-punk strut.
“With the kinetic energy that the band has amassed over years of performing, the ideas just started to flow out of the blue and we were lucky enough to capture them,” Begin said. “When it feels right, it feels right.”
Find more on Badfish at badfish.com. Hop Springs is located at 6790 John Bragg Hwy., Murfreesboro. Find tickets to the all-ages April 7 show, starting at $33, on Ticketweb.
