Jon Fishman

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Jon Fishman

| image = Fishman 120309 MSG.JPG

| landscape = yes

| caption = Jon Fishman performing with Phish at Madison Square Garden on December 3, 2009.

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name =

| alias = Fish, Henrietta, Bob Weaver{{cite web|url=http://www.phish.net/faq/henrietta-names.html |title=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=Phish.net |access-date=2011-10-15}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|2|19}}

| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| genre = {{hlist|Rock|jam|psychedelic||funk|progressive rock}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|selectmen}}

| instrument = {{hlist|Drums|vocals}}

| years_active = 1983–present

| current_member_of = {{hlist|Phish|Pork Tornado|Jazz Mandolin Project|Ghosts of the Forest}}

| past_member_of = {{hlist|Surrender to the Air|Everyone Orchestra|J. Willis Pratt and We're Bionic|Touchpants|The Mallett Brothers Band Phil and Friends}}

}}

Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer and co-founder of the band Phish, which was, in part, named after him. He is credited with co-writing nineteen Phish songs, eight with a solo credit.

Early life

Fishman was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Syracuse, New York.{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/jonfishman.html|title=Jon Fishman|publisher=Jewish Virtual Library|access-date=2014-08-31}} Fishman had a passion for the drums from an early age and emulated John Bonham, the drummer for Led Zeppelin, Bill Bruford of Yes and King Crimson, along with Keith Moon of The Who. He went to Jamesville-Dewitt High School in a suburb of Syracuse. After graduation in 1983, he attended the University of Vermont to study engineering. Shortly after his arrival, he met Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio and founded the band Phish. Deciding against engineering, he and Anastasio transferred to Goddard College.{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-phish-learned-to-get-along-w445843|title=Phish's New Harmony: How America's Greatest Jam Band Learned to Get Along|date=21 October 2016|publisher=rollingstone.com|access-date=2016-10-21}}

Musical career

= Phish =

The band Phish was named after him (he is commonly referred to as "Fish" among [http://www.phish.net/faq/henrietta-names.html many other nicknames]) though other explanations for the name have been given.{{cite web|url=http://www.phish.net/faq/name.html |title=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=Phish.net |access-date=2011-10-15}} In addition to drumming, he also sings back-up vocals and occasionally lead-vocals (usually on cover songs, most of them humorous – the best examples are Prince's "Purple Rain", Syd Barrett’s "Love You", and "Terrapin", Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rosie", Will Smith's song "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd's "Bike"). Worthy of note are his more serious vocal efforts, including lead vocals on Phish's cover of the Talking Heads song "Crosseyed and Painless", and his vocal duties on the Phish originals, "The Moma Dance", "Taste", and "Ghost". He is well known on tour for his Electrolux vacuum cleaner solos and playing while wearing a donut-printed muumuu dress. He has admitted to taking acid before playing early in the band's career.{{cite web|url=https://relix.com/articles/detail/rocky-mountain-high-the-untold-story-of-phish-s-archival-release-colorado-8/#ixzz4Tj0wIZkY|title=Rocky Mountain High: The Untold Story of Phish's Archival Release, Colorado '88 (Relix Revisited)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607163714/https://relix.com/articles/detail/rocky-mountain-high-the-untold-story-of-phish-s-archival-release-colorado-8/#ixzz4Tj0wIZkY |access-date=2025-02-19|archive-date=7 June 2020 }}

Fishman regularly performs with Phish wearing a blue muumuu dress with a pattern of red annuli.{{cite web |last1=Bernstein |first1=Scott |title=Phish's Jon Fishman's Donut Dress & Trey Anastasio's Effects Pad Among New #iggystrong Auction Items Benefiting 11-Year-Old With Cancer |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/iggystrong-auction-phish-jon-fishman-dress-trey-anastasio-effects-pad |website=JamBase |access-date=14 October 2022}} In 2015, Phish filed to trademark the pattern on Fishman's dress, but the request was tentatively denied by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.{{cite web |last1=Bernstein |first1=Scott |title=USPTO Tenatively Rejects Phish Drummer Jon Fishman's Dress Pattern Trademark |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/uspto-tenatively-rejects-phish-drummer-jon-fishmans-dress-pattern-trademark |website=JamBase |access-date=14 October 2022}}

File:Jon-Fishman2009-12-28.jpg

Equipment

Fishman uses a variety of drums and cymbals on his kit; brands such as Noble & Cooley, Gretsch, Ludwig, Yamaha, Ayotte, Eames, Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, and Wuhan. He also uses Remo drum heads, Vic Firth drum sticks, and LP percussion accessories.

His setup consists of:

22x14 AYOTTE round badge bass drum.
6x6 Noble & Cooley tom (in Black Finish)
8x7 Noble & Cooley tom
10x7 Noble & Cooley tom
12x8 Noble & Cooley tom
14x12 Gretsch Floor Tom
16x14 Gretsch Floor Tom
14x6.5 Ayotte 18-Ply Maple Snare (or 14x6.5 Precision 21-Ply Maple Snare w/ custom 3D phish logo).

Cymbals include:

14" hi-hats (Zildjian K Light Hats)
13" Paiste Mega Cup Chime
15" Istanbul Agop Medium Thin Crash
8" Zildjian A Custom Splash
16" Zildjian K Thin Crash
17" Sabian Cymbals HH Crash
21" Sabian AA Dry Ride
20" Zildjian A Custom Flat Ride w/ rivets
18" Zildjian Oriental China Trash
22" Zildjian Pang

He uses an LP Black Beauty cowbell, an LP Rock Ridge Rider cowbell, and a set of 4 LP temple blocks.

He uses Vic Firth drum sticks. His preferred "perfect pair" is the Peter Erskine Ride Stick and the SD4 Combo. He uses TG12 Sticks for practice, Vic Firth and Regal Tip Brushes, and Vic Firth T1 Mallets.

He uses Remo drum heads. His preferred setup:

Snare: Coated Ambassador; Bottom: Clear Diplomat
Toms: Clear Emperors; Bottoms: Clear Emperors
Kick: Coated Powerstroke 3; Bottoms: Ebony Ambassador

Fishman's Vacuum-A baby blue Electrolux vacuum cleaner (a.k.a. the vac or 'lux) has been in the repertoire (played as an instrument by Fishman) since circa 1989. An earlier, 1967 model was donated to the Hard Rock Cafe 1/29/93. The currently in-use model is circa 1965.

On rare occasions, Fishman will play the theremin.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/phishs-bakers-dozen-residency-breaking-down-all-13-blissful-nights-197436/|title=Phish's 'Baker's Dozen' Residency: Breaking Down All 13 Blissful Nights|last1=Jarnow|first1=Jesse|date=2017-08-07|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-27}}

Perhaps the most recognizable part of his kit however, is the orange circle print muumuu he wears almost every performance and as such has become a de facto symbol of the band. He has been known to wear other clothes with the orange symbol as well.

Other musical projects

Fishman was a past member of the Vermont band "Touchpants" and no longer participates. He also used to play drums in the rock band Pork Tornado, and performed with the Jazz Mandolin Project for several years. He has been a member of two large musical collectives, The Everyone Orchestra and The Village. In 2007, he emerged from semi-retirement to perform a series of shows with the Yonder Mountain String Band, including a large portion of their set at the Rothbury Music Festival which happened the summer of 2008.

The Mimi Fishman Foundation is a nonprofit organization started by Jon to raise money for various charities, especially for charities that benefit the visually impaired. The charity was named for Jon's mother, Mimi, who was diagnosed with glaucoma. Fishman was also announced as a member of fellow Phish member Trey Anastasio's new side-project Ghosts of the Forest.{{cite web |title=Ghosts of the Forest |url=http://trey.com/ghosts-of-the-forest/ |website=Trey Anastasio |access-date=16 December 2018}}

Personal life

Fishman and his five children Ella Cynthia, 21, Jack Bradley, 19, Rose (Rosie) Lorelei, 15, Lily Millay, 13, Fredrick (Freddie) George, 9, live in Lincolnville, Maine.{{cite web |last1=Curtis |first1=Abigail |title=Toddler's lead poison scare turns Phish family into accidental activists |url=https://bangordailynews.com/2017/10/10/homestead/toddlers-lead-poison-scare-turns-phish-family-into-accidental-activists/ |website=Bangor Daily News |date=10 October 2017 |access-date=23 December 2018}} The family appeared on an episode of the Magnolia Network home restoration series Maine Cabin Masters in March 2018.{{cite web |title='Maine Cabin Masters' Fix Up Jon Fishman's Cabin In Upcoming Episode |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/maine-cabin-masters-fix-jon-fishmans-cabin-upcoming-episode |website=JamBase |access-date=23 December 2018 |date=16 March 2018}} He is a fan of the deathgrind band Cattle Decapitation and guested on their 2019 album, Death Atlas.{{Cite web|date=2019-11-29|title=Listen to Jon Fishman Narrate Extreme Metal Band Cattle Decapitation's New LP|url=https://jambands.com/news/2019/11/29/listen-to-jon-fishman-narrate-extreme-metal-band-cattle-decapitations-new-lp/|access-date=2020-12-31|website=Jambands|language=en-US}}

= Radio =

He has hosted a radio show on WBFY-LP, a community radio station in Belfast, Maine, since 2017.{{cite web |url=https://freepressonline.com/Content/Articles/-Business-News/Article/Belfast-Community-Radio-Offers-24-7-Programming/130/68/50562 |title=Belfast Community Radio Offers 24/7 Programming - Free Press Online |website=freepressonline.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523011858/https://freepressonline.com/Content/Articles/-Business-News/Article/Belfast-Community-Radio-Offers-24-7-Programming/130/68/50562 |archive-date=2018-05-23}} The show was originally called the Jonny B. Fishman Radio Show, but has since changed its name to The Errant Path.{{cite web |title=Jon Fishman Launches New Radio Show on WBFY - Jambands |url=https://jambands.com/news/2017/03/29/jon-fishman-launches-new-radio-show-on-wbfy/ |website=Jambands |access-date=22 November 2018 |date=29 March 2017}}{{cite web |title=Archive – The Errant Path {{!}} Belfast Community Radio |url=https://belfastcommunityradio.org/archives/archive-errant/ |website=belfastcommunityradio.org}} Fishman hosts the show weekly on Thursday evenings when Phish is not on tour.{{cite web | url=https://freepressonline.com/Content/Articles/-Business-News/Article/Belfast-Community-Radio-Offers-24-7-Programming/130/68/50562 | title=Belfast Community Radio Offers 24/7 Programming | access-date=22 November 2018 | language=en-us | website=freepressonline.com | archive-date=23 May 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523011858/https://freepressonline.com/Content/Articles/-Business-News/Article/Belfast-Community-Radio-Offers-24-7-Programming/130/68/50562 | url-status=dead }}

= Politics =

Fishman was inspired by former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic to take action in his local elections. Fishman publicly endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders in both the 2016 and 2020 democratic primaries. Fishman cites Sanders leadership in Burlington and dedication to upholding the arts as primary factors for his support. In 2017, he was voted a selectman of Lincolnville, Maine.{{cite news|url=https://bangordailynews.com/2017/06/14/news/midcoast/phish-drummer-elected-as-lincolnville-selectman/|title=Phish drummer, filmmaker elected as Lincolnville selectmen|last=McCrea|first=Nick|date=June 14, 2017|work=Bangor Daily News|access-date=June 14, 2017|location=Bangor, Maine}} He did not run for reelection in 2020.{{cite news |title=Lincolnville Board of Selectmen Candidate Mike Ray |url=https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/lincolnville-board-selectmen-candidate-mike-ray/135714 |access-date=12 April 2025 |work=Penobscot Bay Pilot |date=June 30, 2020}}