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Clever lyrics, catchy
tunes, and three guys—these are the three main ingredients that
formulate Orange County’s newest emerging pop-punk trio,
Drowning Fish. With a drive
fueled by passion and dreams,
Drowning Fish is not just another band that doesn’t give a
damn. They’re going somewhere. As far as Mario Morcos (guitar and
vocal) and Marc Morcos (drums) are concerned, Drowning
Fish is their life.
Traces of the band’s
evolution reach all the way back to 1994, when brothers Mario and
Marc decided to give a name to their new-found obsession. That name
of course—Drowning Fish. Although the two had been
playing their instruments for some time by this point, it was not
till then that more serious thought was put into the formation of a
band. For the first time, attempts at songwriting were made, and
band practice became a little more than just musically challenged
sessions of “Name That Tune.”
As the years passed, what
began as just casual and fun, slowly turned more serious.
Eventually, the duo found themselves with a variety of original
songs, yet unable to perform anywhere due to the absence of a bass
player. So the search began, and a countless number of flyers, ads,
and inquiries were posted, placed, and made.
The search for the right
bass player was a grueling, and seemingly endless task for the two.
The few times someone was picked to fill the position, and the band
was finally able to get out and start establishing themselves via
live shows, circumstances would take their hopes hostage, and
Drowning Fish would be forced back to two members again. By
the Fall of 2000, discouraged by how much time and energy was being
invested into their quest without result, a decision was finally
made to temporarily call off the search, and head for the recording
studio.
With the pressures of
searching for a bass player off for the time being, Mario and Marc
were able to focus on devoting all their time to the making of their
first release—a 15-song album to be entitled Memories Made,
Times Forgotten. The 15 songs were chosen, and the two got
busy dissecting each tune to perfection… and practicing the bass
lines they themselves would record in the studio.
The entire process took
much longer than the two could have ever imagined, spending ten
months just hunting perfection in the form of tunes, guitar riffs,
background vocals, etc. for all 15 songs—one song at a time. The
Summer of 2001 finally brought the band into the studio, where they
would spend 16 strenuous eight-hour days over the span of two months
recording. And then finally, by the Fall of 2001, it was complete.
Memories Made, Times Forgotten was a reality.
Today, with a brand new
full-length album selling from the bedroom by the hundreds a month,
and a rapidly growing fan base fueled mostly by the buzz of
word-of-mouth, Drowning Fish is alive and on the threshold of
everything possible. As if irony dictates their destiny, and after
endless thought and contemplation, Marc finally made the decision to
leave the drums behind and fill the vacancy available on bass. Not
only will this allow him more freedom to enjoy the show, it will
also allow him to focus on background vocals—which would ultimately
lead to a greatly improved live show. As the search for the perfect
and most energetic drummer continues, Drowning Fish will remain a
two-piece, and play shows as such.
Drowning
Fish
is not just another band without a clue. With their self-booked
“High School Invasion Tour 2003” that took them to nearly 30 high
school campuses, daily practice sessions, 60+ songs (with new songs
always in the making), and a true passion for live shows, this
hard-working and highly motivated trio seem to know exactly what
they want, and how they will get it.
Since June 2002, over 2400 full-length CDs have been sold and more
than 8,100 promo CDs (along with thousands of fliers) have been
personally burned and handed out. In June 2003, a radio
contest put on by Los Angeles mega-station 102.7 KIIS FM,
home to the Rick Dees Morning Show, earned them 2nd
place—only trailing 1st place by a mere 400 votes. With
a future that proves wide, long, and promising, expect this to only
be the beginning of what you have now come to know as
Drowning Fish. |