By TERI L. BROWN
Fish and the Newts released their first compact disc, “Gotta Get Out More,” last week at the Station.
About 100 people filled the Station to hear this “jazzy, funky, diverse, Beatles-esque band” that goes way back to the band members’ high school days in Poway, Calif. They also came to hear the lead singer’s final show.
John Nolte, lead singer of Fish and the Newts, is engaged and said he doesn’t have the time anymore to dedicate to the band.
“I can’t believe we are losing him to a woman,” said Dan Sharp, a junior majoring in theater education. “The show was really fun because we knew this was the last time we would be playing with John.”
Nolte is being replaced by another Poway native, Ethan Wickman, a junior majoring in musical composition.
“I plan on contributing a lot to the writing of the music. The music will be more eclectic. It will be more of a group effort, not just a select few group members doing certain parts,” Wickman said.
Nolte and Wickman have different sounding voices. Wickman has a very clean voice. It is not husky or rock ‘n’ roll, it’s big and strong.
Their CD, however, features the vocals of Nolte.
“Our CD is great because it captures our sound much better than when you hear us on stage. A lot of the time John’s voice is muffled because of the sound system, but on the CD, John’s voice is emphasized better than live,” Sharp said.
Having known each other since high school, Fish and the Newts have a different trust and relationship when playing.
“I have confidence in all the other band members. It’s okay when someone messes up because we know they will do better next time,” said bassist Chad Christensen, who is majoring in music and design.
“I have trust in their personalities and this comes out on stage. We have been in different situations together and know each other’s different music style,” Christensen said.
All of Fish and the Newts music and lyrics are written originally by Sharp and Nolte, a junior majoring in English. Sharp writes all the music and then takes it to Nolte to write the lyrics.
The style and lyrics of Fish and the Newts is a “conglomeration of a drummer who likes the rhythm of The Dave Matthews Band, a singer who sings and practices in the Jazz Ensemble, and a guitarist and songwriter who only listen to the Beatle’s and ’60s music,” Sharp said.
The many different styles encompassed in the band are blended together by the bassist Chad Christensen. Christensen, a junior majoring in music and design, has had experience playing in the jazz combo at BYU, a high school marching band and other personal bands.
“Chad is the talent of the band,” Sharp said. “He doesn’t really have a style. He synthesizes and blends the band together to make us an audible, unique and very different band. Chad plays lots of incredible bass solos and he never does the same solo over.”
“They are not a one-style band,” said Katie Knight, a sophomore from El Monte, Calif., majoring in recreational management and youth leadership. “They have a sound of their own. One thing that makes them different is that they are all talented. Not one person’s talent outweighs another.”
Their most simple and popular song is “Long Ago.”
“People like this song because it is so simple and has a catchy chorus. It’s about Adam and Eve, prophets and preserving in the gospel,” Sharp said.
Mark Bennion, a BYU graduate and a Fish and the Newt fan, said, “I like the catchy upbeat sound like in ‘My Life as a Circle.’ Many of the songs pick up tempo as they go and make you want to get up and jump around. The release party was a lot of fun.”
Bennion also said he likes the classics they play like “Don’t Let Me Down” by the Beatles.
The Newts have religious overtones, but are not a religious band. Their music includes “blues, hard funk and groovy music as well as melodious religious music and about everything in between,” said guitarist Karl Kuebitz, a junior majoring in environmental engineering.
“I would get bored if all of our music was the same. We have such a big variety, and I think that is what people like,” Christensen said.
“People just need to come out and hear us or buy our CD. We are hard to explain,” said drummer Ryan Clark, a junior majoring in accounting.
Fish and the Newts have been together for 1 1/2 years and, after they sell this CD, they are anxious to get another out within the next year and keep entertaining people.
The CD sells for $6. It can be bought by calling 370-2114.
Fish and the Newts are playing Feb. 28 at Media Play to promote “Gotta Get Out More.”
