Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| An Emotional Fish/Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club | |
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| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Genres | Alternative Rock |
| Labels | Mother Records Atlantic Records |
| Members | Gerard Whelan Martin Murphy David Frew Enda Wyatt |
| Website(s) | http://www.anemotionalfish.net/ http://www.jerry-fish.com |
Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club (formerly known as An Emotional Fish) is an alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland. They were formed in 1988 and consisted of Gerard Whelan (lead vocals, percussion), Martin Murphy (drums, percussion), David Frew (guitars, vocals), and Enda Wyatt (bass, vocals, keyboards). Their musical influences include David Bowie, Iggy Pop, T. Rex, and U2.
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[edit] History
[edit] 1988–2001: An Emotional Fish
Vocalist Gerard Whelan met bassist Enda Wyatt in a band that Whelan was auditioning for. Whelan joined the band, but it broke up soon after. After the break-up, Whelan and Wyatt formed their own band. They originally performed alone, and recorded their works on a four-track tape recorder. After a year, Whelan brought his friend David Frew into the band. Whelan and David Frew had attended the same school and lived in the same housing estate. In 1988, they decided to name the band An Emotional Fish. For a few months, they performed with a drum machine, but soon added drummer Martin Murphy as the final member of the group.
In Spring of 1989, they signed to U2's independent Mother Records label to release their eponymous debut CD. "Grey Matter" was a mild local hit, but it was followed by "Celebrate", which hit the top 10 of the Ireland charts. College radio stations began to pick up the song. It received significant airplay, and eventually reached the top 5 of the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. Atlantic Records signed the band, and re-released "Grey Matter" in the US, where it became a lesser college rock hit. Atlantic released their debut album internationally, where it received generally poor reviews but sold well in Ireland.
After a tour to support the debut album, An Emotional Fish returned to the studio to record Junk Puppets. The songs were recorded over eight months, and four of the songs were produced by David A. Stewart. In 1993, the album was released, and An Emotional Fish opened for U2 on the Zoo TV Tour. However, the album sold few copies outside of Ireland. In 1994, the band released Sloper, but only secured a distribution deal in the UK. The album was released in the US two years later.
[edit] 2002–present: Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club
In 2002, Whelan created a new band, Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club with a new style and musical presence. Whelan describes their music as swampadelic and smoozhy. They released one album in 2002, which included guests such as Mundy and Damien Rice, winning a Meteor Irish Music Award for Best Country/Roots Artist. They were also nominated for Album of the Year. The album "Be Yourself" has been described as "genius" by music magazines. The band have most recently played the V Festival, Glastonbury, Oxegen festivals as well as their sell out shows at Dublin's Vicar Street to name but a few.
[edit] Discography
[edit] An Emotional Fish
- An Emotional Fish, 1990
- Junk Puppets, 1993
- Superman EP, 1995
- Sloper, 1994 (UK), 1996 (US)
[edit] Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club
- Be Yourself, 2002
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
| Irish Singles Chart | US Modern Rock | |||
| 1989 | "Cry Like a Baby" | 23 | -- | non-album track |
| 1989 | "Grey Matter" | 28 | -- | An Emotional Fish |
| 1989 | "Celebrate" | 10 | 4 | An Emotional Fish |
| 1990 | "Lace Virginia" | 4 | -- | An Emotional Fish |
| 1990 | "Blue" | 30 | -- | An Emotional Fish |
| 1991 | "Grey Matter" (remix) | -- | 18 | An Emotional Fish |
| 1993 | "Rain" | 11 | 15 | Junk Puppets |
| 1994 | "Come on You Boys in Green" | 28 | -- | non-album track |
| 1994 | "Time Is on the Wall" | 22 | -- | Sloper |
| 2003 | "True Friends" | 32 | -- | Be Yourself |
| 2003 | "Upside Down" | 37 | -- | Be Yourself |
| 2003 | "Be Yourself" | 45 | -- | Be Yourself |
