Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer known for his work with the band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

, which he co-founded in 1983, and 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 Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and grew up in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. Fishman had a passion for the drums from an early age and emulated

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove,J ...

, the drummer for

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

Bill Bruford William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording ...

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

, and

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

. He went to

Jamesville-Dewitt High School Jamesville-DeWitt High School (JDHS) is a New York state public education facility located in the town of DeWitt, serving high school students (grades 9–12) in the Jamesville-Dewitt Central School District. Notable alumni * Buddy Boeheim, pr ...

in a suburb of Syracuse. After graduation in 1983, he attended the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

to study engineering. Shortly after his arrival, he met

Mike Gordon Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon is an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano and guitar. He ...

and

Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish o ...

and founded the band Phish. Deciding against engineering, he and Anastasio transferred to

Goddard College Goddard College is a progressive education private liberal arts low-residency college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle, Washington. The college offers undergraduate and gra ...

Musical career

Phish

The band

was named after him (he is commonly referred to as "Fish" amon
many other nicknames
though other explanations for the name have been given. 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 Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

’s " Love You", and "

Terrapin Terrapins are one of several small species of turtle (order Testudines) living in fresh or brackish water. Terrapins do not form a taxonomic unit and may not be closely related. Many belong to the families Geoemydidae and Emydidae. The name ...

", Neil Diamond's "

Cracklin' Rosie "Cracklin' Rosie" is a song written and Sound recording and reproduction, recorded by Neil Diamond in 1970, with instrumental backing by Los Angeles session musicians from the The Wrecking Crew (music), Wrecking Crew, including Hal Blaine on drums ...

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

's song "

Gettin' Jiggy Wit It "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" is a song by American rapper and actor Will Smith, released as the third single from his debut solo album, ''Big Willie Style'' (1997). The verse is based around a sample of "He's the Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge, an ...

", 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 "Crosseyed and Painless" is a song by American new wave band Talking Heads. It was released in 1980 in the United States as a promotional single from their fourth studio album, ''Remain in Light''. Although the single failed to reach on the US ma ...

", and his vocal duties on the Phish originals, "The Moma Dance", "Taste", and "

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

". He is well known on tour for his

Electrolux Electrolux AB () is a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool. Electrolux products sell under a variety ...

vacuum cleaner solos and playing while wearing a donut-printed

muumuu The muumuu or muumuu () is a loose dress of Hawaiian origin that hangs from the shoulder and is like a cross between a shirt and a robe. Like the aloha shirt, muumuu exports are often brilliantly colored with floral patterns of generic Polynes ...

dress. He has admitted to taking acid before playing early in the band's career. Fishman regularly performs with Phish wearing a blue

dress with a doughnut pattern. 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 The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...

Equipment

Fishman uses a variety of drums and cymbals on his kit; brands such as

Noble & Cooley Noble & Cooley is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based out of Granville, Massachusetts. Having been established in 1854, it is the oldest drum company in the United States and is one of the oldest in the world. Having manu ...

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsc ...

, Ludwig,

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

, Ayotte, Eames,

Zildjian :''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)'' The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...

Sabian Sabian may refer to: *Sabians, name of a religious group mentioned in the Quran, historically adopted by: **Mandaeans, Gnostic sect from the marshlands of southern Iraq claiming John the Baptist as their most important prophet **Sabians of Harran, ...

Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian word that means "shine". Apart from cymbals and gong ...

, and

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...

. He also uses

Remo Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and hardware. History Drummer and founder Re ...

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 Gretch Floor Tom *16x14 Gretch 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"

Mega Cup Chime *15" Istanbul Agop Medium Thin Crash *8"

A Custom Splash *16"

K Thin Crash *17" Sabian Cymbals HH Crash *21"

AA Dry Ride *20"

A Custom Flat Ride w/ rivets *18" Zildjian Oriental China Trash *22"

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

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 from circa 1965. On rare occasions, Fishman will play the theremin.

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 Pork Tornado is a band co- founded in 1997 by Phish drummer Jon Fishman and record producer/engineer Dan Archer including Fishman (drums, vocals), Archer (guitars, vocals), Joe Moore (saxophone, vocals), Aaron Hersey (bass, vocals), and Phil Abair ...

, and performed with the

Jazz Mandolin Project The Jazz Mandolin Project was an acoustic jazz fusion group formed in Burlington, Vermont, by Jamie Masefield in 1993. Masefield played banjo with dixieland bands, including the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, before switching to mandolin. In 1996, ...

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

member

's new side-project Ghosts of the Forest.

Personal life

Fishman and his five children Ella Cynthia,20, Jack Bradley, 19, Rosie (Rose) Lorelei, 14-15, Lily Millay, 11, Fredrick (Freddie) George, 7-8, live in

Lincolnville, Maine Lincolnville is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,312 at the 2020 census. Lincolnville is the mainland terminal for Maine State Ferry Service transport to Islesboro. History Approximately 10,000 years ago, a g ...

. The family appeared on an episode of the DIY Network home restoration series ''Maine Cabin Masters'' in March 2018. He is an avid fan of the

deathgrind Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...

band Cattle Decapitation and guested on their 2019 album,

Death Atlas ''Death Atlas'' is the seventh studio album by American death metal band Cattle Decapitation. It was released on November 29, 2019, via Metal Blade Records. Its release coincided with Black Friday and came more than four years after their previou ...

Radio

He has hosted a radio show on

WBFY-LP WBFY-LP is a low-power, community radio station in Belfast, Maine, United States. It broadcasts at 100.9 FM from a studio in the basement of a former elementary school, Waterfall Arts on High Street. The range of the signal is 10–20 miles depe ...

, a community radio station in Belfast, Maine, since 2017. The show was originally called the Jonny B. Fishman Radio Show, but has since changed its name to The Errant Path. Fishman hosts the show weekly on Thursday evenings when Phish is not on tour.

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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fishman, Jon 1965 births 20th-century American drummers 21st-century American drummers 21st-century American politicians American adoptees American male drummers American rock drummers Goddard College alumni Jewish American musicians Jewish rock musicians Living people Maine local politicians Musicians from Philadelphia Musicians from Syracuse, New York People from DeWitt, New York People from Lincolnville, Maine University of Vermont alumni Surrender to the Air members Phish members Phish