[ Star Tribune ]
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament is the bait to hook rock fans into Three Fish, a new trio that gave its first official performance Wednesday night at the Cedar Cultural Centre in Minneapolis.
One fan insisted on snapping flash photos of Ament, but this person was like a fish out of water. This wasn't Pearl Jam big-scale rock; Three Fish plays a low-key melange of Middle Eastern-informed rock, inspired by the poetry of 13th century mystic named Rumi. With candles and incense burning on the stage and 300 people sitting on the floor, Three Fish worked its way through the purposeful material on its new self-titled debut CD plus a rap-cum-grunge version of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Ament (on bass, guitar, percussion and keyboards) and lead singer Robbi Robb from South Africa and the band Tribe After Tribe (on guitar, bass and percussion) came on like 30-something answers to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant slumming in the Middle East (although the guitar work was not in Page's league). Drummer Richard Stuverud from Pilot and guest keyboardist Cary Ecklund rounded out the band.
Three Fish never jelled the way a rock band might (it was the first gig), but there was a captivating spiritual quality to the moody music (framed by various instruments - guitar, percussion or bass - on each song). "We're still learning to swim, I guess," said Robb near the end of the 65-minute set. Maybe next time Three Fish comes to town the flashbulbs will be replaced by music lovers who dig the trippy, meditative music with the Middle Eastern mystical vibe.