A 'progressive punk': How Mike Fisher took a long path to his solo album
Have a First Listen to Psych-e-punk by Mike Fisher
Mike Fisher has spent a long career working on stage, off stage, in front of the camera, behind the camera, in front of a microphone and behind a sound board.
Through it all, his favourite thing has always been making music.
After the Reaction, one of Fisher's bands, completed an EP, he realized he had enough material left over for his first solo album, Psych-e-punk.
"I'm kind of a progressive punk now," said Fisher with a laugh.
"I was an angry young man; now I'm an angry old man."
A lifetime of bands
Fisher grew up partly in southern Ontario and partly in St. John's, and has split his adult life between the mainland and Newfoundland.
He credits his wide range of musical interests to friends and bandmates he met along the way.
Besides the Reaction, Fisher played in many local bands over the past four decades, notably early '80s techno band Neon, early 2000s progressive rock band Hammingwell, and traditional Newfoundland band Dungarvan.
Have a First Listen as Mike Fisher talks about his debut solo album:
He said his solo music on Psych-e-punk tends to lean more toward heavier, guitar oriented rock, with a saucy touch of punk thrown in.
Fisher said he got the extra push he needed to create Psych-e-punk from younger fans, especially those who discovered music by his band, the Reaction.
"A friend of my son's has one of our song titles tattooed to his leg," said Fisher.
"I thought, 'wow, that's cool.'"
Do you have a new album of music that Weekend AM should know about for First Listen? Email us, wam@cbc.ca, and tell us about it.
You can hear First Listen on Sundays on Weekend AM from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in Labrador) on CBC Radio One.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
