Where are they now? A blast from the past with "Furthermore" one of my first inspirations

The early 2000's proved to be a crazy time of change for me musically. This was before I played the drums, before I was in a band, and before I ever scribbled lyrics in a note book. Prior to this, as a child I would jam out to made up tunes on my little karaoke recorder. I used to freestyle songs off the top of my head. Most of them were terrible, and most of them were rehashed versions or part two's of actual songs. I would even go as far as making the guitar and drum noises with my mouth. But alas, I digress. Today I offer you an interview of someone who greatly helped transform my conceptions of music- Daniel Fischer of the former Furthermore.

Back in 2000 all I listened to honestly was top 40 pop. I danced around to and sang N*SYNC, Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, New Kids on the Block, etc. Yeah I know, I know, pretty lame. But hey, I was like eleven or twelve, what did I know? Prior to that, I had only listened to Christian artists like dc Talk (my first inspiration), Newsboys, and Audio Adrenaline. My friend Joe (practically a brother to me) started introducing me to new music. I received my first rock albums: Lifehouse, P.O.D., Linkin Park, MxPx, and then this peculiar group, Furthermore.

Furthermore was a three piece rap group on Tooth & Nail Records consisting of Fischer (rap vocals and production), Pepe Lee (singing vocals), and DJ Jason (dj and background vocals). To describe Furthermore is difficult. Fischer makes reference in a song and calls the style "pop rap". I guess that's the closest thing to it. The first album was called, "Flourescent Jellyfish" and released in 1999. The album features an eclectic dose of hard hitting rap vocals, pop choruses, and scratchable rock mixes. It is truly an underrated and phenomenal hip-hop album. The first single from that album was, "Are You the Walrus?", and although you may not get it, there is no doubt you'll be singing along with it.

(Furthermore's Are you the Walrus?)


After the initial success of "Flourescent Jellyfish" it was time for Furthermore to release a second album. On April 23, 2002, they released "Sheandi" or "She and I". The new record saw the departure of DJ Jason from the band, which is how it got its name. Fischer and Lee powered on and put out an album that is a solid and enjoyable listen from beginning to end. Lyrically, this album cuts more into a storytelling experience with a consistent concept of "love" at hand. The album is a bit more poppy from the first one, but no less powerful as it changes from fun loving lyrics to a more serious tone.

("Letters to Myself" off of Sheandi)


Overall Furthermore was an amazing group that disbanded sometime in the mid 2000's. I have to admit, I wouldn't be the type of musician/lyricist I am today without ever hearing these guys. Furthermore, thank you for rocking my stereo! Below is the interview with front man Daniel Fisher.


Band Guy- Who are you? What do you do? Why do you do it?
DF- My name is Daniel, I make beats and sometimes rap/sing.


BG- What artists/bands are you influenced by, and did you aspire to be any of them?
DF- I’m yet another kid who lived through/was influenced by the golden era of hip-hop, although I always liked early waver stuff such as OMD, ABC, The Smiths, etc. as well.


BG- When did you start getting serious about music, and what were your first projects?
DF- I used to record songs tape deck to tape deck in junior high, but my first real group was called the Numbs (Utah hip hop group still around today), we released an album in 1995.


BG- Tell me about Furthermore. How'd you start, where'd the name come from, what was it like, why'd you end?
DF- Another member of the Numbs and I left the group and started Furthermore in 1997. We split the following year and Furthermore became just me for the most part with help from my friend Jason and Pepe (who did some singing on a number of songs and managed the band). Pepe actually named the band by opening a book and pointing at a word with her eyes closed.


BG- What was it like being on Tooth & Nail and did you get to work with people you were big fans of?
DF- I never heard of anyone on Tooth and Nail except for MxPx when I was signed. It was a great experience and I enjoyed touring with a number of bands.


BG- "Melted Vinyl" is one of my favorite songs ever. Why did you write it and why is it so awesome? (The song is a crazy rap about Marvel super heroes that even non comic fans would enjoy.)
DF- The song was originally a Numbs song, although I added two more verses and reworked the beat a little. I was really into collecting comics and action figures at the time. I also loved watching the X-Men Saturday morning cartoon in the early 90’s when the song was written (1st verse that is).

(Listen to "Melted Vinyl in all of its awesomeness)



BG- Are there ever going to be any Furthermore reunions and do you still have a big fan base?
DF- I have no idea how big a fan base Furthermore had, and it is very doubtful a reunion will occur.


BG- Did you always make beats and produce or is that something you picked up after Furthermore?
DF- I made all the beats on the Furthermore albums (Jason co-produced one of the songs on Fluorescent Jellyfish) and Barry Poynter helped polish and add some live elements to them. I’ve put a lot of focus into producing more so than rapping over the years.


BG- Do you still perform live or are you strictly doing studio stuff?
DF- I’m in a band called Rotten Musicians and we have performed locally a handful of times in the last few years. Everything else thus far has been “studio stuff”.


BG- What's the song writing process like for you?
DF- I dig for records, find a little nugget that excites me, sample, add to, rework then write to it or give it to someone that I think would fit it better.


BG- What is your biggest rock star moment? What's your biggest failure moment?
DF- A rock star/failure combo moment was when a couple of girls came to a show wearing home made Furthermore shirts. I was never the best at small talk or being social so it was a little awkward talking with them after the show. They ended up hanging out with the boys of All Wound Up whom I was touring with at the time.


BG- Where do you think hip-hop is going or maybe just music in general?
DF- I have no idea.


BG- Anything else you want me to know? What can we expect for the future?
DF- Lately, I’ve been doing production for a couple of local rapper: Mark Dago (of Numbs/Rotten Musicians) solo album ‘Self High Five’ and Dusk One (of Mindstate) 3 song demo ‘The Brady Effect’
I’m also working with a couple of local singers including Michael Gross (of Michael Gross and the Statuettes).


Contact Daniel at any of these sites listen below or click here to go the Tooth & Nail page.


danielmakesmusic.com
fischloops.bandcamp.com

Myspace Music Pages
http://www.myspace.com/mydanieltiger - solo
http://www.myspace.com/fischloops - beats and production
http://www.myspace.com/rottenmusicians - group Rotten Musicians
http://www.myspace.com/juliochild - side studio project, Julio Child (great album by the way)