LUNGFISH
Ann the Word
Asa Osborne — Guitar
Mitchell Feldstein — Drums
Nathan Bell — Bass Guitar
Audio from Nick’s, Philadelphia — 1999 set
By the end of their 18-year, 11-album career, Lungfish had become a razor-sharp sonic psy-op combat unit who, on stage, didn’t waste a single note, mesmerizing with complex simplicity, while Daniel sporadically erupted in primal dervish dance, preaching puzzles and offering psychedelic solutions to questions unasked.
Not everyone who heard or witnessed Lungfish became a convert, but many of those who did were so deeply moved by the band that they recount their memories with the fervor and conviction of someone reliving a divine encounter or an alien abduction.
Today, even though we find ourselves constantly connected, stumbling upon a mind-blowing moment feels increasingly harder to come by. At the turn of the twenty-first century, before search engines and social media, word of mouth was one of the most trusted ways people discovered bands and music, so with that in mind, I’ve compiled memories from a few devout Lungfish fans to offer insight into how the band, their music, and live performances profoundly touched their audiences and took hold like a metaphysical baptism.
—Brian DeRan