Tornado Fish was formed by a group of high school friends and in the past five years has become a regular on the local rock scene in North Jersey.
"We started in 2003. We played our first show at the Hackensack High School ‘Big Show,’" said 23-year-old ead vocalist Jonathan Rivera, of Hackensack.
Rivera’s cousin and co-founding member, 20-year-old Paramus resident Cesar Rivera, plays guitar, with 20-year-old Dan Errichiello on bass, and Vic Cerejo, 21, on drums. Errichiello and Cerejo are both from Maywood, and Cerejo is the newest member of the band.
As for the name Tornado Fish, members said it’s pretty much a joke and not meant to have any specific meaning.
When asked to describe the band’s genre, they said they don’t like to place their music into a single category, but offered up the term "funternative."
"I think it’s something that can be described as alternative rock fused with funk, metal and fun," said Errichiello.
The group said they are inspired by bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cake, the Beatles, the Foo Fighters and Mastadon.
Tornado Fish has released two full-length albums since they first formed, both with previous incarnations of the band. Cesar Rivera described them as "very saucy." They are currently working on a new untitled album they hope to release at the end of September that will feature all new material.
"We’re working in the studio now," said Cesar Rivera.
Cerejo said all the members add their own creative input in terms of music and lyrics.
"A lot of times we’ll just jam and find something cool that we like and integrate it into songs," said Errichiello. "Basically, it’s off the top of our heads all of the time."
Jonathan Rivera said while some bands like to write songs about their actual lives, Tornado Fish wants to lean away from reality and focus more on random story telling.
"We just tell stories, and we have a sick soundtrack to it," he said. "We tend to create a fun atmosphere for people to come, hang out and enjoy music. It’s not just us playing a show just to play it, it’s us playing a show for the audience."
While they look forward to selling their new CD at shows later this fall, new songs can also be heard at their current shows.
"The only way to hear current T-Fish is to come to the show," said Cerejo.
For information on future performances and to listen to the band’s music, visit www.myspace.com/tornadofish.
