This is it. The band, the album, the first release on Tooth and Nail Records. I remember when this came out. Nobody had heard of Tooth and Nail or Wish for Eden. I just knew this abrasive alternative/punk/grunge/hardcore hybrid was good. Really good. A little simplistic maybe, but super raw and totally scratched where I itched at the time.
Wish for Eden’s impact is hard to understate. I was talking to some friends recently who are younger than me, maybe 15-20 years. These are folks heavily involved in the Christian independent scene. But they didn’t really know much about Wish for Eden, which was so weird to me. Being significantly younger than I am, I suppose Wish for Eden, to them, is like Larry Norman was to me when I was growing up in the 80s.
Enough reminiscing for now, let’s talk about the music. Pet the Fish took the raw grunge of Nirvana’s Bleach, the post-hardcore of Helmet’s Meantime, filtered it all through that VERY 90s, very DIY aesthetic and made a powerful, raw rock and roll record. And in the process, they became a beautiful part of chrindie history.
There’s a funny story about how the band signed to Tooth and Nail. Brandon Ebel was working for Frontline Records at the time and couldn’t be open about his desire to start a new label. The hip alternative label at the time was the legendary Blonde Vinyl Records, but it was quietly dying a quick financial death. According to the story, Brandon convinced Michael Knott to meet with the band and convince them to sign with him, except they were actually signing to the brand new, unknown Tooth and Nail instead of the soon-to-be-defunct Blonde Vinyl.
All nostalgia aside, there are significant signs of life. The band played Thunder Fest recently, and rumor has it they are working on new material. But don’t say anything yet, because that’s supposed to be a secret! (wink, wink)
“Fly” is taken from their one and only album, Pet the Fish, released in 1993 on the first ever release on Tooth and Nail Records.
