Fish Karma is the name of a one-person folk-rock artist who combines the nasally angst of
Violent Femmes with the spaced-out guitar of
Frank Zappa. Although the real name of
Fish Karma's sole member is still a well-guarded secret, what is known is he began his career at the University of Arizona, where he worked in a comedy troupe until deciding to try out the music industry. After releasing several albums independently, he signed to Triple X in the early '90s.
Fish Karma managed to release two albums on the label (1991's
Teddy in the Sky with Magnets and 1993's
Sunnyslope), and worked with artists such as
Jello Biafra and
Mojo Nixon. His irreverent live performances consisted of many improvised songs, most of them ranted in a style reminiscent of
George Carlin.
Fish Karma was put on hold in 1995, but made his comeback with a twisted children's album (The Dangerous Playground) in 1998, on which he collaborated with
Andy Young. He then managed to release 2001's Lunch with the Devil on Deep Shag before hooking up with Alternative Tentacles for 2006's
Theory of Intelligent Design. ~ Bradley Torreano