Trout Fishing in America (band)
Encyclopedia
Trout Fishing in America is a musical duo which performs folk rock
and children's music
. The duo is composed of Keith Grimwood (upright bass, Clevinger bass, bass guitar
, vocals
) and Ezra Idlet (acoustic guitar
, electric guitar
, banjo
, vocals
). They took their name from the novel Trout Fishing in America
by Richard Brautigan
.
Grimwood attended the University of Houston
and played in the Houston Symphony Orchestra
after graduation, whereas Idlet left a college basketball
team to pursue rock and roll. The two met while performing together in the Houston-based folk-rock band Wheatfield, later renamed St. Elmo's Fire. When St. Elmo's Fire dissolved in 1979, Grimwood and Idlet formed Trout Fishing in America on the streets of Santa Cruz, California. The band was based for many years in Houston, Texas
, but moved to the Prairie Grove, Arkansas area in 1992.
Their song "When I Was a Dinosaur" became a favorite of Dr. Demento
, who played it frequently on his radio program.
Trout Fishing in America has received much critical recognition for both family and adult music. This includes three National Indie Awards, numerous Parents Choice awards and four Grammy Award
nominations in the Best Musical Album for Children category; first for their 2001 release inFINity
, then for their 2004 release Merry Fishes to All, then for their 2006 live performance release My Best Day and most recently for their 2008 release Big Round World.
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
and children's music
Children's music
Children's music is used here to refer to music composed and performed for children by adults. In European influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has historically held both entertainment...
. The duo is composed of Keith Grimwood (upright bass, Clevinger bass, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
) and Ezra Idlet (acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
). They took their name from the novel Trout Fishing in America
Trout Fishing in America
Trout Fishing in America is a novella written by Richard Brautigan and published in 1967. It is technically Brautigan's first novel; he wrote it in 1961 before A Confederate General From Big Sur which was published first....
by Richard Brautigan
Richard Brautigan
Richard Gary Brautigan was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. His work often employs black comedy, parody, and satire. He is best known for his 1967 novel Trout Fishing in America.- Early life :...
.
Grimwood attended the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
and played in the Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Symphony Orchestra
The Houston Symphony is an American orchestra based in Houston, Texas. Since 1966, it has performed at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in downtown Houston....
after graduation, whereas Idlet left a college basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team to pursue rock and roll. The two met while performing together in the Houston-based folk-rock band Wheatfield, later renamed St. Elmo's Fire. When St. Elmo's Fire dissolved in 1979, Grimwood and Idlet formed Trout Fishing in America on the streets of Santa Cruz, California. The band was based for many years in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, but moved to the Prairie Grove, Arkansas area in 1992.
Their song "When I Was a Dinosaur" became a favorite of Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
, who played it frequently on his radio program.
Trout Fishing in America has received much critical recognition for both family and adult music. This includes three National Indie Awards, numerous Parents Choice awards and four Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations in the Best Musical Album for Children category; first for their 2001 release inFINity
Infinity
Infinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...
, then for their 2004 release Merry Fishes to All, then for their 2006 live performance release My Best Day and most recently for their 2008 release Big Round World.
Discography
(All releases under the Trout Records label)- You Bore Me to Death! (LP only), 1979
- Hot to Trout (cassette and LP only), 1983
- Yes, the Fish Music (cassette only), 1987
- Stark Raving Trout (cassette only), 1988
- Truth Is Stranger than Fishin, 1990
- Big Trouble (Family), 1991
- Over the Limit, 1992
- Mine! (Family), 1994
- Who Are These People?, 1994
- Reel Life, 1996
- My World (Family), 1997
- Family Music Party]] (Family), 1998
- Closer to the Truth, 1999
- InFINity (Family), 2001
- It's a Puzzle (Family), 2003
- Merry Fishes to All (Family), 2004
- My Best Day (Family), 2006
- Who Knows What We Might Do, 2007
- Big Round World (Family), 2008
- Lookin' at Lucky, 2010
External links
- Trout Fishing in America's website
- Trout Fishing in America's website discography
- [ Allmusic band entry]
- Interview of Trout Fishing in America by Renée Montagne for National Public Radio, Jan. 9, 2004.
- Interview of Trout Fishing in America on The Front Row KUHF Houston Public Radio, June 2, 2009.