Fisher priceless

Fans of keyboard pop should check out this show.

By Bobble Tiki on July 10, 2008

While some of Bobble Tiki’s colleagues here at the Weekly Volcano have been bitching and moaning about last week’s pirate invasion, Bobble Tiki sees things differently. While most Weekly Volcano employees seem scarred by last week, when the swashbuckling scoundrels sailed in for Tall Ships Tacoma 2008 and quickly overran Weekly Volcano World Headquarters with “mateys” and “arrrrs” — taking every member of the Weekly Volcano staff hostage and publishing last week’s paper pirate style — Bobble Tiki saw the invasion as a blessing.



Think about it. Last week pirates did our jobs for us. While, of course, we were being “held hostage,” and being “held hostage” isn’t exactly akin to a relaxing trip to Rio de Janeiro, Bobble Tiki took full advantage of the situation. While in “captivity,” Bobble Tiki slept 12 hours a day. When not sleeping, Bobble Tiki spent his time poking fun at Steph De Rosa and “accidentally” spilling stuff on Pappi Swarner’s nice jeans. While in “captivity” Bobble Tiki took time to think about the big questions of life — like how Oprah became so powerful and what the deeper meaning of American Idol is. In “captivity,” Bobble Tiki took time to enjoy all the things that get lost in his busy, day-to-day existence.



For Bobble Tiki, anyway, being held hostage by pirates last week was like a vacation. Bobble Tiki returns this week recharged and raring to go.



Bobble Tiki also returns this week with singer/songwriter/ pianist-extraordinaire Scott Fisher on the brain. Conveniently enough, the talent dripping product of Portland will play Jazzbones in Tacoma this Wednesday, July 16. Fisher’s latest CD, Step Into the Future, has been burning a hole in Bobble Tiki’s Discman (Bobble Tiki’s old school, yo!) since its release last year. An astounding mix of many of Bobble Tiki’s  favorite flavors — like jazz fusion, reggae, and radio ready pop — Step Into the Future, which features Fisher’s backing band 1 a.m. Approach, was easily one of the most exciting piano driven records to drop last year.



There’s not another show this week that Bobble Tiki’s more excited about.



For the record, Fisher, who’s played Jazzbones once before, seems just about as excited as Bobble Tiki is for his return.



“I’m definitely looking forward to coming back to Tacoma,” says Fisher. “I was impressed by the venue, and I was surprised. Everyone was up there dancing and having a good time. Usually in the Northwest it seems like crowds are more laid back, kind of sitting in back nodding their heads. Maybe there’s just too much good weed.”



“At Jazzbones people were into it.”



For Bobble Tiki’s money, that’s probably for two reasons. Number one: people get s***faced at Jazzbones. If there’s a harder drinking crowd of middle-aged dancing fools than the one that lives at Jazzbones, Bobble Tiki has never seen it. Number two: Fisher is uber-talented, and the type of musician that doesn’t saddle up in T-town every weekend. According to his official bio, which Bobble Tiki has no reason to believe isn’t 100 percent true, Fisher “grew up in a bilingual French diplomat family and began classical piano studies at age six.”



Since then, all Fisher’s proceeded to do is major in Philosophy and Political Science at Boston University, showcase his piano skills at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, and spread his music — through three amazing records, expansive touring, and major radio success — across the country and world. While it sounds cliché, as he’d admit, Fisher is also big in Japan and France.



“I feel like this is the best batch of songs we’ve ever had,” explains Fisher of the set fans can expect to hear Wednesday at Jazzbones — which will include new tunes ready to be recorded for a follow-up to Step Into the Future. “We’ve really taken it to the next level on the new stuff. The new songs are interesting and somewhat adventurous, but also accessible.”

Interesting. Adventurous. Accessible. Those would be three of the many superlative adjectives Bobble Tiki might use to describe Scott Fisher. An artist often compared to Ben Folds, Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Joe Jackson, Billy Joel and even Thelonious Monk — in reality, Fisher is in a class by himself. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll see for yourself this Wednesday at Jazzbones.



Of course, Bobble Tiki doesn’t really care what you do this week because he doesn’t even know you. Unless you can tell Bobble Tiki if there’s anyone out there in all of Tacoma who actually decided not to blow stuff up on the Fourth because fireworks are illegal in Grit City, then Bobble Tiki is pretty sure he doesn’t want to meet you. Seriously. Bobble Tiki’s neighborhood was like a war zone. What’s the point? Check out www.weeklyvolcanospew.com for all your South Sound blogosphere needs, and consider that as close as you’ll ever get to Bobble Tiki. If you got any closer you’d start to smell the booze. That’s just unprofessional.



[Jazzbones, Scott Fisher & the 1am Approach, Wednesday, July 16, 7 p.m., all ages, $5, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]