Hagfish was the first punk band I ever saw live. They were opening up for the Reverend Horton Heat at a show that I believe happened in late 1994 or early 1995. I was just getting into punk and had no idea who they were; I was just there to see the Reverend.
They came on stage two hours late. They were wearing matching suits and ties. They were vulgar and spit on each other. The singer had a ciggarette lit throughout almost the whole show. My parents were with me as I was only 13 and were really put off by them. But you know what? It was absolutely wonderful! After their set I no longer cared about the Reverend, all I could think about was what I had just seen.
The next week I found their first release, Buick Men, in the regional section of a local music store and I loved it. Not long after that I picked up ...Rocks Your Lame Ass and it instantly became--and still is--one of my favorite records.
Think pop-punk in the style of Descendents, ALL or Big Drill Car (this record was actually produced by Bill Stevenson and Steven Egerton). You get the picture. However they were more than just a retread of a style that had already been mastered and done. The band had this really cocky edge that I really loved. This aspect really helped them to stick out from all the other Descendents-influenced pop-punk bands at the time and even now.
A good number of the songs were new recordings of songs released on Buick Men, but they were slightly rearranged and even catchier than before. The music is a bit simple. The drums could definitely have done more, but are effective as they are, just not very flashy. The bass kind of seems to be hidden in the mix but as a rhythm section the bass and drums keep things very tight. Nothing too fancy on guitar but he has a really good tone, although on a couple songs I felt he overdid it with the palm muting. Vocally, George Reagan III does an excellent job of keeping your attention and has you singing along in no time.
Overall, an excellent release from a band whose members would go on to play in bands such as Only Crime and Rise Against. Even 15 years after its release, it still sounds fresh.