Artist description A new band on the island of Maui one of the islands that make up the U.S. State of Hawaii*** An ecclectic blend of music with calypso as the primary inspiration. Calypso originates from Trinidad and has a heritage that goes back to the griots of Africa and the troubadors and jesters of Europe. There have been waves of world wide interest in calypso every twenty years or so. Calypso is danceable, witty, while at the same time sometimes aserbic and edgy although never mean*** Island Schmyland's artistic agenda is to make 21st Century calypso on todays topics and issues. We also like the idea of creating special songs for special events--and would love to write and record a song for you to have something that you and your friends will always remember*** Send us e-mail dfisher@ccmaui.net to talk about this. Our website is www.IslandSchmyland.Net. You can call us at 808-269-1031.

Music Style Alternative - calypso with many influences

Musical Influences Calypso, Rock, Punk, Jazz, Musical Theater

Similar Artists They Might Be Giants, Gaugain, Thomas Pynchon

Artist History David Fisher is currently the principal songwriter and singer with Island Schmyland. He grew up in a U.S Foreign Service family living in many countries including Barbados where in his teens he played in a professional calypso band called "Greensleeves", which opened once for the Mighty Sparrow and on a different occaision for Jimmy Cliff. His mother, the U.S Consul, hosted post concert parties where visiting calypsonians would sing "extempo" making up lyrics on the spot about people at the party*** In the 1980's Fisher, living in NYC, would jam with top calypsonians and, along with Daisann Mclane, organized a "calypso showcase" at Studio 54. Around the same time Fisher recorded a double single, "My Little Bomb", under the name Emerson Bimby. Some of this material is being performed today by IslandSchmyland*** Fisher was inspired as an American Studies major at Yale by the composer Charles Ives who believed it was important to not be cloistered as an artist and to make a point of being involved in the world. Ives did this in the business world by being an innovator in new insurance industry at the turn of the 19th Century. Fisher has spent a good part of the last twenty years involved in business and economic development currently serving as the director of the Maui Small Business Development Center*** He has been involved in several bands on Maui including Jingo Jango, Kikay Ma Tu, and most recently the Wailuku Garage Band*** John Messersmith origninates from Philadelphia, received a degree in Physics from the University of Chicago and then moved to Switzerland to work at CERN, the European Partical Physics Lab where the World Wide Web was invented. John has been playing music since he was 12 and has a strong background in musical theater, as well being a prime mover in the development of a country and western music scene in Europe. He was producer and performer for several acts including Dogs on Stage, Home Cooking, Willy Wainright, and Jennifer Weatherly (who all have sites here on mp3.com.). John is also a software designer and is working on several new music related technologies that we will hopefully be able to talk about soon.

Group Members David Fisher - guitar and vocals*** John Messersmith - bass and vocals*** Jan Ryan - keyboards and vocals*** Paul Marchetti - drums

Additional Info Call 808-269-1031 for booking or for commissioning songs.

Location Haiku, HI - USA

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