Ghoti Hook

Ghoti Hook was a Christian pop-punk band from Fairfax, Virginia. The band was formed in 1991, with band members Joel Bell, Adam Neubauer and Justin Levy. Conrad Tolosa, Jamie Tolosa, and Christian Ergueta, joined the band shortly after. Justin Levy left the band after one year to pursue other interests. The group released two independent EPs in 1994 and 1995. Ghoti Hook signed to Tooth and Nail Records in 1996, then released two albums: "Sumo Surprise" and "Banana Man".

Conrad, the guitarist and a main songwriter of the band, decided to leave Ghoti Hook when the band began to tour full time so he could finish seminary and continue with his accounting career. After the cover album "Songs We Didn't Write", Mark Lacasse joined the lineup as the band's sound evolved from punk toward rock on their next album, "Two Years to Never".cite news |first=Terry |last=DeBoer |title=Like a GHOTI out of water |publisher=The Grand Rapids Press |page=12 |date=2001-04-20] The album also marked a shift to more serious, reflective lyrics. Christian Ergueta left the band soon after; Mark left shortly thereafter.

As a three-piece band, Ghoti Hook released a six song EP titled "EP" on Velvet Blue Music. The group disbanded in 2002. The band's last concert was at Cornerstone Music Festival on July 6, 2002, with guest performances by both Conrad and Mark. The concert was recorded and released as a live album entitled "Rest In Peace".

Members

Final lineup

* Joel Bell - vocals, guitar (1991-2002)
* Jamie Tolosa - guitar, bass (1991-2002)
* Adam Neubauer (alias Chachi Manchu on "Two Years to Never") - drums (1991-2002)

Previous members

* Conrad Tolosa - Guitar (1991-1997)
* Mark Lacasse - Guitar, BGV (1998-2000)
* Christian Ergueta - Bass, BGV (1991-2000)
* Justin Levy - Lead Guitar (1990-1991)

Discography

*"No Date" (EP) (Self-released, 1994)
*"Boca Grande" (EP) (Self-released, 1995)
*"Sumo Surprise" (Tooth and Nail Records, 1996)
*"Banana Man" (Tooth and Nail Records, 1997)
*"Songs We Didn't Write" (cover album) (Tooth and Nail Records, 1998)
*"Two Years to Never" (Tooth and Nail Records, 2000; Review: [http://web.archive.org/web/20010222193417/decapolis.com/musicreviews/2000/ghoti.html Decapolis.com] )
*"Ep" (Velvet Blue Music, 2002)
*"Retrospective" (compilation album) (Tooth and Nail Records, 2002)
*"Rest in Peace" (live album) (Tooth and Nail Records, 2003)

Notes

*"Ghoti" is a phonetic spelling of "fish", commonly attributed to George Bernard Shaw as an example of the irregularities of English spelling. Pronunciation: the "GH" as in the word "rouGH", "O" as in "wOmen" and "TI" as in naTIon. However, the actual band name is pronounced as Go-Tee.
*Conrad Tolosa is currently in Divebomber and runs Decapolis.com, an online music magazine and message board.
*Christian Ergueta is currently in Imperial X out of the OC. [http://www.myspace.com/imperialxband]

References

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External links

* [http://www.tollbooth.org/features/ghook.html Interview]
* [http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Villa/3536/gh-int.html Another Interview]
* [http://www.jmbzine.com/exitzine/interviews/ghotihook.htm In Depth Interview]