Message from the Cowboys:
The Cowboys would like to thank everyone who attended Ian’s tribute and everyone who put in a lot of time and effort to make it happen. Everyone stepped it up to make it a special night – Krys with the video, Blythe with the shrine, Keith on lights, Phil running the web site and solving a last minute video problem, Joey taking care of the stage and running that part of the evening. Layne did a heroic job across the board. Others who helped: Pepper Fisher (of course), Heather, Michael Stein, Stephen Rabow, Terry Date and his help from Studio X, Andrew McKeag and the rest of the Tractor crew, Gene Stout from the P-I and Erik Lacitis from the Seattle Times. I know I’m leaving someone out; please don’t take offense.
This was a celebration, not a wake, and we know that this was the kind of party that Ian would have wanted. You’ve seen from the photos how many smiles you were wearing and it was clearly a special night that Ian and you helped us create. Ian’s family was really touched by your display of Ian’s impact on everyone’s lives.
We can thank him for being the catalyst in creating a lot of our relationships and for kicking us in the butt to remember them. I know my life is definitely different in a positive way because of Ian, and it’s obvious that many of yours have been positively affected as well.
For the band it was amazing. It was certainly bittersweet because of Ian’s absence, but it was an incredible weekend of reconnecting and playing songs we hadn’t played in many years. The feedback we’ve gotten is that we did OK with our two days of rehearsal, but we’ll know better after we see and hear the video and audio tapes.
The entire show was recorded in high-definition video and multi-track audio. We’re reviewing the recordings over the next month or so and will decide what to do with them at that time. We’re also looking into the feasibility of another show with more bands at a larger venue early in the new year, so please check back for updates. There’s no guarantee at this point but we’re working to make it happen. We also raised enough money to do something nice as a memorial, as Pepper has suggested that we do. There will be more information forthcoming after we decide on more details. As always, send in your email address if you want us to send you an update on any of these matters.
Happy Holidays and Peace,
Paul / The Cowboys
Important!
Please send us your email addresses so we can send out updates directly to all of the fans through email and post information here on MySpace . Send your email address to [email protected] and we will keep you informed on details about up coming events. All queries and questions can be made through the Cowboys MySpace page too!
THANKS ALL!
Ian Fisher Memorial
Video, Part One
Ian Fisher Memorial
Video, Part Two
The Cowboys were one of the influential rock bands out of Seattle during the span of 1979 through 1985.
The Cowboys were perhaps as motley a crew as has ever been assembled for a Northwest band. Singer Ian Fisher was loud, boisterous, arrogant, and had a fake english accent: In short, he was everything a lead singer needed to be, and he was a commanding presence.
The band mixed a little reggae with power-pop, and it was this knack for being populist that gained it such a large following. Their biggest hits were "Rude Boy" and "Girls Like That", both of which sound surprisingly catchy even today. Unfortunately, The Cowboys never got a major-label deal: They were at least as good as many of the bands that clogged the "Rock of the '80's" airwaves, and as a live band they were rivalled by few.
(Charles Cross)
THE ROCKET MAGAZINE, Seattle, Sept.23, 1998