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Fishbone frontman takes on a new gig—teaching local youth how to command a crowd

Angelo Moore of Fishbone performs during the Vans Warped Tourin Mountain View, California. | Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Every Gen Xer knows the scene from John Hughes’ 1980s classic Say Anything: John Cusack hoists his boombox into the air and blasts Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” below the window of the girl he loves. 

But that scene could have ended up very differently—with the music of Los Angeles’s ska-funk-punk group Fishbone instead. The film was first scored with Fishbone’s “Question of Life,” and Cusack remains a huge fan of the band.  

More recently, the group appeared in the stop-motion animation film Wendell & Wild —the band’s song “Ma and Pa” plays throughout, and when viewers first meet character Delroy Elliott, he’s wearing a Fishbone T-shirt. 

Angelo Moore of Fishbone performs during the 2014 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in New Orleans, Louisiana. | Photo by Josh Brasted/FilmMagic

Now, young San Franciscans will have the opportunity to ask musician Angelo Moore about his many claims to fame when the Fishbone frontman leads a three-day clinic in performance and stagecraft. The workshop is recommended for kids with some music experience, as participants will need to learn quickly and on the fly with their instruments. The two rehearsals on April 6 and 7 will culminate in a dress rehearsal and show on April 8. 

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from a music legend—and it’s free. Designed for children aged 7 to 18, those who are 7 and 8 must be accompanied by an adult. 

The event is sponsored in part by the San Francisco Rock Project, a non-profit, performance-based music school for kids, where the second event in the series will be held. 

Performance Masterclass with Angelo Moore 

🗓️ April 6-8 
📍 SF Public Library’s The Mix, 100 Larkin St., and other locations
🔗 sfpl.org 

Julie Zigoris can be reached at jzigoris@sfstandard.com