More than a decade has passed since Hagfish released what would turn out to be their final record (1999's self-titled affair). Tack on another five years to that total and you'll arrive at 1995, the year the band released its opus, ...Rocks Your Lame Ass. But the band's legacy shouldn't be forgotten: Sprung from the same early '90s Deep Ellum scene that birthed contemporaries Tripping Daisy and the Toadies, Hagfish similarly enjoyed a fair amount of success in the national spotlight, appearing on various MTV programs and touring as support for the likes of Everclear, the Supersuckers, NOFX, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Offspring—all fine matches for the band's catchy and alternative take on pop-punk.
But even if Hagfish, for the most part, has faded from the spotlight, the band's members haven't: Brothers Zach and Doni Blair, the band's founding members, have served in the touring lineups for the Rise Against and the Toadies, respectively. And, from time to time, they still perform around town under the name The Mag Seven—they even released a new disc, called Black Feathers, under that moniker in November.
Hagfish, however, remains the brothers' calling card in Deep Ellum, where stories of the band's revelry still linger. No wonder, then, that the band was invited back to Trees, where it first cut its teeth, for this Christmas Day affair, where it will be joined by fellow area-sprung punk acts The Riverboat Gamblers and The American Fuse.
