After two albums, with a combined sales of 16,000 copies, Chicago rockers Fig Dish severed their relationship with A&M Records in 1998. The band, consisting of Blake Smith (vocals/guitar), Rick Ness (vocals/guitar), Mike Willison (bass), and Bill Swarz (drums), went back into the studio to record demos to shop to other labels. RollingStone.com wrote a feature about Fig Dish’s departure and their subsequent record in which Smith said Fig Dish had no intention of breaking up and had recorded a double album worth of new material. Less than a year later Smith and Willison had started a new project, Caviar, while Ness started his own solo band, bringing Swarz along with him.
So whatever became of those 2 CDs worth of material Fig Dish recorded?
After being locked away in the Fig Dish vault for nearly 10 years, we’re happy to unleash the cracken and offer you the 19 track demo that Fig Dish recorded and used in an attempt to find a new label. For fun, we’ve tossed in 2 songs that were on the hard-to-find “Quiet Storm King” CD-single released in 1995, “Eyesore” and “Spit the Part”.
David Cobb, college roommate of Mike Willison, and longtime Fig Dish fan/friend/supporter dubbed this double CD, Onanism, so that’s the name we’ve given this collection of songs.
DOWNLOAD NOW: Fig Dish – Onanism
Track listing following the jump.
1. Burn Bright For Now
2. Cellophane & Sulphur
3. The Ragged Ones
4. Sciene Goes Public
5. If Not Now When
6. Trouble & Sway
7. Lake Five Blue
8. Take Me Whole
9. Tear The Atmosphere
10. All The Blues Are Pale
11. A.D. & D.
12. The Effects of Dehydration
13. The Bottom
14. Senior Circuit
15. Best Disguise
16. Carcharias Carcharodon
17. Extra Nanny
18. The Widow Cobain
19. When Shirts Get Tight (demo)
20. Eyesore
21. Spit the Part
Do me a favor, would ya? After you’ve download the CD, leave us a comment and let us know what you think. We’d love to pass the feedback along to the Fig Dish guys who were kind enough to allow us to offer this never-before-released double CD to you.
One of my favorite bands easily, I love this. I still jam your cds out in my car to this day and you make my ears very happy. Thank you.
I will never forget the time that T3FA played at Loras College in Iowa and Blake filled in. We all went to a house party afterwards, and then a bar. I was 17 at the time and I got pretty wasted. This is what Chicago was all about circa 1997.
I miss those days. I wish FD and T3FA would reunite at least for one more massive Metro show.
I’m with ya Gone But Not Forgotten. I would never rule out a Fig Dish reunion show (they’ve done a few since breaking up) but Wes has told me everytime I ask (and I’ve asked probably 100 times), there will never be a TFA reunion show. If there is, I’ll meet you in the front row!
Hard to believe that some of these songs are almost 15 years old.
They don’t sound dated at all.
I miss these guys.
Do you still have the download for the Fig Dish “Onanism” available? Thanks!
Loved these guys when they were regulars in the Lou with the likes of Triplefastaction, Veruca Salt, Local H, and the like. Hung out with Blake a lot back then. Terribly bummed when they broke up and didn’t see any of them again. Had no idea this existed. Link is dead… any chance of re-upping?
Link has been updated – http://www.sendspace.com/file/f2qbyn
Thanks.
Do you still have this available? The updated link doesn’t have the file anymore.
Thanks. Saw them with veruca salt and the muffs. Great show! Love these guys! I still listen to their cds often!
the link is not working, and would love a chance to hear the unreleased fig dish. Such a great band
Way late to the game here. Loved Fig dish back in the day. Anyone want to share the download? Not surprisingly, the link no longer works.
please please update link. would love to hear more fig dish.
The link is updated.
I just finished downloading this. I am floored by the fact that this exists after all these years of listening to the other albums. Well. Here goes. Listening to new Fig Dish for the first time for the last time. . . maybe?
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/C-Notes/January-2013/The-Rise-Fall-and-Re-Release-of-Fig-Dish/index.php
Guess I’m way late for this. I’m one of the few that bought both CDs that FD released. Any chance of still getting these demos?? Would love it!!!
Sorry for the 3rd request but I really like Fig Dish and want to hear this 🙂 Can you please update the download link?
HI! Tell me you’re still manning this site and can share this 3rd Fig Dish album? Thanks!
Can you please update the link for Fig Dish – Onanism album?
Thank you.