It’s not every day that an artist blends the raw power of rock with the rich tradition of Indian classical music, but for John Fishell, pushing musical boundaries is second nature. As he embarks on a transformative UK tour and unveils his latest EP, Notorious Partners in Crime, Fishell is bringing his signature fusion of Western and Eastern influences to audiences across the country. Teaming up with master flautist Deepak Ram, the album merges bansuri melodies with electrifying rock, reimagining classics and crafting originals that defy convention.
Beyond his genre-blending artistry, Fishell is also on a mission—to shine a spotlight on The Outfield, a band beloved in America yet often overlooked in their native UK. With his heartfelt cover of Your Love and an impassioned campaign to revive their legacy, Fishell is proving that great music deserves its due, no matter where it was born.
We caught up with John in London, just a stone’s throw from where McCartney dreamt up Yesterday, to talk about his musical roots, the thrill of collaboration, and why The Outfield’s legacy matters now more than ever.
Hi John, Thanks for joining us. How are things?
Things are fantastic … The music is flowing, I’m sitting here in London not far from where McCartney wrote the “Yesterday” song, and I’m getting better all the time.
Your UK tour and release of Notorious Partners in Crime seem like a spiritual return to your roots in rock. Can you share a bit about where your early love for British rock and legends like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones came from?
I can’t shed the rock roots no matter how hard I try. Pretty simply, when I was very young, both of my parents played Beatles albums constantly, and those songs had nowhere to go but into my skin. From there, when I could choose my own music, I jumped right into AC/DC, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Foreigner, then circled back around for The Who, Queen, and Led Zeppelin. Then the Police caught me off guard. Then I looked at the short-lived “Glam” era. It became an almost “research project” where I wondered about where music was coming from … I can hear this music in that music … that kind of thing.
How have these artists shaped your sound?
Different parts of my overall sound are direct reflections. I definitely bend single guitar notes JUST like Brian May – people can hear that immediately when I take a solo, and I practised that exact thing for ages. I’m always asking drummers to play off me “like John Bonham and Stewart Copeland’s love child”. I create vocal “stacks” like Queen and Def Leppard would do. I try to up my songwriting game with clever bits like The Beatles and many English bands pushed themselves to do later on.
What do you think it is about The Outfield’s sound that resonates so much with American listeners?
You would be surprised how many Americans know the Outfield’s “Your Love” song. Tony’s high voice is a freak of nature. Very solid and understated songwriting. Really great, powerful production. Nothing too terribly serious lyrically, but also never silly. I think maybe the first three The Outfield albums are just “solid”, like the idea of a 1970s car by GM or Ford. I wonder if they used a cricket reference for a band name if they would have tanked in the US and done better in the UK?
What was it about The Outfield that drew you to cover their music and champion their legacy?
I always thought they cracked the code: Songs + Performances + Production + The Good “Feels” = Pop Music bliss for me. And it’s very guitar-y, which I love. I think John Spinks was some kind of guitar aficionado because ALL the basics from “guitar sounds 101” are in there and expertly used to support each song: Strat, Les Paul, ES-335, and Tele. Really tasteful use of delays like The Edge was doing with U2, as well. But mostly, it’s the songs. They achieved what I would like to achieve – VERY memorable songs dripping with popular appeal but still maintaining a musical signature. The songs are REALLY hard to sing properly, so I had to buy a baritone guitar (tuned lower than a standard guitar) just to have a fighting chance at some of those Tony Lewis notes!
You’ve spoken about your admiration for classic rock’s storytelling. What’s the key for you when writing lyrics? How do you blend personal experiences with that timeless rock essence?
Good question. Lyrics do not come easy for me. I tend to think of them as “vignettes” and not stories. I tend to write about situations and scenarios that might be common for other people. I look inward as well – I have a song coming through the pipeline about mental health that couldn’t be more personal. And you also have to watch out for certain words you just can’t say inside of a rock song without feeling really dumb … Imagine a rock song with the word ‘Avogadro’s Number” in it. How is Mick Jagger going to deliver “Avogadro’s Numbuh”? But I do like to tie words together to invoke story-esque things … a beginning-middle-departure-end kind of form. You have to sing about SOMETHING. Maybe add in some nonsense vagueness, some “pithy sayings” here and there. Add some dual-meaning stuff. If you get stuck … how about a Def Leppard “Whoa-OH” or rip off an oddly voiced Beatles harmony? I have a song called “Stand By” where I’m going on and on about problems with air travel, but it’s also evoking a failing relationship. That kind of thing.
Working with Deepak Ram on Notorious Partners in Crime brings Indian classical music and Western rock together in a surprising way. How did the initial spark for this collaboration come about?
Deepak and I have known each other since meeting in 1993 in Durban, South Africa, and we are best of friends. Life took us separate ways but then plopped us back together in the Washington DC area. I asked if he would be featured at a concert of mine, and it just felt really good. From there, we decided to start experimenting to combine worlds – my strict songwriting, forms, changes, etc., my very distinct voice, and his eastern-inflected melodic approach. He really loved my Valentine song and would study for DAYS on end.
How would you describe the creative process when blending your rock sensibilities with Deepak’s Indian classical expertise? Was there a particular challenge in balancing those genres?
Another great question … this is the key to the whole project. Both of us have to be hypersensitive to each other’s world to make anything work. Deepak must come over a great distance to meet me in my acoustic rock world; the idea of verse/chorus/bridge and even more complex forms as the BASIS of a song rather than a Raga is one of the keys. And I must always give Deepak various platforms, spaces, and opportunities to do his thing so that it works, even if I pull the rug out from under him in terms of harmony changes. Both “Space Time and “Night in Lenasia” (to be released) were Deepak’s original compositions. It was my job to contort the songs, add lyrics, and form them into pop songs while still retaining the melodies that made the songs so well known for Deepak’s audiences (millions of streams already on Deepak’s versions!). People who know me tell me they are enjoying my more ‘mature” songwriting and people that know Deepak tell him that he is really taking on something that hasn’t been done this way before. When we play … it’s really two voices … a duet kind of thing … Except Deepak’s voice is a piece of bamboo with 6 holes, and my voice is my actual voice surrounded by a less aggressive version of my songwriting, arranging and performing.