The rhythm section of Belgian big band Flat Earth Society -- keyboardist Peter Vandenberghe, drummer Teun Verbruggen, and bassist Kristof Roseeuw -- took a break from the challenges of FES leader Peter Vermeersch's warped vision and challenging charts to have some fun on their own with the piano trio Too Noisy Fish. Vandenberghe, Verbruggen, and Roseeuw first tested the waters in quartet settings supporting saxophonists, playing club dates with the likes of Belgian altoist Ben Sluijs (2009 in Ghent) and New York City tenor man Ellery Eskelin (2010 in Antwerp). Finding satisfaction in such relatively intimate jazz-based outings, the threesome embarked on their own path, exploring the possibilities of not only a small-group lineup but also acoustic piano for Vandenberghe, most widely known -- on recordings anyway -- for his work on electric keys for such artists as FES, X-Legged Sally, Univers Zero, and Pierre Vervloesem.

Vandenberghe, Verbruggen, and Roseeuw entered Fattoria Musica Studio in Osnabrück, Germany, in 2011 to record Too Noisy Fish's debut album, Fast Easy Sick, comprised mainly of Vandenberghe compositions (a notable exception being Queens of the Stone Age's "The Sky Is Falling") that subvert the standard piano jazz trio formula but occasionally play it straight. One track, "There's Lots of Us," was co-written by Vandenberghe with longtime musical compatriot guitarist Vervloesem, who also produced, mixed, and mastered the album, released later that year on Rat Records (also home to Verbruggen's transatlantic sextet the Bureau of Atomic Tourism). In February 2013, Too Noisy Fish traveled to California to record their follow-up disc at Prairie Sun Recording in Cotati, north of San Francisco. Oz Fritz, engineer for the first two X-Legged Sally albums, 1991's Slow-Up and 1993's Killed by Charity, recorded the session, and handled mixing and mastering as well. Continuing the "FES"-related titling begun with the trio's first disc, the sophomore album was titled Fight Eat Sleep and released in September 2013. ~ Dave Lynch, Rovi