From the collegetown of Ithaca, NY, Boy with a Fish is: Jeff Claus (guitar and vocals), Judy Hyman (electric violin and vocals), Rick Hansen (moog, organ, accordion), Jay Olsa (bass), and Ryan Cady (drums).

The 2005 CD, Birds Fly Backwards, has gotten airplay on over 250 radio stations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, China, and Australia.

Claus and Hyman are founding members of The Horse Flies, about whom Rolling Stone said, "A band that's earned a buzz. They churn out swirling, addictive songs, blending tradition with invention." Hansen and Olsa are now members of The Horse Flies, too.

The Horse Flies have recorded 8 CD's, two on a major label. They've been featured on MTV, Prairie Home Companion, All Things Considered, World Cafe, and Mountain Stage, and they've been written about in Rolling Stone, Musician Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, of London, and many other publications. They've also played many major festivals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including New York City's Central Park Summerstage; Brooklyn Academy's New Music America; Berlin; Munich; Vienna; the National Folklife Festival at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC; Philadelphia; Telluride; Boston; Vancouver; Toronto; Winnipeg; WOMAD; Seattle; Lafayette, Louisiana; Los Angeles; Copenhagen; Stockholm; Belgium; Holland; and more.

Claus and Hyman have toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, and Europe and have composed music for four feature films -- starring such actors as Martin Sheen, Kris Kristofferson, Genevieve Bujold, Rip Torn, and Michael J. Fox -- and a number of television documentaries. Critics have referred to Counting Crows, Talking Heads/David Byrne, Neil Young, REM, Freedy Johnston, and PJ Harvey to describe Claus' songs and singing. His music has been used by film director Oliver Stone in Any Given Sunday and by Rock the Vote on MTV; and the band Fiery Furnaces covered a Claus alt-adaptation of the traditional song, Rub Alcohol Blues, on a recent CD. Claus has also been featured in an article in Acoustic Guitar Magazine, October, 2000.

Hyman has toured and recorded with Natalie Merchant and has recorded and performed with Mary Lorson & Saint Low, The Samples, and others. One of Claus and Hyman's songs, "Sally Ann," is the opening track on Merchant's CD, The House Carpenter's Daughter, and Merchant and band (including Hyman) performed the song on the David Letterman Show, August 2004. This song is also included on Merchant's "Retrospective" collection. In addition, Hyman is the subject of the cover article in the Fall 2004 issue of Fiddler Magazine.

Rick Hansen and Jay Olsa are also members of Plastic Nebraska, a notable Ithaca band reviewers have called "exotic," "entrancing," "hypnotic," and "inventive." Ryan Cady has played in Hubcap, another excellent Ithaca band, that critics have described as "rich" and "dynamic," with references to Uncle Tupelo and Neil Young.

Birds Fly Backwards, the 2005 CD by Boy with a Fish, was recorded before Cady joined the band. Drums and percussion on the CD are played by Ben Wittman, a longtime friend who has played with Laurie Anderson, Paul Simon, Paula Cole, Erasure, Don Byron, Solas, Tribe, and many others. Additional musicians on the CD are: Erik Della Penna (guitar) and Elizabeth Steen (organ and Wurlitzer) of Natalie Merchant's band; Robby Aceto (guitar) formerly of Tom Tom Club; and Billy Coté (guitar) of Madder Rose and Saint Low.

The band is working on a new CD, with all basic tracks done. Vocals, overdubs, and mixing to go, and we should be done by fall of 2008.