Fishwife initially released a self-titled 7" EP on the local
hardcore punk label Nemesis. Shortly after, Canadian indie label
Cargo Records opened new headquarters in San Diego and launched a new imprint called Headhunter. Fishwife was the first band signed to Headhunter. Before
Rocket From the Crypt and
Drive Like Jehu put San Diego on the indie rock map in the early 1990s, Fishwife was a leading act in the scene, known for over-the-top live shows. Foxe's stage antics included getting naked, a dildo ventriloquist act, leaping from a six-foot-high Marshall stack, and handing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at a local club — an act that got the band permanently banned from the venue. Fishwife broke up in 1993 when Foxe moved to New York City to attend college. Prescott, Ohlin and Wood subsequently formed the
math rock band
Tanner, releasing
Ill Gotten Gains for Caroline Records in 1995 and
(Germo) Phobic for Headhunter in 1997. Foxe later returned to San Diego and sang in the
garage rock group The Let Downs. Guitarist Gar Wood went on to play bass and guitar in Beehive and the Barracudas and
Hot Snakes, while drummer
Chris Prescott played in
No Knife. Bassist Matt Ohlin played bass and sang in Hiatus, and also became owner of Rt. 44 Skate Shop in San Diego. ==Musical style==