Hagfish is one of the punk rock bands to come out of the Deep Ellum scene in Dallas, TX. The band was created when former drummer Banning Lyon's band "Conniption Fit" disbanded. Lyon, a Rockwall, TX resident met up with the brothers Blair. Their sound gelled immediately, and they began to look for a frontman, finding one in the unlikely guise of James Newhouse of Mansfield, TX. They began touring the Texas punk circuit in the early nineties, creating a fan base and becoming regulars of punk venues like Slipped Disc and The Jumpin' Java Joint.