George Hurley

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Hurley
With fIREHOSE in 1990
Background information
Birth name	George Hurley
Born	September 4, 1958, Brockton, Massachusetts
Genre(s)	Punk/Alternative
Instrument(s)	drums, percussion, lyricist
Years active	1979—present
Label(s)	SST Records New Alliance Records Columbia Records Smog Veil Records
Associated acts	The Minutemen, The Reactionaries, fIREHOSE, Unknown Instructors, Red Krayola, Vida

George Hurley (born September 4, 1958 in Brockton, Massachusetts) is a drummer noted for his work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Hurley's powerful style brought a sense of musicianship to the genre, paving the way for new possibilities in underground music. A lesser drummer would have derailed the Minutemen. Responsible for many of the thought-provoking, hard-edged lyrics of both The Minutemen and fIREHOSE; Hurley's frenetic execution coupled with his unparalleled discipline as a musician set a standard matched by few drummers since.

Eventhough he went to the same high school as D. Boon and Mike Watt he did not meet them until around 1978. That same year, Hurley formed The Reactionaries with Boon, watt, and Martin Tamburovich. After The Reactionaries split, George joined a Hollywood new wave band called Hey Taxi. In 1980, Hey Taxi disbanded at the same time the Minutemen's then drummer Frank Tonche left the band. Hurley reunited with his two former Reactionaries bandmates in the Minutemen.

Hurley is also known for his distinctive hairstyle that he sported in his later Minutemen and fIREHOSE days, a protruding clump of hair that he nicknamed "The Unit". Hurley explained in the 2005 Minutemen documentary We Jam Econo that since his limbs were all busy when he played drums, he grew "The Unit" so that his head movements were more noticeable on stage.

A much sought after drummer, Hurley has played with The Red Crayola and Tom Watson from Slovenly. He also plays with his surviving Minutemen cohort Mike Watt on occasion, usually performing a set of Minutemen songs without a third person substituting for the late Minutemen leader D. Boon under the name George Hurley and Mike Watt. In addition, he occasionally performs with improvisational group Unknown Instructors with Watt and members of Saccharine Trust and Pere Ubu. Their first album, The Way Things Work, was released in late September 2005 by Smog Veil Records. In October of 2005, they returned to the studio to record their second album, this time with Pere Ubu's David Thomas as an added participant. He has been married since 1997 and has a son Garrett who was born in July 2002.. [1] [2]

[edit] See also

• We Jam Econo - full-length Minutemen documentary (2005)

[edit] External links

• Photo gallery

The Minutemen
D. Boon | Mike Watt | George Hurley
Discography
Albums: The Punch Line | What Makes a Man Start Fires? | Double Nickels on the Dime | 3-Way Tie (For Last) | Ballot Result
Extended plays: Paranoid Time | Joy | Bean-Spill | Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat | Tour-Spiel | Project: Mersh | Georgeless E.P.
Compilations: The Politics of Time | My First Bells | Post-Mersh Vol. 1 | Post-Mersh Vol. 2 | Post-Mersh Vol. 3 | Introducing the Minutemen
Other releases: Minuteflag | D. Boon and Friends
Bootlegs: ...Just A Minute, Men | Live In 1985: Acoustic Blowout | Live At Flynn's Ocean 71
Related articles
The Reactionaries | New Alliance Records | Martin Tamburovich | George Hurley and Mike Watt