Frank Tonche

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Frank Tonche was the original drummer for The Minutemen.

When the band was formed by D. Boon and Mike Watt after their first serious attempt at a band, The Reactionaries, fell apart, they had originally wanted their friend and fellow-ex-Reactionaries drummer George Hurley to hold the drum seat, but he had joined a new wave band after the Reactionaries split, so he was unavailable. Tonche, a welder by day (and according to some reports, had been in a polka band at one point), was recruited instead.

Tonche's tenure lasted about six months, long enough to help arrange some early Minutemen songs and play a few early performances, but Tonche quickly tired of the aggressiveness of punk audiences around that time (which included spitting) and quit in June 1980. By that time, fortunately, Hurley was free to join the Minutemen.

In 1987, Forced Exposure released a 7" EP featuring rehearsal recordings of the Minutemen with Tonche on drums. The EP, authorized by Mike Watt and titled Georgeless, had a limited pressing but is now available for free download (also with Watt's full consent) at corndogs.org.