George Hurley (born September 4, 1958) is a

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

noted for his work with

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

and fIREHOSE.

Music career

Early years

Originally from the East Coast, Hurley and his family moved to San Pedro,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, when he was six years old. Hurley was a surfer before devoting himself to music. A self-taught musician, Hurley created his own drumsticks out of

Plexiglas Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bra ...

and wood at the Boys Club in his youth. He got his first drumkit when he was nineteen after trading a motorcycle for it. Although he is known as a punk drummer, Hurley's musical influences are primarily

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

-based. Even though he went to the same high school as D. Boon and

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ca ...

he did not meet them until around 1978. That same year, Hurley formed the Reactionaries with Boon, Watt, and Martin Tamburovich. Watt asked Hurley to join repeatedly but Hurley was reticent because they traveled in different circles and Watt was deemed "a geek". Eventually, Hurley threw caution to the wind and joined up with Watt. 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 Minutemen.

Minutemen

The Minutemen played their first gig with Los Angeles band Black Flag and after their set were asked by Black Flag guitarist and

SST Records SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was first founded in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Transmitters, a small business through which he sold elec ...

founder

Greg Ginn Gregory Regis Ginn ( , born June 8, 1954) is an American musician and songwriter, best known for being the leader, primary songwriter, and the only continuous member of the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led from 1976 to ...

to record an album for his label. The '' Paranoid Time'' EP was followed by full-length albums '' The Punch Line'' and '' What Makes a Man Start Fires?'' and two more EPs, ''

Joy Joy is the state of being that allows one to experience feelings of intense, long-lasting happiness and contentment of life. It is closely related to, and often evoked by, well-being, success, or good fortune. Happiness, pleasure, and gratitu ...

'' and '' Bean-Spill'', before recording their magnum opus, '' Double Nickels on the Dime'', an album which appears on many music critics' lists of the all-time best rock albums, including ''Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

listed the album at on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s". In 1985, D. Boon died in a van accident following the release of their final full-length album, '' 3-Way Tie (For Last)'', at which point Minutemen disbanded.

fIREHOSE

Watt and Hurley formed fIREHOSE in 1986, alongside newcomer Ed Crawford on guitar and lead vocals. They recorded three albums with SST Records, then joined

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

for two albums and an EP. The band dissolved in 1994 citing creative stagnation, and reformed in 2012 for an appearance at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colora ...

and a short tour.

Later work

Hurley has played with the Red Krayola and Tom Watson from Slovenly. He also plays with his surviving Minutemen cohort

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 Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...

. Their first album, ''

The Way Things Work ''The Way Things Work'' is a 1988 nonfiction book by David Macaulay with technical text by Neil Ardley. It is a whimsical introduction to everyday machines and the scientific principles behind their operation, describing machines as simple as ...

'', was released in late September 2005 by Smog Veil Records. In October 2005, they returned to the studio to record their second album, this time with

's David Thomas as an added participant. Hurley has formed a drum/bass duo with Constant Llama member Joe Dean called the Wrinkling Brothers.

Personal life

Hurley has been married since 1997 and has a son, Garrett, who was born in July 2002.

Hairstyle

Hurley is 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.

References

External links

Photo gallery

051: George Hurley (Minutemen, fiREHOSE)
on The Trap Set
George Hurley's current band The Wrinkling Brothers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurley, George 1958 births American punk rock drummers American male drummers Firehose (band) members Living people Drummers from Massachusetts Bootstrappers (band) members Minutemen (band) members The Reactionaries members Unknown Instructors members Musicians from Brockton, Massachusetts People from San Pedro, Los Angeles 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians Drummers from Los Angeles