Francis Thomas "Frank" Agnew (born August 18, 1964)
is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of
punk rock band the
Adolescents
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majo ...
. Frank's brothers
Rikk Agnew
Richard Francis "Rikk" Agnew Jr. (born December 9, 1958) is an American musician with a career spanning more than 40 years. He has previously been a member of some of the most influential bands of the Orange County hardcore punk genre, as w ...
and
Alfie Agnew
Alfonso F. "Alfie" Agnew (born January 24, 1969) is an American mathematician, singer, musician and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Agnew is best known for being a member of the punk bands the Adolescents and D.I. as well a ...
, as well as his son Frank Agnew Jr., are also former Adolescents guitarists.
Early life
Frank Agnew was born into a musical family, half Irish and half Mexican-American. In 1972, his parents moved from
La Puente
La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
The original inhabitants of the ...
to
Fullerton, California. He began playing guitar professionally at an early age, and his brother Rikk sometimes had to sneak him in through the back door of 18 plus or 21 plus venues.
Agnew dropped out of high school, but later pursued a liberal arts degree at
Fullerton College
Fullerton College (FC) is a public community college in Fullerton, California. The college is part of the California Community Colleges System and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the oldest communi ...
. After finishing his studies, he went to work in the computer industry.
Music career
Over the years, Agnew has played with a number of bands, including
45 Grave
45 Grave is an American rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985, but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band.
History
The band was founded during the punk rock movement by Paul B. Cutler i ...
, the Tribe, Adolescents, Der Stab, HVY DRT,
Legal Weapon
Legal Weapon were a Southern California-based punk band, initially composed of singer Kat Arthur and guitarist Brian Hansen (both previously of the Silencers), bassist Patricia Morrison (formerly of Bags and later of the Gun Club, the Sisters o ...
, PinUps, Casey Royer's
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...
splinter group, and
T.S.O.L.
Agnew joined The Adolescents in 1980 after playing in Casey Royer's Social Distortion splinter group. When the Adolescents broke up in the summer of 1981, Agnew joined
Legal Weapon
Legal Weapon were a Southern California-based punk band, initially composed of singer Kat Arthur and guitarist Brian Hansen (both previously of the Silencers), bassist Patricia Morrison (formerly of Bags and later of the Gun Club, the Sisters o ...
with fellow Adolescent
Steve Soto, and then played as a touring guitarist with
T.S.O.L. to promote their ''
Dance With Me'' album. Agnew reunited with the
"Blue Album" line-up of the Adolescents in 1986, but left along with drummer
Casey Royer
Casey A. Royer, (born October 8, 1958), is an American musician. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Royer is best known as the lead vocalist for Southern Californian punk rock band D.I. and as a drummer for the Adolescents.
Early years
...
before the recording of the 1987 ''
Brats in Battalions'' album. Agnew returned to play guitar for two tracks on the Adolescents' 1988 ''
Balboa Fun*Zone'' album, but he did not permanently rejoin the band. Agnew took part in another Adolescents reunion in 2004 and was the sole guitarist on the resulting ''
O.C. Confidential'' album.
In 2010, Agnew joined
45 Grave
45 Grave is an American rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985, but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band.
History
The band was founded during the punk rock movement by Paul B. Cutler i ...
, proceeding to take part in the recording of the band's 2012 ''Pick Your Poison'' album, released on
Frontier Records
Frontier Records is an independent record label, started in 1980 in Sun Valley, Los Angeles by Lisa Fancher, a former employee of Bomp! Records and writer of the liner notes for the first album by The Runaways.
History
Frontier Records first ...
. In 2013, Frank Agnew met
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
's Bree Fondacaro, then performing under the stage name Bree Harlow Bree and Frank collaborated on her 2013 cover of '
Paint it Black
"Paint It Black" is a song recorded in 1966 by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European in ...
' released through Arcadian Records. This began a successful collaboration with Bree Fondacaro in a band called the Fatalists.
Agnew is credited as songwriter on a number of film soundtracks and also occasionally appears as an actor.
Personal life
Agnew has two older siblings, Rikk and Toni (sister), and a younger brother, Alfie. He also has a half-brother, Jim, and a half-sister, Beverly, who are both older than Rikk.
He has a son, Frank Agnew Jr.
References
External links
Credits at AllMusic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnew, Frank
1964 births
American punk rock guitarists
Hispanic and Latino American musicians
American musicians of Mexican descent
American male songwriters
Horror punk musicians
Living people
T.S.O.L. members
Adolescents (band) members
American male guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American guitarists
21st-century American male musicians
People from La Puente, California
People from Fullerton, California