George Hurley (born September 4, 1958) is a

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

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. Mi ...

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, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, 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) belongs to a group of materials called engineering plastics. It is a transparent thermoplastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylite ...

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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

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

D. Boon Dennes Dale Boon (April 1, 1958 – December 22, 1985) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist, singer and songwriter of the punk rock trio Minutemen. He was born on April 1, 1958 in San Pedro, California, and formed the Minuteme ...

and

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

he did not meet them until around 1978. That same year, Hurley formed

The Reactionaries The Reactionaries were an American punk rock band formed in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, in 1978. The band's continual members were lead vocalist Martin Tamburovich, guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley. Th ...

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 formed in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Tuners, a small business through which he sold electronics equipm ...

founder

Greg Ginn Gregory Regis Ginn (born June 8, 1954) is an American guitarist, bassist, singer 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 ...

to record an album for his label. The ''

Paranoid Time ''Paranoid Time'' is the first EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. It is also the second ever release by the SST record label, founded by Black Flag's Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski. The album cover is a drawing by the American artist Ra ...

'' EP was followed by full length albums ''

The Punch Line ''The Punch Line'' is the first 12-inch studio album and third overall release by American punk rock band Minutemen, and the fourth-ever release from SST Records. After their previous release, '' Paranoid Time'', sold out its 300-copy pressing, ...

'' and ''

What Makes a Man Start Fires? ''What Makes a Man Start Fires?'' is the second full-length album and fifth release overall by American punk rock band Minutemen. Background At almost twice the length of their previous album, ''The Punch Line'', the Minutemen's songs began sur ...

'' and two more EPs ''

Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...

'' and ''

Bean-Spill ''Bean-Spill'' is the third extended-play single and fourth release overall by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. Background The Minutemen's second LP, '' What Makes a Man Start Fires?'', was recorded in the summer of 1982 but the release w ...

'' before recording their magnum opus ''

Double Nickels on the Dime ''Double Nickels on the Dime'' is the third album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the California independent record label SST Records in 1984. A double album containing 45 songs, ''Double Nickels on the Dime'' combines elements of p ...

'', 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 York ...

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 Charles Edward Crawford, known as ed fROMOHIO, (born January 26, 1964, in Steubenville, Ohio) is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for Firehose, an alternative rock band he formed in 1986 with former Minutemen members Mike Watt (bass ...

on guitar and lead vocals. They recorded three albums with SST Records, then joined

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

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

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

and a short tour.

Later work

Hurley has played with

The Red Krayola The Red Krayola (originally Red Crayola) is an American avant rock band from Houston, Texas formed in 1966 by the trio of singer/guitarist Mayo Thompson, drummer Frederick Barthelme, and bassist Steve Cunningham. The group were part of the 1960 ...

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

under the name George Hurley and Mike Watt. In addition, he occasionally performs with improvisational group

Unknown Instructors Unknown Instructors are an all-star improvisational rock outfit that features the former rhythm section of Minutemen and fIREHOSE, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley; Saccharine Trust members, guitarist Joe Baiza and vocalist Jack Br ...

with Watt and members of

Saccharine Trust Saccharine Trust is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1980 by singer Jack Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza. The band would frequently perform with SST labelmates Minutemen and Black Flag. However, Baiza descri ...

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 an entertaining introduction to everyday machines and the scientific principles behind their operation, describing machines as simple ...

'', was released in late September 2005 by

Smog Veil Records Smog Veil Records was a Chicago, IL based independent record label. In addition to standard CD, DVD, and vinyl distribution, Smog Veil also distributed its media via digital channels, including Napster and iTunes. History In business from 1991 ...

. 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 ''We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen'', is a full-length documentary about the influential 1980s punk rock band Minutemen, created by director Tim Irwin and producer Keith Schieron in association with Rocket Fuel Films. The film premiered ...

'' 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 Musicians 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