BIOgraphy, band, discography, venues
GEORGE FRYER COMBO
GF (guitar/vocals), Walter Middleton (bass/vocals), Dave Goode (drums), Chris Harvey (pedal steel guitar)
ACOUSTIC COMBO
The Clatch (guitar/vocals), Rob Thomas (bass), Doug Altman (drums)
IN MEMORIAM: Mark Fernandez (percussion), Geoff Olsen (bass), Terry Minihan (guitar)
SHORT BIO
George Fryer is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who plays over 200 gigs a year in Southern California (Orange County/Los Angeles) with a list of 5000 classic rock songs (50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s) both acoustically and with his rock band George Fryer Combo. He started in the 80s psychedelic/punk band Peace Corp., signing with 2 record labels and releasing one critically acclaimed eponymous album Peace Corp (1998) before going acoustic on Decaf (2000) and subsequently releasing Melodica (2001), Meow (2005), Strike (2008), Best of Fryer (2011) and Moka (2016), available on all digital platforms (Apple, Spotify, etc.). He has appeared on The Tonight Show, Rosie O'Donnell, MTV and KROQ, and shared the stage with Violent Femmes, Sugar Ray, Blink 182, Offspring, Garbage, Cake and Stone Temple Pilots.
LONG BIO
George Fryer sings and plays guitar, piano, bass and drums, writes and plays music professionally solo and with the George Fryer Combo.
George was started on classical piano at age 5 by his mother Nan (a singer/dancer in the USO) and father Steve (trumpet player), dabbling in trumpet and right-handed classical guitar until pushed aside by baseball & basketball in junior high. As a freshman he found a left handed Fender bass and has played music non-stop ever since. In high school he played bass in Chablis and in college switched to guitar, forming the Aardvarks, Finks, Tories and eventually Peace Corp.
After a stern letter from the government organization, hard rocking Peace Corps was changed to Peace Corp. and remained active until 2001, signing to RCA subsidiary Subsonic Records and releasing four EP's and one full length CD, also appearing on nearly 20 compilations. Meanwhile another band George helped form and left (Tories) became the Shrinky Dinx and then Sugar Ray whom he played off and on with from 1990 to 1999, culminating in the U.S. tour chronicled in the OC Weekly.
George Fryer officially became a solo artist in 2000 with the release of critically acclaimed Decaf, a softer-tinged CD that set the precedent for a successful acoustic career. He concurrently played in the band Tub whose breakup provided the members of the newly formed George Fryer Combo, has released six CDs since 2001 and has become an Orange County/Long Beach scene staple.
PAST LINEUPS
George Fryer Combo (2000-2010) Wolf Scheffler, Chris Silva (drums), Micah Peterson, Dave Felde, Geoff Olsen, Don Goodman (bass), Bob Goldberg, Ariel Albornoz, Phil Vandermost (guitar)
Peace Corp. (1985-2000) GF, Hanson Meyer-bass, Drums: Chris Silva (97-2000) Dom Tucci (92-96), Tony Motakef (85-91), Rodney Sheppard-guitar (87-89)
The Finks (1983-1985) Bill Nemec (guitar), Hanson (bass), Tony (drums), GF (Farfisa)
The Tories/Aardvarks (1981-1988) Nick Sopkovich-bass, Tony Motakef-drums, Rodney Sheppard-guitar, Stan Frazier-drums, GF-guitar
DISCOGRAPHY
Full Length Albums: Peace Corp. (1998), Decaf (2000), Melodica (2001), Meow (2005), Strike (2009), Best of Fryer (2012), Moka (2016)
EP, Cassette & Live Releases: Peace Corps 4 track Sessions (1985), Peace Core EP Cassette (1988), Peace inCORPorated EP Cassette (1991), Coast Highway EP CD w/ Just Plain Big, Scenes & HFL (1994), Best Friend's Girlfriend EP Single CD (1997), GFC Live at the Bamboo Terrace (2001), GFC Live at King Neptunes (2003), New American Standards (2006)
ARTISTS PERFORMED WITH
Violent Femmes, Cake, Soul Coughing, Garbage, Cardigans, Beat Farmers, Sugar Ray, Reel Big Fish, Blink 182, Offspring, Hole, Korn, Barenaked Ladies, Wayne Kramer (MC5), Less Than Jake, Vanilla Ice, Deftones, Material Issue, Kathy Valentine (Go-Go’s), Bangles, Stone Temple Pilots, El Vez, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Agent Orange, Ventures, Surfaris, Dick Dale, The Crowd, China White
TELEVISION APPEARANCES: Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno , Rosie O’Donnell Show, MTV’s Snowed In w/ Carson Daly, KROQ Kevin and Bean Show, KTLA Morning Show, The Poorman Show, KDOC Daybreak OC
VENUES PLAYED
NEWPORT/COSTA MESA: Port Restaurant, Orange County Fair, Galaxy, Balboa Bay Club, Blue Beet, 21 Oceanfront, MammaGina’s, Margaritaville, Rusty Pelican, Hard Rock Café, Shamrock Pub, Diedrich’s Coffee, Bamboo Terrace, Border’s, Harp Inn, Mesa Theatre, Memphis, Chicken Coop, Bubbles, Giggling Marlin, Club Mesa, Cuckoo’s Nest, Tiki Bar, Concert Factory, Balboa Cinema, Warehouse, Roadhouse, Starbucks Fashion Island, O.C.C, Newport Harbor Boat Tie-up, Newport Harbor HS Benefit, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Rodman's, Savannah, Lido Theater
SOUTH OC: Rancho Capistrano Winery, Alza, Ritz Carlton, Coach House, DaVine Wine, Sandpiper, Swallows Inn, Cook's Corner, Gina’s Pizza, Rock Bottom Brewery, Coconuts, Starbucks, Hennessy’s, Mahe Dana Point, St. Margarets Rodeo
NORTH OC: Ohana, O'Malleys on Main, House of Blues, Taco Surf, Mahe, J. King Neptune’s, Brix, Pelican Isle, Perq’s, 13th Floor, Brigg, Mulberry Street, Table Ten, H.B Brewery, Malone’s, Doll Hut, Chain Reaction, Marlin, Irish Mist, Kobe Steakhouse, Waterfront Hilton, Orange Street Fair, Sam's Seafood, Kona, Don the Beachcomber, Gallaghers
LONG BEACH: Auld Dubliner, Kelly's of Naples, Queen Mary, Panama Joes, Smooth's Long Beach, Nino's, Long Beach Artwalk, Blue Cafe, Tantalum, Fenders, Bogarts, Que Sera, Liquid Lounge, Panhandler, Rock Bottom Brewery, Belmont Station, Taco Beach, Bixby Elementary Back to School Night, DiPiazza
LOS ANGELES: Shrine Auditorium, KROQ Acoustic Xmas, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles Marriott, Bonaventure Hotel, The Whiskey, Roxy, Coconut Teazser, Malibu Inn, The Gig, The Garage, Al’s Bar, The Joint, Club Lingerie, Martini Lounge, Canter’s Deli, USC, UCLA, Toes Pasadena, Toes Redondo
BEYOND: Storyville-San Francisco, Bally's Grand Ball Room-Reno, San Diego Zoo, The Rose Garden Arena-Portland, Warfield Theatre-San Francisco, Hard Rock Café-Las Vegas, Alladin Hotel Ballroom-Las Vegas, UNLV, Toes Santa Barbara, Desert Bar-Parker AZ