Greg Hetson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Greg Hetson
|
|
|---|---|
Hetson performing with Bad Religion in 2010
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born | June 29, 1961 New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | Hawthorne, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Redd Kross (1979) Circle Jerks (1980–present) Bad Religion (1984–2013) Black President (2006–2008) G.F.P (2012–present) Punk Rock Karaoke (1996–present) Rile 9 Collective (2014–2016) |
Greg Hetson (born June 29, 1961) is an American guitarist famous for playing in the punk rock bands Circle Jerks and Bad Religion. He is well-known for his exciting performances on stage, especially a move that fans call "The Hetson Leap." Besides his main bands, Hetson was a founding member of the supergroup Punk Rock Karaoke and also plays in the hardcore punk band G.F.P.
Career in Music
The Circle Jerks
In 1980, Greg Hetson left the band Redd Kross to start a new group called The Circle Jerks. He formed the band with Keith Morris, who was the original singer for the band Black Flag.
Soon after forming, they released their first album, `Group ...`. In 1980, the band was also featured in a famous documentary about the Los Angeles punk scene called `The Decline of Western Civilization`.
The Circle Jerks released their second album, `Wild in the Streets`, in 1982. Their third album, `Golden Shower of ...`, came out in 1983 and was very popular.
The band continued to tour and record two more albums, `Wonderful` and `VI`, before they stopped playing together in 1990. However, they got back together in 1994 and released `Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities` a year later. This is their most recent album.
Even though they haven't released a new album since 1995, the Circle Jerks have played shows together over the years, taking a few breaks. In 2021, the band toured to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their first album. In 2023 and 2024, they toured with another popular punk band, the Descendents.
Bad Religion
Greg Hetson's first work with Bad Religion was playing a guitar solo on the song Part III from their album `How Could Hell Be Any Worse?`. He officially joined the band for their 1985 EP `Back to the Known`. This EP marked the band's return to punk rock after they had released a less popular album with a different sound.
After a short break, Bad Religion reformed in 1986 with Hetson as a full-time member. The band then recorded three of their most famous albums: `Suffer`, `No Control`, and `Against the Grain`.
In 1993, Bad Religion signed with a major record label, Atlantic Records, and released the album `Recipe for Hate`. This was their first album to appear on the Billboard music charts.
The band became even more popular in 1994 with their hit album `Stranger Than Fiction`. It included famous songs like "Infected" and "21st Century (Digital Boy)", which the band often plays at their concerts. After this album, guitarist Brett Gurewitz left the band to focus on his record label, Epitaph Records.
Gurewitz was replaced by Brian Baker, and the band recorded three more albums. Gurewitz returned to Bad Religion in 2001, making the band a six-person group with three guitarists: Hetson, Gurewitz, and Baker.
In April 2013, Hetson stopped touring with Bad Religion for personal reasons. The band hired Mike Dimkich from the band The Cult to take his place on tour. In 2014, it was confirmed that Hetson was no longer a member of Bad Religion.
Punk Rock Karaoke
Hetson is also a guitarist in a special "all-star" band called Punk Rock Karaoke. Other members include Eric Melvin of NOFX and Stan Lee of The Dickies. The band has also had famous guest musicians like Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo and Mike Watt of the Minutemen.
Since 1996, this band has allowed fans to come on stage and sing classic punk rock songs with them, like a live karaoke show. They released a DVD/CD set that lets people sing along at home and includes cover songs sung by other famous musicians.
See also
In Spanish: Greg Hetson para niños
