Gary Beers
Encyclopedia
Garry Gary Beers from Sydney, is an Australian musician and the founding bass guitar
ist for new wave
rock group INXS
. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Jourdan, who recently gave birth to twins, Isla Katherine Beers and August James Beers.
and attended The Forest High School. His first band was Legolas Elvin Warrior in 1975, where he played acoustic guitar
with school mates, Bill Hucker and Glen Fender. After nine months of studying acoustic guitar with little improvement, Beers moved over to bass guitar
but refused to take further lessons. His inspiration was John Paul Jones
of Led Zeppelin
. He met Andrew Farriss
and joined his band Dr Dolphin, which was followed by the Farriss Brothers in 1977. Farriss Brothers became INXS in 1979 with Beers on bass guitar and double bass
, Andrew Farriss on keyboards
and guitar
, Jon Farriss
on drums
and keyboards, Tim Farriss
on lead guitar
, Michael Hutchence
on lead vocals
and Kirk Pengilly
on guitar, saxophone
and backing vocals. Generally playing bass guitar, Beers' double bass work occurs on some INXS tracks including "By My Side
".
In 1989, while on hiatus from INXS, he joined Absent Friends
as bass guitarist. Their No. 7 album, Here's Looking Up Your Address
(May 1990) spawned the No. 4 hit single, "I Don’t Want To Be With Nobody But You". He also plays the guitar, keyboards, ukulele, and is adept at computer programming for song writing and music production. Beers has co-written tracks for INXS including "Listen Like Thieves", "Don't Change", and "Perfect Strangers". From 2008, Beers has been concentrating on his song writing in Los Angeles, as well as the INXS album, Original Sin released on 8 November 2010.
He co-wrote the song "She's so Cold" with Scott Weiland
of Stone Temple Pilots
for Weiland's solo CD Happy In Galoshes (2008).
, as Garry Gary Beers. Very rarely given as Gary, Beers adopted the alternative spelling, which appears on merchandise and personal items such as guitar picks.
Beers married his second wife Jourdan, in September 2007, they live in Los Angeles and are active in their community and volunteer for several animal rescue organisations. They have girl/boy twins, Isla and August.
Beers owns a one of a kind see through acrylic glass bass guitar, which he played on the video for "Bitter Tears
" (1991).
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist for new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
rock group INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Jourdan, who recently gave birth to twins, Isla Katherine Beers and August James Beers.
Career
Beers was born as Garry William Beers on 22 June 1957 to William "Bill" Beers, a front-end loader operator, and Lola who worked part-time in a variety of jobs. He has an older sister, Kerry. He grew up in the Sydney suburb of ManlyManly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
and attended The Forest High School. His first band was Legolas Elvin Warrior in 1975, where he played acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
with school mates, Bill Hucker and Glen Fender. After nine months of studying acoustic guitar with little improvement, Beers moved over to bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
but refused to take further lessons. His inspiration was John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
. He met Andrew Farriss
Andrew Farriss
Andrew Charles Farriss is a rock musician , best known as the keyboardist and main composer for the Australian band INXS.-Career:...
and joined his band Dr Dolphin, which was followed by the Farriss Brothers in 1977. Farriss Brothers became INXS in 1979 with Beers on bass guitar and double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, Andrew Farriss on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Jon Farriss
Jon Farriss
Jon Farriss is the drummer for the Australian rock band INXS.-Biography:...
on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and keyboards, Tim Farriss
Tim Farriss
Timothy William Farriss is a member of the rock band :INXS.-Early life and the formation of INXS:...
on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence
Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...
on lead vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and Kirk Pengilly
Kirk Pengilly
Kirk Pengilly is an Australian musician, best known as a member of the rock group :INXS.-Early career:...
on guitar, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and backing vocals. Generally playing bass guitar, Beers' double bass work occurs on some INXS tracks including "By My Side
By My Side (INXS song)
"By My Side" is a single by Australian band INXS, the third UK single and fourth Australian single taken from their album X. The song is a piano, strings and acoustic guitar based ballad with a big chorus....
".
In 1989, while on hiatus from INXS, he joined Absent Friends
Absent Friends (band)
Absent Friends were an ARIA Award winning band from Sydney, Australia. The band was relatively short lived, forming in 1989 and disbanding in 1990...
as bass guitarist. Their No. 7 album, Here's Looking Up Your Address
Here's Looking Up Your Address
Here's Looking Up Your Address is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Absent Friends and was released in April, 1990 on the RooART label. It was re-released by RooART in October, 2005.-Track listing:...
(May 1990) spawned the No. 4 hit single, "I Don’t Want To Be With Nobody But You". He also plays the guitar, keyboards, ukulele, and is adept at computer programming for song writing and music production. Beers has co-written tracks for INXS including "Listen Like Thieves", "Don't Change", and "Perfect Strangers". From 2008, Beers has been concentrating on his song writing in Los Angeles, as well as the INXS album, Original Sin released on 8 November 2010.
He co-wrote the song "She's so Cold" with Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
of Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
for Weiland's solo CD Happy In Galoshes (2008).
Personal life
Beers was given his double name at school, it was later misprinted on the cover of INXS' 1980 debut album, INXSINXS (album)
INXS is Australian rock group INXS's first album. It was released in Australia in 1980 and was not available internationally until 1984. INXS recorded the album in between doing, on average, two gigs at the local pubs around Sydney.-Track listing:...
, as Garry Gary Beers. Very rarely given as Gary, Beers adopted the alternative spelling, which appears on merchandise and personal items such as guitar picks.
Beers married his second wife Jourdan, in September 2007, they live in Los Angeles and are active in their community and volunteer for several animal rescue organisations. They have girl/boy twins, Isla and August.
Beers owns a one of a kind see through acrylic glass bass guitar, which he played on the video for "Bitter Tears
Bitter Tears (song)
"Bitter Tears" was a single by INXS, the third Australian and fourth UK single taken from their album X. It peaked at #30 on the UK Singles Chart improving on the disappointing performance of the previous single, By My Side...
" (1991).