George Graquitena
Encyclopedia
George Graquitena is a vocalist, drummer
and bassist
, known for his participation in many south Florida
punk
and alternative rock
bands from the 1980s through today. He is also known by the stage name of George Van Orsdel.
George was born in Jersey City, New Jersey
, where he lived (in West New York, New Jersey) until the age of 5. His family eventually ended up moving to Miami, Florida.
George Graquitena is the vocalist for the south Florida-based psychobilly
band The Van Orsdels
. He started the band with founding members Todd, David and Bruno. They all adopted the last name "Van Orsdel" as a tribute to The Ramones, as well as a symbol of unity.
, and more specifically Paul McCartney
. He was taught how to play bass guitar at that age, and decided, once he was comfortable enough, to try to start a band. He played bass in several bands until the age of 21, when he decided to teach himself how to play drums. He switched back and forth between bass guitar and drums for a few years, depending on the band he was in. He spent the first several years (1980–1984) playing in cover bands, playing backyard parties, school talent shows, and events of this nature.
, Black Flag
, etc. That was his first real punk band, and he was playing drums. That didn't last long. Shortly after, he started playing bass and singing in Not Dead Yet (1986–88), one of Miami's first prominent hardcore punk
bands. Not Dead Yet, along with other local bands such as Chocolate Grasshopper, FWA and Cultural Brain Rot, helped establish the Miami punk scene back then. Not Dead Yet was influenced by bands such as Agnostic Front
, Youth of Today
, 7 Seconds, G.B.H.
, and many others.
After a couple of years and Not Dead Yet had run its course, he joined the south Florida based F-Boyz (who later went on to form Hickey in San Francisco) during 1988-1989. He now was playing drums. The F-Boyz were known for their insane stage antics and their own brand of what he liked to call "punk mock n roll" (punk rock, with a very tongue-in-cheek take on the genre, basically poking fun at anything and everything). They were very heavily influenced by bands such as The Meatmen
, Stevie Stiletto, The Misfits, Elvis Presley
and even Kiss
. The F-Boyz (later changing their name to Fuckboyz) eventually moved to San Francisco from south Florida, where the band continued to play shows, then late 1989 due to differences, he left the band and came back to Miami.
, Big Drill Car, etc. The Miami punk scene was great then, and flourishing. Lots of bands and venues to play. All ages places were everywhere..The Thrash Can, The Warehouse, and many more, gave bands the opportunity to play to younger and bigger crowds. Jobbernowl ended up recording a 7" for Re-Core-Ds records from Germany, and a 10" for Dr. Strange records. They were also featured on a limited edition compilation record on Dr. Strange records, featuring bands like Face To Face
, Guttermouth
, and many others. Eventually, the band members in Jobbernowl all went their separate ways, and so George started his search for a new band.
George then came across a couple of ex-members from a Miami band called The Naughty Puritans, who were starting out a new band after their old band broke up, and so he gave it a shot on drums and things went well. This was the start of Cell 63 (1992–1995). Cell 63 was a straight-up roots rock/punk band, who was heralded as the "new Replacements".
With influences like Hüsker Dü
, Social Distortion
, The Replacements, Cell 63 was creating a nice little following of their own. They recorded their first self-titled CD, CELL 63, and released it with great reception. A year and a half later, to follow up the success of their first CD, they recorded and released Once Upon A Drunk. Their second CD did much better than the first and started to garner the band some national attention. Cell 63 decided to do a short tour to promote the CD, and booked a 2-week East Coast tour. Shortly after the tour, the band unfortunately parted ways.
After the demise of Cell 63, Rob Coe (singer/guitarist for Cell 63) and George decided to start a new band from the ashes of Cell 63, so Fay Wray was formed (1996), composed of ex-members of Quit and Cell 63, Fay Wray released 2 CDs on Gainesville's No Idea record label. Fay Wray had a very distinct "Gainesville" sound (like that of other Gainesville bands such as Radon, Spoke, etc.), although 3/4 of the band was based out of Miami. George was involved in the birth of Fay Wray, and played drums for the band for a little over a year until the band broke up in 1997 (only to reform a year later with a new drummer and bassist).
street punk band called Torpedo Lucas, who was very heavily influenced by bands such as Rancid
, Social Distortion, and many others. Torpedo Lucas started playing around the south Florida area, quickly establishing a decent following. The band ended up recording 2 e.p. CDs within the course of 2 years. Eventually Torpedo Lucas broke up in 2002 after some line-up difficulties.
In October 2002, George decided to organize a Misfits tribute band called The Braineaters, complete with stage props, Crimson Ghost, the whole nine yards. It was a one-show band he put together. It was something he had always wanted to do but could never find other musicians who wanted to join him. George finally found Todd and David (who later became part of the original Van Orsdels line-up) and Brian from Underpaid. The show was a success!
After The Braineaters project, Todd, David and George decided to keep playing and so The Van Orsdels were born (2003).
The Van Orsdels had the distinction of being south Florida's very first (and apparently only) psychobilly band. He was finally playing the music he had been longing to play, but was unable to find musicians who wanted to play psychobilly. They eventually found Bruno and The Van Orsdels were well on their way. The band members all adopted the last name of "Van Orsdel", in honor of The Ramones, and to portray a sense of unity. In 2003, The Van Orsdels recorded a 7 song ep CD, titled "Ain't Life a Drag?" which was very well received. They continued to play and establish themselves, locally and regionally. Then in 2005, the Van Orsdels signed to Crazy Love records and released their second CD, their first full-length release Miami Morgue Riot! which established the band on a national level and earned them many fans across the country, as well as globally. In August 2005, The Van Orsdels decided to do their first tour, so they booked a short East Coast tour which went very well. The Van Orsdels are still chugging right along, doing great despite many obstacles and roadblocks. The band has several projects coming soon, including songs that will be featured in an upcoming independent horror film Shadow Grove.
In 2007, George recorded a song for the Gris Grimly DVD release of his debut film Cannibal Flesh Riot!. The DVD was released featuring a bonus CD which included songs inspired by the movie. George's contribution was a song titled "The Ballad of Stash and Hub". He has also recorded some acoustic songs with The Van Orsdels, which were featured on the CD Leftovers. "The Ballad of Stash and Hub" was also featured on the Leftovers CD. George has also made several solo acoustic recordings, which have not yet been released. Due to the inactivity of The Van Orsdels as of 2010, George began writing and recording music for a solo project called The Family Ghouls, a horrorpunk project which consists of George writing and performing the songs under the name "Vincent Van Ghoul", playing all the instruments, and performing all the vocals. As of April 2010, several songs have been released as demo versions on The Family Ghouls' official MySpace page.Also as of April 2010, the future of The Van Orsdels is uncertain, as the band still remain on hiatus.
On August 11, 2010, George posted a blog on The Van Orsdels' official MySpace page stating that the band indeed is now officially done. There was an indication that there might possibly be a Van Orsdels reunion show in the future.
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, known for his participation in many south Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
bands from the 1980s through today. He is also known by the stage name of George Van Orsdel.
George was born in Jersey City, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, where he lived (in West New York, New Jersey) until the age of 5. His family eventually ended up moving to Miami, Florida.
George Graquitena is the vocalist for the south Florida-based psychobilly
Psychobilly
Psychobilly is a fusion genre of rock music that mixes elements of punk rock, rockabilly, and other genres. It is one of several subgenres of rockabilly which also include thrashabilly, trashabilly, punkabilly, surfabilly and gothabilly...
band The Van Orsdels
The Van Orsdels
The Van Ordsels are a psychobilly band based in Miami, Florida, USA. The band formed in 2003. They have the distinction of being the first psychobilly band in south Florida. They helped introduce and expose the genre to the south Florida music scene...
. He started the band with founding members Todd, David and Bruno. They all adopted the last name "Van Orsdel" as a tribute to The Ramones, as well as a symbol of unity.
Musical career
George started playing music when he was 14. He was inspired at a young age to play music, specifically bass guitar, when he discovered The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, and more specifically Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. He was taught how to play bass guitar at that age, and decided, once he was comfortable enough, to try to start a band. He played bass in several bands until the age of 21, when he decided to teach himself how to play drums. He switched back and forth between bass guitar and drums for a few years, depending on the band he was in. He spent the first several years (1980–1984) playing in cover bands, playing backyard parties, school talent shows, and events of this nature.
1980s
In the early-mid 1980s, the Miami punk scene barely existed, for all but a handful of bands. He started a band around 1986, called N.R.K. (which was an acronym for the word anarchy), and then later the name was changed to The Accused (not the famous The Accused, they had selected this name before realizing there was a band by that same name already). The band was very heavily influenced by the old school punk bands, Dead KennedysDead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
, Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, etc. That was his first real punk band, and he was playing drums. That didn't last long. Shortly after, he started playing bass and singing in Not Dead Yet (1986–88), one of Miami's first prominent hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands. Not Dead Yet, along with other local bands such as Chocolate Grasshopper, FWA and Cultural Brain Rot, helped establish the Miami punk scene back then. Not Dead Yet was influenced by bands such as Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
, Youth of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...
, 7 Seconds, G.B.H.
G.B.H.
GBH was a seven-part British television drama written by Alan Bleasdale shown in the summer of 1991 on Channel 4. The protagonists were Michael Murray , the Militant Labour leader of a city council in the North of England and Jim Nelson , the headmaster of a school for disturbed children...
, and many others.
After a couple of years and Not Dead Yet had run its course, he joined the south Florida based F-Boyz (who later went on to form Hickey in San Francisco) during 1988-1989. He now was playing drums. The F-Boyz were known for their insane stage antics and their own brand of what he liked to call "punk mock n roll" (punk rock, with a very tongue-in-cheek take on the genre, basically poking fun at anything and everything). They were very heavily influenced by bands such as The Meatmen
The Meatmen
The Meatmen are an American punk band headed by Tesco Vee originally from 1980 to 1997, and reformed in 2008. They are currently still touring and recording.The Meatmen made fun of the hardcore punk scene of the time...
, Stevie Stiletto, The Misfits, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and even Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. The F-Boyz (later changing their name to Fuckboyz) eventually moved to San Francisco from south Florida, where the band continued to play shows, then late 1989 due to differences, he left the band and came back to Miami.
1990s
George took a break for a year, then he started singing for a band who was just starting out, Jobbernowl. This lasted for about 2 and a half years (1990–1992). Jobbernowl was a very melodic punk band, in the vein of ALL, DescendentsDescendents (band)
The Descendents are an American punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California. As of 2011, they have released six studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums and three EPs. The Descendents broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different musicians...
, Big Drill Car, etc. The Miami punk scene was great then, and flourishing. Lots of bands and venues to play. All ages places were everywhere..The Thrash Can, The Warehouse, and many more, gave bands the opportunity to play to younger and bigger crowds. Jobbernowl ended up recording a 7" for Re-Core-Ds records from Germany, and a 10" for Dr. Strange records. They were also featured on a limited edition compilation record on Dr. Strange records, featuring bands like Face To Face
Face to Face (punk band)
Face to Face is an American pop punk band from Victorville, California formed in 1991 by frontman Trever Keith. Originally known as "Zero Tolerance", Keith had been the only constant member of the band during their years of touring and recording albums. The group was initially signed by Dr. Strange...
, Guttermouth
Guttermouth
Guttermouth is an American punk rock band formed in 1988 in Huntington Beach, California and currently recording for Hopeless Records. They have released nine full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
, and many others. Eventually, the band members in Jobbernowl all went their separate ways, and so George started his search for a new band.
George then came across a couple of ex-members from a Miami band called The Naughty Puritans, who were starting out a new band after their old band broke up, and so he gave it a shot on drums and things went well. This was the start of Cell 63 (1992–1995). Cell 63 was a straight-up roots rock/punk band, who was heralded as the "new Replacements".
With influences like Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....
, Social Distortion
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
, The Replacements, Cell 63 was creating a nice little following of their own. They recorded their first self-titled CD, CELL 63, and released it with great reception. A year and a half later, to follow up the success of their first CD, they recorded and released Once Upon A Drunk. Their second CD did much better than the first and started to garner the band some national attention. Cell 63 decided to do a short tour to promote the CD, and booked a 2-week East Coast tour. Shortly after the tour, the band unfortunately parted ways.
After the demise of Cell 63, Rob Coe (singer/guitarist for Cell 63) and George decided to start a new band from the ashes of Cell 63, so Fay Wray was formed (1996), composed of ex-members of Quit and Cell 63, Fay Wray released 2 CDs on Gainesville's No Idea record label. Fay Wray had a very distinct "Gainesville" sound (like that of other Gainesville bands such as Radon, Spoke, etc.), although 3/4 of the band was based out of Miami. George was involved in the birth of Fay Wray, and played drums for the band for a little over a year until the band broke up in 1997 (only to reform a year later with a new drummer and bassist).
2000s
After Fay Wray, George took some time off again to collect his musical thoughts. In 2000, he started playing drums in a Miamistreet punk band called Torpedo Lucas, who was very heavily influenced by bands such as Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
, Social Distortion, and many others. Torpedo Lucas started playing around the south Florida area, quickly establishing a decent following. The band ended up recording 2 e.p. CDs within the course of 2 years. Eventually Torpedo Lucas broke up in 2002 after some line-up difficulties.
In October 2002, George decided to organize a Misfits tribute band called The Braineaters, complete with stage props, Crimson Ghost, the whole nine yards. It was a one-show band he put together. It was something he had always wanted to do but could never find other musicians who wanted to join him. George finally found Todd and David (who later became part of the original Van Orsdels line-up) and Brian from Underpaid. The show was a success!
After The Braineaters project, Todd, David and George decided to keep playing and so The Van Orsdels were born (2003).
The Van Orsdels had the distinction of being south Florida's very first (and apparently only) psychobilly band. He was finally playing the music he had been longing to play, but was unable to find musicians who wanted to play psychobilly. They eventually found Bruno and The Van Orsdels were well on their way. The band members all adopted the last name of "Van Orsdel", in honor of The Ramones, and to portray a sense of unity. In 2003, The Van Orsdels recorded a 7 song ep CD, titled "Ain't Life a Drag?" which was very well received. They continued to play and establish themselves, locally and regionally. Then in 2005, the Van Orsdels signed to Crazy Love records and released their second CD, their first full-length release Miami Morgue Riot! which established the band on a national level and earned them many fans across the country, as well as globally. In August 2005, The Van Orsdels decided to do their first tour, so they booked a short East Coast tour which went very well. The Van Orsdels are still chugging right along, doing great despite many obstacles and roadblocks. The band has several projects coming soon, including songs that will be featured in an upcoming independent horror film Shadow Grove.
In 2007, George recorded a song for the Gris Grimly DVD release of his debut film Cannibal Flesh Riot!. The DVD was released featuring a bonus CD which included songs inspired by the movie. George's contribution was a song titled "The Ballad of Stash and Hub". He has also recorded some acoustic songs with The Van Orsdels, which were featured on the CD Leftovers. "The Ballad of Stash and Hub" was also featured on the Leftovers CD. George has also made several solo acoustic recordings, which have not yet been released. Due to the inactivity of The Van Orsdels as of 2010, George began writing and recording music for a solo project called The Family Ghouls, a horrorpunk project which consists of George writing and performing the songs under the name "Vincent Van Ghoul", playing all the instruments, and performing all the vocals. As of April 2010, several songs have been released as demo versions on The Family Ghouls' official MySpace page.Also as of April 2010, the future of The Van Orsdels is uncertain, as the band still remain on hiatus.
On August 11, 2010, George posted a blog on The Van Orsdels' official MySpace page stating that the band indeed is now officially done. There was an indication that there might possibly be a Van Orsdels reunion show in the future.
Selected discography
Appears on:- Wake Up And Smell The Coffee - Not Dead Yet (CS) 1987 (on bass guitar and lead vocals)
- Those Damn Kids! - Not Dead Yet(CS) 1987 (on bass guitar and lead vocals)
- Rock N' Roll Problem - F-Boyz (vinyl) Truth About Fonzie 1990 (on drums)
- Static Head - Jobbernowl (vinyl) Re-Core-Ds records 1992 (on vocals)
- CELL 63 - Cell 63 (CD) Cellout Records 1993 (on drums and backing vocals)
- Once Upon A drunk... - Cell 63 (CD) Cellout Records 1994 (performing on drums, backing vocals, organ, acoustic guitar)
- Fay Wray - Fay Wray (CD) No Idea Records 1996 (on drums and backing vocals)
- Self-Propelled - Torpedo Lucas (CD) Cuppa Joe records 2001 (on drums and backing vocals)
- Take Your Turn - Torpedo Lucas (CD) Cuppa Joe records 2002 (on drums, backing and lead vocals)
- Ain't Life A Drag? - The Van Orsdels (CD) Cuppa Joe Records 2003 (on vocals)
- Miami Morgue Riot! - The Van Orsdels (CD) Crazy Love records 2005 (on vocals)
- Cannibal Flesh Riot!:The Jams - (as George Van Orsdel, on "The Ballad of Stash and Hub") (CD) Mad Creator Productions 2007
- Leftovers - The Van Orsdels (CD) TVO Skeletunes Records 2007 (on vocals)
- Psychobilly Christmas - The Van Orsdels (on "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch") (CD) Cleopatra Records 2008
- Rockabilly & Psychobilly Madness - The Van Orsdels (on "Grenade") (2 CD set) Cleopatra Records 2011
External links
- The Van Orsdels' Official Website
- Matty Luv tribute website, guitarist for The F-Boyz. Describes a history of The F-Boyz (also known as Fuckboyz)