American musician (drums) and producer. Born June 20, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio and died September 21, 2022.
During the early 80s Fier made a name for himself as an extremely talented, jazz-influenced drummer, joining up with such influential bands as the Feelies, the Lounge Lizards and Pere Ubu. Even though some of those releases are regarded as seminal work, Fier usually moved on after just one album and in 1981 he set up his own business with the Golden Palominos.
The first time I heard him play I was immediately reminded of Ginger Baker of Cream fame, and when Jack Bruce appeared on the same track that association was reinforced. (Can't say I missed Eric Clapton, though). Much like Baker, Fier uses the toms a lot to add a driving beat to the music - Always elaborate, but good enough that he doesn't need to show off and steal the attention from the melody and lyrics.
Recently there have been rumors that Fier gave up on music and sold a lot of his equipment on eBay, but in early 2003 he has been seen performing live in New York
Apart from the Palominos and appearances with many other bands and artists, Fier released one solo album, Dreamspeed, in 1994.
Editor's note: Anton Fier died, aged 66, on September 21, 2022. A cause of death was not immediately stated.