Pete Friesen
Encyclopedia
Pete Friesen is a guitarist who has toured the world and recorded with such acts as Alice Cooper
, The Almighty and Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson
.
, Saskatchewan
, Canada
. While still playing under the name "Pete Freezin'", he was a member of VO5 with a pre-Skid Row Sebastian Bach
. He was a member of Alice Cooper
's band from 1989–1991, 1998–2000 and 2002. He played on both the Trash and Hey Stoopid tours, and also appears in the film Wayne's World alongside Cooper.
Friesen left Cooper's band in 1992 and moved to the UK to join Scottish rock band The Almighty. He recorded and toured with the band from 1992 until 1996. The band recorded the top 5 album Powertrippin for Polydor, and Crank and Just Add Life for Chrysalis/EMI records. They opened up Donington festival in 1992 and the following year supported Metallica at Milton Keynes Bowl. They did several headline tours through the UK, as well as tours in Europe,Japan, Australia, U.S.A., and South America. They disbanded in 1996, but the lineup featuring Friesen reformed in January 2006 to play two shows to raise money for leukemia
research. These were followed by a couple of short UK tours in 2007 and 2008. A live DVD of the London show from the 2008 and tour has been released.
In 2002, Friesen also did a short stint playing guitar for Iron Maiden's vocalist Bruce Dickinson's solo band; they did a string of summer festival dates throughout Europe. Currently he plays with blues/funk band King Biscuit, and writes and records production music for London based company Brilliant Music.
He also teaches at the Academy of Contemporary Music
in Guildford, Surrey, England.
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, The Almighty and Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
.
Biography
Pete Friesen was born in SaskatoonSaskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. While still playing under the name "Pete Freezin'", he was a member of VO5 with a pre-Skid Row Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted within Broadway plays, and leads a successful solo career.-Early life:Bach was born Sebastian...
. He was a member of Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
's band from 1989–1991, 1998–2000 and 2002. He played on both the Trash and Hey Stoopid tours, and also appears in the film Wayne's World alongside Cooper.
Friesen left Cooper's band in 1992 and moved to the UK to join Scottish rock band The Almighty. He recorded and toured with the band from 1992 until 1996. The band recorded the top 5 album Powertrippin for Polydor, and Crank and Just Add Life for Chrysalis/EMI records. They opened up Donington festival in 1992 and the following year supported Metallica at Milton Keynes Bowl. They did several headline tours through the UK, as well as tours in Europe,Japan, Australia, U.S.A., and South America. They disbanded in 1996, but the lineup featuring Friesen reformed in January 2006 to play two shows to raise money for leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
research. These were followed by a couple of short UK tours in 2007 and 2008. A live DVD of the London show from the 2008 and tour has been released.
In 2002, Friesen also did a short stint playing guitar for Iron Maiden's vocalist Bruce Dickinson's solo band; they did a string of summer festival dates throughout Europe. Currently he plays with blues/funk band King Biscuit, and writes and records production music for London based company Brilliant Music.
He also teaches at the Academy of Contemporary Music
Academy of Contemporary Music
The Academy of Contemporary Music is a music academy located in Guildford, Surrey, England.The school differs from more traditional music academies by its focus on rock and pop music, and its vocational approach...
in Guildford, Surrey, England.