Fondle was a silly band that formed during the blizzard of 1994. The original lineup included Josh on vocals, Ben on bass, Erin on drums, and Tom on guitar. We braved the ice and snow for the first few months to practice in Ben’s basement and work on the first few songs. It was this original lineup that is responsible for the genius behind the Gym Teacher song.
Around the same the that Josh made contact with Joel (Plow), who helped set up the first few Fondle shows, Ben and Erin left the band. Tom and Josh wrote then next 10 or so Fondle songs over the next two weeks in preparation for their first show. ow that they had songs, all they needed was a bassist and drummer.
Rob and Kevin (Teddy Bear Picnic) stood in to back up Tom and Josh for their first show, which turned into a strange cross between punk and funk that was interesting, but not very good.
I the following month josh met Eric while participating in a lip syncing contest at a neighboring high school. Soon after that, Eric became the new Fondle bassist. They continued to practice in Tom’s basement and enjoyed many meals prepared by Tom’s mom.
When the next show came along they were still missing a drummer. George and Mikey (Mao and the Chinese Revolution/Halflings) sat in on drums, even though neither of them were actually drummers. This show also included guest appearances by Jason (Prophecy/Short Fuse) and Justin (The Diplomats). It also marked the first appearance of Carla, the “Official Fondle Go-Go Dancer”.
Shortly after this show Joel offered to fill in on drums. This represented the final Fondle lineup change and the band continued with this lineup until the end.
Oh yeah, the recorded the “Gym Teacher EP” at Creep Records somewhere in there and then tried to sell them all to kids at shows after the band stopped playing.