Tré Cool

Tr? Cool (Frank Edwin Wright III) (born December 9, 1972 in Frankfurt, Germany) is the drummer for the rock group Green Day. He joined the band shortly after the original drummer Al Sobrante left for college. He can also play the guitar, bass guitar and accordion.

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Drummer of Green Day

Tr? Cool was born Frank Edwin Wright III on December 9th, 1972. He grew up in a remote rural area known as Iron Peak and/or Spy Rock Road, 18 miles outside of Laytonville, California. When he was 14, his family moved to Willits, California, 21 miles south of Laytonville. His dad, a retired Vietnam vet, built some of the houses in the Iron Peak area, and helped build an addition to the house of Larry Livermore, their nearest neighbor and the founder of Lookout Records. Livermore also gave Tr? his nickname. At age twelve, he joined Livermore's band, the Lookouts. A lot of their gigs were at Berkeley's punk club, Gilman Street. In 1988, Tr? played a gig at a high school party for the Lookouts and a new band called Sweet Children, who later changed their name to Green Day. That gig led to Green Day signing to Lookout Records. The Lookouts and Green Day often played together in the following two years, and after the Lookouts broke up in 1990, Tr? joined Green Day as a replacement for their first drummer, John Kiffmeyer (aka Al Sobrante), who left the band to attend college.

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Marriages and children

In March 1995 Tr? married Lisa Lyons, his girlfriend, and together they had a daughter, Ramona (b. 1995). They later divorced, but remain good friends. Tr? re-married in 2000 to Claudia, and their son Frankito, which means "Little Frank", was born in 2001. They divorced in 2003, but they still live together in a house in Oakland, California, because of their child. Tr? then dated Torry Castellano (Donna C. of The Donnas). They have since separated.

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Drum-set

In the earlier years (Kerplunk! and Dookie) Tr? used a DW drum set. Since Warning Tr? has gotten his own signature Slingerland drum kit, the "Spitfire". However at the recent American Idiot tour, according to an interview published in the December issue of Drum Magazine, Tr? has parted ways with Slingerland, and as described below, now uses Ludwig. As he says: "It sounds like an instrument."

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Role in Green Day

Tr?, similarly to bass player Mike Dirnt, plays a minor role in songwriting. He rarely writes for any instrument other than drums on officially released Green Day material.

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Tr? does, however, have some writing and vocals on the band's albums. He wrote/sang the bonus track "All by Myself" on Dookie and American Idiot subtrack "Rock and Roll Girlfriend" of the medley "Homecoming". He also wrote drums, guitar, played them and sang the song "Dominated Love Slave" on Green Day's 1992 album Kerplunk!. On some rare performances of the song, Cool and Billie Joe switch instruments. You find out that Cool plays the guitar in "Rock and Roll Girlfriend", where he says "I play the S*** out the drums, and I can play the guitar". On the same album, he composed the guitar riff for the track "Welcome to Paradise" for which Billie Joe wrote the drum part. This is the only known time that he and Tr? have switched usual writing duties for an official Green Day track. Tr? also appears on the Fat Wreck compilation Short Music for Short People with Samiam, and wrote and sang several songs with the Lookouts.

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Tr? has influenced many punk drummers; Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan and Eric Westhaver of punk band A3 both cite him as a major influence. Other sticksmen as Dan Duggins from Hot Rod Circuit and Todd Hennig are also influenced more or less by his frenzied drumming style, combined with fast and powerful strokes.

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About his influences, Cool confesses that he is mostly influenced by the legendary Keith Moon, whom he idolizes and who is a clear inspiration over his own drumming duties. He also says that as well as imitating his other favourite drummers like Charlie Watts and Ginger Baker, he also endeavours to stand on his own and be an original and stand-out

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Other Bands

Tr? has been a part of The Lookouts (1985-1990), Screeching Weasel, Samiam, The Network (2003-present) in addition to his better-known role as Green Day's percussionist.

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December 9: December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 22 days remaining....

1972: 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday....

Frankfurt, Germany: redirect Frankfurt am Main...

Tré Cool related Images and Photos (experimental)

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Be Cool	Be Cool	Cool Runnings	Cool Lights I