Anton Fier

John Anton Fier III (June 20, 1956 – September 14, 2022) was an American drummer, producer, composer, and bandleader. He led The Golden Palominos, an experimental rock group active from 1981 to 2010.

Fier, known as Tony, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ruthe Marie Fier and Anton J. Fier Jr., a former Marine and electrician. His parents separated when he was young and he lived with his stepfather, a polka musician.

In the mid-late-1970s Fier worked in a record store, began drumming, and contributed to recordings by The Styrenes and Pere Ubu, which he joined in 1977 and left in 1978 when he moved to New York City. The 1978 Pere Ubu EP titled Datapanik in the Year Zero was dedicated to Fier, who doesn't play on it.

In New York City, he got a job at SoHo Music Gallery where he had the chance to talk with musicians. Answering an ad in the Village Voice, he became a member of The Feelies in 1978, playing drums on their critically acclaimed debut album Crazy Rhythms.

From June 1981 through February 1982 Fier re-joined Pere Ubu, replacing original drummer Scott Krauss. He played drums, piano, marimba and other percussion on their fifth album, Song of the Bailing Man.

Around that time, he was in The Lodge (with John Greaves) and played in the first line-up of The Lounge Lizards, appearing on their 1981 debut album. Later that year, Fier founded The Golden Palominos, which initially featured Arto Lindsay, John Zorn, Bill Laswell and Fred Frith but later became a loose collective of musicians Fier was working with at the moment.

In the mid 1980s, he was briefly a member of Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He was also a member of Swans, appearing on their 1991 album, White Light from the Mouth of Infinity.

Fier collaborated extensively with Bill Laswell, Arto Lindsay, and Rhys Chatham. He also toured and recorded with Bob Mould from Hüsker Dü and played with bassist Jack Bruce and Japanese guitarist Kenji Suzuki on the 1987 album Inazuma Super Session – "Absolute Live!!"