A first generation Filipino-American, Fred Abong grew up in a family of self- taught musicians. He learned to play guitar, drums and bass by ear, and at the age of 14, started the hardcore punk band Vicious Circle, a ‘for-fun’ band that opened for bands like of The Meat Puppets, Suicidal Tendencies, 7 Seconds, and Bad Brains, among others. In 1989, Fred joined art rock heroes and fellow hometowners (Newport, RI), Throwing Muses, for the recording of 1991’s ‘The Real Ramona’ and then for the subsequent supporting tour.
After the dissolution of that version of the Muses, Fred recorded the debut album, ‘Star’, with Belly and then quietly bowed out of the music industry. For the next thirty years, Fred began to intermittently explore songwriting while he raised three children, worked in a wood shop, earned his PhD, and became a university professor in Philosophy and Religious Studies.
In 2018, Fred officially returned to the world of music, self-releasing his first solo EP, ‘Homeless’, in May of that year. In June 2018, he joined ex-Muses band-mate, Kristin Hersh, as opener on her two-week UK solo tour. In March 2019, Fred then self-released his second solo EP, ‘Pulsing’, followed by a multi-month tour of the UK and the US, this time as both solo opening act and bass player in the newly-formed KH Trio,
In 2020, scheduled SXSW appearance of the KH Trio and a multi-month solo opening/KH trio tour of the States and UK/Europe were canceled due to the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. During the lock-down, Fred self-recorded two full length records: the November 2020 self-released ‘Our Mother of Perpetual Help’, and the soon to be released (April 2022) ‘Yellowthroat’ (with 50 Foot Wave/KH Trio drummer Rob Ahlers as producer/instrumentalist).
Currently, Fred is working on his next full-length record while also organizing a handful of solo shows in new hometown, Providence, RI. From late April to June 2022, Fred will once again be opening solo as well as playing bass in
the KH Trio for a UK/European/US tour .