Report: After Brother's Loss, Music Draws VINNIE PAUL Out Of Darkness
July 27, 2007, 17 years ago
Worcester Telegram has issued the following report from Scott McLennan:
Drummer Vinnie Paul figured he was done with music after his brother, guitarist Dimebag Darrell, was gunned down on stage by a deranged concertgoer during a December 8th, 2004, performance by the group DAMAGEPLAN, founded by the siblings after the breakup of their previous unit, PANTERA.
“I thought that was it for me, I didn’t want anything to do with music. It was really my darkest time,” Paul recalled during a recent interview.But a fellow drummer who experienced an inexplicable tragedy of his own helped Paul put some things into perspective.
“I got a letter from Dave Grohl,” Paul said. “He said during his darkest time, it was the music that got him through.”
And just as Grohl re-emerged with FOO FIGHTERS after the suicide of Kurt Cobain brought an end to their band NIRVANA, Paul is back making groove-laden heavy rock with a new all-star unit dubbed HELLYEAH.
Hellyeah teams Paul with singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett from the band MUDVAYNE and guitarist Tom Maxwell and bass player Jerry Montano from the group NOTHINGFACE.
Gray, Montano and Maxwell started the Hellyeah project back in 2004 when their respective bands toured together. Mudvayne’s tour schedule after the release of the Lost And Found record put Hellyeah on hold, but did provide time for Montano to pester Paul with phone calls to join the Hellyeah project.
“His persistence paid off. I was busy starting up my record company (Big Vin Records) and just didn’t want to start playing in a band. But he just kept coming, finally showing up with a fifth of Seagrams,” Paul said.
Read the full story at Worcester Telegram.
