Category Archives: Vinnie Paul

Official Website:
http://hellyeahband.com

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Hellyeah and Down are co-headliners of Dirtfest 2015!

Hellyeah will headline on Friday Aug 7 and Down will headline on Saturday Aug 8. The show takes place at the Birch Run Expo Center in Birch Run, Michigan.

Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.dirtfest.com/2015/tickets.html

For up to date info on what bands are performing on what days, check out the Dirtfest website here: http://www.dirtfest.com/2015/

Vinnie’s band Hellyeah is on tour with Slayer and King Diamond right now! Check out dates, locations, ticket links, and videos from the tour here.

Asked by Simon the WRRV Interview Series if he was looking forward to HELLYEAH’s participation in this summer’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with SLAYER, Vinnie said: “Oh yeah, man. SLAYER is one of my favorite bands of all time, and to be on a tour with them is absolutely a dream come true. In 1999, we did a thing called the ‘Reinventing The Steel’ tour with PANTERA, when I was still with them, and SLAYER was part of that, and it was a great tour. And we’ve just been killer friends for a long time. So playing with them, and also the mighty KING DIAMOND, is gonna be a dream come true, man. It’s gonna be something I’m really looking forward to, and every metalhead needs to be there this summer.”

Some videos from the festival so far:

Remaining dates and ticket links to see Slayer, King Diamond, The Devil Wears Prada, Whitechapel, Thy Art Is Murder, and many more on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Click on the date for tickes and more info:
July 03 Phoenix, AZAk-Chin Pavilion

July 04 Albuquerque, NMIsleta Amphitheatre

July 05 Morrison, CORed Rocks Amphitheatre

July 07 Council Bluffs, IAHarrah’s Council Bluffs

July 08 Milwaukee, WIEagle’s Ballroom

July 10 Noblesville, INKlipsch Music Center

July 11 Clarkston, MIDTE Energy Music Theatre

July 12 Tinley Park, ILFirst Midwest Bank Ampitheatre

July 15 Toronto, ONTD Echo Beach

July 17 Camden, NJSusquehanna Bank Center

July 18 Burgettstown, PAFirst Niagara Bank Amphitheater

July 19 Hartford, CTXfinity Theatre

July 21 Holmdel, NJPNC Bank Arts Center

July 22 Gilford, NHBank Of New Hampshire Pavillion

July 24 Bristow, VAJiffy Lube Live

July 25 Mansfield, MAXfinity Center

July 26 Wantagh, NYNikon Theater at Jones Beach

July 29 Atlanta, GAAaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood

July 31 New Braunfels, TXWhiteWater Amphitheater

August 01 The Woodlands, TXCynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

August 02 Dallas, TXGexa Energy Pavilion…

VINNIE PAUL: Heavy Metal Festivals Wouldn’t Get Same Kind Of Support In America as they do in Europe

Kerrang! Radio caught up with Vinnie and HELLYEAH guitarist Christian Brady at this year’s edition of the U.K.’s Download festival, which is being held this weekend in Donington Park
Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/vinnie-paul-european-style-heavy-metal-festivals-wouldnt-get-same-kind-of-support-in-america/#fZJvymGTSRCiKc5l.99

VINNIE: Touring With SLAYER And KING DIAMOND Is ‘Dream Come True’

Vinny recently sat down with Simon the WRRV Interview Series. You can listen to the entire interview below.

Asked if he was looking forward to HELLYEAH’s participation in this summer’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with SLAYER, Vinnie said: “Oh yeah, man. SLAYER is one of my favorite bands of all time, and to be on a tour with them is absolutely a dream come true. In 1999, we did a thing called the ‘Reinventing The Steel’ tour with PANTERA, when I was still with them, and SLAYER was part of that, and it was a great tour. And we’ve just been killer friends for a long time. So playing with them, and also the mighty KING DIAMOND, is gonna be a dream come true, man. It’s gonna be something I’m really looking forward to, and every metalhead needs to be there this summer.”

Dates and ticket links to see Slayer, King Diamond, The Devil Wears Prada, Whitechapel, Thy Art Is Murder, and many more on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Click on the date for tickes and more info:

June 26Chula Vista, CASleep Train Amphitheatre

June 27San Bernardino, CASan Manuel Amphitheater

June 30SE Auburn, WAWhite River Amphitheater

July 01Nampa, IDFord Idaho Center

July 03Phoenix, AZAk-Chin Pavilion

July 04Albuquerque, NMIsleta Amphitheatre

July 05Morrison, CORed Rocks Amphitheatre

July 07Council Bluffs, IAHarrah’s Council Bluffs

July 08Milwaukee, WIEagle’s Ballroom

July 10Noblesville, INKlipsch Music Center

July 11Clarkston, MIDTE Energy Music Theatre

July 12Tinley Park, ILFirst Midwest Bank Ampitheatre

July 15Toronto, ONTD Echo Beach

July 17Camden, NJSusquehanna Bank Center

July 18Burgettstown, PAFirst Niagara Bank Amphitheater

July 19Hartford, CTXfinity Theatre

July 21Holmdel, NJPNC Bank Arts Center

July 22Gilford, NHBank Of New Hampshire Pavillion

July 24Bristow, VAJiffy Lube Live

July 25Mansfield, MAXfinity Center

July 26Wantagh, NYNikon Theater at Jones Beach

July 29Atlanta, GAAaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood

July 31New Braunfels, TXWhiteWater Amphitheater

August 01The Woodlands, TXCynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

August 02Dallas, TXGexa Energy Pavilion

Enter the Dimebag Darrell, Pantera and DR STRINGS Worldwide Giveaway! Go here to enter: http://smarturl.it/dimedrgiveaway

Giveaway starts today, ending on Sunday, June 7, 2015

strings

Vinnie Paul says HELLYEAH will begin to work on a new album in early 2016

Crazy G of NewEnglandConcertReviews.com conducted an interview with Vinnie Paul when HELLYEAH played at DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts on May 8. Hear the entire interview below. Following are some excerpts:

On the making of HELLYEAH’s fourth album, 2014’s “Blood For Blood”:
“It was a really trying CD at first. We knew we had a couple of bandmembers that really had lost their focus and were becoming a detriment to the band, so we parted company with [bassist] Bob [‘Zilla’ Kahaha] and [guitarist] Greg [Tribbett]. And myself, Tom [Maxwell, guitar] and Chad [Gray, vocals] wrote the record. I think we made the most intense HELLYEAH record ever.

On HELLYEAH’s continued success:
“We’ve worked very hard from Day One, [since] this band started, and we haven’t slowed down, we haven’t stopped, and we don’t intend on it. We’re not 25 years old anymore, so we don’t have any time to waste. We really enjoy what we’re doing, and luckily, all of us are in great health right now, happy and loving what we’re doing. And the stage is what we live for, man.”

On HELLYEAH’s upcoming activities:
“We really, from the start of this record [‘Blood For Blood’], wanted to do a complete two-year touring cylcle, which we really haven’t had the opportunity to do with any of the previous HELLYEAH records. We would put a record out, tour for a year and go right back and start working on another one. And so we’re finally getting into the second year of touring for this record, and it’s just starting. After this tour, we go straight to Europe, where [we’ll be] for a month, and as soon as we get back from there, we do [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem [Festival] all summer with SLAYER and the mighty KING DIAMOND, which is gonna be an absolutely amazing tour; I’m really looking forward to that. And as soon as that’s done, we go to Australia and New Zealand, Japan and Indonesia, and then we come back and we do another run here early next year, which will be our final run, and then we start working on a new record.”

Washington Times interviews Vinnie Paul!

vinniewashingtontimes

(Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)

Full article on the washingtontimes.com here.

Washington Times: Musically, where is the band at this time?

Vinnie: We feel like we finally accomplished the true Hellyeah sound. It took us four records, but it all came together on this CD: The sound, the songs and the production all fit each other.

The first two Hellyeah records were kind of experimental metal meets blues meets Southern rock meets rock ‘n’ roll. This one is really focused. It’s what fans expected from the start. It’s a great place to be right now.

Washington Times: Do you believe in the healing power of music?

Vinnie: Absolutely. Music speaks to you when nobody else can. It’s truly a great escape for many people and has so much to offer on so many levels.

Washington Times: Do you have a favorite rock ‘n’ roll memory?

Vinnie: Pantera was the opening band on the Kiss reunion tour in 1997, with all the original members. We toured with them in South America. We did three nights in Mexico City, then we had a flight on my birthday, which is March 11, and we were on a flight from Mexico City to San Diego, Chile.

Kiss was in first class, and we were in business class. Halfway through the flight, all four of the original members of Kiss came back to me and sang “Happy Birthday” in four-part harmony. They gave me a “KissStory” book. I felt like a 14-year-old kid. I had tears coming out of my eyes.

They took us under their wing, really liked us, and it was a great tour.

Hellyeah is currently on tour, check here for dates.

Full article on the washingtontimes.com here.…

TMZ plays video of Vinnie reaching out to Wyatt! New ddrum starter kit on the way!

The video says it all!

Click here to see the original story on tmz.com.

Click here to see Wyatt on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Click here to see the original video.

To those who are new to Pantera and are just dropping by out of curiosity, the name of the song Wyatt is drumming to is “5 Minutes Alone”. It can be sampled/picked up on iTunes here: http://smarturl.it/5minit or Amazon here: http://smarturl.it/5minaz…. and for extensive information on the song and the album it’s on, check out the Far Beyond Driven discography page here: http://pantera.com//farbeyonddriven/

kids

Vinnie talks to metal-rules.com and draws some comparisons between Pantera and Hellyeah

Here are some excerpts from the entire interview which can be found here:
http://www.metal-rules.com/metalnews/2014/09/01/interview-with-vinnie-paul-hellyeah-pantera/

MR – You mentioned earlier just how well produced the album is. You had Kevin Churko produce this one for you. You yourself produced the first two Hellyeah records have you never fancied getting back to producing or do you just enjoy the relative freedom of writing and playing now?

VP – I’ve produced or at least co-produced every record I’ve ever been a part of, right the way back to the Pantera stuff and was nice to just mainly be the drummer. Although I pre-produced everything before it went to Kevin. So most of the music stayed the same, but Kevin dragged the very best out of Chad. Really out of Tom too and out of myself. You know, he’s just an awesome producer. He makes the record that you want to make. He doesn’t make the record that the record company wants or that he wants to make. He really understood the vision of the band and brought the best out of us.

MR – Well that’s definitely good to hear. Hellyeah will always be compared to the bands you’ve played in previously going back as far as Pantera, how do you deal with that?

VP – It’s not hard for me to deal with because I’m not in those bands anymore, I’m in Hellyeah. You know it’s the same thing as Jimmy Page or Robert Plant, they’re always gonna be known as the guys from Led Zepplin. It doesn’t matter what they do outside of that. You know, it’s a good legacy to have but people do have to realise that that was then and this is now. A lot of people get hung up on living in the past and I’m not doing that. I’m living for today and for tomorrow. What I did back then was amazing, it was great and I’m hoping to achieve that again with this. It’s a much different day and age, it’s more difficult and harder but I’m willing to do it. A lot of people being from a band like I was wouldn’t come play a place like this they’d say “Fuck that! I’m not gonna do that. I’ve been there and done it.” But I love it. It’s a challenge, its fun.

MR – How would you describe Hellyeah as a band today? And has anything changed since the start?
VP – Well the reason why we started the band was to get back into music for the reason we started in the first place – the love of music. When you’re in a band like Mudvayne or Pantera they turn into a business after a while and the fun goes away from it because it’s a lot of fuckin’ work. I try telling people all the time – try being married to one person for any length of time much less four or five other guys in the band you know that’s what it’s like. You really have to learn give and take and how things work. But Hellyeah, right now with the new guys in the band, it feels like why we started again – the people love making the music.…

Vinnie Paul speaks to Music Radar about his groundbreaking approach to drumming

From musicradar.com:

Combining groove and power, the metal legend’s way

DRUM EXPO 2014: In 1992, Pantera redefined the sound and future direction of metal with the seminal classic Vulgar Display Of Power, an album that proved it was possible to be brutally heavy without sacrificing the ability to groove. Vinnie Paul and his gifted guitarist brother Dimebag Darrell exemplified a new musical mentality in playing metal, locking the drums like glue to the guitar riff rather than to the bass line.

Still laying it down with his customary power and thunderous drums, Vinnie walks us through his groundbreaking approach from its origins in Pantera, right up to the present day with Hellyeah. Here he chooses six songs from his back catalogue, dissecting them in terms of gear, technique, feel and inspiration.
Becoming – Pantera

Technique: “That’s something I came up with when we were doing Far Beyond Driven. I was messing around with bouncing the right foot, creating a double stroke in between each 16th note. The minute my brother heard it he said, ‘Man, we’ve got to write a song around that.’ People make it more difficult than it really is – it’s just a bounce with the right foot on every other note.”
Gear/sound: “It was the Pearl drum set I had back then. They were all super big drums: 24″ x 24″ kick drums, then 14″ x 14″, 15″ x 15″ and 18″ x 18″ toms. I used this Sonor snare that I picked up a long time ago at a pawn shop. It was my most favourite sounding snare I’ve ever had. I still have it, it’s a 12-ply birch wood snare and I used Remo K Flam heads and regular pinstripes around the toms. I’ve been using Sabian from day one.”

To read the entire interview, click here.…

New interview with Rex, new lyric video from Hellyeah for “Moth”, new pro-shot live video of Down doing “We Knew Him Well”.

Madcap Music Review’s John Golden interviews Rex Brown and Johnny Kelly of Kill Devil Hill.

Check out the lyric video for “Moth” by HELLYEAH off the new album ‘Blood for Blood’! Get ‘BLOOD FOR BLOOD’

Down “We Knew Him Well” Filmed on location by Mike Holderbeast and the Cement Level Crew: William Holderby Sr.,Caro Bab, Robert Major and Ryan..Audio recorded and mastered by Steven W. Richardson..Special thanks to Mr. Bruce Corbitt.