HELLYEAH
Photo: Chad Lee

At first, Vinnie Paul Abbott wasn't at all interested in making music again.

Not even two years had passed since the onstage assassination of his brother — and Pantera/Damageplan confederate — "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (see "Dimebag Darrell, Four Others Killed In Ohio Concert Shooting"), and really, much of his spare time was being spent running his label, Big Vin Records (see "Vinnie Paul Ready To Release Dimebag's Rebel Music"). Committing himself to a new band was just something he couldn't bring himself to do. But that didn't stop Nothingface bassist Jerry Montano from trying.

"Since May of last year, I started getting phone calls from Jerry, who I've known for a long time, just saying that they planned on putting something together and they needed a heavy hitter — they needed me," the drummer explained. "And I was like, 'Man, I'm so busy with my record company, and I don't know if I'm really ready to do this again' and all that. And after about seven or eight calls, he finally caught me one night when I was in the right frame of mind. I had been drinkin' and listening to some music, and I said, 'You know what? Let's give this thing a shot.' The next day, I talked to everybody in the band, and everyone was so super cool and had the same mindset."

Abbott invited the rest of the group that would inevitably become Hellyeah — Montano, Nothingface's Tom Maxwell and Mudvayne's Chad Gray and Gregg Tribbett — down to his Texas abode, and within eight days, the band had written seven complete songs. The guys jammed inside the same studio where Abbott had worked with Dime on the final few Pantera LPs, Damageplan's debut offering and the Rebel Meets Rebel album.

"It was just magic, man," Abbott recalled. "It was like it was meant to be. I think, just given everything I've been through, it's something that, if it hadn't fallen into my lap, I may not have ever been a part of again. It just sorta came to me."

And truth be told, Abbott's impressed with the final results: Hellyeah's self-titled debut, which drops April 10.

"I honestly think it's the best record I've been a part of since [Pantera's 1992 classic] Vulgar Display of Power," he said. "The thing that makes me feel that way about it is, when we made Vulgar, it was just magic. It happened. Everybody's mindset was in the right place. After that record, we never had that same vibe. We still made amazing records, but there were all these forces pulling us in different directions. So when we made [the Hellyeah] record, I had that same kind of feeling. It was just too easy. Everybody was into it. And I feel these songs are that strong, and I think everybody brought something special to the table.

"It's just a special record," he added, "and I really believe we're gonna be f---ing kick-ass live. We haven't done any live shows yet, but I know that everybody comes from a band that's been known as a kick-ass live band. So I know the five of us together are going to make some hellacious noise."

The upcoming album took the band about a collective month — spread out over several months — to write and record. When it hits shelves, it will boast a dozen brutal tracks, including "You Wouldn't Know," "GodDamn," "Rotten to the Core" and "Alcohaulin' Ass," which Abbott said is "a good song about drinking and something that all guys kind of tend to like, and that's ass."

Abbott thinks some fans will be surprised by Hellyeah's tracks, and he said the entire LP is a "very song-oriented record." To him, "it's music with an attitude. It's like a familiar groove but with a new sound. I really don't think it sounds anything like the bands that any of us are from. I think it has its own sound, its own identity, and it's special in that aspect."

While its members consider Hellyeah a bona fide band, its formation will not impact either Mudvayne — who are working on the follow-up to 2005's Lost and Found — or Nothingface's future. "The way that all of us talk about approaching this thing is being able to be in two bands and have 'em both function — kind of like Stone Sour and Slipknot," Abbott said. "This is a real band; it's no side project."

Hopping on the Hellyeah boat has been instrumental in helping Abbott heal and come to terms with his brother's death. It's also returned him to one of his first loves: making music.

"I didn't know if it was ever gonna be in the cards for me to do again," Abbott said. "It's a big step, and it's only been two years, but to me, it feels like a whole 'nother lifetime. And I just have to say, I give credit to these guys for making me feel comfortable and enjoying doing what we did and making it fun again. It's been a blast. So, I am glad I went ahead and did it. I knew I loved it, and I knew I missed it. I knew I wanted to get back to it, but it was just a matter of learning how to do it without Dime. It brings me back to what I love, and it's a new life, but it's something I'm going to embrace, and I'm going to go at it just as f---ing hard as I did with anything else.

"I'll never be the same, but I've kinda learned that this is my life now, and this is the way it is, and I've got to do the very best I can or Dime's gonna kick my ass one way or another sooner or later," he continued. "I've done my best to carry the torch, because he always used to say, 'You have to keep on keeping on.' So I am doing what I think he wants me to do and what I've got to do to stay sane."

Abbott said Hellyeah will tour extensively this year but that they're still mapping things out. Playing this summer's Ozzfest would make perfect sense for Hellyeah, considering all the bandmembers have taken the festival's stage before. And if Sharon Osbourne extended an offer, the band would gladly take her up on it, Abbott said.

"We will definitely be on tour all summer, and we're definitely looking forward to it," he said. "Ozzfest would be awesome. That's all I can say about that. I'm a veteran of Ozzfest. Everybody knows it's the premier summer tour, so if we were offered to be a part of that, that would just be super, man."

• Vinnie Paul
• Pantera
• Damageplan
• Mudvayne
• Nothingface

Hilary Duff
Photo: Evan Agostini/ Getty Images

Hilary Duff's relying on neither her sister nor her boyfriend for help with her next album. While Haylie helped write songs on her debut, she's sitting out this time, as are Joel and Benji Madden, who had produced the three new songs on Hilary's Most Wanted greatest-hits collection. "They're working on their own album," Hilary explained. "I'm writing most of the stuff this time. It's kind of just Kara [DioGuardi, a frequent Hilary collaborator] and me writing, and then going in the studio and recording." While it's still "very early on," she said, she's going in a new direction, "more dancey ... but really hip-hop because we're using a lot of real instruments." "I don't know exactly how to explain what we're doing, but it's fun and funky and different, something new for me," she said. "It's really cool." In the meantime, Hilary has unveiled her newly designed Stuff by Hilary Duff fall collection, as well as HilaryOnRed.com, a new Web site for her fashion line. The site will feature a fashion show on Tuesday in which she'll offer up commentary while seven young runway models showcase each new look to the tune of the singer's new single, "Play With Fire." ...

"American Idol" hopefuls should bone up on the classics, if Simon Cowell's favorite songs are any indication of what he wants to hear in auditions. The judge, who shared his all-time favorites on BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs," revealed eight top tracks — and only one, Daniel Bedingfield's "If You're Not the One," was released in the past 30 years. Tops for Cowell is Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife," which he called "the best song ever made, ever produced, ever sung." Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love With You" is his pick for "sexiest song ever," while he named Charles Aznavour's "She" among "the most beautiful songs of all time." Cowell said he'd also choose to bring a mirror on his island adventure — "because I'd miss me." ...

Kate Hudson and the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson are separating after being married for six years, The Associated Press reports. The couple have a 2-year-old son, Ryder Russell Robinson. ... Travis Barker's ex Shanna Moakler is dusting herself off and hitting the dance floor next month for ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." The former Miss USA will be facing off against "High School Musical" star Monique Coleman; singers Willa Ford and Sara Evans; talk-show host Jerry Springer; football legend Emmitt Smith; actors Vivica A. Fox, Mario López, Harry Hamlin, Joe Lawrence; and conservative talking head Tucker Carlson in the ballroom-dancing competition, the third season of which premieres September 12. ...

Dancer/rapper/model Kevin Federline is a man of many hats, and now he's adding record executive to the mix. Federation Records, a joint venture between Federline and manager Dan Dymtrow, will release — you guessed it — K-Fed's own Playing With Fire as its inaugural LP. Federline's single "Lose Control" is scheduled to arrive at radio August 21, the morning after he performs the track as the closing act of the Teen Choice 2006 awards show. ... Joanna, fresh off Teen People's Rock & Shop Mall Tour, has been named the opening act for Nick Lachey's fall tour, which kicks off September 20 in Albany, New York. Joanna's debut, This Crazy Life, is due Tuesday, while her single "Let It Slide" is already at radio. ...

After shooting a special acoustic show for this week's performance night of "Rock Star: Supernova," the final eight rockers on the show hosted a mid-season party at their Los Angeles mansion. The finalists entertained guests with an impromptu jam session featuring Magni and Toby Rand dueting on U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name," Dilana (with help from Storm Large) delivering the Janis Joplin staple "Me and Bobby McGee" and Ryan Star debuting one of his own tunes. ... Former Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul is teaming up with Mudvayne's Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett, and Nothingface's Jerry Montano and Tom Maxwell, for a new project that has yet to be named. In a bulletin on Nothingface's MySpace page, Montano said the material that the new group has been working on "is amazing," and that the still-unnamed act's album should be out in the spring, followed by a U.S. tour. ...

Having spent most of the summer abroad, the Strokes will return to North America later this month to kick off a string of live shows. The band has four gigs set in Mexico between August 30 and September 3, and will play Toronto on September 10. The Strokes mark their return to the U.S. with a September 12 performance in Boston and have headlining shows scheduled in Ithaca, New York (September 17); Norfolk, Virginia (September 19); Pompano Beach, Florida (September 24); Kansas City, Missouri (October 1); Albany, New York (October 6); and Hampton Beach, New Hampshire (October 8). The Strokes will also open for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in Chicago (September 14-15); Gainesville, Florida (September 21); Atlanta (September 22) and Los Angeles (September 26). ... Brooklyn, New York, rockers TV on the Radio are hitting the road in support of their upcoming album, Return to Cookie Mountain, which is due September 12. The 25-date North American trek kicks off September 14 in New Orleans and comes to a close November 21 in Philadelphia. The tour includes stops at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on September 16 and a two-night stand at New York's Irving Plaza on November 17 and 18. ...

The Used claim the album they've been recently working on will be "the best record we have ever written." In an online post, bassist Jeph Howard described the writing process as "amazing ... I'm really so stoked." The band has written 22 songs, and Howard explained that "the record is coming along better than ever and we all feel more strongly about the Used than we ever have." No word yet on when the LP will surface. ... More dates have been revealed for Atreyu's upcoming trek with From First to Last, Every Time I Die and Chiodos. The tour will hit San Diego on October 6; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on October 15; Seattle on November 14; and Hollywood on November 20. ... Dates for Eighteen Visions' upcoming tour with Bullet for My Valentine, Escape the Fate and Drop Dead, Gorgeous are beginning to trickle out. The run will be making stops in Dallas (September 22); Austin, Texas, (September 23); Houston (September 24); Lake Buena Vista, Florida (September 27); and St. Petersburg, Florida (September 29). Additional stops will be announced in the coming weeks. ...

Last week's foiled terrorist plot targeting U.K.-to-U.S. flights has made traveling by plane a pain — just ask Snow Patrol. Two of the band's gigs — an Auburn, Washington, show scheduled for last Saturday and a Portland, Oregon, performance on last Sunday — were scratched when just two members of the five-man band were able to cross the Atlantic in time for the performances. "Continued delays and problems securing new flights have made it impossible for [frontman Gary Lightbody, drummer Jonny Quinn and bassist Paul Wilson] to arrive in time for the concerts," the band said in a statement. "Snow Patrol regrets any inconvenience or disappointment it has caused its fans." There's no word yet on when the band will reschedule the missed gigs, but the Patrol expect to make the show they have scheduled for Tuesday in Boston. ... The Rolling Stones have canceled a concert scheduled for Monday in Valladolid, Spain, after Mick Jagger was ordered to rest his voice. The singer has laryngitis, the band said in a statement, while a spokesperson for the show's promoter said the gig isn't likely to be rescheduled. "I am very sorry to be canceling this show," Jagger apologized to ticket holders in a statement posted on the band's Web site. "I always love playing in Spain, but unfortunately, I have no other choice." ... Boy George reported for duty at New York's Department of Sanitation on Monday (August 14) at 7.a.m., and was soon sweeping up trash and leaves from city streets before a crowd of journalists and photographers, AP reports. The singer, who was ordered to perform community service after pleading guilty to reporting a false incident earlier this year, quickly began to clash with the media. "Go home," the former Culture Club frontman told reporters. "This is supposed to be making me humble. ... I just want to do my job."

08.11.2006

Jessica Simpson is asking fans to help determine the second single from her new album A Public Affair, due August 29. Fans can listen on her Web site and vote between "If You Were Mine," "The Lover in Me," "I Belong to Me," "B.O.Y.," "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" and "I Don't Want to Care." ...

As Beyoncé's September 5 B'Day draws nearer (her actual birthday is one day earlier), the singer has "Ring the Alarm" set as the second single from her second solo album. The video for "Alarm," directed by Sophie Muller (Shakira, No Doubt), is scheduled to premiere this month. ...

A judge denied a bid by the family of Notorious B.I.G. to expand its wrongful-death lawsuit against the city, The Associated Press reported Friday (August 11). The family requested last month that the lawsuit also include claims that an on-duty police officer was at the site where the killing occurred, but U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper denied the motion. Cooper said there was "no admissible evidence that [the officer] was on duty ... at the scene of the murder." ...

Tego Calderón has firmed up an August 29 release date for his Atlantic Records debut, The Underdog/ El Subestimado. Reggae king Buju Banton and reggaetón guru Don Omar are among the guests. ... Wyclef Jean is teaming up with Asian pop star Sun. The Fugees rapper is producing the singer's next album. ...

NBA star Ron Artest, fresh off touring with Fat Joe, will release his debut hip-hop album, My World, on October 24. Mike Jones and Allure are among the guests. ... Aly & AJ's "Chemicals React" has been translated into the Sims' native language of Simlish for "The Sims 2: Pets," due October 17. A video for the track is featured on the group's new deluxe edition of Into the Rush. ... Actress/model Jaime King is the new face for Jay-Z's Rocawear line, joining supermodel Naomi Campbell. She is currently featured with Naomi and Jay in the fall holiday ad campaign, which was shot in Aspen, Colorado. "Jay-Z thinks they are two females that represent the Rocawear lifestyle," a Rocawear rep said. ...

New York's Radio City Music Hall is big, but not big enough to contain all of Harry Potter's fans. Millions missed out on J.K. Rowling's juicy question-and-answer session earlier this month at the "An Evening With Harry, Carrie & Garp" charity event benefiting the Haven Foundation and Doctors Without Borders. MTV News gave the scoop on Rowling's talk last week (see "J.K. Rowling Reveals Further Details About Final 'Harry Potter' "), but if you want to experience it for yourself — along with readings by Stephen King and John Irving — the event is being streamed in its entirety on Friday at Video.MSN.com. Select highlights will be available on demand starting Saturday. ...

When Paris Hilton first created her watch line, she designed a limited-edition selection of luxury timepieces priced in the $100,000 range — fair for an heiress, but a little out of regular folks' reach. Now Hilton and Abazias Diamonds are branching out with a ready-to-wear range of watches priced from $138-$230 with style names including Love Horseshoe, Naked Eyes and Bikini — that one has two faces. ... A previously unreleased solo track from Dave Grohl is among the songs featured on the soundtrack to "Rising Son, the Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi," due November 14. New Slightly Stoopid and Murs songs are also included, alongside contributions from Queens of the Stone Age and Gnarls Barkley. ... Kanye West isn't the only star lending his shine to the Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang fall tour. Dave Matthews Band and Van Morrison are joining the Stones as openers for select dates of the band's latest North American leg. DMB will support the group's Seattle (October 17) and El Paso, Texas (October 20), stops, while Morrison will open in Vancouver, British Columbia (November 3), and Oakland, California (November 5). West's previously announced opening spot for the Stones in Halifax, Nova Scotia, will be boosted by performances by Alice Cooper and Sloan. ...

Portishead's Geoff Barrow is a bit of a thorny curmudgeon — and he's the first to admit it. After fans suggested that au courant beatmaker Danger Mouse produce the long-awaited follow-up to Portishead's self-titled sophomore disc, issued in 1997, Barrows took to the band's MySpace blog to scoff at the idea (in poorly written fashion). "I'd rather poo in my mums suday roast than have Danger Mouse produce a Portishead record, no offence like," he wrote. A few days later, cooler heads prevailed when he appeared contrite — or at least somewhat. "Just to let you know after my rants the other day that were reported about a certain producer. I dont rate myself better or above anyone else. It was purely in responce to a message that suggested he should produce our album and also to be honest I'm a grumpy old f--- who hates everything and Gnarls Barkley." ... "Sleep Well, Drive Carefully: On the Road with Death Cab for Cutie" will kick off Starz Cinema's monthly music series. The documentary, directed by Justin Mitchell and featuring a backstage peek at life on tour, will air August 28 at 10 p.m. ... Jane's Addiction, Mastodon, Seemless, Codeseven and the Fall of Troy are among the artists whose music will be featured in the Xbox 360 game "Saints Row," which will land in stores August 29. ...

New York indie-rockers the Walkmen just released their third album, A Hundred Years Off, in May. But during the arduous recording of that disc — in their downtime — the 'Men recorded another LP: an entire reworking of Harry Nilsson's classic 1974 album Pussy Cats (produced by John Lennon). The note-for-note re-creation, Pussycats Starring the Walkmen, is due October 24. ... Connecticut hardcore stalwarts Hatebreed will be forced to skip the last date on this summer's Ozzfest. Hatebreed are missing the August 13 show in West Palm Beach, Florida, due to a death in bassist Chris Beattie's family. "[Beattie's] grandfather George had become ill and subsequently passed away yesterday," a statement from the band read. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris, his family and those who were close to George. May he rest in peace. Please understand our circumstances." ... And now an indie-rock riddle: What do you get when you add a member of Destroyer and the New Pornographers (Dan Bejar), the singer of Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown (Spencer Krug) and a founder of Frog Eyes (Casey Mercer)? The answer is Swan Lake. The newly formed group will release its debut full-length, Beast Moans, on November 21. The 13-track disc was produced by the bandmates and friends — who are also former roommates.

• Vinnie Paul
• The Strokes
• The Used
• Snow Patrol
• Boy George

Vinnie Paul
Photo: MTV News

Launching his own record label and releasing an album's worth of material that had been in the can going on three years was imperative for former Pantera/ Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul.

Big Vin Records and the upcoming self-titled debut from Rebel Meets Rebel restored meaning to his life. The album is a dozen tracks of countrified metal featuring controversial country singer David Allan Coe and the guitar prowess of Paul's late brother, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.

It has eased some of the pain Paul's been grappling with since his brother's onstage slaying at an Ohio nightclub in December 2004 (see "Dimebag Darrell, Four Others Killed In Ohio Concert Shooting").

"It's something that me and Dime really wanted to do a long time ago, but we were so busy with everything, we never could," Paul explained. "When Atlantic [Damageplan's label] passed on the Rebel Meets Rebel record because they didn't know what to do with it, I was like, 'I'm not gonna go shop this. This just fell right in my lap, and it's time for me to start this record label that I've been thinking about and, you know, put it all together.'

"It is a lot of work, trust me," he continued. "Getting on a tour bus and riding around the United States and playing for an hour and a half a night is a lot easier than this stuff. But it's fun to be able to learn both sides of the business."

There was also Dimebag's legacy to consider. His work on Rebel Meets Rebel isn't merely a footnote — it's yet another chapter in the life of one of the guitar's greatest advocates, Paul said.

"His guitar playing on this record is incredible," Paul said. "The cool thing about this record is, a lot of times when you're making metal, everything operates kind of like a machine. It's like chung, chung, chung — it's just power. And with this kind of record, it has a Rolling Stones vibe. Everybody can kind of cut loose, play what they want, and all the people really interact instead of it all kind of being one big gigantic tank moving in one direction.

"So [there was] a lot of freedom involved in making this record," Paul said. "And it gave me something to look forward to and to live for because I've never done anything without Dime. ... It's been a long road for me to get to this point where I feel I can move on in my life. And that's what I'm doing, man."

Rebel Meets Rebel, which also includes Paul behind the kit and erstwhile Pantera member Rex Brown on bass, will hit stores May 2, as will "Dimevision, Volume 1," a DVD culled from footage Dimebag had shot with a camcorder over several years on the road and at home. Paul said there will be other "Dimevision" releases down the road — it's just a matter of sifting through the tapes and organizing the material.

"It's in the total spirit of the Pantera videos," Paul said. "I mean, he's the dude that pretty much — in my opinion, a lot of people's opinions — created 'Jackass.' He never got any credit for it, but it's him, his stellar guitar playing and just being the clown that he is."

Rebel Meets Rebel and "Dimevision, Volume 1" are only the beginning for Big Vin Records. Paul said he has about 5,000 demo tapes to listen to. "I haven't really heard what I'm looking for yet," he said. "I want something that's out there. I want something that's different."

For now, though, he's focused on Rebel Meets Rebel, the closest fans are going to get to another Pantera record.

"This record, when you put it on, there's a lot of fun there. And with Rex, it has our trademark [Pantera] sound. When the three of us get together and play, there's no other band that sounds that way. It's just us performing with a different singer, especially not only a different singer but a different genre totally," he said. "It's out there, but it's cool. I don't think hard-core country fans are going to like it. I don't think hard-core metal fans are going to like it. But I think anybody that listens to a wide variety of music will totally dig it. ... I think all of our Southern roots really came together on it."

Even without Dime around to play guitar, Paul said there's a chance Rebel Meets Rebel could tour — so long as he can tap someone gifted enough to tackle the riffs. "I have a couple of people in mind that were really close to Dime and would be perfect for it," he said. "But we're just going to put out the record first and see how that goes. And then if the fan response was really, really good, I think it'd be fun to go play those songs live because they'd be killer songs live."

At the time of Dimebag's death, Paul said Damageplan had finished recording the band's sophomore disc — it sits in his house, mixed, but still needs vocals. The drummer said he has no intention of letting the songs collect dust. He's just not sure what to do with the tracks next.

"What we recorded was really, really kick-ass," Paul said. "With every band, their first record is kind of them getting settled, and their second record becomes the one that really blows up. Me and Dime just recorded all those songs ourselves. He played bass on them and guitar, and I played drums. We produced them together. They're really kick-ass. I really haven't decided what I want to do with them. I've thought about having a bunch of Dime's favorite singers sing on all the songs, which would be really cool. Or have Pat Lachman sing on them and have them be the [second] Damageplan record."

Paul said he's also looking forward to "Six-String Masterpiece: The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute," which is being sponsored by Dean Guitars, "the kind of guitar my brother made famous."

More than 50 musicians and artists — including Marilyn Manson, Derek Hess, the Deftones, Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, Dave Grohl, Slayer's Kerry King, Moby, James Hetfield of Metallica, Billy Corgan, Audioslave's Tom Morello, Zakk Wylde, Rob Zombie, Tommy Lee, Ted Nugent, Sum 41, and various members of Korn and Slipknot — were presented with a Dean Guitar and asked to paint it. The finished guitars will go on tour as a mobile exhibit, and next year they'll be auctioned off, with the proceeds earmarked for charity. One of the guitars even features the artwork of Kelly Clarkson.

"A lot of people went, 'How does she fit into this picture?' " Paul said. "True story: She used to wait on me and Dime at a comedy club in Fort Worth, Texas, back in the day before she made it on 'American Idol' and all that. So we didn't really know her, but we had met each other, and it was really cool that she did a tribute."

For more on the life of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, check out the feature "Remembering Dimebag."

• Dimebag Darrell
• Vinnie Paul
• Damageplan
• Pantera