Is DEVILDRIVER 'The Next PANTERA?'

August 17, 2007

Sant Barbara, California's DEVILDRIVER will be the featured band on this Sunday's (August 19) "Rebel Access" TV, which airs at 10:00 p.m. on Channel 19 all over the Chicagoland area. The entire episode is dedicated to DEVILDRIVER, featuring videos, interview, and live performance footage shot while they were in Chicago. An exclusive interview with frontman Dez Fafara and John Boecklin contains their recollections on how the two met and formed the band. John explained, "We are in small town in this bar, and I had heard Dez wanted to start another band. So I came up to him and I told him I play guitar and he says to me, 'Why should I pick you over this guy?' and I said, 'Well, that guy can shred my face off, but he can't write a song.' Dez put up his drink and said, 'Honesty I like it.'"

DEVILDRIVER was reportedly dubbed "the next PANTERA" by that group's former lead singer Philip Anselmo, who has been friends with Fafara since the mid-'90s. When asked about Anselmo's stamp of approval, Dez replied, "Phil is by far the best frontman out there, and everyone knows we've been friends for a long time. We first heard that comment when we were at a press conference in Europe. That comment kinda humbles you, and you don't know what to really say to that. There will never be another [PANTERA] — no one is trying to do that, we can never hold a candle to that band. All the things you have to say just to humble yourself for a comment like that makes you say, 'Thanks bro.' After all that, you just say, 'Thanks, man, I'll do a shot of whiskey for you saying that.' Every single member of that band is an ultimate player and we can't hold a candle to that, so we say thank you and leave it at that."

The adviceDEVILDRIVER has for the younger musicians? John: "Focus on writing the best songs before you go out and play live. If you don't have good songs, you don't have nothing." Dez: "Don't follow. Focus in on something different. If you end up sounding like your favorite band your not on a good wave length."

"Rebel Access" features a band one week and plays the hardest "in-your-face" music videos in Chicago the next week.

For more information, visit www.rebelaccess.com.

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