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Biography

Dave Grohl has voiced his appreciation of heavy metal numerous times over the years, whether it be trying to convince his Nirvana bandmates to have Sepultura open shows on the In Utero tour or playing with the Foo Fighters alongside Slayer, Pantera, and Black Sabbath at Ozzfest 1998 in the U.K.. But he was never so exuberant about his metal fixation until he issued the all-star project Probot in the early 21st century. As a teen growing up in Washington, D.C., during the early '80s, Grohl and a friend became interested in such (then) cult metal bands as Iron Maiden and Motörhead, before discovering a mail order ad for a record service named "End of the Rainbow," which specialized in tracking down the newest releases from the metal underground. Looking for bands that were "fast and heavy," the duo found their gold mine when they heard such classics as Metallica's Kill 'Em All and Mercyful Fate's Melissa. From there, Grohl continued to hunt down further releases from the metal underground, which led to an appreciation for such groups as Trouble and Celtic Frost, even though he was playing in hardcore bands at the time.

Upon leaving Saint Vitus - whose unabashed worship of Black Sabbath helped lay the groundwork for the sludge, stoner, and doom metal mini-movements of the '90s - vocalist/guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinrich re-formed Obsessed, a band he'd founded in Washington, D.C. in the early '80s prior to joining Saint Vitus. Initially including a rhythm section of bassist Mark Laue and drummer Ed Gulli, Obsessed had recorded a live EP back in 1984, but didn't make their full-length debut until 1990's The Obsessed, recorded for the small Hellhound label. Personnel shifts ensued (Melvins drummer Dale Crover passed through the ranks at one time or another); bassist Scott Reeder and drummer Greg Rogers joined for the 1991 follow-up Lunar Womb. Reeder subsequently left the band to join Kyuss, and was replaced by Guy Pinhas, just as Obsessed were landing a major-label deal with Columbia. Although many described it as the group's most focused album, 1994's The Church Within also proved to be their last. Following the breakup, Pinhas and Rogers formed Goatsnake, while Weinrich started up a new outfit first called Shine, then quickly renamed Spirit Caravan. In 1999, Southern issued a collection of outtakes and rarities titled Incarnate, and the following year repackaged The Obsessed together with the original lineup's 1984 EP.

St. Vitus // by Ed Rivadavia

One of the leading American doom metal acts of the '80s (along with Trouble and the Obsessed), Saint Vitus was cursed with public indifference throughout their decade-plus career, which both started and ended in frustrating obscurity. Originally formed as Tyrant in 1979 by vocalist Scott Reagers, guitarist Dave Chandler, bassist Mark Adams, and drummer Armando Acosta, Los Angeles' Saint Vitus was named after a medieval boy saint whose beheading and violent death-throes gave rise to the gruesome expression ("Saint Vitus Dance," also the name of a Black Sabbath song from the Vol. 4 album). Though they couldn't help but be slightly influenced by the SoCal hardcore scene thriving all around them (especially on their early releases), the quartet was a card-carrying disciple of Sabbath's dreary doom metal commandments, specializing in amazingly slow, ponderous power chords and a highly unfashionable biker image. Their eponymous 1984 debut was released by Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn's SST Records, and was followed in quick succession by the Walking Dead EP and Hallow's Victim album the very next year.

Progress was slow, but the band continued to improve despite the departure of vocalist Reagars, thanks to the arrival of former Obsessed frontman and sometime-guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinrich for 1986's Born Too Late - generally regarded as their best effort. The following year's Thirsty and Miserable EP and 1988's Mournful Cries found greater acclaim in Europe than America and marked the end of the group's relationship with SST. New label Hellhound Records released 1989's V as well as a career-spanning live album recorded in Germany a year later. But despite all this hard work, the band seemed incapable of breaking new ground or achieving anything even resembling commercial success. As their disillusionment grew and Wino quit the group to reform the Obsessed, the release of an SST greatest hits set called Heavier Than Thou seemed like the final chapter for Saint Vitus. New singer Christian Lindersson appeared on 1992's half-heartedly recorded C.O.D., and though the original lineup would briefly reconvene for a last hurrah with 1995's Die Healing, no more has been heard of Saint Vitus since.

Spirit Caravan // by Patrick Kennedy

Spirit Caravan's Scott "Wino" Weinrich's guitar tone evinces the slow burning wisdom derived from many decades of hard living and touring in the underground music community. In the wake of the breakup of his previous outfit, Obsessed, due in part to a soured major-label record deal, Wino found himself living in Southern California, burned out and broke. Realizing that drastic changes were certainly in order - legend has it - he picked up his only possession, a Les Paul guitar, and boarded a Greyhound bus back East to his hometown of Washington, D.C., to sort out his life. Whether merely apocryphal or not, the story illustrates Wino's hard-as-nails, driven to the marrow modus operandi regarding the creation of music.

Spirit Caravan began in 1996, playing gigs in the Maryland area initially under the name Shine. Drummer Gary Isom and bass player Dave Sherman rounded out the lineup, both of whom Wino had known for many years. After some coaxing, Wino, who had been deeply embroiled in the thankless task of reassembling both his personal and musical career, became amenable to jamming old Obsessed tunes just for fun. Quite clearly, that blossomed into a full-fledged band. While Spirit Caravan's sound isn't drastically different from the aforementioned Obsessed, who welded the foot-stomping organic qualities of Grand Funk Railroad with no-frills American roots punk like the Dictators, all the while observing Black Sabbath, Spirit Caravan injected a healthy dose of cryptic psychedelia to the mix.

In 1997, the band recorded its first vinyl EP entitled Lost Sun Dance. Shortly after, they were met with a cease and desist order from another outfit using the moniker Shine and re-emerged after some brainstorming as Spirit Caravan. In 1999, the trio issued two recordings, the album Jug Fulla Sun, and the CD-EP Dreamwheel, the former on Fugazi member Joe Lally's Tolotta Records. After extensive U.S. and European touring, the band recorded and released its sophomore effort, Elusive Truth, in 2001.

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A fine plan, but hunting down some of these MIA chaps proved quite difficult — at least before Grohl's pal, former Chavez/Zwan guitarist Matt Sweeney, offered to lend a hand in the "location" department. Soon after, Grohl was receiving confirmations from the likes of Cronos from Venom, Snake from Voivod, Eric Wagner from Trouble, and Wino from Obsessed, as well as such more renowned names as Lemmy and King Diamond (with former Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil supplying some additional riffs to the project). Despite the project getting press coverage from the get-go, it took a few years to finally see the light of day, as record label red tape halted its release (as well as the simple fact that no major labels would commit to backing an album showcasing cult metal singers of the '80s). But Grohl eventually found a taker with the indie doom metal label Southern Lord, which issued the self-titled album (as a CD and double vinyl record) in February of 2003.

Source: http://www.probotmusic.com/disciples/bio.php?id=wino