[ad_1]
It’s with unhappiness that we announce the passing of drummer Greg “Fritz” Hinz on February 16, 2024. Our condolences to his household, buddies and followers.
Greg lived in Brantford for some time and was a member of Kitchener Metallic Icons Helix and of Cambridge’s Starchild. He’d been with Helix on and off for years and was with the group till very lately.
Social Media Response
From Helix frontman Brian Vollmer on the Helix Fb Web page
Fritz was like a brother to myself, Brent, Kenny, and lots of different individuals who labored for the band. Traci has requested me to jot down one thing to publish. I may go on for hours concerning the man, however proper now I’m devastated, as are the opposite guys within the band. We’ve recognized about this since final April, however had been unable to inform anybody, at Fritz’s request. He wished his privateness by means of this. He was a proud man and difficult as f**ok. When he fell off the ladder a few years in the past and almost died, I assumed that was the tip there. Fritz shocked everybody by coming again lower than 8 months later for gigs in Vancouver & Calgary in a single weekend. This meant plenty of driving and flying-something that’s extraordinarily dangerous for somebody who has suffered a serious concussion. He performed nice that weekend and didn’t complain. Many months later he advised me that on the finish of the Vancouver present on the Exhausting Rock, he almost stood up and fell ahead by means of his drums on the finish of the present ‘cos he had vertigo so dangerous.
Like I stated, “One robust man.”
I met Fritz approach again across the late 70’s when he performed for the Cambridge based mostly exhausting rock band STARCHILD. We each used to snicker over the truth that’s Fritz’s huge half on the STARCHILD document “Youngsters of the Stars” was within the tune Johnny Groover.
The road within the tune went “…right here comes Johnny Groover in his Vet-he’s bought to get it moist…” to which Fritz would then add a squirting sound: Pht-t-t–t–t-h!…”
Fritz was the funniest man you’d ever need to meet. We could possibly be within the seriousest of conditions and he may say one thing and everybody would burst out laughing. He had that type of persona everybody wished to be round. Add to that his potential to draw scores of girls at our gigs. Fritz was Helix’s “David Lee Roth.”
Essentially the most frequent query requested by women outdoors the buses on the Quiot Riot/Whitesnake Tour in 1984 was, “Are you aware the place your drummer is???”
Consequently, Fritz was ceaselessly in “motion pictures” as he known as them. This meant that one among his relationships had gone sideways and was turning into a cleaning soap opera. The humorous factor was that regardless of how a lot he would piss off the woman, they’d at all times forgive him, come again, and bathe him with items.
Fritz was the consummate rock drummer: It was his craft. He prided himself in his enjoying, and effectively he ought to have. He had a method all his personal. Take a look at the bridge to the refrain in Heavy Metallic Love. Such a easy lick-playing on the off time, however Fritz discovered that enjoying his first instrument-the accordion-in an “oom-pah-pah” band.
As I used to be telling Jamie on the telephone at the moment: “The general public has no thought the sacrifices that musicians make for his or her craft. You consider the music enterprise as be a reasonably low-impact type of job. In actuality, you hand over your private life, your monetary life, any sort of regularity in your life, and…to not point out the bodily scars. I’ve but to fulfill a drummer who hasn’t ripped his rotator cuff. Guys with guitars and basses-ditto. We’ve stayed within the coldest rooms, the most popular rooms, gone with out sleep, and made shit cash. All for this factor known as “making music.”
Fritz undoubtedly did that. He beloved his drums and he beloved drumming and performing. He took nice pleasure in the whole lot he did. I’m going to overlook him a lot.
My coronary heart is breaking now. Gotta go.
So, so saddened to listen to concerning the passing of Greg Hinz (Fritz) from Helix The Band . He was a rock stable drummer, a candy, charismatic and really humorous particular person, and a beloved pal throughout from the Canadian Music scene. We crossed paths on many phases and at many airports over time. My coronary heart goes out to his band mates and family members at the moment.
Hyperlinks: Helix, Extra Helix Tales, Video above courtesy of helixrockband
Hyperlinks: Helix, Extra Helix Tales, Video above courtesy of helixrockband
Hyperlinks: Starchild, Video above courtesy of Starchild – Subject
Earlier
[ad_2]