Pat Ginnelly – An Xperience Interview

Pat Ginnelly – An Xperience Interview – by Neoptolemus.

We got there early, my wife and I, anticipating a huge crowd. The Alex Skolnick Trio, Alex’s jazz ensemble, was playing at Red Square in Albany. I was eager to see Alex perform live, as I had enjoyed listening to the trio’s inaugural album, “Goodbye to Romance: Standards for a New Generation,” and I had yet to see him.

I was surprised when we were able to walk right in; there were not many people there … yet. Yes, we were early, but this was Alex Skolnick, the brilliant guitarist of heavy metal behemoth, Testament.

We took a table right in front of the stage and engaged in light banter until the concert started. As time elapsed, and only a few more people filtered in, I began wondering if we were at the right venue.

With only minutes to go to showtime, it was apparent that it was going to be a light house. I heard a guy seated against the wall on his phone, saying emphatically, “Dude! It’s Alex Sklolnick! There’s nobody HERE! Get DOWN here!”

That was the first time I didn’t meet Pat Ginnelly, a fair guitarist in his own right. I later saw him as a guitarist in Super Eight Six, and I was impressed. But it wasn’t until I saw him in Walpurgis, his Black Sabbath tribute, that I was completely blown away.

And here’s your chance to have THAT experience, as Walpurgis takes the stage at the King’s Inn in Schenectady on Saturday, October 11th. Doors at 9 PM.

Pat graciously consented to an interview with the Xperience Monthly:

RRX: How did Walpurgis get started?

PG: I believe drummer Greg Nash first ran it by me. We were neighbors, and Greg was in an Iron Maiden tribute. One of their guitarists left, and Greg suggested me as a replacement. Already in that band was Glen Gravina playing bass. I was really impressed with his playing, and I thought, “That guy’d be great in a Black Sabbath tribute!” I think it was Greg who said out loud what I was thinking, that he and Greg and I should start a Sabbath tribute.

RRX: Where did the name Walpurgis come from? Whose idea was that?

PG: The name was my idea. I knew some Sabbath history, and I knew that the “Paranoid” album was originally supposed to be called Walpurgis, and I thought that would be a really great Sabbath tribute name. Walpurgis is originally from a Christian holiday honoring a saint. People used to light bonfires to ward off witches and evil spirits. In an ironic twist of history, it later became identified with the Witches’ Sabbath, supposedly celebrated by them on April 30th. I think that’s what Sabbath was going for when they picked that name.

RRX: How did you get into Black Sabbath?

PG: It was through my sister. I had heard “Iron Man” and “Paranoid” on the radio, but I didn’t really know anything else by Sabbath. One day, my sister and her friends were playing the “Sabotage” album in her room, and it sounded really cool through the wall. So after they left, I snuck into her room and copped the album. Listening to it, I fell in love with “Thrill of It All.”

RRX: Your nickname is Ginsu. Where did that come from?

PG: [laughs] That was bestowed on me by a neighbor when I was a kid. My last name’s Ginnelly, pronounced “GHIN -lee.” Back then, the Ginsu knife was heavily advertised on TV — you know, they’re famous for, “How much would YOU pay?” and “But wait! There’s more …” Ron Popeil used to hawk them. Anyway, one day I was running around like a maniac into everything, and the neighbor said, “Ginnelly! You’re just like that Ginsu knife!” And the name stuck. In retrospect, it seems like it was kind of an auspicious omen for my becoming a guitar player.

RRX: You’re a member of other bands, past and present, in the Capital Region, right?

PG: Yeah, I’ve been in a few. I started out a long time ago in Area 51, and we made an album named “The Area.” Greg Nash was into the whole extraterrestrial thing, and that’s how we picked those names. We made a follow-up album, but it was never released. Since Greg’s death, the band members have started talking again, and we’re considering reuniting to honor him, maybe play a gig, maybe release the second album. Don’t know yet. We’ll see.

RRX: You realize you’re being interviewed by the Xperience Monthly, right?

PG: Oh yeah! [laughs] Right! As in “The Truth Is Out There!” [laughs again]

RRX: What are/were your other bands?

PG: Well, our Aerosmith tribute, Toys in the Attic, is still active. We usually play the Midwest. And there’s Groovin’; that band usually plays Atlantic City. And in the summer, I play in the Dude Abides, a cover band. We perform mostly in Saratoga during track season, but lately, we’ve been “expanding our horizons” and doing gigs at other places as well. I was lead guitarist for a while in Blase DeBris, the band fronted by Duane Beer. We released two albums, “La Morte Mi Troverà Vivo” [translation: Death Will Find Me Alive], and “The Gauze.” They were received pretty well. I just heard “Angels of Eight” off “The Gauze” on the radio the other day.

RRX: It’s been a while since Walpurgis last played. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.

PG: Yeah, me too! A while back, we had a gig set up on April 30th — you know, Walpurgis night — we were gonna have t-shirts and everything. But then COVID hit, and it was cancelled. So this should be a very cathartic experience for everybody, especially since Ozzy has died.

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