Youtube, @Elise Trouw.
Can you imagine your life without being able to listen to music? It’s tough to conceptualize, understandably. Paul Raci, who grew up with two deaf parents, actually started his own American Sign Language band called Hands of Doom ASL Rock which is a Black Sabbath tribute band. And yes, he actually sings AND signs during their performances. Incredible! “…it’s fascinating, it’s visual, and they love it,” says Raci.
As a child, he used to sign popular songs from artists like Sam Cooke and The Beatles to his mother, who lost her hearing at the age of five. He also recently did a cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” with Elise Trouw, Travis Barker (from Blink-182), and Carey Watkins, which was written and arranged specifically for a deaf audience. Raci said about the cover and performance, “You’ve got three drummers, you’ve got vibrations. Everybody can have their opinion but the deaf experience is way different from a hearing experience and it’s good to try to understand both of them.”
This man and his story are fascinating. Check out the full interview at kerrang.com.
