Photo Credit: Scott Penner / Flickr
Julian Dorio.
As you’ve no doubt heard, terrorists opened fire in a Paris music venue tonight, killing at least 100 people and taking dozens of others hostage. On stage at Le Bataclan during the attack was Julian Dorio, the drummer for Eagles of Death Metal.
Dorio graduated from UGA, was a founding member of ex-Athens band The Whigs and handles their finances, according to his Wikipedia page. The band moved to Nashville, TN in 2011.
Dorio’s brother told WSB-TV that Julian is OK and was at a police station in Paris.
“He said they were playing, about six songs into the show, they heard, before they saw anything, they heard automatic machine gunfire. It was so loud, it was louder than the band, and they hit the stage floor. As they got up to try to evacuate they saw men with machine guns just shooting anything and everything in the venue. Fifteen hundred people, Julian said, was about the capacity of the venue. I don’t know if it was seated or standing but Julian, the lead singer and some of the crew, there was a door back of the stage that led to a street and they flew out the back door,” Michael Dorio said.
Dorio’s wife, Emily, spoke to the Washington Post:
“We are just holding our breath and saying prayers for everyone,” said Dorio’s wife, Emily. The pair only spoke briefly. “He called to say that he loved me and he was safe. Everyone on stage was able to get off.”
In addition, Pierre Marchant, a native of France and longtime Athens scenester who now lives in Paris, assured friends on Facebook that the attack did not occur in his neighborhood, and he is fine.
UPDATE: The director of UGA en France told The Red & Black that the study-abroad program is located more than three hours from Paris in Montpellier, and students aren’t in any danger.
Please let us know in the comments if anyone else with Athens ties is in Paris and how they’re doing, and check back for updates.
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