Rex Brown Tax Liens: Pantera Bassist Owes IRS Nearly $450K

It's hard out there for bass players. Like Kevin McDonald says in that great Kids in the Hall sketch, "No one invites the bass player to the party after the show. If he does go to the party, he can only get the good looking girl's best friend." Also, they tend to get in tax trouble, as Pantera bassist Rex "Rocker" Brown can attest.

As USA Today reports, Brown is a prime example of a bass player who's fallen victim to the music industry and found himself behind in his taxes. Although Pantera enjoyed major success in the 1990s, scoring double-platinum sales for 1992's Vulgar Display of Power, Brown apparently owes Uncle Sam $449,567. The IRS has filed no fewer than five liens, including one for $210,157 back in January.

While a Pantera reunion tour might help Brown get out of debt, circumstances aren't in his favor. For starters, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was gunned down in 2004, and as USA Today reports, "other band members can't stand each other enough to reunite for lucrative concerts."

On the bright side, Rhino Records is reissuing Pantera's Vulgar Display next month, and the four-time Grammy-nominated group still generates income. Also, the bassist's new band, Kill Devil Hill, is prepping a record and tour. Still, if Brown can't arrange a payment plan, the feds could seize his share of the group's revenue.

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