The years flew by...the children grew up, the tiny band I had taken was growing too. We were traveling the world, bringing Metal to the masses, inch by inch, gaining popularity. I was working 24/7 and loving it! Keeping in touch with new music was never a problem; with so many children, our home was always full of all ages of friends. We lived street-level with our fans and loved it!
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D-Low |
On a hiatus to wait for the arrival of Zyon, Max began work on Nailbomb with Alex Newport (ex-Fudge Tunnel), who also was living in our home with Christina. Dana was videoing one day, walking through the house when he cruised into the nanny's bedroom just as I was explaining my new idea...a punk rock Metal extravaganza. He always had a camera nearby and we all agreed Dana would record the birth and growth our our new bastard child, Nailbomb. It wasn't easy but he plowed his way through to the end, gathering up fantastic, bombastic footage. He even went to some gun shops and took kickass photos for us, of Max and Alex.
Dana was a Metal enthusiast from the early days. He lived, breathed and existed for Metal. He became very close to Max because of their shared cravings for music. When Zyon came along, Dana had a new partner, spotting Zyon's drumming ability from the start. Many times we caught Dana, hiding with his video camera, filming Zyon rocking out to the Deftones, Fear Factory or KORN. They were inseparable.
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Alex Newport and Dana |
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baby Z |
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Fancy moshpit! |
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Dana w/Igor |
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Dana w/Zyon |
After Zyon was born, we moved to a bigger house with our growing tribe. It was here that Max and I were married and Nailbomb began to take serious shape. Max was writing Chaos at the kitchen table and doing photos and fun stuff with Nailbomb at the same time. We were basically having a blast with life in general.
When Andreas and Patricia decided to get married, we took the family on one of the most fun vacations ever!! We went to many cities in Brazil for 3 weeks prior to the wedding. Max had a strong desire to take the family around his beloved country and we were all thrilled ! The vacation ended in Sao Paulo at one of the most gangster weddings ever!! We had so much fun..Richie and Jason rocked the dance floor. They had more chicks lined up to dance than Elvis!! Beautiful Brazilian hotties, please keep in mind!!
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at the zoo... |
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w/Z |
Choas brought chaos....endless tours, interviews, photos. It never stopped growing! The band went home, looking for a much needed break. What did Max do? He went to his warmed up chair at the kitchen table and put his Madman Hat on. In no time at all, I was holding 4 track tapes of songs, Roots, Straighthate, more tapes every day. When Attitude was born, Dana handed me some lyrics, written on a scrap of paper. I suggested he show Max since I didn't have a clue as to what lyrics Max was adding to some of the music he had written. They sat at the kitchen table and gave birth to Attitude. I still remember the look on their Creator Faces...
The label chose Attitude for the single, which meant they would need a video to go along with it. We tossed a bunch of ideas around. We were in Europe on the road in May 1996. Dana's birthday was creeping closer. He would be 21 this year and we wanted to do something special. Max and I called Dana and said "Go to the airport tomorrow. You are flying to Amsterdam for your birthday!" Dana was so shocked he did not believe us at first. It was in Amsterdam at night that he called us in our room and laid down the plot for the Attitude video. The Gracies' involved!!! Holy shizzle! This was going to be badass!!
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Richie, Dana, and Kristen. Last Family Photo of Dana. |
The tour wrapped up, the video was birthing in LA and we were all super hyped to get the show on the road. Dana was even in the video, swinging a backpack at a jock. The war of Metal vs. mainstream never ending! What no one knew was, Dana had a quarter pound of weed in his backpack...he said the part had to be REAL!!!
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Dana reflecting... |
The Sepultura/Far tour was scheduled and we were about to dash out the door. We had a problem in our family at the time. Zyon wanted off the road, at the age of 3. He wanted to go to preschool, which made sense, since he taught himself to read and write at a super early age. I called Dana and his girl to watch our house. We scooped little Igor up and left, and Dana and Kristen walked into our shoes. Yes dear students; we were living the dream.
And then....he was gone....