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Friday, February 6, 2015

BACK TO THE PRIMITIVE!!!!!

Working on the Primitive record was great! We rented the Salt Mine Studio, in Mesa, Arizona, so we were close to home. The band had toured extensively for Soulfly I and were thirsty for new material to play on the road.

Toby Wright was hired to produce the record. Joe Nunez, Mikey Doling and Marcelo Dias were the Soulfly band at the time. The guest musicians were plentiful.....Tom Araya, Sean Lennon, Corey Taylor, Meia Noite (percussionist of Julio Iglesias), Grady Avenoll, Chino Moreno, Cutthroat Logic, Asha Rabouin, and Zak Sofaly (percussion also) were the extended Tribe!

Corey and Max

Zak

Max and Zak

For artwork, Max chose Neville Garrick, Bob Marley's artist and the creator of many of Bob's album covers. He spent much time getting to know everyone before he took on the project.

Max and Neville Garrick



The Salt Mine never had a lounge so we rented a motor home to chill out, relax and work in. It was parked at the front door of the studio, in a strip mall type parking lot. WE got a heck of a lot of use from it and also had a good many soccer games in the lot!

Soccer!

Me and Max at the console
Max's vocal chamber



The guests coming in and out throughout recording was like owning a magic carpet store with magic rugs flown in and out constantly! The songs were brilliant and I will forever remember each collaboration with the deepest artistic respect!

You can check out my past blog on Sean Lennon's participation which was especially magic! The song, Son Song, has such deep meaning and soul searching woven throughout! The piece at the end on the piano was created and performed by Sean, and takes you to another dimension.

Chino and Grady dished it out for their lost friend, Dana, and the track still has such anguish and the need for justice which evades Dana and our family to this very day. You probably don't know but Chino was the lead pallbearer for Dana. I gave him the rasta belt Dana was wearing when he died. The Deftones will always have their love carried in our family's hearts until time exists no more!

Corey Taylor and Max belted out Jumpdafuckup in a few hours as Corey was in town on tour with Slipknot. That song makes you want to jump in the pit and let it OUT!!! Corey is the lyric master as far as I am concerned and it shines in this track.

Slipknot

Cutthroat Logic sang for victims of gang violence and from a broken heart. Asha and Tundee had lost their brother before the recording, due to gun violence. There were many factors threading this record together, the artists and Max and our family included.

We forged some relationships at the Salt Mine that are precious to us today. The owner, Don Salter is the coolest to work with and the producer John Gray have stayed in our lives forever. The have gone through the generations and even worked with Incite, Lody Kong and most all of Max's side collaborations. The studio has long since moved to a killer location with all the amenities and is one sick studio!!

Check it out! Back to the Primitive!!!
Class dismissed.......