IGNORANCE MEANS DEATH!!!!!!

In 1985, I went to open our club, The Bootleggers, only to find a police officer there! The police had put chains through the door and confiscated our club for all the wrong reasons. Basically because we refused to turn it back into a redneck pool bar, instead of the Metal direction we we're heading in. He looked at us and said "Sue us! We are the city!" He laughed at us as our very souls crashed to the earth! In one second, my brother, Paul, and I lost everything we had in the world!

At the time, I was 5 months pregnant with Jason. Depression rolled in and I withdrew into myself. We were kicked out of our apartment, lost our vocation and had no where to turn. It was a miserable time for us all. Even our "friends" who hung out everyday, disappeared. They all headed for the next club to prey on. 4-5 people remained with us to encourage us to go on. This was a great learning experience for me, Christina and Dana, as we learned the full meaning of "groupies."

In time we found a small apartment and I began to come out of my shell. One of the people who remained loyal was Jason Rainey. He is the Father of Sacred Reich, and The Bootleggers was the OB Ward, giving birth to many bands. He stayed true and I am forever grateful to him for that unconditional love he showed me. One day in 1985, he called me in the evening and said he had received an offer to sign to a label called Metal Blade Records. He lamented that he didn't know what to do with it. All of a sudden, the magic words slipped out of my mouth...."Do you want me to manage you guys?" In a split second he blurted out a big "yes!" That was the magic moment! That very second I began a career that now spans 30 years!

Sacred Reich

I looked at Christina and Dana, who were my sidekicks, my inspiration, my Believers, and said "What does a manager do?" They surely didn't know any more than I did, but what was important; we all believed I could do it!

The next day I went to the store and bought a Metal magazine to look for tips!! I found an article interviewing people in the Metal community...Debbie Abono, Peter Paterno and many more that I can no longer recall. I wrote to Debbie to introduce myself and ask for a tour with her band, The Possessed, and next, I gave Peter a call. You know what? Peter was so REAL, so humble, and so cool that he answered his phone and took my call! This was someone I would love forever!! He said he would represent the band and guide me through contract negotiations!

The Possessed

All said and done, the first birth was the famed album, IGNORANCE. How much fun was attached to the recording, I can never express! I was in the Metal community! Shit was real! Organizing the recording with the producer, Bill Metoyer, was a process and what better teacher than someone who had worked with the greatest bands of all time!! Metal Blade spewed Metal and Brian Slagel, the owner and founder was about the nicest guy you could ever meet! I had a home and university all rolled into one!

Jason Rainey and Bill "Valium" Metoyer

Sacred Reich and Bill Metoyer

Bill helped arrange all the details, the studio, hotels, travel, every detail! He was so patient, we called him Bill "Valium" Metoyer. I trusted him from the first second! He never knew, but he was the first person who worked in recorded music to EVER contact me! He left a voice mail on The Bootlegger's answering machine one day, asking if Lizzy Borden could play there!!

Me rocking the 80's hair!

Ignorance was the first born to Sacred Reich. It was immersed in politics, laughter and love of Metal. Every track, better than the one before! Paul Stottler, our friend from doing the fliers at The Bootlegger's, was a natural choice to do the cover and to this day, he is the Sacred Reich artist!!! We never had cameras much, as we were poor and we had to develop film for all the rolls, but a few memories are preserved for time!

Phil on bass, Greg in the Chair and Wiley in the back

Setting up Greg's kit

This was love! Phil Rind, with his raspy voice, passion for lyrics and thumping bass...... Jason Rainey with the sickest rhythm guitar sound I have ever heard ( equalling my Fudge Tunnelers!)....Wiley Arnett, with his emotional solos...and Greg Hall, with his Bill Ward style of drumming....my first band! My babies....the start of my lifelong Metal virus!!!

Party in our hotel room!

Class dismissed.......