Friday, August 26, 2016

YES, ROOTS WILL GO TO ISTANBUL, TURKEY!!!!


The Roots' run took the fans by storm! I was contacted by so many fans, so many bands and so many promoters....everyone wanted the show! I had to divide the planet into 4 months and cover as much territory as I could, in that time block. Hopefully, we will do another run and make everyone happy!


I divided the planet into Sept-Oct North America....November -mid December Europe/UK and mid Dec till the 21st is South America. The schedule will be grueling and the shows electric!


I could have played it safe and just hit up big markets. Lots of nice venues, tons of access to press and easy for the fans. In the US, due to the festivals and the limits associated with them, we are playing smaller markets in some areas and taking the show to the fans, in all corners! In Europe, and the Uk, where there are numerous markets, we hit up most of the main cities and didn't have restrictions because there were no festivals involved. And then, Istanbul popped up.....

Max and I have gone to Turkey many times. We have explored the Grand Bazaar, the mosques, sampled the cuisine, strolled the Topkapi Museum, and even visited the Max Cavalera Store! Heck, 
we even took home a couple swank-ass suits!


Recent terrorism has cost people their sanity, made fear of flying stronger and the threat of suicide bombings very real. The recent arranged overthrow of the government and the state of emergency that moshed in like a wave, set Istanbul in a class to consider. In the words of Max....The fans there, need music now more than ever! Iggor agreed and I tied the knot.


If you don't see your city in the very near calendar, don't freak out! I will do the best I can to give everyone the opportunity to see this once in a career event!! The Cavaleras return to their ROOTS....with a lot of help from our friends!! We get by with a little help from our Tribe!!!!


Class dismissed.......

Friday, August 19, 2016

1997....AFTER THE SHAKE-DOWN!!!!!


Once the dust of 1996 began to settle, we had to find ways to carry on. Just getting up each day had its challenges. I was out roaming with my friend, Kristen, until all hours of the day. I wore a black haired, Cleopatra Halloween wig to cover my green hair and a wifebeater tee, to show my tatts. Where we were going, we had to be accepted. We had to blend in.


Max was determined. When I said I was leaving music, he pushed me back on the trail. At first, when he would tell me he was leaving Sepultura, I urged him to stay. You all know Max's ethics by now and all know what he chose, but it wasn't something I agreed with, whole heartedly. Managers can make a zillion bands, but most artists can create bands only once or twice in their lifetime. Max never flip-flopped or questioned his decision, so after a time, I accepted it as a final choice.







1997 was spent trying to learn who we were. We knew life was short and could be taken at a moment's notice. Max threw himself into deep thought. I was looking for answers, trying to concentrate on keeping our family strong, and thoughts of rebuilding our careers, were thrown daily on my Libra scales. When the stress overwhelmed and whittled at me, I began to research my family history. It gave me the cure to my thinking, as thoughts and facts were striking my lobes like lightening. The facts of the split, the facts of Dana's death and the facts of Life in general, all were a fountain of hyperventilation, for me.


When Max was ready, he bought his recording set up, for in home writing. He had a small 4 track he started bringing on the road during the Chaos tour. It was on that tour that he wrote Soulfly 1, completely unaware of the future. He had written Chaos AD and Roots at our kitchen table. With Soulfly, he was setting up the gear on our bed and transforming the bedroom into a jam pad! I let him run with it.


During this time, he wrote many classics...Eye For An Eye was first, Primitive, No, Tribe and many others followed like an architect creates a skyscraper. He would come out of the room and play a track he had completed. He was so full of positive vibes and I could clearly hear the songs were great. There was never a worry about his songwriting in my mind again.






Zyon and Igor were growing fast. Zyon was beginning to practice drumming each day. Igor, at 2 years of age, was developing a personality also. He was sturdy and forged his way. We called him The Little General because he marched instead of walking. We attributed his skills to my Russian General Great Grandfather. Igor was strong minded. Zyon had a good humor and went with the flow. He was even tempered. The other children were coming out of their shock and trying to make sense of all the craziness in our lives that stung up on that fateful August 16. The burden on my mind was that, in time, these brothers and sisters were not going to remember their older brother. It is a horrible reality.


Now, it is 20 years later. Little did I know, the Max bands of the future... Soulfly, Killer Be Killed, Cavalera Conspiracy... The mark Max would make on the Metal world would be phenomenal. The bands he would influence would be many. The hits would keep coming and his career would steadily grow. Tribe after tribe, from every country on the Earth, would step in his line.


The kids all grew up. Our daughters have their own children, and the children of band members are now band members themselves. Time only travels in one direction..forward. The same way your feet should go...one step forward. Through joy and through depression, through force fields of impossible penetration, through throngs of fans, it was all there to reach out and touch. And it's still growing...


Class dismissed.....

Friday, August 12, 2016

IN MEMORY OF D-LOW....FLY HIGH


In memory of my son, Dana, we will celebrate his life this year, on October 21st, at the 20th Anniversary D-LOW Memorial Show in Phoenix, Arizona. It has been 20 years since I saw my son. The pain never goes; it just numbs a bit. Thank you to all the family, friends, and Tribe who supported and helped us to live with grief. You have helped more than you will ever know!


We will never stop in our search for the truth and for justice! Many of you have attended each of the19 previous shows! You have helped us to bring attention to a death suffered by many others, all over the world...an unjust and untimely death. We have one life to live and in the words of Dana, we must all LIVE LARGE!!!


After Dana's death, everyday human routines were a struggle for me. I could work because it took my mind off dark thoughts, but I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. How could I do these movements when my son couldn't? I felt guilty to sleep and relax or to feed my thin frame. It took me 3 years to begin to understand and come to grips with the tragedies of 1996.


The Deftones had a super tight relationship with Dana. They had a magical thread weaving them together for their love of music.





When they called and asked Max to come to Seattle and collaborate on a track in Dana's memory, it lifted Max and me out of the Valley of Despair. It gave us a spark of Life back.





We both flew to Seattle and hooked up with the guys and met Terry Date, who was producing Around The Fur. It was exciting to be with The Deftones. Everyone had so much positive energy. Being involved in a creation from the ground floor was like being an architect constructing his masterpiece. It wasn't long before they were all digging on some music Max had brought with him. I pulled a surprise out also. I grabbed some lyrics I had found at home that Dana had written. They were written across a flier and said "WALKING THROUGH THIS WORLD YOU HAVE TO HOLD YOUR HEAD UP HIGH".





Chino loved the lyrics and the 'Tones all loved the music Max brought to the studio.One thing lead to another and before I knew it, Chino and Max were throwing down the vocals. Chino even got a bloody nose from the mic hitting him. They were singing like it was a live show, not a studio recording! This moment was the twin birth of Headup and also the name of Max's new band. It was the recording of this song that inspired the name Soulfly.





Chino, Stef, Chi, Abe and Frank....Maximum Respect and love to you. You never knew, but you picked Max and me up and lifted us to the next stair, a stair that rose above our grief.



When you give birth to a child, you never ever dream of burying them. You only see the dreams you have for them. You see that little innocent face and only see hope and the future. When the Grim Reaper takes them from you without warning, the empty void is never filled in again. Years pass and life becomes livable but that shock never truly leaves.





Dana's death was compounded by the fact that a code of silence wrapped it like a blanket. This silenced many....but not everyone. In the dark of night, I received visitors that told me the truth, the betrayal of 'friends' and the lies that were spun. It took 4 years to learn the whole truth. It even took a visit to a gang members home....yes, I did it all. When the truth was laid bare, the authorities started their own cover up, protecting their own and letting murderers walk fee.

Dana predicted his own death caused by an 'accident.' He wrote of it in his journal, his view of his future was grim, at the least! He made a will in case of an early death and included it in his writings. Such thoughts swirling in the head of a 20 year old, should not exist!



Yes there are many mysteries but today, all the puzzle pieces fit now. The truth will be told and the responsible will be held accountable on Earth and beyond!


And in the meantime, join us to celebrate Dana's life! He is another Metalhead branded at the time of death by the detective on duty that fateful night. The DAs office can hide what they will but the truth will one day be laid bare and all will see clearly.


Class dismissed.......



Friday, August 5, 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAX!!!!! WE WILL PARTY IN AMSTERDAM THIS YEAR!!!


This year will be 27 years that Max and my paths have crossed on his birthday!! It's been a kickass journey! We, amazingly, aren't sick of each other and we still share the same dreams. Birthdays are always a mystery in our household! We never know where we will be to celebrate!! Our son, Igor, must have had at least 4 birthdays in a row in various cities of Spain. He has only had 3 birthdays, out of 21, at home! I spent at least 3-4 birthdays at Ziggie's in Winston Salem. I don't know how they managed to end up there, but they magically did and we rocked the house!!




Max took his 30th birthday in stride and didn't freak out like many people do, at that milestone. it was his 40th year, that he wanted a bash! We were home in 2009, so we agreed to rip it up in style!





I ordered laminates and special camo picks for party gifts. If you are a pick collector and you mange to get your hands on one of those old picks, I suggest you keep it in your treasure chest. Very few were made and no one trades them!


The cake had to be special, and since Max is a Leo, a lion was in order!! BBQ, booze, friends....so, why not throw in a petting zoo, while we are at it!








This year, we will be walking around Amsterdam, looking for wickedness! With Marc Rizzo's birthday here first; Max's next and then Shonda's, we have much to celebrate!! This week is always a slam dunk!! Happy birthday, Max!! May the Spirits guide you!!



Class dismissed.......