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Friday, August 31, 2018

WHY DID YOU GUYS WRITE ON YOUR WALL?

I think it was 1995. Christina and Dana and Max and myself went to a Helmet concert at The Grind, in Phoenix. I seem to remember this dude named Mouse drove us, but I cant really recall. It was a small white, older car. I was in back, behind the driver. Yeah we all partied and on the way home, I got in a conversation with Dana, about us all being Metalheads. Getting blamed for things we never did...people scared of us....getting judged...the whole ball of Metal wax...you all know what it's like! In the back seat on the way home, I started the rant "We are what we are!" I admit I said it more than once 😂. For some reason, at the same time as my Great Revelation, behind my left leg, what I thought was a tendon under my skin, began tightening and hurting.

When we got home, leg in pain but being ignored, I continued my in depth talk with Dana and Christina. We carried it on into our bedroom. All of a sudden Dana grabbed a Sharpie and said "Write it on the wall!" I shut up and blankly looked at him. WTF? "Yeah, Mom! Do it!" So, I did! And I signed it. And Dana and Christina did too. Max was somewhere else and missed out on the action, but put his mark on it the next day.


In the morning, my leg had a giant banana shaped, coal black something on the back of it. I decided enough ignoring this and I hit up the ER. It was a good thing, as I had developed a blood clot that could have killed me! Needless to say, I am still here!

A few years passed, Dana had left us and Primitive was being recorded. Sean Lennon was staying at our house. He dug the tale of the writing on the wall and asked if he could sign it too. Could I refuse him? Heck no!!




When Max was at the rehab, I did the best I could to redecorate and eliminate the familiar hiding places and stashes he had. I gutted the bedroom and had it painted. I about dropped to the ground from heart failure when I saw the painter had covered the hieroglyphics on the wall. I scrubbed the fresh paint off, like it was ebola! Our woodworks' decorator came over and made this alien frame so no one would fail to notice it again!

And yes, Max immortalized my rant. The track "In Memory of...." on Primitive... I tell you..my King can make a mountain out of a molehill!

Class dismissed....

Friday, August 24, 2018

WHAT IS ROKI DOING ON STAGE???

Max and I had the opportunity and pleasure to take our 2 grandchildren on tour with us. The tour ran through 23 countries and we tried to show the kids the different/similar lifestyles around Europe and the UK. I also love history so I tried to sneak some learning in, too!





Roki has made guest appearances on the last Cavalera Conspiracy, PSYCHOSIS and on Soulfly's ARCHANGEL. You couldn't really hear him on the CC spinner, but he was loud and clear on the ARCHANGEL release. Max paired him up with Napalm Death's classic, You Suffer. "Exit the music business, Punk!" Damn, Max still laughs his butt off when he hears it!

We first took Roki on tour when he was 4. We were in San Francisco and I took him into the merch booth. Incite started playing and Roki started grooving. He looked at me and said "Gramma, is this your job?" Yes, Roki. This is my job... He paused a minute and said "I gotta get on that stage!" So we tucked him by the monitors at stage left. I swear I only turned my head one minute and next thing I knew, he was on stage air drumming in back of Tony Campos!! I looked for a cane to swoop him off but a tech finally saved the day! Since then he has wanted to get back out there!!

Max and Roki came up with the idea for him to walk on stage near the end of the set and gift us with his magical line. Once was enough to hook him! He was never late! He started getting his Metal on, and cut the sleeves off his shirts! After a couple shows popped up on social media, Roki was pretty well known. You could tell when he walked out that a good part of the crowd was waiting for his appearance! We wondered if he would cave in at POLand Rocks, in front of over half a million people, but he strutted right on stage!


When we got home, he asked his parents for a drum kit and then he broke out his mini Fender guitar. You never know. He may just be Max's muse!!

Class dismissed....

Friday, August 17, 2018

TOUR LIFE......2018

People ask me why we go to Europe so often. It’s easy to answer! Metal is alive and well in Europe! The Battle Vests are normal attire and the fans are supportive! The promoters actually care about bands eating good food too! Let’s be real....people are more free there. Ouch! Don’t be so surprised. It’s true.


Fans can step outside and drink a beer, smoke a cigarette and not have some security bullethead after them. I have only rarely seen a security rough someone up at a show in the UK or Europe. Sure in the ‘80’s when some countries were successfully winning their freedom, the security would be barbaric police officers, but that mindset has been replaced by intelligence. Bouncers and pit security headbang and keep the fans safe. They get it.




Being a seeker of history and it’s locations, the ancient continent can’t be beat! The early shows of this past tour were on the Baltic and one site was where a king was slain in a battle! Soulfly played at the base of the hill the Lion of Belfort rests upon. Created by the sculptor who crafted the Statue of Liberty made it even cooler! In Bristol the pub that hosted the first discussion of abolishing slavery was next door. Cathedrals, ferries across the Baltic, Anne Frank’s home, statues and mimes are there to feast your eyes on. Art appears in many forms...




And running into other Metal Badasses is a certainty! I saw Peligro in Belgrade, Attila in Budapest, Brujeria in Austria, Rage in Slovenia, Neurosis in Denmark, Jon of Conan at Boomtown....to name a few!







Our bus was blazing Soulfly logos and our drivers couldn’t speak English! Our main driver and the double driver were Serbian. They were some serious beasts! One day the radiator cap popped off drenching Batko with boiling water. He took it like a champ and kept driving, holding soda cans on his chest. When he saw a paramedic a week later he was told to get skin grafts for his second degree burn. Pretty sure I saw him laugh... @batkostrong!!







Life on the road is like life in a house. Birthdays are celebrated, dinners are shared, people live life. It’s fun to explore different foods, different customs.






And what about POLand Rocks? Over half a million people, all as one! Yes, Metal is alive and well...it’s a lifestyle not a genre!



Class dismissed.....

Friday, August 10, 2018

FROM MACHINEHEAD TO SOULFLY TO THE STUDIO!!

Dana introduced us to Machinehead’s Logan Mader at the Dynamo Festival in 1995. Logan was in the Machinehead dressing room at the time. We instantly became friends! When Soulfly 1 was released and Lucio was unable to tour with us due to having his own band, it was natural that we asked Logan to join us. We felt spiritually connected to him.


Logan was with Soulfly until the unfortunate, early death of Snot’s Lynn Strait. At that time he left to form his own band, called Medication. Logan never appeared on a Soulfly record but he brought a memorable look to the stage, and we stayed good friends.


Around 2008, we heard Logan was producing records in a studio off Melrose in Hollywood. I worked 5 releases with him...Incite’s The Slaughter and All Out War, Soulfly’s Omen, and Cavalera Conspiracy’s first two releases, Inflikted and Blunt Force Trauma—all classics!!!

Logan’s demeanor is consistently smooth and I enjoyed every path we went on! He is a solid pro and a trusted friend!! Logan is also a father of 5!!! Time marches on!!



Class dismissed....

Friday, August 3, 2018

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MAX!!!!

When I met Max, I was a single Mom with children. One of the things he told me at that time was how he loved the way I cared for everyone...my children the bands I managed, strangers. He told me that soon after he met me, he knew I would one day be his wife. Of course, I never thought that!! I was quite successful at the time, a workaholic with many bands, and he was unknown, outside of a small circle. I never had a crystal ball, but he did! A seer in Brazil told him he would marry a foreigner, so I guess in that respect, he was one step ahead of me.


Yes, his gift is sitting in Phoenix, but this blog is his gift too, from me, with love. Many of you know the man in the magazines, on the web, on the radio and youtube, but the real Max is not only this. He is much more than music. He is a visionary who sees what has been and what can be. He lived under military rule and oppression. He saw starvation, and homeless, parentless children, in between the adoration of fans. He saw his wife smothered with misogyny and death at every turn. He saw Metal fans accused and prejudiced. And what did he do? He stood up. He stood against tyranny. And he stood for human rights. If you want to know Max, read his lyrics. They are all personal.

Max never flinches when I hand him the phone and say "talk to this man who is dying from cancer." Or "talk to this teen who keeps getting in trouble." Or "talk to these parents whose daughter died. " Or "talk to this man who has bells palsy." And I hand him that phone often! He loves his Tribe, his family, music and God. Happy birthday, Max. Our family and our Tribe is blessed to share Life with you. Love you more than forever.