HOW TO DESTROY A HOTEL LIKE A ROCK STAR...

One of the famous band hotels in London in the 1990's was the Columbia Hotel, a giant white, olde English style building. When my bands were new, they would stay in hostels or even houses because they couldn't afford the pricey hotels in the UK. As the fans increased, so did the fees, and we moved up in our style of lodging. With Sepultura, we were very thrilled when we were able to move up to staying in the Columbia Hotel. Now we were getting somewhere!!

We made many stops at the Columbia in the years. Sepultura was growing and I was planning where to go, to bring them to their fans. London is a Metal hotspot and consequently, we ended up at the Columbia again and again. One time, after the Russian tour, I had a bottle of vodka in my room to give Dad. We stepped out andwhen I returned, I saw the maid had helped herself to a couple nice swigs while cleaning!

The hotel was really nice to us and would open the bar when it was normally closed in the early evening. The last time we stayed there, we got a bit out of control, I will admit. My crew was known for their spunk and I will say, I loved this adventurous attitude of theirs. I love my crew deeply; I am crew too, you know! Goody, Eddie Rocha, Silvio Gomes, Rapadura, Nino, Macarrao, and Leo...my trusted henchman.

On the one particular night, we drank a bit too much. The bar in the hotel opened for us, which was a mistake. When it closed and we were left alone, the fun began. We entered the formal dining room and partied like it was the end of the world. The last thing I remember, Andreas and I were pulling tablecloths off tables that were set with china, trying to be like the magicians. We weren't very good at it and the dishes clattered and smashed.

In the morning, the crew was hungry and got some fried chicken from a local eatery. When a chicken leg flew into the man at reception's face, tossed by Nino, that was the final straw. We got the boot. We became the first band to ever be thrown out of the very tolerant Columbia Hotel. I do admit we were bummed but couldn't stop laughing at the crazy events. Going in the history books...

GIANTS OF ROCK...SEPULTURA MEET WINGER

In the 1990's, Europe was developing many festivals. Today, there are hundreds of festivals in all corners of the continent. Why, even Dubai was host to some big productions! Some shows have continued to draw and some festivals have disappeared through the years. Many have campsites and fans flock in and rage for 3 or more days, living in the wild atmosphere of moshpits and Metal.

One of the festivals in the early 90's was in Finland. It was called Giants of Rock. I had the opportunity to book Sepultura on it one year. We had fun with the name and made little signs for our dressing room that said Ants of Rock, since we certainly did not feel like giants!

The summer in Finland brings daylight 24/7. It was unusually hot that day...smoking hot. No air conditioning in the forest! The buses in Europe do not have generators either so there was no escape from the intense heat.

w/Udo

Winger and Me

Winger and Udo were really friendly. It was funny to play with a soft band like Kip Winger's group, but in Europe it is possible to mix all kinds of music and the fans accept it. It makes for more interesting shows, more fans at the festivals and the chance to see a number of really fantastic bands sharing the stage.

Winger and Sepultura

The fans poured in; the moshpit raged and the day ended with sweaty success!! We got to meet and hang with all the other musicians. There was no segregation! Music truly is the universal language!!! Let's all learn it!!

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Class dismissed.

A WARNING COMES TRUE...AUGUST 16

In my family, I am the first girl born of my generation. I did not realize it until the late 90's, the first born girl of the generation, on my mother's side, lost her firstborn son in a violent manner. I can trace this back 5 generations and I am sure it goes beyond. Coincidences or curses...you choose.

My Aunt Natasha was caught in Stalin's net in the 1950's. She was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in a Siberian prison for simply stating the country would improve if they had a new president. She was narced off by a young co-worker, in a factory she had taken a job in. She gave birth to a son in prison. This son was murdered some years later...an ice pick through the heart. The date was August 16.

Aunt Natasha and Sasha in Siberia

Enter the 1990's, life is exciting. Our family and careers are booming. There is much love and unity in our home. Then, the phone call came. A warning from a woman in Brazil who had a vision. "Get your children out of the house! Do not return until at least September 6. Someone will try to kill one of them if you stay home." Did I listen? Of course not. No one has that knowledge except God... Max and I sat Dana and his girl, Kristen down and warned them. It was a half warning, nothing taken seriously.

Dana

The days crept closer and Max and I left on our ill-fated tour with Sepultura and Far. You all know the outcome. As we arrived in Donington, my son was running for his life. We were excited for the show, but Dana's adrenalin was flowing from other reasons....fear.

When I returned home, I picked up the notebook I had given Dana to record the office messages. His notes leading up to his last hours were all there, recorded for all time. He had no idea he was about to become another lost son in a long line of lost sons.

Dana's notes...

...notes continued

Dana coincidentally left this blessed Earth on August 16, the same day as Sasha's murder on the other side of the planet, but another year. Will this inheritance stop now that it has been discovered? I wonder, with a bit of fear, when I look into the eyes of Jadore, also the first girl born in this present generation, if I can lay this hex to rest.....

Class dismissed...

Paul Booth Joins The Tribe!

We met Paul Booth many years ago. Iggor Cavalera was the first person from our tribe to get tatted by Paul. Of course, once we all saw the masterpiece, everyone desired a tag from the Greatest Tattoo Artist around!

Max and I flew Paul and his then-girlfriend , Barb, to Phoenix and welcomed them to our home. Dana was so excited to jump in line after Max. I remember we all had hangovers...

Paul, Max, and Zyon

The first tatts Max got from Paul were his famous elbow eyeballs. Dana got a shrunken head on his forearm. I was too hungover and couldn't "sit" that day, so I reserved another day. Max decided to begin his chest piece that second day and I asked for a gargoyle, sleeping on my shoulder. Oh yeah, at the time, I was pregnant with my little Igor, as you can see by the photos!!

The chest piece took some time and Max completed it in blocks. I got the gargoyle on my back, sleeping, curled on my shoulder blade. It was so cute, I asked Paul to do a couple more. He capped each of my shoulders. Some of our tattoos were done at our Phoenix home and some were done on the road, in hotel rooms. We even visited Paul's badass studio on the East Coast.

Me getting Left shoulder done...

Max's Chest tattoo finished

Max, Glo Paul and Barb

Let me tell you....Paul Booth is a gangster! He is the nicest, most mellow, considerate and gentle people you will meet. He welcomed our skin as fine canvasses, designing original sketches for us. Paul created Max's famous neck tatts with the skill of Leonardo! He also designed my Soulfly logo on the inside of my wrist. He does some of the best stone skin sculpting you will ever see and we are all stoked to be the proud bearers of his legacy in art.

Getting gargoyle done...

Gargoyle finished!

I have heard my Inciters and Lodys on the road, plotting their Paul Booth tatts...where and when...the next generation is coming your way Paul! Much respect!!!

Class dismissed.....

GROWING UP ON THE ROAD!!!

By the time the stork left Igor with us, we were zooming around the world at a hectic pace. There was always a concert, a video, a meeting, an interview. Max and I decided at the start of Zyon's life that we would work at our marriage and raising a family. We would survive the drama and the many tests. We would grow a tribe.

Sleepy Igor

Igor was only a few months old when he hit the road with us. We bought him his protective headphones at K-Mart in the gun section. They worked very well on Zyon's many road trips. Igor was even featured on the cover of Belgium's TV Guide Magazine, in an article about ear protection at rock concerts!!

Max and I decided to start traveling on our own bus about this time. We had a large group with 7 children and their toys and didn't want to be in the way. We only did this when it was summer and everyone was out of school. In the US, our driver, Buddy McKensie was our favorite driver. Buddy drove us for 18 years and was a family member to us all. The first time we met him, he pulled up with a bus bunk converted into a baby bed for Zyon! With Igor's birth, we knew to expect a personalized bunk for him too!

Working mom!

Igor was inseparable from Max and me. At the age of 3, Zyon was not impressed with the road life and asked to enroll in preschool. Igor, on the other hand, had to be pried out of our hands on the first day of school. He was loving the road life and all that came with it. He never grew tired of the action, the many people, the endless shows.

At home with the Fam

Igor accompanied us to nearly every recording since Roots was recorded in Malibu at Indigo Ranch. He went to every video shoot we did! The trait that set him apart was the fact he was always reading and carrying a book around with him. Once we even went to a State Fair and he walked with a book, reading it in between the rides! We did not expect him to become a musician.

On location recording Roots

Kids sleeping while I work work work!!

Prophecy video shoot, Monument Valley, Utah

When Igor was 13, he stopped reading and got in a small bit of trouble in school. I grounded him and what did he do??? He jumped on the practice drums in the living room and drummed his frustration right out of him! I could tell immediately there was something unusual about his style. He had the most precise timing I had ever heard! I saw him pick up the drums, guitar and bass and play them all. We began to notice that the organized intellectual was also carrying the blood of a serious art form in his veins.

I was quite shocked when Igor informed me he was drumming Troops of Doom in Paris on the first Cavalera Conspiracy tour. He went on to play the song at every show for the rest of the tour. I am sure you have seen the legendary footage of him drumming in his red shirt, hat backward and barely able to see above the drum kit. The "Igor Jr." footage has over a million views!

Iggor, Igor, Max

Joey Nugent, Igor, Paul Grey from Slipknot RIP, Max

Forming Moldbreaker with his brother, Zyon, at the age of 15, the band morphed into the current lineup of Lody Kong, a powerful, avant gard band with a uniqueness like no other.

Igor does have a secret identity and we hear this person type typing away at all hours of the day and night. Something we have yet to discover is being incubated in that room....

Class dismissed....