YES, STUDENTS, MAX IS IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

A few years ago, I was contacted by a dude from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio. Yes, you read it correctly! THE Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!!! He asked if I had anything of Max's from his Sepultura days, for a display they were making called Bang Your Head. I smiled to myself...did I ever!!

He asked for a guitar and I chose a nice, red, 4 string BC Rich. I also had a special memento...one that rightfully deserved it's placement in the display. Years earlier, Max had given me a spiral notebook from when he was very young. It had lyrics for songs, but they were all in Portuguese. It also had the names of the band members. Max, Igor, Rob and Wagner...the original Sepultura. One page held the prize, however. The first time Max had ever written the band name, next to a demonic drawing, was staring me straight in the face! This was the beginning, the birth, the Big Bang, of Sepultura. It had to be shared. It had to be sitting at the round table with Van Halen, Judas Priest, Metallica, KISS, Alice Cooper, the other Metal legends.

Last year, the Hall invited us to visit and do photos of Max with the display. We toured the archives and saw leather jackets and personal items from Joey Ramone, The Clash, you name it, it was patiently stored. Bill Ward's snare took a nap on the table in front of us! They even brought Max his BC Rich to hold...er, hug?

On the way out, Max signed the Wall of the Hall and added his ink to years of artists' scribe, and the power of the Sharpies!! I felt like "what else is there?" This is the top of Mt. Everest....the Big Recognition...The Accomplishment! And then,  I looked at our sons, and I knew there was more...

Class dismissed.....

DON'T BE A NEWBE...LEARN THE CODE!!!!!

There is slang attached to everything in the English language and the music business is no stranger to it! If you are looking to work on the road or at gigs (concerts), you don't want to come across as a "newbe!' Learn the dance!

NEWBE......this is a person on their first tour. Anything can happen to you!! Beware of pranks!!

BUS SURFING...This is when you try to walk on a bus that is driving frantically. You need to be careful when you bus surf.

GIG SHAGGING....not doing your job.

GIG BUTT......this is the painful chafing on your inner thigh from wearing wet gig clothes. Grab the powder!!

STAGE LEFT....When you stand on a stage, looking out at the crowd, this is the left side of the stage.

STAGE RIGHT....When standing on a stage and facing the crowd, this is the right side of the stage. Also, a Pink Panther slang!

CHUCKED OFF...getting irritated, heated up.

IN AND OUT BURGER.....THROW AND GO....this is when you arrive late for any number of reasons, and have to set the gear up quickly, do the show and tear it down and leave asap.

BUS LUNG.... We don't know the reason for this, but it's a cough developed after traveling on a bus for a extensive time. We say it's from exhaust but who really knows? It also collects on styrofoam cups, and leaves a thin black, powdery dust.

LOAD IN, LOAD OUT....this is taking the gear in, to make the show and loading it out after the show.

GET THE GAS....get the "good stuff.

OIL SPOTTED....this is when the bus drives off and leaves you at a truck stop.

NO 'DRO, NO SHOW....I think you can figure this out, even though it's a bit of a joke.

BUNK RAPE....this is an old school tradition, not active much any more. It's when everyone piles in the newbe's bunk and momentarily tortures him.

BURNASIUM....the van or trailer that people go to smoke in.

BAG IT....when you have to go "number 2" in a bag. I have heard that if you dump a bit of Gator Ade in the bag first, it vaporizes the smell..

NUMBER 2....take a dump, poo, or something of the sort.

DUMP AND FLUSH....this is when you go number 2 and flush often, so the smell doesn't get a chance to travel. This was patented by Greg Hall of Sacred Reich on a cold winter night in the '80's.

REMOTE CONTROL HIGHJACK.....This is when the same person takes the TV remote all the time and forces everyone to watch the same channel all day...such as Kendog and his hockey channel!

A BUY-ON BAND...This is when a band pays money to get on a tour.

SMELLS LIKE POT ROAST.....This is how a bus smells after a couple weeks on it..

DIVA....the dude who always wants round bread.

ATM...The assistant tour manager.

This is enough to get started with, so you don't look too green on your first run. Just hang tough, watch your shizzle and whatever you do, take your cell phone when you get off the bus...nothing worse than getting oil spotted on tour and not having your phone...

Class dismissed......

SO, YOU WANT TO RUN WITH THE BULLS?

I must say, one of the strangest crowds we ever had at a Soulfly show was at the Running of the Bulls, in Pamplona, Spain!  We travel to Spain often, as they love their Max.  The fans are feisty as all heck, blacked out in Metal gear, singing and moshing like crazy!  It's always exciting at the shows and you can count on a great reception!

This particular run was different than all the others.  We first played in Madrid to a slightly smaller crowd than usual...."What's up," I wondered?  The quick reply was that everyone was traveling to Pamplona for the bull running weekend.  Bull running affects the Metal shows?  Whoa!  I was surprised for sure!

It just happened that this run was winding its way to Pamplona next, a city we don't play often.  I admit I had my doubts about the turn out for the show.  We did not arrive in time to watch the craziness, and instead, had to head straight to the club for load-in.

The fans started to line up, as the day got closer to the time for doors.  No, the Metal loving Spaniards did not let us down!  They came from the bulls and Ran for Their Metal!!  There, in all their glory...in their bull running white outfits!  We had to smile as this was something we would most likely not witness again!  A crowd dressed in all white with the red bandana and red belt, signifying their Great Adventure and bravery!  The entire pit shown from white and red!  These people had a major dose of energy from running the streets and basically chasing stampeding bulls through the ancient streets of Pamplona.  We were given the traditional red bandana, which is worn around your neck, and the red belt which accompanies it.  And yes, there were girls too!  Not for the faint hearted!!  You can't stop Metal!!!

Class dismissed........

LET'S VISIT AMSTERDAM!!!! TAKE A BREAK, STUDENTS!!!

With our crazy touring schedules, and super long work days, there isn't an excess of relaxation time. Most of our vacations are spent going home! I know it sounds abstract, but it is true! Going home is a precious vacation time, and it is spent catching up! On tour, Amsterdam is one of our favorite cities to visit, in more than one way! There are so many places to explore! Max and I once caught the Rembrandt exhibit and have never been so amazed at a painter's abilities! Wicked stuff!! Our favorite pastime- well, one of them-in the City of Canals, is the canal boat ride and we have taken it many times!!

The long cruisers can be hopped on at any number of locations. We prefer to jump on in the area of the American Hotel and take it from there. We have had stops at many historic sites on the way. You can get off, visit your choice of experience, and then, jump back on another boat when you are ready. We have taken the kids to Anne Frank's hideaway. Crawling through the back of the famous bookcase, seeing her yellowed clippings of movie stars pinned in her room, it is all personal and eery.

You cruise under ancient stone bridges, past the most narrow home in the city, the red light district ( although it has been tamed in the recent years), and into the harbor. Colorful ships from ages past, and the largest Botel I have ever seen are all treats on the way. We have also enjoyed the evening dinner cruises, bottle of wine and candlelight.

We have taken many guests on these cruises, young and old. The Maximum Cavalera Tour was recently a family outing in the 'Dam! Even rock stars need a break!!!

Class dismissed......

SOULFLY GOES IN THE STUDIO WITH TERRY DATE!!

Max has worked with the great producers in Metal.....yes, he has been very happy to have been able to do so.  One of these legends is the gangster, Terry Date!  Terry has recorded Soundgarden, Pantera, Deftones, Slayer, and many others, the list is long and heavy!!

When Max was preparing to record Savages, he decided to do the entire process with Terry, in Seattle, at Studio X.  This is the famous location of Nirvana's recording and of course many other groups.  We were excited to walk in their atmosphere and also to chill in Seattle for a month!!

Immediately, I was impressed by Terry!  We had worked with him recording Head Up with the Deftones, and he also mixed Dark Ages, Conquer and Omen.  But....I have never seen a producer tune the drums himself!!!  That was a big surprise!!  His drum tone is so sick!!  He was a mentor to Zyon, more than words can say.  At the end of recording he said Zyon would become one of the greatest Metal drummers of all time!

Terry also has the perfect studio temperament.  He lets the artists develop themselves and flow free!  For the first time ever, Max recorded vocals in the control room, sitting next to Terry.  Terry helped with lyrics and vocal ideas.  It was the perfect match!  I also got to enjoy my hobby and cooked for him!!

There are many masters to choose from, to sit behind the board.  This is an important factor in recording, the chemistry between artist and producer.  Before heading to the studio, be certain this chemistry exists.  You don't want a black cloud raining every day in the studio!!

Class dismissed........