RETURN TO ROOTS...THE FAREWELL TOUR

On Friday the day after Thanksgiving in America, Max, Iggor, me and Co. will board airplanes to Holland to begin the last run of the Return to Roots package. I want to thank the thousands of fans who came out to kick it up in the pit, sit at the bar and just watch the show. We played gigs all the way from NYC to Perth, Australia, from the freezing tundra of northern Canada to the tip of South America in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from the sunny sloes of LA to the deep ass snow in Moscow, and from rocking London to the sports hall in Bulgaria! We extended the tour a year longer than I originally planned because the fans demanded it!

The last run will see Max and Iggor's Return to Roots sharing the stage with Overkill, Insomnium and Deserted Fear. Marc Rizzo will be breaking glass with his riffing and Tony Campos will be thumping bass like the G that he is!!! Our travels will take this pack of wild men and one bossy lady across Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium, ending in London!! I will be looking for all of you in the sea of faces, spread out in front of the stage!! Don't be shy!! And maybe one day, you will hear of some special news....Return to Chaos. or Return to Arise or.....the possibilities are endless!! Time will tell... Attitude and Respect!!

Class dismissed.....

POINT BLANK....THE BREAKDOWN!!!

Our country is in a strange position these last months. Many things not acceptable are bring forced down our throats. FAUX NEWS spills its garbage all day and many people choose to believe it. I have heard people defending Nazis and others talking about hunting in animal sanctuaries. Having a Mother who was a concentration camp survivor, a slave in a forced labor camp and a Russian immigrant during the Cold War, I was raised with certain values regarding freedom and human rights. This upbringing gave me strong impressions regarding freedom, the gift of food and shelter and the strength of the family. Because of this, one day last summer, I thought that maybe it was time for Max to present Nailbomb to the Tribe.


Written in 1993-94, Point Blank has worn the crown of all releases I have ever done. True, I have worked many legendary recordings, singles and videos, but none compare to the experience we all had making Point Blank. Besides laughing and expanding creative design, the lyrics were hard and hit home back then, now and most likely well into the future. We all called it a Hate Project (as we laughed our tails off), but in this century, I realized it was a protest record from the first note of Wasting Away to the last rumble of Sick Life. Recently I discussed the lyrical content with Max and Alex and thought I would break it all down here, for my Students. Let's dive in!!

WASTING AWAY--This is a song about the struggle to have an independent thought process. Trying to think for yourself and not just fall into the line of sheep. Sometimes seeking answers for yourself and not just relying on what church, school or work drills you with, can wear you down. The struggle to be free can end up trapping you.

VAI TOMAR NO CU-- This is anti-authority, anti-government, anti-our respective government's military policy and also about fake people, dishonest people, etc. It's telling them to "stick it up their ass."

24 HOUR BULLSHIT--This track is pretty literal. It's about being brainwashed by TV and commercials.

GUERILLAS-- Total anti-war lyrics.

BLIND AND LOST--Ths song pokes fun at people who are eager to conform to society's standards, or people who get sucked into a certain type of politics or religion and become zealots.

SUM OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS--This is a sad song. Talking about how with all the technological advancements humans have made in the last 100 years, many of them are geared towards war and death, instead of something that makes life better. An example is hatred towards scientists who invented the atom bomb.

WORLD OF SHIT--This talks about how violence, racism and hate is deliberately stoked by politicians to sow division among the people. Sound like anyone current?

EXPLOITATION--This is a cover song by the band DOOM. The lyrics are about animal testing and how it is wrong.

RELIGIOUS CANCER--This track is pretty literal, saying religion has no relevance in modern society and it is like a cancer, draining people's money and brainwashing them.

SHIT PINATA--this track is about fake people and dishonest politicians. Short and sweet!

SICK LIFE--this song is about drug addiction and how it ruins people's lives.

There you go! For the Nailbomb fans, the Soulfly fans, the Max career fans! Proud to Commit Commercial Suicide!!

Class dismissed....

POINT BLANK FROM A TO Z!!!!

24 years ago, a comedy became a reality and that reality became a Punk Metal legend! Nailbomb, made from the cultivation of 3 babies and 2 musicians' who could not contain their art. The beast came to life and in 1995, played the only 2 shows the fans would ever see of Nailbomb. Talking to fans throughout the last year's Return to Roots, they made me realize how special it was to hear Max singing the entire records in his vast catalog. Since Soulfly will be entering the studio in January, 2018, I wanted to get them together and solid, before going into the studio. They had already toured Archangel, Roots was widely accepted, why not give the Tribe what they want? Nailbomb, the rarest gem in Max's crown..the protest record that stood timeless on its lone mountain in the range of all things Metal. And so it was, Point Blank in your face!

The bill varied a bit as it started out with Cannibus Corpse, Noisem and Lody Kong and eventually evolved into Harm's Way as main support. Cannibis carried another way and Harm's Way slid in. The first date started on October 6 in San Diego. The bands played daily until October 30-31. For the days off, we hung in Sarasota, Florida with Igor's finance, Aggy Fleshgrinder and her family. They are Argentinian so we knew we were in for a treat!! Great BBQ, grilling, laughter, beer and LOTS of hugs!

Typically on tour you b]visit with a lot of different personalities, labels, press, musicians and friends. 30 years on the road have given us some solid friendships! Monte Conner, Billy Milano, Dave Chavarri, The Sword, Jose Mangine, and Paul Booth were just a few of the bros who got fired up with some World of Shit!

And let's not forget Max, Zyon and me visiting Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions...Max's obsession with American football brought his feet to the turf of the Detroit Lions' stadium! He walked through their locker room, sat in the private lounges, stood at the press conference podium and walked on the field!! He even stuck his head in Matthew Stafford's locker!!! Walking through the tunnel where the players walk out to the fans...gives me chills still, just thinking about it.

The set was the record in its entirety! From Wasting Away to Sick Life, it's a dream come true to see this set every damn night!! I get excited just writing about it!! It's a kick in the ass, a smack across your face, a hammer to the skull!!


There will be one more leg coming up and I will take this package to a freezing part of North America...where Return to Roots never went...where Soulfly will carry Point Blank...you can all guess...

Class dismissed.....

GROWING UP GREEN.....THE MAKING OF A METAL MOMMA!!

In 1983, my brother bought a club in Phoenix, called the Bootleggers. It was a billard's bar and full of super cool rednecks.  As time went by, we changed it into a Metal club and hosted bands like Flotsam and Jetsam and Poison.  Rob Halford discovered us one day and was a regular, even singing Grinder and Breaking the Law, on stage, with local bands.

I was pregnant with Roxanne and Richie during these years.  I would actually go to the hospital, give birth, and go straight to the club after being released!  I had a bassinet in the office and eventually, a baby walker in the club. Rob Halford even came in on the day I brought Richie for the hospital!  He told me he had never seen so young a child and asked  if he could take a peak at Richie.  I took him in the office and he got on his knee and kissed Richie's tiny hand.  The famous Rob Halford Kiss of Metal!!   It was always normal to come in the Bootlegger's and see me cooking and slinging beers to customers, as the kids walked underfoot!

After the city stole our club and my nervous breakdown was swept away, I gave birth to Jason.  He was named after Jason Christopher Newsted, who had just gone from the mighty Flots into the even mightier, Metallica.  He was a close friend of the family and even visited us when Jason was born.  I lived in a tiny, tucked off to the side home, and was trying to rebuild after the club swipe.  It really uplifted us when he and his then wife, Judy, came to visit.  The many "friends" we had all disappeared for the next bar!

During this time I picked up Sacred Reich and began my venture into band management.  Sacred started in The Bootlegger's and I was super close to Jason Rainey.  I have known him since he was 15.  He had the best fake ID i had ever seen.

Being a rare woman in Metal apparently was big news. Especially one with 5 kids!!  I won the Phoenix New Times Best Maternal Instincts, and did my first photo shoot ever at the Sacred jumped, holding Jason.  I dressed him in Christina's original Freakie's cereal shirt.  It was about this time that a richass label owner asked about buying the rights to my life.  I laughed and replied "I haven't done anything yet!!"  If he only knew the journey I would make!

Class dismissed.........