NEVILLE GARRICK...FROM BOB MARLEY TO MAX!! THE EXODUS!

When Max was working on Primitive, he selected Bob Marley and the Wailer’s artist, Neville Garrick, to design the cover, the cd booklet and the campaign. Max was deep into researching Jamaican music and feeling quite spiritual from the previous years’ experiences. He wanted the artwork to be representative of his feelings.

Neville was a graduate of UCLA, who also had played on their football team. After graduating he relocated to Jamaica. Neville soon became the illustrator behind Bob Marley’s biggest albums, backdrop and also designed the backdrop for Reggae Sunsplash.

After Soulfly 3 was created, with Neville again at the helm, Neville went back to Jamaica as he is one of the overseers of the Bob Marley Museum. He has amazing photos from his lifetime achievements and I recommend any book he could possibly release, that gives us a peak into his journey through life. If you ever get the opportunity to meet him, I say “have a fat one rolled in your pocket!”

Class dismissed....

THE CHAOTIC SUMMER OF 1993!!

We were all holed up at Rockfield Studio in Wales, in the summer of 1993. Andy Wallace and the guys were layering the riffs and the beats and the screams to what would eventually be Chaos AD. (Did I tell you how I first heard the name? I recall like it was yesterday...I was standing by the vintage Rolls Royce in the parking lot and Max came up. He whispered to me..."I think I have a name for the record. What do you think? Chaos AD." Heck yeah, what was there not too like?)

When it came time for the bass, everyone wondered what would happen...who would record it? Andy felt that he could give it a try but he wanted solitude. He sent us on a scavenger hunt...go have some fun. And we did. We all took off for a couple days of rest and relaxation and left Andy with the situation. We heard that our friends, Faith No More, were playing on a festival in England called the Phoenix Festival, so off we went. Max and I scooped up Z and headed north!

The Phoenix Festival was held at Long Marston Airfield, near Stratford-upon-Avon. It was one of the first 4 day festivals in Great Britain. We were happy to see our friends from Napalm Death chilling there too! Max and I have always had a special fondness for Mitch. He was super children-oriented, like us. Some day I will find that darn video of him changing Zyon's pooped diaper on our couch!

At night, we stayed at a renovated castle, revamped into a hotel. It had a chapel out back with super ancient above ground graves. Knights and maidens all in a row! The fresh air and break from the studio revived us and then.....we returned to the Chaos!




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THE '80'S AND '90'S WHEN FLIERS WERE KING!!

When I first started at our club, The Bootleggers, one of the main ways to advertise was with fliers. You had to be really creative to attract attention; there were so many shows to choose from! Being a club owner meant you had to get people to your gig and one of the best ways was to have a flier that really stood out.

Recently, I came across a stack of original fliers tucked under piles of memorabilia. The Ramones, Death, Beastie Boys,and King Diamond were just a few of the ones I found. I share! Here are some of the classics for you, Students! Paul Stottler was one of my favorite designers! He created Sacred Reich's artwork designs and now he tattoos in Hollywood. He even tattooed Dave Grohl!

During our time in The Bootleggers, we dropped fliers at the local record stores (long since shut down), hit up cars in parking lots and stood outside concerts handing them to the fans as they were leaving. One way to get directly to the Metal heads was to go to the high schools at lunch breaks and locate the fast food restaurant the Metalhead students frequented. We pinpointed the various lunch times of the local high schools and then drove around the vicinity and spotted the Metal kids. They all seemed to group together at the same Burger King or what ever chain was near the school. It took some time to figure out the various lunch breaks but once you knew, you could make a route that was very effective.

Here you go!! Help yourself to this nostalgia of bands long since recorded in the Metal History books!!

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1993 STARTED WITH A Z !!! 25 YEARS AGO ....

25 years ago this week, our home was hectic with happiness and with sadness, all rolled into one! Fate denied Max and me a honeymoon, newly wedded happiness and any form of celebration of our marriage. We had a whole 12 hours of wedded bliss before unthinkable tragedy struck us. Focusing on the needs of our family got me through it. When all hell breaks loose, I work harder and triumph!

There was a little person who was there to keep us occupied and his name began with a Z !! The "calm, big eyed, brown haired Do-Dah-er, born with a beat in his head" was the perfect ointment for any pain! We had a mascot!
We all laughed wedding tour, cried at Adam's funeral and then, with wobbly knees, boarded a plane to London! Chaos was about to be sculpted! With all the hubbub, with all the anxiety, there was quiet excitement!

The kids had certainly suffered in grief, so Max and I decided to transport them across the ocean to Wales to join us at Rockfield Studio. We needed to be together. Andy and Trish (his wife) were bringing their children, too. Companions are cool! Andy Wallace and Andy Wallace were the first steps. They would grow by great lengths each day, as the layers of recording were processed. The kids would be free to play in the haunted fields of Rockfield and the adults would be adulating !!

25 years ago it seems so far and seems so near, at the same time! Our journey has winded; our Tribe has expanded. Z has grown all the rest of the children. Nothing stops Time. It is up to us to leave our mark, our impression, our influence. Will you like to dandelion or leave your imprint like T-Rex? Leave your mark, Students! Be your Dream !!

Do not let misery and the downs of Life break you !! There is an adventure every day! Just fly free and see where the world takes you, before its too late ......

Class dismissed ....

COME ROCK THE CANYON!!!!

In the early morning darkness, we will be heading to Kayenta, Arizona, in Monument Valley, to bring Soufly to our friends at the Navajo Nation! June 2 is an important date for the Navajo Tribe, as it is the date the US government and the Tribe signed the peace treaty 150 years ago. After much violence, and many tragedies, the two parties came to an agreement that would march the Nation not the future.

The concert will be free admission for all, and we will share the stage with our friends, Michael Black and his band, Taipan. There will also be several Navajo Metal bands. I am hoping there will be a fair-like atmosphere and we can all savor the Indian Fry Bread dripping with honey!!

We have a solid bond with the Navajo Vice President Jonathan Nez. He has made it his responsibly to create activities to better the Navajo youths' education and future! Young people are the future and the struggles to grow up and have a successful life, are many. He is "hands on," all the way!

We were blessed to receive the traditional protection of the Navajo Spirits, in a ceremony I will never forget! It was dark and we stood below the Milky Way, in a small amphitheater in Tuba City, Arizona. The Medicine Man presented Max with a powerful silver and turquoise bracelet that wards off negative energy. During the blessing, a feather fell at my feet and I was given it. I never travel anywhere without it now!! The ancient beliefs are strengthening. Sometimes, I feel the modern world has washed away much of the power of Nature!

Join us in celebrating this powerful day of reflection. People suffer many wrongs, yet at the same time, they create the many wrongs. The past should be our teacher and we should open our minds to peace, for we are all leaders in our own way.

Class dismissed....