ARISE RUSSIA....PART TWO!

Vladivostok was next on the itinerary. The first show is always full of anticipation and long days. I was surprised how beautiful and modern the city is! From our hotel room we could see a giant cruise ship sitting in the harbor. Fireworks spouted off the rear of it at night and when we woke up in the morning, it was gone.

A 6 hour soundcheck rolled on into the first show. It was one loud crowd! Climbing over each other, circle pitting like a dust devil and chanting the lyrics at the top of their lungs. This flows into the very veins of the band and the connection becomes like an electric current!

Khabarovsk was the next city to conquer. It’s located in the Far East of Russia. A bustling city, full of all nationalities. The crowd was so deafening, again! It’s breathtaking when they become one with the band! Max and Iggor decided to treat them and give them a little taste of some classics from Morbid Visions and Roots!

Next stop, Novosibirsk! A heavily wooded area of Siberia, stunning in the autumn foliage. A large crystal wolf and Genghis Khan greeted us in the airport. Travel south and you may make it to Mongolia!

Yekaterinburg is our home today. This is a solemn city to Russian history seekers such as myself. The deadly last stop for Tsar Nicholas II and his family. It was here that the Bolsheviks exiled the royal family and kept them captive until one fateful night when they were mercilessly murdered. Never did I even dream to stand in the wooded area where their bodies were buried but history can become reality with a bit of determination...and here I stood today. Surrounded by the beauty of a forest of birch trees and wildflowers, rich frankincense filtering through the air, a honey bee rested on my thumb and nibbled ever so slightly. A pinch reminding me of a dark gruesome night 98 years ago that I had only seen in the pages of books. Max and I stood at the grave site.

Going back to the city, I wanted to buy our little Remi her baptism outfit. Max and I went downtown to the Church of the Spilled Blood. A massive cathedral erected over the site of the Romanov family’s murder. Once a home turned into a prison for the family, Ex President Yeltsin had it destroyed and the Russian Orthodox Church had it rebuilt into a place of remembrance. There was a priest singing hymns with a small group of worshippers when we arrived.

Back at the hotel, Max putting his new vest on; fans lacing their boots, and the Beneath backdrop being hoisted, we are readying for another Time Travel.....a gift to our Tribe. What goes around, comes around....and Beneath the Remains Arises again!

Class dismissed.....

ARISE RUSSIA!!! PART ONE....

For the next couple weeks, I will take you on tour in Russia, my Students! Over 4.5 million Students have passed through my Metal School but we have yet to tour together. It’s time!! Join me as Max and Iggor Return Beneath Arise!

Our first stop was Moscow. Max and I flew in early to visit friends and family and also to break up the long flights. We are fortunate to have a dear friend in Moscow, who welcomed us to her apartment. Sorry but her name must stay in my heart to allow some privacy! First stop was the nearby Georgian restaurant for some traditional delights!

The second day we travelled to the Butovo Range. A tragic but forested area where 20,000 innocent people were shot during Stalin’s purge in 1937-1938. No trials, only a phone call would lead to your death. One of my ancestors was murdered there. He is now a saint, having withstood the torture and never giving in...St Dimitri Dobrosernova. We were given a tour of the area by the very kind Father Kyril. You can see St Dimitri in the middle of the next photo.

Returning to our friend’s apartment, we enjoyed a late dinner with an old friend. And then we were off to Omsk, Siberia to visit family.

Omsk is a patchwork city of old wooden houses and tall Soviet era buildings. The Volga River runs through it, plentiful with fish and nourishing the forest that sprawls through the region.

After a lunch with family we went to the cemetery to visit my aunt and cousin’s graves. My cousin looked so much like a Soviet Dana, and was murdered on August 16, just like Dana was. It’s a horrible coincidence....

Yesterday, we were treated to another traditional meal complete with a greeting at the door of bread and salt. These are the days Max and I share together. Seeking spirituality and regional customs...

And soon we fly to Vladivostock! We have never been there before, due to unforeseen events many years ago, when our show got abruptly cancelled.... but that’s another story! The band and crew are waiting and the fans are anxious!!! Arise Beneath the Remains!!!!!

Class dismissed....

BENEATH THE REMAINS WILL ARISE AGAIN!!!!

The photo says it all! Remember the ruckus on FB when Christina and I posted the backdrop for sale? then, one day, a dear friend revealed to me that the negative comments were from hired guns. Interesting news.... Well....we stashed it away and now...BOOM! it's gonna fly high again with the brothers below it! Stronger than hate!!!

Class dismissed....

9-11....CONSPIRACY OR FACTS??

Last week, the 29th of August, I was given the opportunity to attend the viewing of Senator John McCain. Besides being a respected Senator and highly decorated member of the military, he seemed to be a real person. One time, as Max and I flew on a domestic flight, he was seated a couple rows in back of us, in coach. With recent accusations of government personnel using private planes and running up taxpayer bills, this was extraordinary!

On two separate occasions, I wrote the Senator letters regarding incidents that, to myself, were alarming and needed to be brought into the light of day. Both times he responded quickly. Some events in our lives are so unbelievable, that others call them "conspiracy theories." But maybe many of these are true, even though they are so remarkable that people cannot believe they are facts. I had one such experience and I informed Senator McCain about it... To my surprise, he wrote back...and what he wrote punched me in the gut!

9-11 changed the world forever. No going back to the naive way of life. People are more aware but there are still the nonbelievers. They are the hurdles that prevent the truth from being told. And then there are the fighters who stand up for all humans. The men who are offered a way out of predicaments because of money or family strength in politics...and there are the mavericks who tirelessly fight for the truth. RIP, Senator McCain. Someone will follow your lead.

Class dismissed......