GROWING UP GREEN!! WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!!! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN....2 WEEKS IN THE CAVALERA HOME!

Many of you ask me what we do when we are home. People say "now you can rest" or "I am glad you are relaxing." Actually I would have to say home is as busy as being on tour! The only place we can rest is when we are flying! It's the only break lol!

A couple days after got home from Australia, I volunteered Max to have a exhibit at a science and technology seminar at an elementary school. Jason's (Skone) wife, Sian, is a 5th grade teacher and invited him to participate. Her class is studying the rain forest, and Max was supposed to talk about Brazilian percussion. That was easy since we have a mondo collection of instruments from all over the world. He took the berimbau, some beaded gourds, and I even packed him the leg instrument of beads feathers and bird beaks that she wore to record Itsari with the Xavantes! One Mom brought a old photo of her wearing Chaos AD shirt!


There were some super cool exhibits! The Phoenix reptile savers arrived with a collection of snakes and lizards. One lady pulled up with an alligator sitting in her car's back seat! She wrapped a small piece of duct tape around his mouth and said he was a puppy! He was in charge of himself definitely. The kids also showed off their art and experiments! Did you know air has weight? It does!!

Time for some savage fun after that excursion! What to do? We saw a traveling carnival at the nearby mall. That looked good! We packed up some grandkids and off we went in search of pirate adventure! Max never ever road on any type of wizardly ride before so we decided it was time!

Me? I am walking with Roxy and baby Remi taking the pictures as always. The Archiver. I also spot trashy unhealthy carnival food! And I am hella good at the water pistols..but Max always wins haha!

Next we jumped on a plane (nap time) and flew to New York to stroll the New York Metropolitan Art Museum for a private party and tour of the exhibit Play it Loud, which features legendary instruments from artists in the Rock World. Sure enough, Max's Warlock was there!

A meeting the next day for a planned documentary in the making and then blasting back to Phoenix...day flight means Read That Book, Glo!! Arrive home and zip off to a protest meeting with a friend and Roki, his first protest. A stupid lady walked around trying to incite people and talking White Power slang the whole time. She walked up to me, her final victim. I whispered "Hey go to your own party" and she blasted out some vicious profanity. Roki was right next to me. I asked him if now he knew why we were there and he smiled. "Yes, Grandma."

The park across the street had a ton of monuments for REAL heroes. The Codetalkers, the men of Pearl Harbor, pioneers, Korean War vets, 9-11, every military event you could think of. Roki soaked it all like a sponge.

The next day Max took Zyon and the rest of his crew to the Phoenix Suns game. Someones gotta cheer!

And last but not least, the next day we went to Jadore's classes' art show at a church in Scottsdale. It was elementary, middle school and high school artists from the Scottsdale area and damn, was it ever impressive!!

And then we made it home for my work week to start. I have Max working on new songs for the South American Beneath/Arise shows in June and I am planning the summer, fall and winter runs, and a few releases you don't even know about!. But today and tomorrow I am playing hooky since my assistant went Cochella!! Hell yeah!! Girls gotta have fun too!

Class dismissed...

PLAY IT LOUD STUDENTS!!

Last year I received a top secret call from the Rock and Roll Museum in Cleveland. They were ecstatic because the Metropolitan Art Museum, aka The Met, in NYC had decided to create a Rock and Roll exhibit of musical instruments, through the years, that were influential in artistic design, popular creative influences and also instrumental with fans' love of the genre and overall story of Rock and Roll. And yes, Max's BC Rich was to be included!! They said, "this is big! Like...the Beatles are in it!" They asked if I would loan the guitar to the exhibit. They didn't have to ask twice!!

Time passed and eventually I received the contract, next, the invitation and last, the RSVP! Damn this was REAL!! No major art museum in the world ever had a Rock instrument section or had even acknowledged that he style, the music and the instruments were art!! The exhibit would be called Play It Loud, and there would be a private viewing and party in the Met on April 1st, 2019. I admit, a couple times I did fear that it would be an April Fool's joke!

We flew to NYC on the 30th of March, nervous and hella excited! Before we knew it, we were standing on the stairs leading up to the Met!! I swear the buzz in that line was just uniform excitement! We all had big smiles and laughter! What an occasion!!

The front entrance had been turned into the sickest venue! A stage stood where the ticket booths usually were, and free open bars were scattered throughout the foyer. A giant Egyptian statue greeted us. We briefly started circling around the room, stopping to chat with Alex Skolnik, the only other Metalhead present. Alex is part of the Metal Allegiance record and tour, and Max is one of their special guests. No other Metalheads in da house!! We stuck out pretty much, since Max had his spiky Soulfly battle vest on and I was ravishing around in a leopard coat, a gift from Sharon Osbourne.

We were going to check out the exhibit, but almost immediately we heard the rhythms pumping through the hall from the legendary Roots band, so we headed back to the front gallery. They were slicing and dicing through the hall and the acoustics were unexplainably excellent! They were joined soon by the Eagles' guitarist Don Felder, who gave us some exceptional guitar sounds!! Max and I had nudged a good corner, front stage spot to watch the show and we weren't moving an inch!

The next surprise guest was Steve Miller!!!! For God's sake!!! Could it really be him!!! We were all flying like eagles. His wicked guitar sound was a masterpiece of crispness blended with a space odyssey voyage! It was brilliant!!

We saw Jimi Paige's double neck guitar on stage all night, but we never saw the master blaster. Later on we learned that he was cruising the exhibit while we were all bouncing from Hotel California to Soaring Like Eagles.

When the Roots had completed their 2 hour set, Max and I slid into the exhibit to catch a peak at his guitar. 15 minutes before the Met was to close, so we didn't get to see much. I passed the Beatles' gear, levitating past my childhood of Eric Clapton, the Who, Cream and the wispy flute of Aqualung himself! I came to a halt when a red BC Rich Warlock winked at me from the center of a display!

And there it was...snug as a bug, in between the Rolling Stone Ron Wood's guitar and flanked on the other side by the very own Beatle George Harrison's acoustic!! COULD THIS BE REAL!! Standing guard over was a Talking Head guitar! This was reality!! We couldn't stop laughing and swooshing!! In fact, I made a plastic surgery appointment to remove that split pie face grin!!

Next up, we got the Met boot...time to close. They weren't getting rid of us that quickly! Nope. We made plans to revisit the next day and get a private tour lined up! Next week, Students, bring your notebook...you are gonna get some lessons in the evolution of Rock and Roll!

Class dismissed....

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK!! WE SALUTE YOU!!!

We have travelled to Australia many times in the last 30 years. In fact, Australia is one of the biggest markets in the world for ALL THINGS MAX. Fans drench themselves in his music and turn out in droves for the live shows! It was the only place in the world that was treated to Killer Be Killed's bombastic set! Big Day Out hosted Soulfly with Kanye West and the Return to Roots' shows were a stampede! And let's not forget the current demand for the Maximum Cavalera package! While the fans have their desires, one dream we always had was completed this last tour! A visit to Bon Scott's grave!

The debut Beneath/Arise show was in Perth, the home of Bon Scott and early beginnings of ACDC. The first gig I ever did Perth was a riot, literally! The venue got destroyed completely during a Sepultura show and never reopened! The pit is much different these days, than it was in 1992, and most venues still exist after shows lol. On this trip, we were offered a visit to the cemetery after the show....a treat we accepted with haste! We pulled up to the darkened graveyard and found the gate unlocked. The walkway into the introduced us to its humble hometown boy.

I was surprised to see a simple bench with a plaque marking Bon's resting place. We were told there had been numerous headstones in the past but they were either stolen or ruined by years of dedicated fans. Now, one can sit above Bon and reflect on the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap!

And for that final encore, you can even check out the Wikipedia page for your enjoyment! It is smack dab on the archway you pass under as you exit the cemetery!!

Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra all lay in the path of our storm and conquering them was without mercy! Driving to the gig in Brisbane, Max was saying how nice it would be to see a kangaroo and by God...he turned his head and one stood outside his window, just chilling in the dark! Australia, where dreams come true!

Class dismissed.....

WELCOME, STUDENTS!!!! COME IN THE BUS, GUS!!

Most fans have never been in a band bus, and chances are they never get to see inside one! Recently on the US tour, I thought it would be cool to show everyone what a tour bus looks like. We lease two buses that we swap according to availabilityy and travel on. Whichever we get doesn't matter, as they are brother and sister, I also feel!

The first area you walk into is the driver's area. Little cupboards full of cleaning supplies, tools, bus parts and the driver's secrets. Once I saw a driver take a screwdriver and remove a panel above his chair and pull out a concealed pistol. No one in the bus treads into the driver's territory. We do sit on the chair by the door but that's it. The rest is forbidden.

Passing through the sliding door, you enter our home on the road. Spacious couches, satellite tv and a table. This is where the peops chill, watch movies or play numerous game systems. It's pretty much the centerpiece of the bus. It grows into the kitchen area. In Europe, the buses have small fridges but in America we get to enjoy a full-size refrigerator with a freezer. I have rarely had a cookstove burner in a bus. Questionable! Microwave and a sink with warm water completes the first room. Of course all the nooks are filled with cupboards and drawers. On a Soulfly bus, it is always stuffed with food. I am the Walmart Queen of Bus Shopping and I make sure everyone has snacks, soups, fresh fruit and coffee.

The bathroom is in the hallway as you enter the sleeping area. 12 bunks with real mattresses rule! Bunks have a lot more inside them than a person sleeping! Under the bunks might be your bank; your secrets are safe under the mattress! Along the wall, at your feet and under your pillow are all great storage areas too! The only hazard area is the floor with its never-ending shoe pile. Everyone trips over the shoes as they walk through the hall at night! Second mystery is who the f#@% is turning the AC so low and freezing your hide off when you sleep???

The back room is called the Manager's Room. Most people don't know that and I heard it so long ago that it may now be a name reserved for bus owners to use as a reference. This is Max and my cave. He gets one side and I get the other. We fight over the closet space in the back, lol! By the end of the tour it's pretty well stuffed back there! I always have my bookwork in a case on the floor and I get the shelf area under the TV. It is really a cooler but we never use it.

And that’s our road home!! Keeps us safe, allows us privacy and much needed sleep at night. Only one problem... my bed at home doesn’t sway through the night!!!! Lol

Class dismissed.....

70,000 TONS OF METAL!!! Let's DO this!!! Part 4

Bright and early on the last day of the cruise, we all went to the Royal Theater for Max and Iggor to participate in the All Star Jam. Iggor drummed on Black Sabbath, Sweet Leaf and Judas Priest, Livin' After Midnight. Max sang Motorhead's Overkill and Anvil's Metal on Metal. Members from Raven, Sodom, Carnation and many others hit the stage together.

Immediately after the Jam, we all went to a press conference for Zyon, Iggor and Max. It was pretty cool, with an interesting assortment of questions. It's always nice when people ask things that are not the same, boring questions. I have heard them all! At the end, we noticed an old friend, Barney from Napalm Death. He hasn't seen Zyon in a long time. We all laughed remembering that I wanted to name Zyon "Genghis!" Shane spent a lot of time trying to convince me otherwise!

Soon after heading to our cabins, Return to Roots and Soulfly got an invite to get a private tour of the bridge...the control room and master kush area of the ship's Captain! He is a fan! It was amazing, with a beautiful view! What a privilege!

Next up for us was the final Return to Roots show. The stage was outdoors, the Pool Deck Stage, several waterfalls, jacuzzis and pools were lit up, sparkling under the stars on the smooth Caribbean. The Tribe went crazy, as expected and our mission was done. USA bound!

We docked early in the morning. The sun was coming up and the water was like a kaleidoscope of color. Through the border and onto our bus, sweet bus. Big thanks to Andy, Allison, Vincent, Christian, Raymie, and all who made this adventure the Metal Cruise it is!!

Class dismissed......