INCITE...WE ARE ALL UP IN HELL!!!

I would like to dedicate this class to our son, Richie...

Richie and Dana fishing, (1995)

Since Rob Halford gave the Kiss of Metal to a newborn Richie Cavalera, Richie has had only one path....to be vocalist in a Metal band...straight up, no detours! If I had known earlier, what I know today, Richie would have started a band in his early teens, but I was still forging my way through the death of Dana and the absence our our beloved Sepultura in our lives. I was trying to hold myself together, carry Max up from despair and keep our family strong through wicked odds that were against us. I was also in the midst of solving a murder...but that is another story..

Richie as Al Jorgensen, (1993)

Richie had made his appearance on the cover of Atrophy's Violent By Nature, at the age of 4. He next popped up, shredding some feedback on Nailbomb's Point Blank recording and then again, he poured his heart out on Ozzfest with Soulfly, singing Fred Durst's verse on the track, Bleed. He was always full of energy , creative instinct and never afraid to hit the stage.

Atrophy and Richie photobombing

Greg Hall and Richie

Richie in jam pad practicing for Nailbomb

Richie singing Bleed with Soulfly in 1998

Once he presented Incite to me, I knew he was on his path. I absolutely loved every song they cranked out and began developing their stage performance on tours by adding them as the opener. The road life is something you need to prune, to cast off the dead leaves and work yourself into the best performer you can be. The problem with developing new bands is that many young bands want success to be delivered at your door, all bundled up neatly, but that isn't the way the biz is...you must pay your dues.

The lack of patience, the life on the road and thirst for overnight success usually weeds out the musicians that really should not be in the business. For this reason, the early Incite had flexible stability. Throughout the label years, one person stayed by Richie's side, even leaving to have a baby, but never truly leaving...Dis McAllister. The man behind the groovy riffs that explode suddenly in a wrath of mosh-sweat! This, combined with Richie at the helm, made Incite a serious force to lay down their road in the Highway of Metal through history.

INCITE lineup 2007-2012 (Photo credit Glen La Ferman)

The band has always had a huge amount of energy and positive faith. This enabled them to take surprises, like lineup changes, with stride , and look at it as polishing the band, fine-tuning it. One tour, Incite even drove in a Toyota 4 door sedan, after trouble arose with their travel arrangements!! And don't forget, little Spanky was there too...But back to the lesson..

I will tell you now...

IScream was the label for The Slaughter, the brilliant debut of the band. Unfortunately, the label was in a crisis, unknown to us, and soon the band was free to move on. All Out War came out on a new, rising label, MinusHead Records, which was imbedded in the San Francisco music scene, and headed by the master, Brad Hardie.

Brad had a strong belief in the band, and released All Out War to critical acclaim! The label was spawning its life at the same time as Incite, and they both grew together. It was fantastic working with someone who loved the band and was so full of energy and support for the project. Brad wasn't afraid of taking a chance on a young band and the newest release, Up In Hell, has proven to break all boundaries, for the label.

INCITE 2014 (Photo credit Glen La Ferman)

Now, with a solid line up and a real label, the band is poised to contribute to the halls of Metal!! Determination, youth and real life issues are the message of Incite, so get your pit shoes on and prepare to Incite to the highest level!! It's how we survive, Up In Hell!!!!

Class dismissed...

KILLER BE KILLED!!! AT LAST!!!

 
Many of you know the Killer Be Killed cd has just come out!! I don't usually repost but thought you may like to see the blog I made a year and half ago about the roots of KBK. January 10th of 2013, we were all getting together and rehearsing in Long Beach. There was excitement swirling around us every time we all got together. With the addition of Troy Sanders, the complete circle was connected.

In September 2013, we connected again in LA, this time joining forces with Josh Wilbur to record. The build-up to this moment was like walking up a mountain and finally reaching the top! Smiles and music filled each moment of every day. I would sit in the lounge with Kendog, working and hear the cake baking in the chambers behind the wooden doors!!

Me and Josh Wilbur

I took up the task of cooking the meals for the guys. There was a complete kitchen and not many places to eat around the studio. Every day I would plan a menu that was healthy and not heavy, to weigh the guys down. It was fun to see them come out of the room starving and see my creations on the kitchen island.

Lunch by Me!!

Monte Conner, Ryan Downey and Nick John joined in some days and they were also enjoying the freedom of not having to order take-out or starving all day. We walked through this KBK garden together and I would like to thank everyone for allowing me to be a part of this creation!!!

Me, Josh, and Killer Be Killed!

Enjoy the following.....the roots of KBK!!
CONTINUED: How We Made A Band! - Gloria Cavalera  >>

MAX GIVES BIRTH TO SEPULTURA...1983

When Max was 11-12 years of age, he desired to know what the bands he was beginning to listen to, were singing about. He got a red dictionary called Barsa and began translating songs, word by word. This was also how he eventually learned English. He discovered he had a good memory for learning languages, at this young time of his life.

He evolved through Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, ACDC and many others. When he was 13, he discovered Motorhead and translated DANCING ON YOUR GRAVE, from the album Another Perfect Day. The word Sepultura caught caught his eye, and he immediately chose the word to be his first band's name. The name came before Max even had a band, or band members.

One night, Max and Iggor went with some friends to see Dorsal Atlantica, the first thrash show Max had ever been to. On the way back from the show, riding on a bus, Max looked at Iggor and said, "those guys are Brazilian and playing Metal. We can too!" They had already been listening to heavier music like Venom and Slayer, and Metal was seeping into their blood. Max knew Iggor could be the drummer because he had always been interested in drums, so he asked Iggor to be the drummer.

Max went home and began learning guitar on his Dad's acoustic guitar. Iggor was using pots and land from their Mother's kitchen. The first song they learned was Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell. They asked a friend, Rob Haffan, to play bass because they knew he had a bass and they could practice in his garage. His Dad was a Canadian priest and he would call Max and Iggor The Dirty Yellow Heads. They then asked Wagner, anther friend, to sing.

Max in front of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Sepultura Display

Max bought a spiral notebook and began to write his first lyrics, which were in Portuguese. Song titles were Friday the 13th, The Graveyard, Eating Rats, Bleeding Like a Pig and Antichrist. Antichrist was the only song that survived and was recorded on the Bestial Devastation EP, released eventually by Cogumelo Records. You know the rest of the story!!

One day, to my surprise, Vania, Max's Mom mailed him the spiral notebook, which was long forgotten. It arrived in a package with the license plate from Max's Dad's Italian consulate car. Thank God she knew to save it!! Max showed me the drawing he made with the first time he ever wrote the name Seputura next to it. I put it away for our son's.

A couple years ago, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame contacted me to send them something from Max and Iggor's time with Sepultura. I knew it had to be the notebook! I also sent them Iggor's drum gloves and then they asked for a guitar of Max's. The stinker broke most all of his guitars on stage in a wild fury, but a few remained. I sent a beautiful red BC Rich. I did not send the famous white Warlock BC Rich because I knew one day it would go to our son, Igor. The red guitar is stored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's archives for future display along with the drum gloves....but the notebook?? You can see it in its glory in the Bang Your Head display case! Check it out sometime......



Class dismissed......

BACK TO THE PRIMITIVE!!!!!

Working on the Primitive record was great! We rented the Salt Mine Studio, in Mesa, Arizona, so we were close to home. The band had toured extensively for Soulfly I and were thirsty for new material to play on the road.

Toby Wright was hired to produce the record. Joe Nunez, Mikey Doling and Marcelo Dias were the Soulfly band at the time. The guest musicians were plentiful.....Tom Araya, Sean Lennon, Corey Taylor, Meia Noite (percussionist of Julio Iglesias), Grady Avenoll, Chino Moreno, Cutthroat Logic, Asha Rabouin, and Zak Sofaly (percussion also) were the extended Tribe!

Corey and Max

Zak

Max and Zak

For artwork, Max chose Neville Garrick, Bob Marley's artist and the creator of many of Bob's album covers. He spent much time getting to know everyone before he took on the project.

Max and Neville Garrick

The Salt Mine never had a lounge so we rented a motor home to chill out, relax and work in. It was parked at the front door of the studio, in a strip mall type parking lot. WE got a heck of a lot of use from it and also had a good many soccer games in the lot!

Soccer!

Me and Max at the console

Max's vocal chamber

The guests coming in and out throughout recording was like owning a magic carpet store with magic rugs flown in and out constantly! The songs were brilliant and I will forever remember each collaboration with the deepest artistic respect!

You can check out my past blog on Sean Lennon's participation which was especially magic! The song, Son Song, has such deep meaning and soul searching woven throughout! The piece at the end on the piano was created and performed by Sean, and takes you to another dimension.

Chino and Grady dished it out for their lost friend, Dana, and the track still has such anguish and the need for justice which evades Dana and our family to this very day. You probably don't know but Chino was the lead pallbearer for Dana. I gave him the rasta belt Dana was wearing when he died. The Deftones will always have their love carried in our family's hearts until time exists no more!

Corey Taylor and Max belted out Jumpdafuckup in a few hours as Corey was in town on tour with Slipknot. That song makes you want to jump in the pit and let it OUT!!! Corey is the lyric master as far as I am concerned and it shines in this track.

Slipknot

Cutthroat Logic sang for victims of gang violence and from a broken heart. Asha and Tundee had lost their brother before the recording, due to gun violence. There were many factors threading this record together, the artists and Max and our family included.

We forged some relationships at the Salt Mine that are precious to us today. The owner, Don Salter is the coolest to work with and the producer John Gray have stayed in our lives forever. The have gone through the generations and even worked with Incite, Lody Kong and most all of Max's side collaborations. The studio has long since moved to a killer location with all the amenities and is one sick studio!!

Check it out! Back to the Primitive!!!

Class dismissed.......

MAX, THERE IS A MAN LIVING IN OUR BACKYARD!!!!!

In 1998-'99, I began to feel someone was living in our backyard. It may have even been 1997, not sure. It was definitely after Dana's untimely death. I would find men's underwear near our jacuzzi and joke about a bum bathing as we slept. Little did I know, it was true...

I began receiving messages on my office phone from a strange man; I will call him Leo, to avoid telling his actual name. Leo began with simple questions like "Does Max live here?' "Are you the manager of Max?" "Did Dana live here?" After a few calls, I began to feel a bit unnerved and very suspicious. Next came letters, first to Max, then to me and after a couple years, to Kristen, my friend and Dana's girlfriend.

One day, Leo caught me on the phone and filled me in on his 'quest.' He had taken a Greyhound Bus from Florida to Phoenix, to search for Max. He was an overly obsessed fan and wanted to meet him badly. Leo was also unemployed and homeless. As luck would have it, when he arrived at the bus station, he met someone who was also a fan. The young man told Leo he knew a girl who had gone to high school with Dana; maybe they could find her. Leo said it took some months, but she was eventually located.

The young girl had actually been to our home once and gave Leo vague descriptions of our house and how to find it. "Just go to Shea Road and walk block after block and look in all the living room windows," she said. "Eventually, you will see a wall of masks and a blue light from a big screen TV." "That's the house."

It took Leo over 3 months of strolling and peaking in windows, but he eventually found our house. Not having anywhere to live at the time, he decided our yard would be his lodging, our jacuzzi his bath tub and the fruit from our many fruit trees would be his meals. He lived for one full year in our backyard before his phone calls began! He would peak in all our windows and watch our family. He learned our routines and knew I would get up early. Every day, he made certain to be gone before I woke up.

One day, while working in the office, I received a call from a homeless shelter. It was one of the women counselors. She confirmed my identity and shared hers with me. Then she said "I don't want to sound crazy, but have you ever seen the movie, THE FAN?" I said I had. She went on to describe one of the drifters there as being obsessed with our family and said she felt he could be a danger. I asked if it was Leo and she said it was. I thanked her and hung up. Things had just stepped up a notch!

Leo began to be more assertive. He began calling more and more and leaving drawings and more letters at our front door. He switched his obsession from Max to me. I began to catch him outside our home, in the front yard. Max even did an instore autograph signing, and in the daily newspaper story about the meet and greet, there was Leo, in the photo, right behind Max.

Mom and Me

One night, very late, the doorbell rang and rang. I looked in the security cameras and there he was. It was Leo! I called a friend to come over and he called the police. By the time they arrived, Leo was in our back yard at Max's statue of Jesus. Leo had lit many candles and was rubbing 2 coins together. He was doing brujeria!

Igor and Max

He told the police Dana had sent him to protect me and he seemed mad at Max for something. He said the coins had scorpions on them and foretold a bad omen. He wanted to speak with me, but I refused. The police took him to jail. On the day he was released, I caught him hiding in our front yard! We could never have him arrested again or served because he was homeless and sleeping in parks, since our yard was no longer safe for him. There was no address.

One day, some friends of our children told us that he was also following them home on the city bus! This was getting out of control!! All the while, he continued to call me and write letters. He switched his obsession from me to Kristen, and then her letters began. They were especially frightening since he wrote things like, "Dana wants us all in the same room."

After 4 years of this constant fear, as I was walking on stage left at a Soulfly concert, an arm came around my throat from the back. I knew it was him immediately, from the smell of homelessness. He whispered in my ear that I would hear from him by phone, and then he slipped away. This happened in a packed venue, near the stage while the band was playing!! He was smooth and slippery. I felt lost!

Then silence...no calls, no letters. I answered the phone one day and it was Leo. He said he was calling to ask forgiveness from me. He said he had been meeting with a priest and had realized it was wrong to stalk us and peak in our bedroom windows (!) and frighten us. I said "That's it?" And he said "Yes, that's it." He disappeared as fast as he had once appeared.

We never heard from Leo again, but often times I felt as if his eyes were behind me, watching every move. Like a dark shadow, attached but silent, stalkers suck!! Always watch your back, Students!!

Class dismissed.....