What happens when you get a determined Tattooed visionary with the  to pull off something that has never been done before? Well let me tell you the pilot for the first ever METAL REALITY TELEVISON SHOW! I’ll wait a minute for you to let that sink in…. So Chris Fittyone and his band of misfits are at it again with this crazy idea, us metal heads need a tv show. I have to agree with them, I think this is a start of something WILD and CRAZY. Along with the Headbangers Con this man never ceases to amaze and thrill his audiences. So whats in store for us with this? What is going to happen? Is there going to be different bands on every show? I think we will have to just wait and see what happens over the next upcoming year. So Chris put together a show this evening that will make Portland fall to its knees and beg for more METAL!  

Ligature Marks and Skinflint were very impressive for me just hearing them for the first time, But INCITE was just fucking nuts, if I was twenty years younger I would have been in that pit! UNEARTH thank you for blowing my ear drums out of my head! Again you guys can play at my kids birthday party anytime! But the real reason I was here SOULFLY… OMG I didn’t know where to go when the ritual began. Portland is still trembling on its KNEES…..But I was lucky enough to actually get a sit down with MAX CAVALERA himself……….

Thank you for sitting down with us today it truly is an honor and a pleasure. 

EE: How have things been with this tour so far?

MC: the tour is really going great man, I think RITUAL a new BIRTH a new life into SOULFLY and revived everything and made more fun and more exciting the shows are packed and its killer! Its cool as fun as its EVER been considering I have done this for thirty years and if you can still achieve that still this late in the game 

EE: Growing up what musical influences made you want to be where you are today?

MC: Actually Brazil has a big heavy metal influence, but its underneath underground. But I got into music because of Queen I saw them in 81 and it was a mind blowing experience they were on top of their game it was just pure magic. Then I became a rock n roller the very next day and I never stopped, and I HAVE TO THANK QUEEN FOR GETTING ME INTO ROCK N ROLL!  

EE: what was your first instrument that you played?

MC: I wanted to be a drummer and my brother was already a drummer and he was much better, so I went with guitar. My dad had an Italian acoustic guitar but I bought one and I called it PODRE it means the rotten because when you played it you’d get splinters and it was more of a weapon than a guitar

EE: You still have it?

MC: no I tried to buy it back from a guy, I sold it. Then after we became successful I tried and he was like no man too sentimental.…..

EE: What keeps you motivated now? What drives you every day to keep going?

MC: Man there is a thing in music can only be described as magic, I don’t know if I can even explain to people what the feeling you get when you are on the stage and your seeing your fans and everything clicks. Then hearing the stories after the show about how my music effects people. Going to war with my music, playing my music at funerals or working out with my music. That’s why I do it its not for GRAMMYS, or GOLD RECORDS its cool if it happens but this isn’t why I do this, it’s the pure joy and happiness that it brings to people. 

EE: How is it playing with your son? Does it effect your family life?

MC: He came into the band really green when I first got him, maybe it would have been better to wait a little bit, but I think its better to be apart of the formation of the band overcoming the green period and becoming a better musician, now he’s on FIRE and insane hell of a drummer. It’s good to see him and watch him every night be creative, and he is just chaotic.

EE: Do you sit and have that proud dad moment on stage?

MC: I do sometimes, and I have to pinch myself to make sure this is happening, he is hard. Other times it can be a bit hard too because he likes to play some stuff that I find very frustrating for me but sometimes we get to fighting because he doesn’t want to play some stuff like ARCHANGEL I liked that and he doesn’t really but I do get my way most of the time, then I have to impose my power as dad and power trip. Hahahaha….

EE: So collaborating with the likes of Corey Taylor, Randy Blyth, Fred Durst and Burton C Bell how was that experience and who do you want to work with next?

EE: So anything new from the Cavalera  Experience?

MC: Id love to work with Rob Halford, Ozzy, Bruce Dickinson just waiting for the right time, if it happens it will happen, I don’t freak out but I loved the ones I have done so far, because I don’t measure them by fame i measure them by how much I love the people I’m working with, and it is a cool thing that I like to do I get to work with my idols.

MC: right now we are booked in Australia, and some talk of bringing it to America this summer lets hope so….

EE: what made you add tribal music and introduce it to the metal genre?

MC: I have always been into the whole tribal lifestyle, I mean its cool they live their own away from society and in a way they are like us metalheads, we have our own way and we don’t give a fuck what people think and we like tattoos and metal shirts and I think that some attraction comes from that. And I saw an opportunity to do something new that’s never really been done before. So it’s a bit like a pioneer, a record like ROOTS will always be a pioneer record love or hate it ROOTS and there is no denying that its kind of a game changer for the metal world. And it opened up so many new doors for me with tribal music meets metal. 

You know I say this a lot but this interview was amazing, you can really feel how humble this man is and his love for METAL! So again I want to give a big shout out to the HEADBANGERS CON, Chris Fittyone and his band of misfits and minions. The Bossanova Ballroom and their staff, SOULFLY and you for reading this so….

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Anthony Bernardi

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