Interview with bassist Marcel Dias
When vocalist/ guitarist Max Cavalera left Sepultura back in 1997, when the band made an ultimatum that his wife Gloria be fired as manager, his only logical choice was to left. He started anew with Soulfly and as Sepultura has released two discs without him and Max has released two Soulfly discs, it has become clear how important Max was to Sepultura. This year sees Soulfly release their latest, aptly titled 3, once again there are several guest appearances which impact the sound. As Soulfly are out on tour with opening for Slayer with In Flames opening, I was able to get in and chat with bassist Marcel Dias.
How's the tour going?
Good, we've done about a week so far. Slayer's made it fresh. I've been digging it a lot, I'm a big Slayer fan myself, for me it's an honor to play with them.
How are they as people?
We've seen each other here and there briefly. It's too early in the tour. The whole first week we were in home towns and everybody had something to do. While we're in New York everybody's busy with friends and endorsements, once we get out of here and out in the country it will be peaceful and we can check out each other's show and say hi. The whole first week have been friends and relatives, it's cool but it takes a lot of our time.
Do you like coming to New York?
I love it. Roy, our drummer, is from here. I have a special love for this town because it's so powerful. San Paulo is like the fourth or fifth biggest city in the world, with New York, China, Russia- so it's big and similar to where I grew up. It's similar to my hometown. There's food, parties, bars, 24/7.
Where do you consider home now?
San Francisco. It's beautiful, I love it out there. We're five minutes north from the Golden Gate Bridge. It's nice, I've been living there for a year now after living in Arizona for seven years. That's where Max lives. It's too hot there. We're trying to make our way back to L.A. because my wife is from L.A. When we got married and moved to Phoenix she did not like it at all. We came to San Francisco and it's cooler.
How long have you lived in America?
Eight years.
How did you like living in Brazil?
It's my home country. It's just hard to live there. They have a lot of good people but everybody's scraping by trying to make a living. It was tough for me because being a musician is like being jobless. Cops give you a hard time. I dealt with that for years. Fortunately I got a job working with Sepultura and going on the road and that's how I got out of there. When everything with Max and them collapsed it was natural for me to join him in Soulfly. We knew each other really well.
Do you have a good working relationship with Max?
I've been there since the beginning, 1996, and it's been smooth.
How much input do you have in Soulfly?
Max let's us all do our parts. He comes up with some riffs. Everybody chooses their parts, he let's us do whatever we want.
What is your set list?
Most of the three records we've put out. We also play a couple Sepultura songs. Every night changes though. We don't really talk until about an hour before the show in the dressing room. It's good for the fans. We would be bored doing the same songs, same show every night.
How important is it to bring in guest musicians for each album?
It's something that Max loves. He's at a place and time where he doesn't want to hear anything, he does what he wants to do. He's a charismatic leader and I believe in him. He's always made the right choice with everything he's done with Soulfly and Sepultura. The way I see things with Soulfly and Sepultura is we're two bands now instead of one. We're doing our thing and they're doing their thing. We wish the best for those guys.
Do you keep in contact with Sepultura?
No.
How do you feel about your career so far?
I'm doing what I love and what I've always wanted to do. I was really hungry to prove that I could play and Max gave me the chance. Some people try to figure us out but they can't. This band is eager to do what we want and love playing.
Do you feel you are fulfilled creatively with Soulfly?
I do like to write other things for myself. I have a hunger to write music. I do a lot with Soulfly which makes me happy, but when I'm home I record with an eight track and it's like therapy. When I'm sad or mellow I like to stay away from people, I go in my corner and think of melodies and weird shit.
Would you ever release this stuff?
I don't have any plans to because Soulfly takes a lot of my time and it's my priority, but I do have stuff that I write that's totally different than Soulfly. It's like Janes Addition, the Police, with weird melodies.
What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Everything. I love Perfect Circle, Deftones, System Of A Down, some drum and bass from Europe, Slayer, Tool. I'm always looking for something that sounds good.
Discography:
2002... 3 (Roadrunner)
2000... Primitive (Roadrunner)
1998... Soulfly (Roadrunner)
Current line-up:
Max Cavalera... vocals and guitars
Mikey Doling... guitars
Marcel Dias... bass
Roy Mayorga... drums
Website:
www.soulflytribe.com
| TTM reviews of albums by Soulfly: | |
| 2005 - 'Dark Ages' |
| 2004 - 'Prophecy' |
| 2002 - '3' |
| TTM editorials involving Soulfly: | |
