SOULFLY




Interview by Benji Womack- Your Music Magazine /Army of Pit Soldiers Presents:
April 25th 2006 @ The Boardwalk - Orangevale, CA

Ok, getting this interview was like the greatest thing the Magazine has hooked me up with yet. Soulfly is one of my favorite bands. I mean I got Soulfly tattoos all over me, so they would have to be, right? I think so. It was a great night and I got to hang with them during and after the show. Max has done things with music that no other band can ever touch or take away from him. He is already a legend in my mind and will keep creating a sound that will live forever in the metal world. Tonight I got to talk to Marc Rizzo guitar shredder for Soulfly and his solo project Colossal Myopia.

Benji - Describe Colossal Myopia for the people who havent heard the band yet, what's it all about and what influenced it's making?
Marc - Its a mixture of shred metal, flamenco...it's just a mixture of the two styles, you know, it's shred metal with Latin percussion and Latin rhythm, so its a total mixture, a little something different. Probably what has influenced me with that is that I listen to a lot of flamenco guitar, and a lot of metal, thrash metal, so it just kind of puts those two styles together.

Benji - What does it feel like to be a part of Soulfly, and is it true that theres a different lineup or does it just end up like that?
Marc - Well, it feels great to be in Soulfly. Ive been a fan of Max for a long time, so yeah, it's definitely cool to be in Soulfly. And as for the different members, I just think when Max first started the band, it's his band, and he was trying to collaborate.

Benji - I heard a rumor that he did it on purpose, having a new lineup for every album basically.
Marc - Its a little bit of both, you know? I think some people he tends to keep, and other people he gets rid of in the past, but Soulfly is Max, and anyone who is in the band adds to the vibes of the music, but whatever Max does, it's his thing, it's cool.

Benji - What song off of the new Soulfly album do you enjoy playing the most?
Marc - I would say Frontline, the new one we did a video for. It has every element of music that I enjoy playing, lot of fast drumming, metal riffs, just a little bit of classical and other elements that I enjoy all in one song.

Benji - Do you think that by playing in Soulfly your talent has increased?
Marc - Yeah. you know I'm always pushing myself to strive and get better and so is Max. And this is the first time Ive had someone actually pushing me to the best of my abilities, so yeah, Ive gotten better since Ive been with Soulfly, and it really influenced my solo career. I had Max saying yeah, more solos and I was like, yeah!

Benji - Describe the feeling you feel when playing on the stage in front of your fans.
Marc - It's just a great feeling. It's an honor for me because I grew up having a day job and playing music at night, so now being able to tour and make a living off this and just concentrate on the music is great. It's an honor, it's great, I appreciate all the diehard fans that come out and buy the record and come and see the show. We all live by playing music; it's pretty unbelievable. And the Soulfly fans, I have never experienced so much energy from a crowd, just worldwide, Soulfly fans are really hungry for us live.

Benji - What are some issues that disturb you in the music industry?
Marc - Probably just that there are a lot of great musicians out there that give up their lives to play the instrument that they choose, and you can be great and give up your life to play an instrument and still not have a record deal. And there are a lot of bands that have record deals and shouldnt and there are a lot of bands that are amazing, that dont. So it's kind of like there is a lack of respect for musicianship. There are guys out there who are amazing players who will never be heard. There are just a lot of musicians out there who arent appreciated.

Benji - What are your views on myspace?
Marc - I think it's awesome, it's cool. It's obviously an amazing way for people to hear your music, you know, whatever helps an unsigned band get heard without the help of a record company I think is awesome, because there are a lot of record companies out there who are bottom line, and there are of course a lot of musicians out there that should be heard because of a certain look or that kind of bullshit. But with myspace, if you put up a page, and interact with people and have them look at your site, I think it's awesome.

Benji - Do you have any tattoos?
Marc - Nah, nope, none. It's all Max.

Benji - Any advice for the new bands coming out in the industry, something that you wished you had known when you where starting?
Marc- Definitely have something to fall back on. As much as you might not enjoy it, you have to obviously make a living or become a freeloader, living with your parents the rest of your life. So it's like, find something to fall back on, and dont look at it as whats good or whats bad, just do it because you love to do it and never give up.