IGOR CAVALERA Says 'Hard Work Is The Name Of The Game' When It Comes To Being A Successful Musician

December 14, 2017

On December 3, Igor Cavalera (CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SEPULTURA) was interviewed by Apes Metal at the Gasometer in Vienna, Austria. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what advice he would give to young, up-and-coming artists who don't have a lot of money to record and promote their music, Igor said: "I don't know. A lot of things changed. For example, when we started, we didn't have a lot of money, and it was a lot more difficult to record — you needed to go to a professional studio, and that cost a lot of money, where nowadays I think it's a lot easier to record your demos. There's a lot of home studios [that] sound amazing. So, in that sense, I think things… I'm not saying it's easier, but it is a little more… I don't know… It's okay to do this [without going into a professional, expensive recording studio] whereas in those days, if you didn't have a proper demo, people wouldn't really listen to it. Like, most of our recordings, they were from a cassette, like in a boombox, and they were, like, demos — not really a professional album done that way. But I have to say it's the same thing. At the same time now, you have the Internet with a very easy access of people. If they hear the name of your band, they can just type [it into their phone or computer] and find something like either a video or a sound sample of it. So, I don't know… The fight is still the same. But at the same time, people are getting overexposed with way too much information on bands."

He continued: "I think it's really hard to find a recipe on how to make it, how to make your band [successful]. I think the best way to do it, it's simple again — it's, like, working super hard, and that's something that me and Max [Cavalera, Igor's former SEPULTURA and current CAVALERA CONSPIRACY bandmate] always did; we never [sat] down at home and just [waited] for things to happen. We've been on the road for more than 30 years. There's a lot of sacrifices there. So I think that's what I can tell young bands — it's a lot of work. You can't just expect people to… Even if your music is amazing, people are not gonna listen unless you're out there, you're pushing yourself, you're playing as much shows as you can and you're sending your… whatever. Back in the day, we would send tapes to fanzines. Nowadays you can send messages online and try to get your music across. So hard work is the name, I think, of the game."

According to Igor, however, it's all worth it in the end. "It is, when I look at it [from the point of view that] I can feed my kids, I can go on tour with my brother, I can do something that I love, it's worth it," he said. "Of course, there's a lot of sacrifices, there's a lot of missing birthdays from people at home [while] you're on tour, and there's nothing you can do. But I think at the end of the day, we do what we love, and that's important."

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's latest album, "Psychosis", was released on November 17 via Napalm Records. The disc, which was produced by the Cavaleras' longtime friend Arthur Rizk, was recorded primarily at a studio in Phoenix, Arizona.

Igor and Max have spent the past year a half on the road as part of the the "Return To Roots" tour, during which they are celebrating the 20th anniversary of SEPULTURA's classic album "Roots" by performing the LP in its entirety.

Find more on Sepultura
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).