Norman's Rockwell

Hey Soul Mates, hope you are all feeling the cooling trend this weekend. It was almost too hot & humid for L.A. to take. We have been busy preparing for our show at BB King's . Sounds like a lot of you are planning on attending. That's what we like to hear. It'll be even better to see you in the flesh. We are going to play our hottest songs and coolest jams, so come on down. Make a night of it. BB's makes some mean BBQ. Of course, they have a real dance floor, so wear some good shoes. We want to see some moves! Oh and fellas, you all were heavily out-numbered by the ladies last time. Hm-Hmmmm. But to quote James, "I Don't Mind." As for the music, we will be debuting our new greasy slice of RHS called "U had the $." It's about a sweet girl we all know. Or is it? We'll be doing your favorite sing-a-longs, too. Thanks to Patrick Kershaw, I have seen the video of our show at the Good Hurt. Wow. That was a fun gig. When it comes time for ...

Hey Soul Mates. Today was a big day in RHS history. We finished mixing our new demos. All 3 songs were completed this afternoon down in Santa Monica. We got to beat the heat for a few hours, too. (Special thanks to Chris H on the big board.) You will get to hear the songs very soon; even sooner if you come to the next show. We have already fast-tracked the rough versions to our new industry contact who is a major record producer. The new recordings will be making their way to you in the coming weeks. We still have one more step, mastering, to complete the project. These are very exciting times. If you are a member of the Soul Mates, watch your e-mail for the Evite for the BB King's show. (Out-of-town members, we have to limit the number of invitations to local addresses. But, thank you for your unending support. We hope to get this show out on the road to your state very soon!) BB King's is a really sweet venue. I mentioned this in my blog on his birthday, but I saw Prince pl...

Hey Soul Mates, that's one fonky kid getting dooooown with the W. I believe it was George Clinton who once said "Let's paint the White House Black." With Jackie Roberts, III, George's prophecy comes true. Welcome to Chocolate City . In RHS news, we are going to bring our full-tilt show to the BB King's Blues Club on Universal Citywalk. This is our official show announcement. RHS at BB King's Friday August 5 at 9:30 pm . You can almost hear W uttering the words "Rush Hour Soul will put ants in your pants!" And little Jackie says "It's like thatchy'all! It's like thatchy'all! Like tha-tha-tha-that, it's like thatchy'all!" Love, Power, Peace

Hey Soul Mates, just giving a shout to my older brothers, Nathan & Herb, who are celebrating their birthdays today. I love you both and think the world of you guys. Thanks for the constant support and encouragement. For me, one of the neatest things about my big brothers is that they have shared music they heard first. I have my own taste in music, but what they like certainly has informed & accelerated it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Brothers! I hope that this is a fun, relaxing day for both of you. Hope to see you both very soon. Love, Power, Peace

Hey Soul Mates. Yes, it's a slightly pretentious headline tonight. I was thinking about what records released this year (and the very end of '04) have jazzed me the most. There are a few out that I think could be a part of my year end top 10. So what are they? In semi-chronological order... John Legend "Get Lifted" This is a wonderful trad R&B song cycle about relationships. The Kanye West protege is gifted with melodies. The album runs about 4 cuts too long. But the first 8 tracks are super. Highlights are the stark "Ordinary People" and the bouncy "Number One" built on the Staple Singers' "Let's Do It Again." White Stripes "Get Behind Me Satan" Jack & Meg White outdo themselves on this very scary CD. The songs rock when they need to and haunt when they want. It's a ghost story about lost love (another song cycle, of sorts). My favorite tracks here are the glam stomping "Blue Orchid," the tongue-t...

Hey Soul Mates, all right. The newest photos from the Good Hurt have been posted in our on-line album. There are a lot of great shots. The most amazing thing is seeing what the club looks like when the flash blasts. That is a dark, deep red joint without it. I think we look pretty good. You fans look great too. This time around we have a number of pictures of the Soul Mates at the show. See if you spot yourself. Hey!! Bry and myself tuning before the show. As a bonus, I reformatted the pictures and added a dozen from the June Gig show. Much improved. Oh weee, you can see the sweat. We do want to be the hardest working band in Hollywood. We are more visible in these, since we wore darker colors. It took some work and a little help from Dr. Rahuna, but I think all of our gallery selections will be improved from now on. Rehearsal tonight was pretty informal. Tossing some new ideas around and working on some parts that needed it. As usual, I'm thankful for my bandmates. I heard what...

Hey Soul Mates, I'm working diligently to get the pictures up from the show. It's fairly time-intensive and there are so many great shots. Including some of the Soul Mates in attendance! I have seen just a snippet of the performance on video. But it's slammin' , in case you weren't there! We will try to get some live video from the show on the website, too. As you saw in the set list, we played some hot music. The ladies all sang along to the chorus on Done Lost My Mind . We dedicated our finale Everyone's Ingenue to our MySpace fans, esp. those out-of-state. We played Bad Penny for the first time in this incarnation and threw a little Busta Rhymes in the mix. The newest songs Everything My Heart Desires and Down By Love seem to be gaining momentum in the set. For the next show we will be adding at least one new uptempo tune. So get ready to dance some more. Yowza, Yowza, Yowza. The fans, you all looked great. And we looked real swell in our blue , black ...

Hey Soul Mates, 5 words to describe last night's show: Blistering, Blazing, Sexy, Hysterical & Fun. More this evening. For now, here's your set list: Fall Out Excommunication Down By Love Everything My Heart Desires Bad Penny Blues/Whoo-Ha (Got You All In Check) Talent For Loving Done Lost My Mind Hold On, I'm Comin'! Love Someone Everyone's Ingenue Love, Power, Peace p.s. Happy Birthday to my favorite actor, Harrison Ford. May the Force be with you.

Hey Soul Mates, it's showtime. Tonight we are going live at the Club Good Hurt . I hope to see all of you there, even if it's just your vibe and spirit filling the room long distance. We are very excited about tonight's set. There are going to be newer tunes and one old song that we are dusting off. Ha Ha. Oh, we are gonna look clean! Doing it up in silver, black & blue. Co-ordinate if you like. To continue the series, here are the lyrics to Down By Love . You swore a million times today That you wouldn’t ever sway You would never drop your guard. Then I saw you walking by All the tears that’s in your eyes Really aren’t your calling card. Only you can solve your doubt But I’d like to help you work it out. Could you be more torn apart? Baby, open up your heart You’re Down By Love You could get what you deserve If you ever got the nerve But you’re Down By Love You don’t wanna choose again You’ve been with too many men Who have left you with the bill Oh you shouldn’t be al...

Hey Soul Mates, there a bevy of new pics of your Rush Hour Soul on RHS.com . There are also some exclusives for our MySpace page. These were shot up at Lake Hollywood in last month. Enjoy. More pix and stuff to come. Gotta get the hair styled today. Also, if you've received our evite for the show on Tuesday, be sure to RSVP. Even if you cannot make it or live out of town, we want to know how many people to anticipate. Plus, there are polls that need your responses. Thanks! Hope you are having a great weekend. My Mom's off for Egypt. No kidding. Bon Voyage, Maman! Love, Power, Peace

OK, Soul Mates, by request here are the lyrics to A Talent For Loving . Now everyone can sing along! Oooh, Hotness. I'm gonna be the real lover that you can't resist Of all the kissers, baby I'll be topping your list Brighter than the diamonds that are lighting your wrist Well, you're my favorite reason that I've got to exist I ain't got a Plan B y'all I ain't gonna fail There's no future frontin like a typical male Time to pull your hair back in a pony tail It's about to get more humid than a Miami jail Your royal hotness is second to nothing I'm gonna show you pretty one I got a talent for loving (T.A.L.E.N.T.) I got a talent for loving You come downtown baby when you get uptight Always ring me up in the middle of the night Sayin you need a dose of shining disco light Well come and see about me and it'll be outtasight Your royal hotness is second to nothing I'm gonna show you pretty one I got a talent for loving (T.A.L.E.N.T.) I got...

Hey Soul Mates, hope you are having a safe and relaxing 4th of July. Our friends on MySpace should be waking up to a Independence Day greeting. We had a great rehearsal yesterday in the Valley heat. Thank goodness for A/C. We still made it hot. Got a funky new track we are working on and independence has got a lot to do with it. Gotta thank So. Fla & Chic, too... ha, ha. Don't forget our next show is in one week. Oh, yeah, there will be indoor fireworks. Love, Power, Peace

Hey Soul Mates, 5 years ago today, also a Sunday, I made my first trip to Mecca... the musical one: the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum on the shore of Lake Erie. I hadn't been back to Cleveland in 11 years and in that time they had constructed a palace for pop music right next to the new Cleveland Browns stadium. I went with my oldest childhood friend, Pete, who had been before and knew the layout of the place. The Rock Hall is a beautiful glass pyramid that beckons with music and flash. Towering set pieces from U2's Zoo TV tour welcomed us. We began by watching a short film called Mystery Train which tells a brief story of how Delta Blues and Hillbilly Country music were forged together to create Rock & Roll. The curator and staff are keen to make sure that the public recognizes Rock's ancestors and it's history. This is a musuem after all, but it's not static! As you begin your tour of the Rock Hall you see the faces of important blues and country...

Hey Soul Mates, Live 8 is ON!!! Check your local listings. MTV is doing most of the domestic coverage in the States. I just downloaded Macca and U2 performing Sgt. Pepper. Wow. I've got chills. I can remember where I was watching the first Live Aid: the Hotel Nikko in Paris. My first trip overseas. My Mom and I had spent the day traipsing around the Left Bank. Since the broadcast was in French it took us a little while to figure out what was on TV. I remember saying to my Mom, look at all these famous people performing. Then, I realized it was Live Aid (having bought the Charity single) and stayed up to watch the last 2 hours or so. That was July 13, 1985. Almost 20 years ago. How appropriate that the first official Live 8 download was Macca's Beatle classic ("It was 20 years ago today..."). The track is amazing, of course. A must for McCartney or U2 fans, what are you waiting for? The back kept me up most of the night, but I've got the adrenaline rushing. Jigga ...

Hey Soul Mates, today a true soul sensation, Luther Vandross, passed away. Oddly enough I was listening to Chic's greatest hits this morning especially Everybody Dance and Dance, Dance, Dance on which Luther sang lead. Of course, he's on one of the greatest tracks ever: Le Freak . Heard about his passing on the radio. I always marveled at hearing him sing backgrounds on David Bowie's Young Americans (the video footage of the performance is fun; young Luther among the leisure-suited backup singers). And then there were his own impressive chart singles: Never Too Much, Stop To Love, Here & Now . What an incomparable voice. What a chain of golden hits he leaves us. [July 3. Just saw a BET special on Luther. He appeared on the very first episode of Sesame Street as a teenager. Go Luther!] Switching gears, Live 8 kicks off tomorrow. I know I will be tuning in. This is Bob Geldof's unofficial sequel to Live Aid. The series of concerts here and overseas is going to be ...