Norman's Rockwell

Hey Soul Mates, I've spent the past week deconstructing and reconstructing my office space. It's actually an office and there's actually space. Amazing. I'm becoming addicted to a place called the Container Store. Thanks to the help of Star Hansen (see Simplified Spaces ), I'm getting hecka organized. Years of paperwork and lyrics filed into archives. The music collection actually looks like one, rather than a bunch of moving boxes filled with CDs . My basses are going to have a real home. It's like clearing clutter from your brain. You don't realize how much junk you own until a third party says, "Hey, what are you keeping that for?" I'm quite excited about it, because I'll be able to get back to writing music after this project is done. While doing all of this cleaning however, I've been listening to two more very good new LPs that are out. The White Stripes doing more of their dirty blues on Icky Thump and Paul McCartney giving th...

Well, you might ask. Hey Soul Mates, I took a week off. Went to see friends from high school in Jacksonville last weekend. Which was great. Hung out with the best of the lot. Fantastic to see all of you. Especially my old band mates from my first group (well, I see Mike and Mark all the time, but drummer Sherman - not so much). Fellow Duranie , Deb, an avid reader of this blog (HI, DEB!) with whom I discussed the few half-decent concerts that rolled through town back in the day. Not like L.A., if a decent act came within the county everyone went. But hey, I saw Duran Duran (!), The Jacksons, Teena Marie and Tom Petty back when. She also reminded me of our first dance in Middle School. Ha ha. Love ya, Deb. My buddy Jeff, whose wife brought a recipe for hoecakes. Yes, hoecakes. It's a long story and it involves a bus ride to Tallahassee. ' Nuff said. Jeff now designs golfcourses, and you thought I was living the dream! And of course, this is the crew at the microbrew . Including...

Hey Soul Mates, the session wrapped around 3 a.m. Rub and Reveal, Steve! Haven't been to bed. One track is a redo already, but c'est la vie. The LP is right! TGIF! Love, Power, Peace

Hey Soul Mates, we are one song away ("Down By Love") from finishing our debut album. This is quite exciting. The mixing process has been a long, but rewarding journey. Last night, the midnight lamp nearly ran outta oil as the session wrapped around 3 a.m. again. Four songs were completed and in a few short days, I'll post the CD's track listing in its running order. Hard to fathom, but one year ago today, RHS was at the Bedford in London shooting our first video for "A Talent For Loving." I'm celebrating the anniversary by watching the clip again. As we have another session for mixing and the Cavaliers are playing their first ever NBA Finals game, I won't have time to post any new pics or our superboot today. But I will have plenty of new photos next week. It's also Prince's birthday and as he is one of my MAJOR influences: Happy Birthday, Prince!! Love, Power, Peace

Hey Soul Mates, I didn't realize yesterday's early a.m. blog was number 400 for me. Wow, that's not shabby. Dear Lord, it's late/early. I'm just in from the studio. The long drive along with the long hours is making me dizzy. BUT! Sucka and I Can't Cry For You are in the can. Sucka thumps like nobody's beezwax and I Can't Cry For You has really grown. The first time Bryan played me the riff was last year in Wales and I learnt it up while we were shooting our video in London. The guitar on Cry is spectacular. Lots going on. I listened to it against the live versions on the iPod and the difference is light years apart. The studio version is going to rock your world. We're halfway to an album. All right. I'm done. Done! (That's for Portner ) Love, Power, Peace, Sleep

Hey Soul Mates, Just downing a bit of Twining's Everyday and a few Lotus biscuits as I type. We got a bit of an edjumacation tonight at the studio. First off, the LP tracks are slamming! Mixing was completed on Everything My Heart Desires , Done Lost My Mind and U Had The $ . You won't be disappointed. Those three are worth the price of admission alone. But wait there's more! Ha ha. We'll be back at the Lounge for more mixing action later tonight, as it is 2 a.m. Monday. As for the schooling? Seems we get more learning with every session. We made the executive decision to mix on the analog console rather strictly on the computer. I wasn't sure what I had gotten the band into as it turns out, the aforementioned songs are D.O.N.E. Finished. Over. The analog mixes are ours to keep, i.e. that's it! Which at first caught me off guard, but after conversation, debate and rebuttal, backed up our original (although guessed at) choice, which our co-producer Adam and eng...

Hey Soul Mates, it's a studio day for Rush Hour Soul. And it was a year ago as well. In 2006, we arrived at Monmouth with the rising sun, about 4 a.m. Our recording session for A Talent For Loving began later in the afternoon. Much later. It was hot, as I recall, so we waited to record till after the real heat of the day. But Wales, was so loverly that I simply sat outdoors by the River Monnow , sipping coffee and listening to the water. I did post my first official "blogger" blog that day, as well. I'll have to take a look at it and see what I was thinking on the spot. OK, here are a slew of photos from an unforgettable stop at Huddersfield. Home to some of our most rabid fans to this day. Hudds was our June 2 date at Bar 120. Time permitting, I'll get some rare photos from Wales up here shortly. And I still have to post that " Superboot ." Our day at the Lincoln Lounge will last about 10 hours, so those may have to wait a few more days. As for the C...

Hey Soul Mates, There is no way to underestimate the impact of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band . the album turns 40 today. It is a musical and cultural landmark that remains the highpoint of pop music artistry. Only Thriller comes close in importance. I wasn't exaggerating in our documentary when I said I suppose I learned how to read because the lyrics to Pepper were printed on the back of the album. That record played constantly at home. And I was born after its release so even in the 70's and 80's it was a household favorite. My best friends and I mimed the tracks constantly with our tennis racket guitars. It was a fun rainy day (or sunny day diversion) to put Pepper on the turntable and pretend to be the Beatles or whoever was in the shiny military suits on the front cover. The entire package of Pepper was perfect: the lyrics, the uniforms, the front cover with its who's who. I can remember staring at both sides of the cover, and the smiling Fabs in the g...