Required Reading

Hey Soul Mates,
damn. It's been hot on this part of planet Earth.

I've been digesting lots of musical information. Finished reading the first two 33 1/3 books I bought then went back to the Skylight yesterday for two more: Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique and Sly & The Family Stone's There's A Riot Goin' On. It's got me thinking I should write one of these myself.

In a related development, yesterday's New York Times Sunday had a great interview with Rick Rubin (uber-producer/co-president of Columbia Records). It was entirely enlightening on many levels. There's a brief history of DefJam along with Rubin's take on the world of recorded music. Check it out, if you are even remotely interested in the hurdles facing our band and the industry at large. My favorite line in the article: "MySpace is over." There were things we certainly knew, things that are writing on the wall; but Rubin expresses a nice level of optimism,too. Keep the faith, true believers!
Thanks to the NYT for providing permalinks!

Love, Power, Peace

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John Lennon 40 Years On

Remembering John Lennon today. Forty years have flashed by. I can still hear my clock radio turning on to the incongruent sound of the Beatles on Dec. 9, 1980 and wondering why? I think about John every day. I am fortunate to have been able to make pilgrimage to Mendips, Abbey Road and Strawberry Fields, NY; to play on stages like the Cavern, the Jacaranda and the Troubadour where he performed or made trouble, or both. Here’s a quick playlist for you and me. (Just Like) Starting Over I Should Have Known Better Bless You Nobody Told Me Strawberry Fields Forever Nowhere Man Enjoy the day. Fill it with peace. Fill it with music. #JohnLennon #Liverpool

Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air - Book Review

“The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air” is a trippy new mystery novel from Phillip Mottaz. It captures the grit and gilt of the City of Angels with the flair of a contemporary Raymond Chandler. The brisk pace and wit are reminiscent of Douglas Adams’s entries in the detective game. Flourishes of Fletch and “Medium” also spring to mind. However, Mottaz has added a psychic/mutant/superhuman touch and his own comedic voice, structure and internal monologues to the proceedings that help the author announce his own style and the arrival of a literary heroine for a new generation. Hairstylist and budding private investigator, Danica Luman is the perfect character to convey the irony, angst and sarcasm needed to tell a 21st century L.A. crime story. Danica also represents anyone who thought it would be neat to get tangled up in a mystery and the darkly comic cautionary tale that follows. The genre is recognizable, but Mottaz offers a fresh take on the not-ready-for-prime-ti...

Getting Better All The Time

Hey Soul Mates, long week. Thanks to everyone who sent along their best wishes for my recovery from food poisoning. I'm still creaky, but there has been a lot going on. The world keeps on spinning. Well, I finally got our ntsc (North American video) master of " A Talent For Loving " made. The original was in the pal format, so it had to be converted before it could be distributed here. As a result of several snafu's, I've upgraded my dvd drive. And thanks to KS1 Security's continuing sponsorship of the band, we have a new color photo printer! That means we can make super-pretty press kits to send out to the record labels and industry players. It's taken a long summer to get to this point. We've had several people of decent magnitude utterly flake out on us. I ain't gonna name names, but you know who you are. As a result, the band is forging ahead on its own (manufacturing our own dvd's is just the tip of the iceberg). We aim to get our music h...

Norman's Rockwell

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