Norman's Rockwell

Hey All. Hope that you truly enjoyed your Thanksgiving. I know I did. Spent it with family and the dogs. Sublime. As I get older, I realize I like Christmas season more and more. And I don't care how early it comes. It's true that the spirit should be with us all year. Even if the carols aren't. Actually the carols are one of my favorite aspects of celebrating, even in November. It's the novelty songs that grind a little. Sunday, we'll be going to get our tree. At least we waited til December for that, you say. I had a great time at Disneyland this week with my dears Patty and Chervet . The place was decked to the halls. And it was actually revitalizing. I'll get a pic or two up in a longer edit of this blog soon. I've been pressing forward with booking my tour of the UK. So far several shows have been slated including stops in London, of course, Barnsley and Manchester. With more to come. I'll announce venues and more details when the time is right. Th

It's Thanksgiving Eve! I'm so thankful for having all of you who pay attention to what I do. Y'all bless me by listening to my music and supporting my art. It's been a big week. The CD went to Discmakers a week ago. Production has begun, as mentioned in my previous blog. The street date for the CD is December 18. Just one week before Christmas. I'm in the process of booking my new tour of the UK as well. I'm excited to bring my music to new cities (Nottingham, Stockport , Leeds) and venues along with the markets that embraced me back in 2006 (like Barnsley , Huddersfield, London and Sheffield)! The dates will all be in March now, due to the lateness of the CDs arrival. I really need three months' lead time to seriously promote the shows and the album from 5000 miles away. But this tour's gonna be way bigger than the previous. It must do. There's more on the line and more entertaining to be done! I'm also hoping to hook up for some of these dates

Hey Y'all, The new LP artwork is done. And "A Talent For Loving" is on it's way. Finally. I'm over the hump. The disc went to the manufacturer today and I have a tentative street date of Dec. 18. That's right. Santa be bringing the Sunshine Funk from LA via the North Pole to You!! Check out the album cover. Photo by BREADANDSHUTTER . You like it? You love it? It's kind of an homage to Soul Brother #1. A classic performance shot. Ow! Feeling me? I feel good! This project began in earnest on January 1 of this year when I had a sit down with producer Adam Marsland . And now the album has gone to press. I'm thrilled that phase one is done. Now all that's left is to boogie across the pond and bring y'all the music... L.I.V.E! Internet download services will make the album available in the early part of 2008. But the CD will be up on DigStation before the Holidays hit. The disc will be $9.99 or 99 cents per track. So it you like to buy downloads, th

I'm just back from North Carolina. Great weekend getaway trip. It was a brilliant Charlotte weekend. Cool, crisp air. Leaves doing their autumnal thing. I was there to hang with friends and specifically to see my friend Soontaree (yes, the cancer survivor) perform. She is a member of the TopCats , the Carolina Panthers cheerleading squad. And she rocks. She was this week's spotlight cheerleader on the Panthers website and in the souvenir program. I've always enjoyed watching friends do their thing, but this was particularly sweet. It's amazing and inspiring to see Soontaree getting the maximum out of life! Go on, girl! The game was a wash, although our endzone seats meant we saw all of scoring (Thanks, Soontaree). And we got to see Soontaree cheer and dance her butt off! But the Panthers, led by Vinny Testaverde, were beaten at home by the lowlier Atlanta Falcons, 13-20. It was cool to see the ancient Morten Anderson kick for the Falcons. Saw him as a tot back at Michig

Spent part of the afternoon down at Amoeba records. Picked up a sublime disc simply called John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman . The DJs on 88.1 KJAZZ had been talking about it all week long and I had downloaded a Trane podcast that had glowing things to say about the album. My Dad (a true Jazz aficianado) says, Hartman had the best male voice of all the jazz singers, surpassing even Billy Eckstine. It's a mellow album. Coltrane is blowing smooth and pianist McCoy Tyner is on point in accompanying Hartman's baritone vocals. Their version of "Lush Life" is in the Grammy Hall Of Fame. Highest recommendation. I told my Dad, since I'm not versed in standards, it was fun to hear the lyrics to these numbers. Just the age we live in. These songs are ancient by pop standards, but timeless in their presentation. A great disc to unwind with. I'm still waiting for 90 minutes to watch the remastered DVD of HELP! All of the Beatles' movies are favorites of mine. And thi

That's what's playing right now as I work on the art for the CD. The photo art from the UK arrived yesterday, courtesy of BREADANDSHUTTER.COM . Thanks, Barry. You rock and so does the picture. So I'm diligently pressing forward through fatigue and getting the graphics sorted. I'm listening to Off The Wall , one of the creamiest albums of all time because I'm going to a Grammy Event tonight. Quincy Jones is the guest of honor at a signing for the release of David Wild's new coffee table book "And The GRAMMY Goes To..." I've never met Mr. Jones before and the prospect is pretty exciting. He's produced so many tremendous and influential artists. Mike being number 1. Back to work! Peace & Disco Beats