Skip to main content

GRAMMY Update and a Different Madonna

Only one week to go with nomination balloting for the 51st GRAMMY Awards. Thanks for all of the prayers and positive feedback! I've been reaching out to as many folks as possible to make them aware of my entries. It is a challenge being an independent artist, but heck McCartney is independent, too. Ah, the competition. Ha ha.

One of the coolest aspects of the balloting is being listed alongside legends (Macca, Al Green, Springsteen), peers (Gnarls Barkley, Raphael Saadiq, Robin Thicke) and folks I just plain know and like (Supergrass, Fleet Foxes). Balloting ends on Nov. 5. Again thanks to all of the Grammy voters who are considering my entries for nomination.

Monday, I had an afternoon off to visit the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. They have a gorgeous Raphael, the 500 year old
Madonna and Child with Book. As some of you know, I'm a huge fan of Raphael's. His colors are so vivid and his faces are spellbinding. I picked up a cool Taschen book on his work to learn more. I'll use it as a checklist to figure out where else to go 'Raphaelspotting.'

This was my first trip to the Norton Simon and I think it's one of the better collections in L.A. The atmosphere is unhurried and contemplative compared to other local museums. Worth the trip. Then, it was a table full of tapas at
Bar Celona on Colorado Blvd. It was like being on a holiday. A great day in the valley, y'all.

Peace & Disco Beats

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...