Thursday, August 31, 2006

More Video on Rush Hour Soul TV & "Modern Times" Reviewed

Hey Soul Mates,
we've pushed back the date for our premiere of A Talent For Loving. We hope you'll understand. In the meantime, we have added a new live clip from the Cavern Club appearance to YouTube! Now you can groove to our slamming hit U Had The $ (aka You Had The Money). This number became a favorite of our our new British fans during the "From L.A. With Love Tour."

And! There's a "Bootlegged" fancam clip of the debut performance of our latest I Can't Cry For You. This comes from our International Pop Overthrow Festival slot at Safari Sam's, Los Angeles. Special thanks to Rosanna for capturing the video. It's slightly out of sync, but you'll get the gist of it. We have a lot of fun playing this one. Bryan and I have duelling riffs and Doug's got some fun, thunderous beats going.

Be sure to leave comments, grab videos for your myspace page or blog. Have fun with them. Enjoy them. Rock the hizzy. Whatevah!

Shazam!!
RUSH HOUR SOUL TV is on the air!

Tuesday was an exciting music day for me. The new Bob Dylan record arrived in stores. [And, yes, I went to buy it that morning. I don't recall the last time I bought an album on the day it was released. I used to do that religiously.] Called Modern Times, it's sounds anything but on first listen. The sounds on this album are the sounds of America from the 20th Century (blues, rags, folk songs, murder ballads, real country, real western). But someone's gotta remind us that those forms are still very powerful for storytelling and singing. Leave it to Dylan to create a new (as-yet-unnamed) genre over the course of his last three records.

My favorite of his most recent discs is "Love And Theft," released on (yes) Sept. 11, 2001. That one ranks as a Top 10 of the New Century for me. Plus he won an Oscar for Things Have Changed. Which is what makes Dylan so amazing. Of all the 20th Century icons still recording, Dylan could have been among the least successful; irrelevant and outdated. A voice from the past. The Sixties. Untranslatable. Gone. But it's exactly the opposite. By keeping these styles alive in the 21st Century, he's a living field guide to American roots music.

Dylan is full of grit and humor on Modern Times, namechecking Alicia Keys and rewriting Muddy Waters or Slim Harpo. There's nothing ancient in what he's singing about, whether it's unemployment, the mess in Nawlins, or love [Though I must admit his voice seems to be calling from beyond on some cuts]. But by hitching these modern topics to Smithsonian Folkways vehicles, he's crafted some timeless music.

Bob Dylan, as important a recording artist as ever. Modern Times, highly recommended.

Maybe tomorrow I'll write about geeking out tonight. Maybe. In the meantime, go watch your Rush Hour Soul and pretend your at the show!

Love, Power, Peace

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