Bobby "Blue" Bland

Hey Soul Mates,
how's your Saturday. I've spent mine running errands. Picked up two new ties. Hope to show 'em off to you soon. Solids are gonna be in this Spring. Gotta be ahead of the curve.

While I've been home, I've had music playing on the computer. And let me tell you, it's really fun to "discover" new music... even when it's from an established act. Today, I found Bobby "Blue" Bland.
Dang, he can sang. I, of course have known about Bobby for a decade but never took the time to listen. Check out anything of his from the 50's and 60's and prepare to be moved. His voice has a velvety grit to it; truth. He's still around and if he plays within 50 miles of here, I gotta see him.



His most famous track is "I Pity The Fool." Yep, long before Mr. T, Bobby made the phrase famous. Bobby Bland is perfect for a perfectly grey day in Los Angeles. His version of "Farther Up The Road" is rugged. "Two Steps From The Blues" is as perfect a pop-blues vocal as you're ever likely to hear. And he rips up standards like "Georgia On My Mind" and "Since I Fell For You." I dig the shuffle of "Road Of Brokenhearted Men" and his growl on "Bobby's Blues." What a discovery. Music appreciation is a never-ending education. Very soon, I'm going to post my "record collection" on our website, so you can trace the roots of my musical influences.

Our work on MySpace is paying off. Many of you have signed up. Thanks for participating with us. We've also managed to get some really random people on board with us including pop stars JoJo and Ciara. Which is kinda fun.
Love, Power, Peace

A Millionaire. A True Genius. Parental Discretion Is Advised

Hey Soul Mates,
I don't throw the word around lightly, but there is a genius in our midst. And he's an American. And he draws comic strips. I have had the pleasure of meeting him once and he's TONY MILLIONAIRE.

Mr. Millionaire draws a strip called Maakies which features two drunks: Drinky Crow and the sock monkey-turned-into-a-real-monkey Uncle Gabby. It's the story (sort of) of their adventure aboard the HMS Maakies, sometime around the turn of the last century. That's the premise, but it's just the framework for Millionaire to do untoward things to the characters. Did I mention he's a genius. Not only are the strips scandalously funny, they are the best drawn comix ever. They are reminiscent of the old Katzenjammer Kids and Krazy Kat panels. His attention to detail, eye for architecture and his ability to write a joke are without peer. Although I dig some of his peers (Kaz of "Underworld"; Aaron MacGruder of "Boondocks" whom I've also met), a week without Maakies is a week without sunshine or booze as Uncle Gabby might say.

Maakies is not for the faint of heart. There's a lot of scatalogical, biological and alcoholic humor involved and occasionally some profanity. That said, I'm going to put up one of his safer works. In LA, you can find Maakies in the back of the LA Weekly, near the ads for Strip Joints. On-line you can view all of his oeuvre and see video clips from his cartoons for SNL. It may not be p.c., but he makes me laugh consistently.
Love, Power, Peace.

p.s. ever want to get me a stoopidly extravagant gift, get me original artwork by Tony Millionaire. I will clutch it to my chest and like Charles Foster Kane will utter "Maakieeeeessss."

maakies copyright 2004, Tony Millionaire, all rights reserved.

Working Hard

Hey Soul Mates,
how are you doing on the 6th of the year? Things here are buzzing.
Bryan came over last night to show me a few things he's been working on. They are really solid songs. The group is getting ready for our first shows of the year and working up new material is always on our mind. It helps that both Doug and Bryan are very creative people. Me: I have to get in gear and get some lyrics done.

We are also contemplating our first tour. In a big way. We will keep you posted. But, suffice it to say, we aren't going to be on this continent for it.

Have a great day. Oh, you know how you can make it a better day? Throw on a CD that makes you sing and dance. Then sing along with it. Like you are putting on a concert. And dance like you don't give a monkey's... You'll find yourself smiling and outta breath. It's a good work out. And once you get the hang of it, you'll thank me.

Love, Power, Peace.

My Space

Hey Soul Mates,
in our neverending quest to use new technologies to reach people we've signed up for MySpace.
It took a little while to set up our page, but it's there and you can hear some of our songs and congregate around the scene. Gotta put a little more time into our page and get some laundry done at the same time. If you are a member of myspace already, hit us up. If not, sign up and join the bandwagon.

Oh, did you see the quite bad half time show at the Orange Bowl tonight? I haven't heard that kind of booing (for Ashlee Simpson) on national TV in a long time.

Love, Power, Peace