A Picture Tells A 1000 Stories In The Land Of A 1000 Dances

Hey Soul Mates,
that's one fonky kid getting dooooown with the W. I believe it was George Clinton who once said "Let's paint the White House Black." With Jackie Roberts, III, George's prophecy comes true. Welcome to Chocolate City.



In RHS news, we are going to bring our full-tilt show to the BB King's Blues Club on Universal Citywalk. This is our official show announcement. RHS at BB King's Friday August 5 at 9:30 pm. You can almost hear W uttering the words "Rush Hour Soul will put ants in your pants!" And little Jackie says "It's like thatchy'all! It's like thatchy'all! Like tha-tha-tha-that, it's like thatchy'all!"

Love, Power, Peace

Happy Birthday Bros.

Hey Soul Mates,
just giving a shout to my older brothers, Nathan & Herb, who are celebrating their birthdays today. I love you both and think the world of you guys. Thanks for the constant support and encouragement. For me, one of the neatest things about my big brothers is that they have shared music they heard first. I have my own taste in music, but what they like certainly has informed & accelerated it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Brothers! I hope that this is a fun, relaxing day for both of you.

Hope to see you both very soon.
Love, Power, Peace

My Mid-Year Music Report

Hey Soul Mates.
Yes, it's a slightly pretentious headline tonight. I was thinking about what records released this year (and the very end of '04) have jazzed me the most. There are a few out that I think could be a part of my year end top 10. So what are they? In semi-chronological order...

John Legend "Get Lifted" This is a wonderful trad R&B song cycle about relationships. The Kanye West protege is gifted with melodies. The album runs about 4 cuts too long. But the first 8 tracks are super. Highlights are the stark "Ordinary People" and the bouncy "Number One" built on the Staple Singers' "Let's Do It Again."

White Stripes "Get Behind Me Satan" Jack & Meg White outdo themselves on this very scary CD. The songs rock when they need to and haunt when they want. It's a ghost story about lost love (another song cycle, of sorts). My favorite tracks here are the glam stomping "Blue Orchid," the tongue-twisty "My Doorbell," and the celebrity sighting "Take, Take, Take" told from the fan's point of view. This should be a shoo-in for album of the year noms.

Mariah Carey "Emancipation of Mimi" Don't call it a comeback. Call it vengeance is a dish best served with 4 #1 singles. Yup, I'm calling it right now. This album will have a minimum of four number one hits. I'm a sucker for the Neptunes' beats, but "Say Something" featuring Snoop Dogg, is their smoothest since their collabos with JT. Go Mariah, it's yo birthday! Mimi herself is in great form on the whole CD. Fun dance tracks surrounded by the best in contemporary ballads.

All 3 of these come well recommended by yours truly. The Stripes is an acquired taste, but any one into solid pop music can't go wrong with the other two. What else? I really like the singles from fellow Hoya, Amerie's disc, so I'll give that a spin. The new Oasis is their best in about 8 years. Slowly, I'm working to a top 10. My listening usually includes a heavy dose of "catalog" records. Basically, oldies. Currently, I'm playing a lot of Chic, Culture Club and Michael. Had Luther on tonight; Billie Holiday last night.

Listen well and enjoy. Of course, the new Rush Hour Soul disc will be record of the year.

Love, Power, Peace

Photos Galore

Hey Soul Mates,
all right. The newest photos from the Good Hurt have been posted in our on-line album. There are a lot of great shots. The most amazing thing is seeing what the club looks like when the flash blasts. That is a dark, deep red joint without it. I think we look pretty good. You fans look great too. This time around we have a number of pictures of the Soul Mates at the show. See if you spot yourself. Hey!!

Bry and myself tuning before the show.

As a bonus, I reformatted the pictures and added a dozen from the June Gig show. Much improved. Oh weee, you can see the sweat. We do want to be the hardest working band in Hollywood. We are more visible in these, since we wore darker colors. It took some work and a little help from Dr. Rahuna, but I think all of our gallery selections will be improved from now on.

Rehearsal tonight was pretty informal. Tossing some new ideas around and working on some parts that needed it. As usual, I'm thankful for my bandmates. I heard what some of the other groups were doing in the adjacent studios... uh-uhn. Not good at all. Lots of aggressive, dark music and unison singing. And cover bands. Rush Hour Soul is where it's at. Props to Bry and Dog.

Love, Power, Peace to you all.
Now go check out the photos.