Olympic Fever: Nascar On Ice

Hey Soul Mates,
more intense than the Boogie Fever I had as a kid, I've got Olympic Fever once again. 4 years ago, I discovered Apolo Anton Ohno and Short-track. What a rush, watching the speedskaters in such close quarters. But this year, there's a new kid on the block and it's badder than Ohno and the Short Track: Snowboard Cross (SBX). A brand-new medalling event, SBX is part motorcross, part Nascar, all snow. It's full tilt, body-banging action at high speed on a downhill snowboard run. Wipe-outs, pile ups and intrigue highlighted each heat. Jumps, spills and contact combined with the downward velocity really amps this baby up. It's like a James Bond set-piece, minus the weaponry, but with all the excitement. Seth Wescott, the American who won the sport's debut gold, fended off stiff competition to win in a photo finish. That's Wescott airborne in white and silver medalist Radolsav Zidek (Slovakia) on his left.

Tonight, the ladies go at it with equal intensity. Snowboard Spoiler alert! Due to the time-delayed broadcasts, the website posts results well in advance of airing. I keep forgetting this and end up knowing who wins before an event is shown. There is an option on the NBC site to view the entire competition. Which I would recommend, if you have the time. I hope to be in Vancouver for the 2010 games and fo' sho, I want to see this sport in person. I suspect SBX races will become a hot ticket by then.

In Rush Hour Soul news, you'll be glad to hear that we will be performing once a month around Los Angeles in the run up to Britain. The new show dates will be posted shortly. I expect to see many of you at the concerts. We'll be debuting new songs in April and May. There will also be a few surprises along the way, as we are adding some special cover versions when we play Liverpool. We might just be persuaded to play them for the audiences here at home to test them out!

Tonight, I'll be heading out to Taix in Silverlake to catch the Waking Hours and Adam Marsland's Chaos Band. We are performing on the bill with the AMCB next weekend. Adam and I have been discussing a collaboration or two for the show. You'll have to be there to see/hear what we come up with.

Have a great Friday and a safe weekend.
Love, Power, Peace

Black Sweat

Hey Soul Mates,
he's done it again. Prince has released something revolutionary. It's the newest track from his upcoming LP "3121." The fellas were over this weekend and we were blown away by his use of space and silences. It's a funk masterpiece of robotic pulses and hollerin'. And it's called Black Sweat. It's Prince's best distillation of the James Brown canon in years. Dancefloors will be packed by this jam. I haven't been this excited about anyone's new single in a long time. Probably since Gett Off.

Check it on out now, courtesy of youtube.com. Just press play and dance!

Love, Power, Peace

RHS On "Up The Tree"

Hey Soul Mates,
Here's some cool news. Our song A Talent For Loving got a play on another podcast: Up The Tree. Check it out. The podcast is pretty irreverent. Parental discretion is advised. We are in good musical company: Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Neko Case are also featured. As usual, we're glad to be there. Our episode is TUTT: The Break Up, Pt. 1. Even though ours isn't a breakup song, we like the irony of the theme near Valentine's Day. You can even leave Funtime Ben and Josiah a message about the show, or yours truly, Rush Hour Soul.

My very lengthy blog about the Grammy Show will be posted very soon. Sorry for the delay. It's been a busy weekend, what with the VP shooting a man and all. One of the highlights of my week was hiking. Yes, hiking to the top of Mt. Lee above the Hollywood sign early Thursday a.m. The walk is kinda steep going up, but coming back down the hill was cake. From the top of the crest you can see the Pacific Ocean and the San Fernando Valley. I could almost see my house!

We're really pleased with the continued response to our cyber-single Everything My Heart Desires. It's been fun to learn that we have a truly international audience via the web.

Gotta practice. La La La La.
Love, Power, Peace.