Homecoming Photos
Hey Soul Mates,
some of you can't believe that we are leaving. It's true! Me? I can't wait to get back and have more Lotus caramelized biscuits. Those are the bomb, y'all!
We'd like to thank everyone who has loyally attended our shows the past 2 years. Rush Hour Soul loves you. We hope you enjoyed the shows as much as we enjoyed entertaining you. But it's time for us to move on. We'll be back eventually, but for now, Los Angeles has shown us everything we need to know.
The pictures from our Homecoming festivities are up! If you missed the show, well... check out the photos. Keep in mind, you have one last chance to see us in SoCal. We know the true believers will be there.
Trivia:
Doug is sporting a Celtic jersey (a gift from our Scotsman, Jimmy).
I'm wearing my skinny tie from Liverpool (see Strawberry Fields & Menlove pix for cross-reference).
Bryan is enjoying Newcy Braaarn.
Bryan and I have been writing new material. We started jamming at the Bedford in London. Hadn't had lots of time to write leading up to the trip. We're up to 4 new songs that are ready for drum beats and lyrics. By the time we leave for the UK, we expect to have 12 fresh numbers to play. That's very exciting. Road testing new songs is a wondrous thing. We know that the folks in Blighty will be well entertained.
Have a great Saturday everyone. I'm off to a wedding downtown in the LA heat. Tonight, I'm probably going to see my man, Adam Marsland and his Chaos band in Marina Del Rey. Haven't seen Adam since we left for our respective tours. The AMCB did the midwest swing. Gotta trade notes.
Love, Power, Peace
Paging Mr. Herman/Menlove Ave.
Hey Soul Mates,
it still makes me laugh at myself when I see a celebrity around town. Heart skips as I try to place the face with a name. Today I saw a handful. At the grocery store, there was Jon Cryer ("Two And A Half Men," "Pretty In Pink"). I should have said hello to him. Last time I saw him was backstage at the Beastie Boys concert. He's a charming guy. But, he seemed preoccupied. Channel 2 news personality, Lisa Joyner was also at the market. The best of the day however, was seeing Paul Reubens at the Galleria. I immediately called my boy, Mikey in Jax. The opportunity to ask Mr. Reubens for the word of the day just didn't present itself. Back in the day, Mike and I watched the Pee-Wee Herman Show and would memorize parts to aggravate teachers every Monday morning. Good times. I was even Cowboy Curtis one Halloween.
Day 6 of the tour is posted. This was a very emotional day for me. Visiting John Lennon's childhood home in Menlove Ave. was a religious experience. To stand in his driveway and feel the pavement. To look up the street toward McCartney's house (Paul used to ride his bicycle up the road to visit John). To look into the upstairs windows and at the side yard. To touch the fence and smell the flowers. To know that John Lennon was surely taken away from us too soon. Yoko recently bought the property and had it refurbished. It looks splendid. I didn't know this picture was taken of me, but I can tell you that I was thinking of how much we, as a species, were blessed by John Lennon's art. Without him, I don't know if I would make music. Thanks, Johnny.
I talked to two school boys from the street who were tossing a ball on the sidewalk. They had politely stopped when the band walked up to the house. I introduced myself to them (Michael & Philip). They asked if I had "come to see John Lennon." I told them yes and gave them a brief history of Rush Hour Soul. They told me "lots of Asians, by the busload" come to see the house. I asked them if they lived in Menlove, Philip said, "yeah, right next to John Lennon." After our goodbyes, I thought to myself, how wonderful that these lads would refer to Lennon in present tense. It was all I could do to breathe and not let loose a mess of tears. Thanks, Liverpool.
We also got some great photos at Strawberry Field, just up the hill. I managed to turn into the actual drive of the orphanage, not the famous wrought iron gate. The groundskeepers were nice enough to let us park, so we could properly get some pictures. It's amazing, all of the locals are interested to know if we are in a band, where we are from, what kind of music we play and what we think of Liverpool. With pride, I tell them we played the Cavern Club the night before. They are impressed and pleased with their city at the same time. The picture of Bryan, Doug and myself standing at the Strawberry Field Gate is a favorite. Oh, by the way, Lennon added the "s" to Field for the song.
Later that night, we had our show at the Roman Baths in the old medieval town of York. We shared the bill with the WizeGuys, who were kind enough to have us on short notice. Thanks, too, to Mandy for liasing. The show was brilliant. What we thought was going to be an acoustic set quickly became a full-tilt electric set. I'd have to review the tapes to get the set list right. But I know we played Fall Out, Everyone's Ingenue, A Talent For Loving, Love Someone, Down By Love and U Had The $. I'm pretty sure we did Hold On, I'm Coming and Everything My Heart Desires. But don't quote me on those. The energy in the room was great for a last minute show on a Tuesday night in York. The band also enjoyed some local brews after and meeting the people. Good folks in Yorkshire.
Time to resume my Friday night. Pat K (another school chum) has been enlisted to help with the message board for RHS.com. It's coming soon. I promise.
All you need is Love (Power, Peace)!
Hey Soul Mates,
the first half of the Cavern Club photos are up on our website. Our photographer, Patty, got some amazing pictures. They really convey the energy of the show and our sheer joy from playing such an historic venue. Just to stand on a stage that you know Paul McCartney played upon was quite a thrill. The fact that the crowd were into our music was icing. Supersweet icing.
This pic of Doug and me was taken right before we were announced. Confidence was high after our set at Lennon's loosened us up. Oh, the shirts Bryan and I are wearing on this night came courtesy of our tour sponsors KS1 Security. Thank you! We looked mahvelous.
We were introduced by David Bash, the founder of the International Pop Overthrow Festival. At the end of our set he declared "A Talent For Loving has to be the catchiest song of the Festival!" Thank you, David.
I'm in the process of doing a major overhaul to RHS.com to make it more user-friendly (we are adding a forum for your thoughts and comments), easier to read and navigate, more colorful. And of course, we have video on the way, so the site needs to be ready for that.
Yesterday, it was down to the Fox and Hounds in Studio City, where we watched England draw with Sweden. The most disappointing thing was seeing Owen crawl off the pitch in the first minute. The match on Sunday is waaaay early California time. I might just watch from bed.
Love, Power, Peace
