MTV's VMAs Sinking... Sinking... Gone.

Hey Soul Mates,
the MTV VMA's were a mess last night. New lows in television history were established. Poor Jack Black never clicked with the audience. The performers, presenters and even some of the recipients (ahem, Pink) looked extraordinarily uncomfortable.

The highlights? Jack White and the Raconteurs, perhaps someone at MTV has something on them, were recruited to be the house band. They charged on heroically between set changes and commercials, kinda like the house band on the Titanic, but with more guest players (Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Lou Reed, and one of my favorite directors, Jim Jarmusch!). I kept waiting for Jack to strike up the riff for Nearer My God To Thee to signal the end of this 3+ hour plunge.

The best moment of the night was the show's only, officially sanctioned lipsync performance. And it accompanies a video MTV has probably never aired, but you've heard about through the internet. OK Go perfectly recreated (LIVE!) their highly choreographed treadmill dance to Here It Goes Again. The four members of the power pop group deservedly high-fived each other for executing their routine perfectly on live tv for millions of viewers. I imagine their profile has risen beyond the viral video level. Maybe next year, they will be allowed to bring their instruments.

Best presenter kudos go to Al Gore (bringing "sexy back"), who acquitted himself nicely, made his point about the environment and split. The only other thing that got me pumped was Bob Dylan's ads for iTunes with him playing Someday Baby from his new LP.

Yep, 3 and a half hours to sift through and them's the highpoints. It was nice to see a lot of new, young artists winning awards, but none of them had any charisma or gumption when they accepted a Moon Man statuette to make it interesting. Oh, but then there was the "cast" of Jackass... who unceremoniously punched each other in the crotch, as well as Viewers' Choice Award winners Fall Out Boy, one of whom was socked in the privates with his award by a dwarf. 'Nuff said.

The VMA's couldn't end quickly enough.
Thank God, it's Friday.
Love, Power, Peace

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