Ghosts Of My Former Self

Hey Soul Mates,
it's Friday. Been a long, cold week in the Valley.

Last night, I heard a new instrumental mix of U Had The $ and it rocks the house. Lots of fun hearing our new tracks come together. I also set the WayBack Machine to 2000 A.D. and listened to some of my older material. One of my eight year old compositions was requested for submission for placement in a TV show. So I figured I had better check it out again before sending it. It was interesting hearing parts and performances that I hadn't thought about for nearly a decade. I honestly don't listen to any self-penned material that the band doesn't currently perform or isn't working on. I find it's only healthy in the smallest of doses to revisit my musical history.

In a blast from our recent past, Locksley a band out of NYC (via Madison, WI) that played with us in Sheffield & Liverpool last year is going to be on the Jimmy Kimmel Show tonight. That's very cool. I'm pleased for them. Nice guys. We'll see if they come out swinging in their matching jumpsuits with first names emblazoned on their chests.

Have a great Friday everyone.
Love, Power, Peace

Spin It On

Hey Soul Mates,
I finally picked up the latest copy of Spin magazine. It has a feature about Robbie Rist (musical savant/voice over artist and actor) that focuses on the LA pop scene. We were told by our fans back in August that Spin had been in attendance at our IPO show in LA. Spin had interviewed several of our rabid backers. But after reading the article, I understand why we wouldn't have made the cut and I'm thankful for it. Spin basically tears the Los Angeles a new one, but little of it is unbiased reportage. It paints a dreary picture of the IPO crowd: aging, all-male, geeked out, playing an antiquated style of music. Not us. In some cases, that could be said. At least those artists have IPO to support their desire to play, but what it says about our fair town is more accurate.

In Los Angeles, it is difficult for original music to find fans and vice-versa. There are exceptions of course, but for the most part non-hip-hop and non-emo shows are poorly attended. Although, friends tell me the alt-country set are doing ok here. Clubs price their drinks too high and cover charges are exorbitant. That being said, our experiences with IPO in Liverpool and San Francisco were the polar opposite, the shows were well-attended, club's buzzing and bands on fire.

Since the article is "about" Robbie and his prodigious playing and full-frontal lunacy, it was nice to get a brief history of the Poptopia groups that predated my move to LA. Plus, I love Robbie, basketcase that he is and he makes for a fun interview. Adam (our producer) gets a couple of mentions in the mag, so that's cool, too.

Have a great week. I've got a lot of listening to do.
Love, Power, Peace