Where do I begin? If it's cool with you gals and guys, I’ll just ramble on here....
Performing, writing, and recording is all I have been doing all year long. I was having a chat with Phil Tennant from London about how long it takes to make a record. We decided, from the first note or word I hear in my mind....add about 18 months to complete. This new upcoming album in particular has been a super fun challenge. The songs have taken a life of their own and some have also changed direction from out-of-the-box thinking concerning production.
Bottom line is this: I’ve completed the lyrics on the last 7 and will do my lead vocals this month. Included too in October will be background vocals, some more overdubs etc... In November we will be mixing again in Muscle Shoals. Maybe more importantly, this will be the pre-mix session. Phil will fly over from England for that too. He’s had a lot of input in this new project. Many of the songs have a very modern vibe in addition to the usual overall quality of tunes. There are 13 in total. December will be a visit to Abbey Road in London to master the project with my good bud Geoff Pesche. I can't wait to go back!! And of course, I’ll sign the Abbey Road wall...I always do. :)
Many thanks to Ron Onesti of the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL. It's a wonderful Art Deco boutique entertainment venue that deserves all of our support. These timeless works of art shouldn’t be taken for granted. A band like ours, we love the intimacy and the feel good energy of the roaring approval. I really have enjoyed playing there numerous times this year, and I hope to be back at the Arcada very soon to rock our souls.
Thanks also go to Ted Nugent, Night Ranger, Cowboy Mouth……..thanks for letting us hang with you and do our thing on the same stage. The fans, the fans too, they have been really awesome. I have met so many new people along the way. Thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate it. Just seeing a friendly face sometimes, it really means a lot.
Many photos have been posted of our recent shows. Some of you noticed guitarist Anthony Rubino in the shots. Anthony filled in for John Lewis who wasn’t available at the time. Anthony is a good guy and very talented. I look forward to playing with him again sometime. He came to us from the Chicago School of Rock.
Last weekend, I went to Scarefest in Lexington , KY with a couple of friends. Had a blast, saw some cool people, and took a time out. I hope you like the pics! I had fun getting dressed up. In fact, I bought the hat at the show. I took one look at it and knew I had to have it!! I think it works perfectly with my cool long jacket. I now have a large inventory of sage, dragons blood, and many others I can’t spell.:) It was awesome. I even bought a crystal ball about the size of a bowling ball. Was instructed to buy a book on how to do it, and I did. The ball looks cool in the meantime.
We’ve been talking about how to end the year. I’m still recording and have to make a couple of overseas trips too. I leave for Japan on Saturday. Then there's a trip to the UK. We want to ramp it up in November - and especially December - and start playing the new tunes. We will keep you updated once we finalize our upcoming gigs!
This has been a good year, but it also has been strange too. I mean come on…..an election, next month? As long as God watches over us, we’ll be ok. I miss summer already. Where did it go? Rock on!
