Rain Shine, Don't Mind

Hey Soul Mates,
just a thank you to shout out to Johnnie Wilder, Jr whose passing was announced today. Johnnie was the lead singer for Heatwave. Readers will remember that I wrote a blog about them just this past month. We had fun trying to play The Groove Line at our rent party. A talented cat. Peace, Johnnie!

The day was productive. Got one last hair cut before our departure. Thanks, Monica. So fresh and so clean, clean. I also got the first of my altered shirts. Hallelujah. My shirt fits! It's not easy finding sharp shirts when you got a figure like Mr. Pretzel.

I picked up some reading for the flight. Got Toure's new compilation of essays "Never Drank The Kool Aid." I heard him talking about it on the John Salley Block Party the other morning. He had some interesting things to say about Lauryn Hill. Where'd you go, Lauryn and what happened!? Figured I'd show some support. I'll give you a review when I'm done.

Tomorrow is Friday. My last day at work in Hollywood for a while. Enjoy the weekend. I'm busying packing.
From L.A. With Love

ABC/English Beat

Hey Soul Mates,
it was a good weekend. Mother's day was celebrated in a very chill style. Most vacationlike. Today was a little off, got an accidental headbutting, so this is going to be short.

ABC's show at the Key Club Saturday night was fantastic. I had to be about 3 feet from the stage and singing louder than everyone else. Martin Fry was decked out in a silver silk suit with an iridescent periwinkle shirt. Smooth, as usual. The rest of the band was dressed in their uniforms of a year ago. In fact, most of the set was identical to the show we saw a year ago at the HOB. There were a few cool additions to the set. They replaced their cover of John Lennon's Love with the ballad Blame. ABC also slipped the riff of the O'Jay's For The Love Of Money into their '85 single How To Be A Millionaire. Unfortunately, it was an audience that seemed to want only the hits. The girls in front of me were text messaging for much of the show. I won't judge, but that's ill. Me, I relished the brand new material ABC busted out including Ride and the encore opener Sixteen Seconds To Choose. Both should be appearing on the new ABC LP, which I can't wait to buy. Martin Fry, David Palmer and Co. still put on one heck of a show.

English Beat opened the night with plenty of their own hits (I Confess, Save It For Later, Mirror In The Bathroom), as well as spin-off smashes I'll Take You There and Tenderness from the General Public canon. For some reason, lead singer Dave Wakeling seemed to direct all of his stage banter at me. Which was amusing. I sometimes wonder when I go to shows if I'm among the very few people who are paying attention to the music.

It will be fun making our debut in ABC's hometown of Sheffield! Makes it that more special to be playing there.

Special alert for our fans in Liverpool! The Cavern Staff have also put together a programme for the International Pop Overthrow festival, which will be inserted into the next issue of Live Magazine. So be sure to pick up a copy and save us one! We'll be playing there two weeks from Tonight! Bank holidays will never be the same.
Love, Power, Peace