Hi Bob,
It's wonderful to find this site and reconnect with you and your music and all of the many others who enjoy your music.
Live at the Luna Cafe is one of those CDs that just seems to take up permanent residence in the player, although it's now in rotation with the Nitzsche Sessions and Since There Were Circles (still probably my fave of your albums).
My apologies if this has been answered before -- a scan of the board didn't unearth it, but that doesn't necessarily mean someone hasn't asked by now -- but while I was in the UK, I picked up an EP by the Electric South called I Love to Sing, and I'm pretty sure that's you on vocals. Did they "sample" you? How did that project come about?
And I believe I read somewhere you wrote a couple of novels... any chance they'll be reissued and offered thru your site?
I'll hang up and listen to your response.
bits 'n' bobs
bits 'n' bobs
Last edited by Stash on Wed Feb 09, 2022 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Hey Stash, Thanks for the inspiring words. Always great to know my music is touching someone.
As for the Electric South and SING, I don't know what happened with that. As far as I can tell, it fell victim to what I call Big Record Companyitis.
Here's the story:
A fellow from Virgin Records contacted me and asked if I would let him use the "I Love to Sing" track from SINCE THERE WERE CIRCLES, for a dance record.
My first thought was, "What? Whoa??"
But I didn't see how it could hurt. Plus there was a nice advance involved and a good royalty percentage, which appealed to the shameless whore in me.
When he sent me a rough mix of the record produced by Ashley Beedle, I was knocked out: Exciting, thumpin' kick-ass gospel-flavored power start to finish.
I told them I can sing much better now and suggested that they let me send out a new version of the a cappella song - which I did.
But they chose to sample the CIRCLES version.
Okay. I think it was a mistake, but it was Ashley's project and a creative decision on his part.
So they do a final mix and it's fantastic (the inferior vocal notwithstanding).
And they send it around to all these DJs, program directors and other radio bigwigs, and they send me the responses -- all of them favorable. All of them said they'd go on it on their stations.
But of course that's too simple for fear-driven corporate bureaucrats. Instead of riding that wave of interest, some genius decides to delay it and make a video.
It was a stupid thing with skeletons and a lot of other things that made no sense to me (maybe I'm too old).
Then they said they wanted to wait and try to get the record on a TV commercial.
The iron grew cold. And as so often happens with big record companies, the idea just got dropped. It will never see the light of day.
I should have known.
Contrast this experience with the situation with ACE, who just released the new reissue you've been listening to. These guys keep their word. They're motivated by love of music, not bottom line. They work closely with their artists and respect them.
Thanks for giving me this opportunity to address this question, Stash. A lot of people have e-mailed me asking and I just don't have the time to answer complex questions one-to-one.
That's why I always recommend the message board.
Let's hope someone does put out the novels.
As for the Electric South and SING, I don't know what happened with that. As far as I can tell, it fell victim to what I call Big Record Companyitis.
Here's the story:
A fellow from Virgin Records contacted me and asked if I would let him use the "I Love to Sing" track from SINCE THERE WERE CIRCLES, for a dance record.
My first thought was, "What? Whoa??"
But I didn't see how it could hurt. Plus there was a nice advance involved and a good royalty percentage, which appealed to the shameless whore in me.
When he sent me a rough mix of the record produced by Ashley Beedle, I was knocked out: Exciting, thumpin' kick-ass gospel-flavored power start to finish.
I told them I can sing much better now and suggested that they let me send out a new version of the a cappella song - which I did.
But they chose to sample the CIRCLES version.
Okay. I think it was a mistake, but it was Ashley's project and a creative decision on his part.
So they do a final mix and it's fantastic (the inferior vocal notwithstanding).
And they send it around to all these DJs, program directors and other radio bigwigs, and they send me the responses -- all of them favorable. All of them said they'd go on it on their stations.
But of course that's too simple for fear-driven corporate bureaucrats. Instead of riding that wave of interest, some genius decides to delay it and make a video.
It was a stupid thing with skeletons and a lot of other things that made no sense to me (maybe I'm too old).
Then they said they wanted to wait and try to get the record on a TV commercial.
The iron grew cold. And as so often happens with big record companies, the idea just got dropped. It will never see the light of day.
I should have known.
Contrast this experience with the situation with ACE, who just released the new reissue you've been listening to. These guys keep their word. They're motivated by love of music, not bottom line. They work closely with their artists and respect them.
Thanks for giving me this opportunity to address this question, Stash. A lot of people have e-mailed me asking and I just don't have the time to answer complex questions one-to-one.
That's why I always recommend the message board.
Let's hope someone does put out the novels.