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Chicas y Chicos,
Im currently at the airport recapping the last few days of filming in
my head. Im smiling from the memories, and feel my heart swell when I
think of how cool the video is going to be and thinking of the
new friends we've made.

If you don't know, Heineken has put deSoL together with the USC film
school on a project to help promote the arts. Gracias to Heineken Beer.

We flew in Wednesday, prepared our wardrobe and made sure our colors
were organized and that we looked like a band. Looking like a band was
the easy part for a bunch of long haired, bearded, road worn, scruffy
musicians.

Thursday, we spent the day shooting near Palmdale C.A at a location
called "The Four Aces"...it's a Hotel/Gas Station/Diner,
used for movies and videos in the middle of the desert. The VolksWagon Bus
scenes were filmed here. James' stick shift driving took a little
getting used to...but after he got the hang of it, we were off and
rolling.

The desert was hot and beautiful, a real treat to soak in the desert
vibes for the day...Joshua Trees everywhere! Man, I love the desert.

The concept of the video revolves around a postcard I send from Cali
to my sweetheart in N.Y.C. This location in the desert is where the
VW Bus stops and I drop the postcard off in the mail box. The guys
get out, stretch, throw the football around, fill up on gas, I mail my
love letter and away we go to another gig. The West coast mail man
picks up the postcard and off it goes to be delivered to my Sweetheart
"Tamara" on the east coast.

Friday was another long day as we shot performance footage on Long Beach.
My favorite time was jamming around the camp fire
while the extras got to dance, sing and party along with us and the camera.
The band was in rare form...cracking corny jokes between takes, trying
to make each other laugh and keeping the energy high and positive.
Some of the jams and grooves we were playing between takes were
memorable. The night, the beach, the full moon created an incredible
atmosphere. My gut says we got some special footage there.

Friday night at the beach was when "Tamara" enters the video. The
guys were ribbing me the whole day about my on screen "Sweetheart"
showing up and breaking my heart... Well, she broke all of our hearts.
Christina Luna, who plays "Tamara" was the sweetest, down to
earth person... a natural beauty, a real talent. I have to say that
everyone on the set, the actors, the film crew, the directors,
producers, USC personel, our makeup girl "Yvonne" and hair guy "Jimmy"
truly were the reason we had such a blast.

We've made new friends and bonded with budding creative people like us,
just a bunch of completely passionate artists creating their own destiny.

Yesterday, Saturday, the location was the "The New York City street"
at the CBS Lot in Studio City. Even though our filming was done we
showed up to watch and support as the NYC fire escape balcony scenes
were filmed. This is where the postcard finaly gets to "Tamara". The east
coast mail man delivers the postcard and she sees something wonderful
in the card.

Stay tuned for the release of this video due out in early '09...
Thanks to everyone for making this a memorable shoot. Our
director and producer team Brent, Phil and Nadia kicked major ass for
deSoL. They will be editing for the next few months. Brenda and
Jeffrey who head the USC film dept also are to thank personally. I
also want to thank Adam, Julie and everyone at Mulholland Drive
advertising agency. Pattie and everyone at Heineken for giving us this
opportunity. Pattie heard "Sing It All Night" on regular rotation on
107.1 FM The Peak in Whiteplains, N.Y and said she wanted us as one of
her bands.

Well, the sun is up, it's now officially Sunday, I'm in Chicago
waiting for our connecting flight, James is laid out on the 3 seats
next to me sleeping (mouth opened and drooling), the rest of the boys
got on a different flight from LAX to JFK. We ended up having too much
fun in L.A and missed our origional flights last night...

Time only flies when you're having fun.
nos vemos
Albie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53wRZowRxEM

The entire Bandwagon ( our RV ) was rumbling, up, down, and side to side. I immediately woke up slamming my forehead on the bunk above me. We were supposed to be on route to the All Good Festival in WV, but something told me that was not the case. I looked around and noticed nobody else was awake...how could that be? I then scrambled up to the front of the bus to investigate, given our travel history, one never nows what situation we can get ourselves into. Just when you think you have been through everything, life injects yet another surprise. When I get to the front of the RV, I witness C6 behind the wheel holding on for dear life, like a captain trying to navigate his vessel through a perfect storm. Next, I gazed out the window with my gaping jaw and saw nothing but forest and a road that could barely support a Yugo. Not only that, the ground was nothing but loose gravel with boulders haphazardly protruding through the earth. And to put a cherry on top of it all we were trekking uphill !! My hats off to C6 for an outstanding job on the wheel.
I questioned C6 as to how we found ourselves in this outlandish predicament, and he responded "Stacy" ( the name given to our twisted GPS ).....that explained it all !! You see, sometimes Stacy sends us on paths wide of the mark ( depends on her mood )....I'm not crazy...it's true. Nonetheless we were where we were.
A few moments later, Cliff and Stone awake. They peek their heads into the front cab, and immediately begin to chuckle "this is awesome" in a short staccato high pitched fashion.... ahhh the newbies. It actually took a little of the edge off the situation( love those guys ). We scaled this death trap of a road for about 1.5 miles, mind you we were driving about, oh lets say 1.5 miles an hour...you get the picture.
Finally we arrive at our destination, only to find a dead end road blocked of by a huge metal gate( like one you might find at a military compound ). I guess people take their private property policies to the extreme in these parts. With no room whatsoever to turn around, we had no option but to put this sucker in reverse and backtrack to a spot where we could turn around...and the plot thickens !!! Next, Stone and I jump out of the vehicle to aid C6. We run to the back of the Bandwagon to help guide. Slowly but surely, we where maneuvering out of our madcap scenario when out of nowhere we heard growls and thunderous barks from what sounded like a pack of rabid dogs. We frightfully turned around only to realize that no more than 30 yards behind us, it indeed was a pack of wrathful dogs darting toward us full force. At that time, I could have easily broken the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest man alive. I reached the drivers side door frantically pounding on it, yelling at the top of my lungs. No words in particularly, just yelling. Thank all that is mighty that C6 opened the door without haste. I dove in head first, and could feel the hot breath from the canines...I mean beasts, at my heels. Talk about your narrow escapes !!!
Eventually, we made it out of there and arrived at the All Good Festival safely, a little traumatized, but safely. We ended up having an amazing show.

Looking forward to the next great dream or adventure !!!

James

Hello and Hola!
Currently driving home from West Viginia at the end of just a wonderful weekend of shows!
The All Good Festival was...beyond "All Good"! packed with spinning, dancing, smiling faces. A little rain, but grateful that the sun came out for us during our sun dance:) I give thanks
Last night (Sat) was the Pleasantville Music Festival in Pleasantville N.Y, playing for our radio friends Chris Herman, Jimmy Fink and eveyone at the Peak in Westchester, N.Y. These guys know how to throw down a day of music! Ending the day with deSoL, Backdoor Slam, and Joan Osborne. Joan was a sweat heart, I even saw our guitarist Cliff give her a peck on the cheek:) GO CLIFFY!!!
Friday night was a home town show for the grand Re-opening of the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, N.J.
Home town shows are fun and full of surprises. We see many people we haven't seen in a while, sometimes in years. Fans, friends, and familia come out who have seen the growth of the band from our days as a 3 piece (me, Armando, and James) to a seven piece, and these days as a six piece. No matter what the incarnation, the love has been there from jump at the Jersey Shore.
Thursday night we performed at a new music series in Lebanon, N.H and I gotta tell you that the good vibes were flying high. You never know what you're gonna get. Lebanon was a new destination for us, and Oh boy the crowd was hungry to be lifted up.

A special point for me in the set, occured during "Mona Lisa" our second to last number. You know the part in the song when the song breaks down to nothing and starts up again? I looked out into the audience, and the entire crowd was on their feet with their hands up in the air clapping, jumping, cheering, and creating a sea of moving energy. Wow! I got chills up and down my arms and down my spine. We were suspended in a truely honest moment of togetherness.
I was so touched that entire night seeing people get closer and closer to the stage, song by song, minute by minute, till everyone was up together dancing, for one common purpose... music and love. We did our job in Lebanon. For that, I am grateful.
Well, we're on our way home to start writing songs.
We are starting work on our new disc due out late spring 2009. I'm excited to loosen up the touring schedule and be able to focus on the other side of this wonderful music trip... creating songs...a new playground. The songs are the play ground, the stage is the monkey bars and slides that we swing and jump off of:)
God bless and hello to the new friends we've made these last few days. Thank you to everyone who brought us your home made jewlery, vegan foods and cakes. You truly make us feel loved.

-buenas noches.
Albie

July 7, 2008
Oceanport, NJ

As you know, deSoL travels frequently to play shows. We don't always have the time, or make/take the time to "take time off." We're typically workaholics.

A guitar student of mine, George, invited me to go fishing with him a year and a half ago to attempt the enjoyment of relaxing. Considering my touring schedule, it's been very difficult to lock down a day… Well today was the day…and our fluke fishing adventure in the Atlantic was a great success, and there was another noteworthy event that followed…

The fog this morning was dense as we made frequent stops in my tour guide's prime locations. George's friend, Bob (who's paternal line is riddled with fisherman), was with us as well. These guys have been fishing off the Jersey Shore together for the past 20 years. Pros. I, on the other hand, am a novice fisherman; I enjoyed the sport growing up with my dad and his bro/my Uncle Frank, I had another great experience fishing off the northern shores of Prince Edward Island with my buddies Wolff and Dr. Roni Botts, but nothing substantial since then.

Back to today: we threw a bunch of small guys back, and caught a dozen nice keepers, and it looked like the day was done. "Pull up your line, Andy, we're gonna head in." Though the sun came out and the fog lifted a bit, we were pretty much finished and the 2 pros were going to do some shallow trolling on the way back to George's dock whilst I was going to be sunning myself.

As I was reelin' it in, I noticed that there was something on my line. At first I was excited to get one last catch. There was not much of a fight, though, and I realized that what I had was probably not very big. I was peering in the water waiting to see…and I realized that there was a jellyfish tangled in my line…not hooked, but it was about a foot above the hook and sinker…simply folded around the line, temporarily stuck, because of the current. So I shook it off the line and didn't realize at the time that there was some of the jellyfish still sort of on the line…so I worked that off before reeling the rest in. When bringing the line in, I grabbed the weight, secured it to the reel, and then set the pole in its "holster" inside the boat.

I must have touched some of the jellyfish's poison without knowing it. Bob was driving as we were trolling back and I had an itch in my right eye (thought I had one of those "eyelash situations")…so I used my right index finger to move that beautiful lash to a more comfortable position.

Not too long after, my right eye was steadily becoming more irritated, it itched a little now. Then my eye began watering out of control, and the sunlight was becoming stronger than my now sensitive eyes could tolerate. I had my head down to let my eye flush itself, and George asked me if I was alright. I told him that I had "a bit o' the itch in the eye." He handed me a bottle of water and told me to flush it better. So I tilted my head back and poured some water in there. I was having a hard time opening my eye to really let some water get in, George plainly suggested opening my eyes. Difficult as it was, I did and poured more water in there.

My right eye was burning and bothering me so much by now that I didn't realize that I was starting to feel a bit sloppy--and I was noticing my left eye getting funny, too. George asked if I was better and I said, "Not quite yet." I was a little in denial that something might be happening to me other than the eyelash job. I kept my head down, and started feeling my shoulders getting tingly. I took in a deep breath and decided to stay calm. Then it moved down past my elbows. I knew something was in my bloodstream. I could feel it. I told the guys how I felt. Then my fingers started getting tingly and I could feel it working down my torso.

Next thing I remembered was being disoriented and looking up at two men looking down over me asking me if I was alright. I didn't know who they were, where I was, or what was going on…I didn't even know that I had been out fishing the previous 7 hours. I totally blacked out and literally hit the deck (I now know that my left knee & forehead assisted in stopping my body because of the bruise/knot/evidence). Luckily, I fell into the boat and not out. (Bob, a medic in the Vietnam War, said, "You know, that jelly uses 'neurotoxins' to immobilize living creatures…" I learned all this after the fact, I guess I hit the floor the same time he said "neurotoxins." ...though I wish that I could say, "...and I hit the floor faster that you can say 'Neurotoxins!'")

So I was laying on my back on the floor of George's fine fishing boat fully confused as to how I got there. Thinking back about it, I now remember having some disturbing disconnected thoughts while I was out…I remember a weird and scary dark dream. I was really out there for a minute. Seemed like a lifetime.

I continued to stay on my back for the next 20 minutes, not able to move or get up yet. I could still feel the poison doing a job on my nervous system, and I knew I should just stay put. I was almost paralyzed, but not completely…just down for the count. After those 20 minutes or so, I had some comfort in that I could tell that my body was doing slow but sure work on recovering…whew! A positive sign.

I told George I was ready to sit up. He grabbed me a foldable lawn chair and set it up for me. I climbed in the chair and slowly started realizing what just happened. We talked about it briefly…I guess I was, in real time, out cold for a minute or two, and had a little convulsion right toward the end before I came around.

I was amazed—I was so powerless to the jelly's toxin. It fully overtook me, and pretty quickly, too…it all happened so fast. After sitting in the foldable chair for another 10-15 minutes, I decided that I wanted to try to stand up. I needed to prove to myself that I was going to be alright. Bob and George were relieved to see that I was recovering a little. I was still out of it, though.

We got back to George's dock, George filleted the flukes professional style, Bob cleaned up the boat, and I decided I needed to lay down. I was so exhausted…like after an adrenaline rush. My body and brain really needed to chill for a bit. As I was laying down, I felt myself getting close to falling asleep and something told me that I shouldn't give in to fully sleeping or going out again…so I maintained an awake resting pattern that lasted the next hour or so.

Wow, what an experience. It's now 2:12AM early Tuesday morning, and I can still feel a little of the juice still in me. These jellyfish really know how to make a cocktail! I must have said, "That was amazing!" 50 times or more thinking about what happened on our ride back to George's. I was blown away at how well that venom worked, and how my body's circulatory system served as a personal tour guide for the stuff. Then I was amazed at how my body recovered and continued to try to recover after being blitzkrieged. Unbelievable.

So that's it. All in a day's fishing. Fyi, I'm feeling fine now…no strange after effects, just feel a little groggy and maybe some of that jelly cocktail is still in me, though I feel it dissipating.

A funny side note…I've been looking forward to this planned fishing trip (which was extremely memorable) for months now. By the way, I had an excellent time (George and Bob, thank you very much)! It was also the first day that I would be going back to eating some kind of meat. Albie challenged me to have a strict vegan diet for a month, and I gladly accepted on June 4th. I knew that I had the fishing day planned or a while and would put a cramp on my new vegan style…but I believe in moderation…and so I conquered my pact with Albs at 6PM on July 4th…Independence!! I even went a few days extra. (Albie, I plan on being vegan most of the days of the week.) I never anticipated that going back into the non-vegan world, or even the widely accepted pesco-vegetarian world would make for such an adventure!

"...faster than you can say, "Neurotoxins!"
Andybeard

Hey Todos,
Keeping you up to date on what's been happening.
We performed at Extremastudios.com two nights ago. Jorge, J.C,
Nacho, and the rest of our hermanos at ETV treated us right.
ETV is a very cool up and coming web television program that airs every Wed. out of South Gate. It was very inspiring to see the creative ways in which the ETV crew works together to air the show. It's inspired us to start talking about one day having our very own weekly live internet T.V program. It's a very exciting time with all the technology available at our finger tips.
ETV reaches many people in the L.A area as well as reaching a Global market. As we were playing and being interviewed, the hosts Jorge and J.C were receiving Text messages from all over the world. getting instant feedback from your audience is a powerful thing.
Think of Waynes World but in Spanglish...ETV
We played 5 songs: Blanco Y Negro, Lagrimas, Toda Mi Cancion, On My
Way, and Spanish Radio. The Vibe was fun, loose, and loco.
Please catch the show by going to their website extremastudios.com
and clicking on ETV. We Truly had a lot of FUN.

Last night we were invited by Julian and Ric Fazikes to Arka Studios to record an hours worth of songs (acoustically) to be aired on Gritaradio.com. Don't know when its going to air but will keep you posted.
I remember Visiting Grita radio when we went to Mexico City to play with R.E.M. Grita was one of our stops as we were promoting the show and the new disc.
It feels good to hit the Latino market and continue to spread the word about deSoL. The band is starting to intentionally reach out to the Latino market. Believe it or not a band like deSoL is still fairly a new sound to the Spanish market as a whole. There have only been a hand full of bands to really make a big noise with what we do.
Tonight we are looking forward to playing at the Keyclub in West Hollywood with our pals the B-side players. Will let you know how the show goes.
All is well here. I pray everyone is feeling good vibes.
See you soon out on the open road....
Oh...C6's B-day party last night was a night to remember. Please remember to send him some love
Gracias
Albie

Hey todos mis deSoL bro's and sis'
We are currently in L.A. to Have a few meetings and to play a show
in West Hollywood on Fri night at the keyclub.
Tomorrow night (Wed. June 4th) we are performing a show at a web tv
station called extremastudios.com (ETV) here in the L.A area. It is a
forum for latino rock bands to play their music and talk about the
growing movement of American Latin rock. The show starts at 9pm
pacific time. That's midnight for you east coasters. You can catch it
in archives at your leasure though.
We drove down RT. 1 or should I say "the 1" that huggs the Pacific
ocean today. Drove through Big Sur and enjoyed many beautiful sights.
We all had the shades of our R.V bus opened wide, looking out in awe
at the scenary. We usually take "the 5" down from northern california,
but today decided to take our time and enjoy the view.
Rolled into L.A about 6pm this evening had dinner at El Coyote
Mexican restaurant with Bob and denise from our label Adrenaline music
group. Good veggie Chimichangas! And great conversations with the
label folks about growing deSoL to the world.
It's C6's B-day today. Don't forget to wish him a happy B-day.
Talk very soon.
All is well and exciting in the deSoL nation today. Blessed to be
traveling and safe.
More news to come.
tu amigo
Albie