Hi guys
Im in Brisbane rehearsing with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra for our show this weekend.
As you might have heard, things are starting to gear up for the release of "The Rebirth of Venus" in Feb 09. In Australia, the first single will be "I Love Pop Music", and in the US and Europe the first single will be "What's So Bad (About Feeling Good)?". Keep an eye on my myspace page as both songs are going to be up there very very soon.
I also have put together a bunch of fun covers for bonus material - Hunters and Collectors, The Grates, MGMT, The Ataris and lots of others. Those will all surface sooner or later.
Its been a fun few months just being domestic at home in LA. I helped Ione with a short film she has been directing based on a Daniel Clowes comic. I'm so proud what she's done with it. Still got loads of post-production and editing to do but sometime next year it will be available for your viewing pleasure and I think you'll dig it.
Over the last couple of months I've been helping write and produce a record for an amazing young songwriter named Gabriella Cihomsky. She's only 14 and is like a young Carole King! Seriously, the level of her songwriting and performance are just incredible. I thought I had it together at 14 but she makes me look like a hack! I'm loving how the stuff is sounding. Very 60's/70's. A record I need to hear - and that's always a good place to start.
Got up and played with The Watkins Family at Largo a few weeks ago. I love sitting in with those guys. I feel like I'm learning all the time with them. If you guys are ever in LA and get the chance to see one of their Largo shows - dont miss it!
Getting closer to Ione and my wedding at the end of December, and I honestly can't wait to be a married man! Feels like the beginning of an exciting adventure. If any of you plan on being in the south of India over the new year - feel free to come along!
It's a very exciting time in the US right now, and obviously the ripples of that change are being felt all over the world. Here is hoping that 09 is a year full of compassion and growth for people all over the world. I'm going to be doing some work with FINCA (www.villagebanking.org) next year, helping raise money and awareness for their micro-financing program. This program gives loans to the world's lowest-income entrepreneurs, creating the means for poor people to start small businesses and change their lives, as well as the lives of their families and other members of their communities. It feels like a good time for us all to come up with creative ways to usher in a new era for humankind.
I hope you are all well and ready for some more twists and turns in this adventure.
Love
Ben