Well… I have followed in the footsteps of famous musical Canadians like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, and moved into a log cabin in Topanga Canyon. This is where ‘After the Gold Rush’ was done, so it should be good enough for me! As I write this, a chorus of crickets and bullfrogs is rising along with the moon over the Santa Monica mountains… I feel closer to Garberville in Northern California than the sprawl of LA.

The cabin itself is amazing (if tiny for two adults and a three-year-old) and smells of cedar and sage. Stained glass is everywhere, there is a porch with an outdoor bed, and you get the sense that a lot of care has gone into every detail of the place.

Someone is looking after us, because this is the only way we can be this close to the old stomping grounds.

Miami was a bit crazy… South Beach, anyway. It actually made LA seem a bit mellow (if I ever hear another 4-on-the-floor disco beat, it will be too soon). But I was priveleged to work with some fine musicians and songwriters, swim in warm water and eat a ton of great Cuban food, so there you go. Next time I want to bring the family.

Back to the present: It’s time to finish the mixes for my album! Jon has had some time with it now, so we should be pretty close. I also found out that the painting I’m using for the album cover has been professionally photographed so I can get to work on the graphics.

More on all this later…

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Our second day in Miami… KC and I will be writing with some of the baddest songwriters in the Latin music world over the next few days, but this weekend is all about soaking up the vibe of Miami. I always forget what real humidity feels like, especially combined with tropical sunshine. Yesterday I lasted longer walking around in that kind of heat than I usually do, but knowing our limits as white boys in the sun, we didn’t hit the beach until some clouds rolled in… which gave us the whole ocean to ourselves. Everone else cleared out in about 30 seconds – and got soaked anyway of course. So we just embraced it and jumped in the water.
I had a laugh when I thought about how opposite this is to Portland in every way: in Portland everyone has layers of clothing (usually involving fleece), in Miami they go as naked as possible (or just naked). In Portland the rain starts in November and doesn’t really stop until May (or June or July), and here it comes in sudden blasts and everyone runs for cover.
I’m ready to get out of the tourist area now and see some real neighborhoods, eat some Cuban food and hear some music.

We went down to Echo Park again, and this time it was a true Southern Cali Moment. Car clubs had set up on both sides of the road (‘Dedicated Riderz’ etc.) and everyone was showing off their exotic paint jobs, hydraulics, the sheer amount of bass that can be pumped through the body of a vehicle, etc. Of course there were plenty of WAR songs in the air, which really brought me back… when I was touring with WAR, these car clubs used to come out sometimes and drive us to the gig as a sign of respect for the band’s contribution to Low Rider culture.