Another photo...

Listening Session with Sandra

Here we are with Sandra Furton, listening to our upcoming song "The
Promise."

Blog from iPhone?

Tomorrow we are going to Arizona to see Etta James in concert. Since we need to revive the blog why not try to blog from the iPhone? So this is a test.

Sent from my iPhone

...and then there was Nashville

Much changed in September. The trailer on Jetsunma property was removed. I moved into a new apartment. And the studio moved into my spare room. This was a major disruption. But despite the hurtles Tara and I were able to continue to draft new material, in the hopes that it could one day be used.

Then in December word came to us that this group was interested in Jetsunma. One of the people involved with the label is associated with KPC.

Jetsunma asked Tara and I to prepare new material and to record a demo for Tara.

We completed the demo in early February. Tara now has five songs that show her range as a singer. Look for them on her myspace.



At BSE's request we went to Nashville for 10 days. Here, Doc and Ani Dolma are getting ready to drive Jetsunma in her RV.

We were working with Sandra Furton, who founded BSE, seen here with Jetsunma in Nashville. She was renting the house we stayed in and the studio where the recording took place.

Here we are in the control room

And this is the live room.

Soon after arriving in Nashville we finished a song we composed and tracked in 2007; "The Promise," it set the stage for the pieces that were written afterward. Finishing this song gave Jetsunma the energy to write lyrics and craft 12 other songs from the material Tara and I recorded over the fall.

Jetsunma writing lyrics for a song.

Now, what really made this trip productive and extra special was working with Wayne "Tex" Gabriel on guitar and Jimmy Mac on the bass.

Tex and Jimmy working out their parts for a song. We tracked Tex and Jimmy on "The Promise" and a number of new songs. Specifically, on "The Promise," it was their performances that gave an old song new life.

And their presence inspired BBV in new and invigorating ways.

I'm not going to belabor this, but Tex worked with John Lennon and Jimmy was with Sly and the Family Stone. So, needless to say, they are talented and it was absolutely amazing to work with them.

Here is a photo of Tex with John Lennon. For Tara and I, huge Beatles fans, this picture is awe inspiring.

Jetsunma was herself touched by the amazing talent and wondrous personalties of Tex and Jimmy. Between them you could sense the depth of an old spiritual friendship, a kinship in both music and the beyond. The chemistry was palpable, infectious and delicious!

Indeed, the entire group parted knowing that something special was created, not just the music, but the friendships. Now with 13 songs composed, rough vocals tracked and basic elements in place we have a lot of work cut out for us. As of this moment our first goal is to release "The Promise" and perhaps two other songs on April 17th. Afterward, at a date yet to be determined, we will release the full length album; "The Lineage of Queens"!