So… yeah, been pretty busy. That’s not a complaint!

On the music front, BOMBAY BLACK finally released their new album titled ‘¡En Fuego!’ back in June on Kivel Records, a full eight years after their last album, ‘Walk of Shame’. There’s some lyric videos up on their Youtube channel. We’re a three-piece now, so live shows will be tough until we can get a new drummer.

The Resistance, essentially Bombay Black plus singer Phil Houston and ACMA Award-winning guitarist Luke Williams, got their self-titled album out despite Covid pretty much killing the momentum of working on it. This one is also on the Kivel Records label. Check out some live performance videos on our Youtube channel.

Drum tracking for the next SteelCity album has already started. I’ll send those back to the guys to record their keeper parts and then I’ll work up the backing vocals. This one is due to be released by the label Frontiers Music srl.

I also spent about a year playing bass for the previously-mentioned Luke Williams and his Country vocal group called ‘Huckleberry Jam’. It was a learning experience in many ways and Luke swore he’s make a Country player out of me. I smiled and thought, “Nope. There’s too many ballads here…” And now I’m writing some Country tunes that might actually turn out to be a full album. If that happens, I’m not sure if I’ll go it as a solo artist or turn it into a band thing which is really what I’m used to. I will NOT, however, invest in boots (sneakers are far more comfortable) and a hat, which I’d have to get custom because of my large melon head.

“Castles may tumble. That’s fate after all, life’s really funny that way
…sang the wrong melody. Let’s play it back… see what it sounds like, hey hey!”

– Bing Crosby, from an outtake while recording ‘Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (and Dream Your Troubles Away)’

What’s happened since last time? Lots of life changes. I moved, got a much better internet connection (like going from a Mazda GLC to a Corvette!), built a new vocal booth, did/doing album projects, and working with Country artist Ryan Harmon, who tried out for American Idol and got as far as a televised segment where he was told to go to Nashville instead of Hollywood and received three “optimistic No’s”. He’s only 24 but his knowledge of Country music is almost encyclopedic. He’s equally comfortable throwin’ down some Merle Haggard or Cinderella.

I completed the Apocalypse Crusade audiobook series with Book Five, which is available as well as a “box set” of the first three Apocalypse Crusade book. You’ll find them at audible.com

The big news right now is the Covid-19 epidemic. My take: Blame is useless right now. The government will do what it will do but we’ve got to handle the day-to-day ourselves.  Let’s deal with the problem, “flatten the curve” as they say. Inconvenient? Sure. Irritating? Absolutely. Necessary? You betcha.

Take care of your people and love the ones who love you back.

And, maybe even the ones who don’t. : ) – E

My first non-fiction work, author Wallace Jeffs tells the tale of being a child growing up in the Fundamentalist Later-Day Saints Church as a half-brother to Warren Jeffs, who was raised to become the Prophet of the FLDS Church and was later a convicted pedophile. The book gives you a look into the social and familial workings of the FLDS from a first person point of view as well as seeing how Warren was treated as a “blessed” child, the Chosen One to lead the Church, and how he abused the power he was given.

As a father of two daughters, and just as a man, I was shifting between astonishment and complete rage of the actions of the FLDS faithful. Mothers, already untrained in any manner of household tasks due to marrying so young, would fight amongst themselves to the point of physical violence. Fathers would marry their daughters off as chattel to gain favor with the Prophet or anyone higher up the cult’s power chain. With each chapter completed, I found myself having to take a few minutes to digest what I’d just read. I could never imagine being so completely enslaved… yes, that’s the right word… to a faith and moreso to a man who was clearly changing doctrine for his own desires at a whim. Yet, these people were born into the church and know nothing else and refuse to know anything else other than that life. I had to remind myself of that fact constantly.

Unlike the usual tales of cults like Jonestown and the Branch Davidians that ends in death, this story is still continuing. Warren Jeffs lives in prison, sending out “revelations” to his followers and those followers still believe in him and that the End of the World is just one more year away… just one more… one more…

And now for something completely different:

“David Hall is 30 years old, divorced, and a self-proclaimed wine connoisseur. He has no business venturing into a world of flesh-hungry monsters. But when a phone call from his diabetic sister gets disconnected, he knows he’s the only one who can provide her the care she needs.

Seeking help from his gun-toting survivalist brother-in-law and his ex-wife, David must make a dangerous journey across the city of Asheville. But the real danger isn’t the zombies he’ll have to face, or the threat of certain death; it’s what kind of man he’ll become if he survives the trip.”

This zombie apocalypse comedy is described as “Douglas Adams meets Max Brooks” and I totally agree. Also, there’s a lot of Niles Crane (David Hyde-Pierce’s character on the TV show “Frasier”) in David Hall’s personality. I enjoyed producing this quite a bit!

I think it was George Lucas who said “A movie is never finished, just abandoned.” I think Ted Templeman probably said the same thing about every record he made with Van Halen.

The story so far…

Got the site up. It’s about dang time, too.

For those interested in my musical endeavors: Romeo Riot’s “Sing It Loud” is available on the Kivel Records label at CD Baby, NEH Records, and iTunes. It’s been described as the Bon Jovi record they’ll never make. I just think of it as a good rock n roll album. Plus, I wrote one of the songs on the album, the only one with cuss words in it. Go figure.

The new Bombay Black album is in the final tracking stages as a certain lead guitarist is working his fiery soloing magic, blazing up his fretboard with some smokin’ leads and scorching… and, uh… Ever notice how anytime a guitarist’s lead work is referenced, it’s always got something to do with fire? What’s up with that?