On to the real reason I am writing. I was over at Stan's house yesterday watching the video he is making for the bonus disc of Octane. It is really, really great. Very funny with some interesting things thrown in. I think you will all like it. He is going above and beyond the call of duty on this thing, and it's turning out fantastic. The video is the final piece of the puzzle for the new CD. We are ready to go now.

We will be ready for pre-orders through this site by the middle of December. We are also looking into dates for touring. We will do our best to play everywhere we can. I know you have all heard that before, but there are some interesting things in the works that might actually get us to more cities then usual, especially in the US. So let's all keep our fingers crossed that everything works out.

There are a couple of new samples to check out. The first is from the instrumental "NWC". Before you ask, "NWC" means whatever YOU want it to. On a lot of the old records I grew up with, there was always at least one great instrumental. So that is what I set out to do and "NWC" is what came out. It's up to you to decide if it is great or not, but I like it.

The other sample is from the track "The Planet's Hum" A collaboration of Stan Ausmus (our video guy and co-writer of "The Bottom Line" from FE), big Al Morse, and little ol' me. One of my favorites from the CD.

All right people, have a great holiday season and I wish you all lots of love and happiness. - NDV

PS - Oh by the way, Ryo and Al are out on road starting this week. Get out there a support them if you can.

RYO OKUMOTO WORLD TOUR - COMING THROUGH - 2004
Ryo Okumoto - Keyboards (Spock's Beard, Natalie Cole)
Guitar - Alan Morse (Spock's Beard)
Bass - Kiyoshi Murakami (Jaztronik)
Drums - Chad Wright (Chaka Khan, Lee Ritnour)
Special guest "Sage Okumoto"

11.16 04 (Tuesday) - Los Angeles, CA
The Baked Potato
Two shows: 9pm and 11pm (club open 7pm-2am)
$10 cover charge
3787 Cahuenga Blvd. West
North Hollywood, CA 91604
(818) 980-1615

Hello!!! NDV here, and first let me apologize for taking so long between updates. Life has been a bit crazy for me lately. It is the usual feast or famine of the music biz.

So here is the scoop on the SB front. The new CD is 95% complete. Jay Frigoletto (Jay also mastered Feel Euphoria for us) mastered the new CD on October 17th. The reason I say 95% done is that there was one more tune that only needed a couple more background vocals that Al and I finished on Tuesday the19th. Rich is mixing the song today, and then Fed-exing the tape to Jay who will master it then put in on the main master. Confusing?

We still don't have a title as of yet, but that is coming any day now. We gave our art guy, Thomas Ewerhard, some suggestions and pictures that we took. We are going to see what ideas he has for a cover then make the decision on the title. It will be decided any day now. As soon as we know you will all know. Then, as soon as all that is done we will start putting up samples of the new CD.

One last thing I need to mention is that the store on the this SB site will be closing for a short time. We are in the process of getting some new distribution together which should not take very long. We will be back up in plenty of time to take pre-orders for the new CD and you will still be able to buy all of the older SB catalogue as well.

So, thank you for your patience. I really believe in this new CD and I hope you will all love as much as I do. The guys all did such an amazing job.

Take care everybody.

NDV

PS. Take a trip over to my site: www.ndvmusic.com I have put an update there about what is happening with the Tears For Fears tour.

BYE!!

Hello peoples!! I'm back again with a little more time to fill you in on the happenings. I've been rehearsing with Tears For Fears getting ready for some small gigs and some TV shows here in America. Their new CD, "Everybody Loves A Happy Ending" is being released on Sept 14th. We will be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno that evening. So if any of you are up late that night, make sure you tune in.

The full tour for TFF in the states starts in mid-October. I don't have the dates for that yet, but I will have them very soon and will be sure to post them here. For now, I've posted the festival gigs and TV show schedule I have at my website, NDVMusic.com. I know they're working hard on something for Europe, and we should be over there in very, very early 2005. Go and check out the TFF website along with Curt Smith's website for a lot more info on everything that's happening.

The band is sounding really good. We're playing a lot from the new CD, but we are also playing some of the great older hits. I get to sing quite a bit, which makes it even more fun. So, if any of you get a chance to come to any of these things, make sure you say hello.

On the SB front, we are getting down to the end here. Al is finishing up guitars on a few things this Friday, I go to Rich's to finish vocals and whatever else I have forgotten on Monday-Wednesday-and Thursday of next week. Then, Rich gets to finish off mixing and then.................WE'RE DONE!!! YEAH!!! I and we are very excited about the new CD. We are going to put up some bits and pieces soon so you can have a taste of what we are doing.

So, that's it for the moment. Make sure you go see Ryo live with Al in November if you're around where he's playing. I am sure it will rock very hard.

Until we meet again, NDV

Special announcement from RYO & Mellotron Records!! RYO's DVD, "Makin' of COMING THROUGH & Live in Tokyo" will be released soon!! Go to Ryo's Website for more details and show venues as they become available.

See Ryo Live:

9.25 Club Core - at Roppongi in Tokyo
Live "Music Sense" in Tokyo "Ryo Okumoto Midnight Jungle"

Natalie Cole Australia Tour
9.28 Michael Fowler Ctr, Wellington
9.29 Michael Fowler Ctr,
10.1 State Thtr, Sydney
10.2 State Thtr, Sydney
10.4 Gold Coast Convention Ctr
10.7 Victorian Arts Center, Melbourne

RYO OKUMOTO WORLD TOUR "COMING THROUGH" 2004
With special guest Al Morse on guitar!

* US (venues TBA)
11.13 Los Angeles, CA
11.14-11. 21 East coast (NY, Boston, Philadelphia, etc...)

* Europe (venues TBA)
12.1 - 12.11 London, Holland, Paris, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Germany

* Japan
12.15 TBA, Chiba City
12.16 Toho Music College, Tokyo
12.17 Mo:gla, Okayama City - more info
12.18 Ihara Music Store, Kobe City
12.19 Ihara Music Store, Kobe City (Workshop)
12.20 Hard Rain or Raindogs, Osaka City
12.21 RAG, Kyoto City
12.22 Toba Observatory, Christmas show (Unplugged Christmas Show), Ise-shima
12.23 TBA, Tokyo

With Opera Singer "Noriyuki Sawatake new year concert tour"
(Ryo will play as a pianist)
1.7 Shinsou City Daiichi Hotel, Toyama City
1.8 Toyama City Daiichi Hotel, Toyama City
1.9 TBA, Kanazawa City or Tokyo

Natalie Cole US Tour
2.8 - 2.12

This CD is really coming along nicely...REALLY nicely. It definitely has some goosebump moments. We're not even finished yet, and I can't stop listening to the rough mixes.

The songs are really coming together in every way. We were in such a hurry to start recording back in May that we mostly had bare bones demos to work from, and songs that were barely finished...or not even complete in some cases. So it was pretty hard to tell how they would eventually turn out. It was a small leap of faith, but we went for it.

But as all the songs are polished up and the rest of the parts are laid in, it turns out that we're going to have quite a nice CD to present to you in January.

We hit some big scheduling snags during July and August, and that's why it's taking so long to finish this CD, but we'll be back on track by next week and should finish the last few overdubs and edits by the end of next week, and have made some major headway with the mixes by the end of the month.

I was initially pretty disappointed that we couldn't finish the CD for a November release, but now in retrospect I think it was a blessing in disguise. We have a little breathing room now and are able to spend some extra time perfecting the songs that we have. Al and Stan have a tune called (for now, anyway) "Edge Of The Woods" that at the moment isn't quite finished, but will be that one really quirky prog tune that we have on every CD. But besides filling in that slot, it's also a great piece...and it rocks very robustly. It definitely wouldn't have made the CD if we would have pushed for the November release deadline. (Now they HAVE to finish it!! HA HA!!! I've exposed it to the world!! I really dig it, so that's my devious little way of getting my way and having it on the CD...)

Speaking of rock...we've got some rock things on this CD that rock harder than we ever have rocked. In fact, in my opinion, this is the first time ever that we are playing some true hard rock. The kind that makes you look like a complete ass in the car because you're doing that rock head bop.

But if you're not into that, don't worry... there's something for everybody. In fact, there are some truly beautiful pieces that might even make some of the more "emotionally available" of you tear up a little bit.

This is all completely enhanced by some gorgeous string arrangements by John B. and the perfect ears and mixing skill of Rich Mouser.

Right now we have more than enough for a long CD...it's going to be hard choosing which songs get cut or delegated to a possible bonus CD, because they're all strong. But if we do put them on a bonus CD, it will be one of those rare occasions where the special edition is really worth getting.

I won't tease you with any more euphoric descriptions...but I'm really excited about this CD and I just had to tell somebody ;-)

What we SHOULD do is put a couple little samples up on the website when we get a little farther along. An MP3 is worth a thousand words, right? I'm going to check into that...

Stay tuned...and as a final word, THANK YOU all for your wonderful support and encouragement throughout the years. Even though we're not all over the message board making comments, responding to wild statements, or thanking people for some really nice words, we do read your postings and really appreciate your input.

Cheers.........Dave

It's really cool to be in a band where they want you to play the saw! It's real cutting edge stuff (ar, ar, ar!)

I can't wait to get out & tour again, it's been a long time. Guess we'd better finish this record first. Making records is hard, it takes a long time. I take about 8 guitars and a ton of other stuff to the studio with me, for different things. It's fun to have a lot of toys to play with, but a real hassle schlepping them around. Someday I'll be a real Rock Star & have guys to schlep it all for me. It's tough being me (joke).

Hope to see you all soon. 'Til then, just remember the immortal words of Greg Lake: "Every day a little sadder, a little madder, someone get me a ladder!" - Al

Right now I am writing you from my hotel room in beautiful Bethlehem, PA. I am here with the Mike Keneally Band for the Nearfest festival. We play in a couple of hours. I'm looking forward to the set today. I played this festival with SB in 1997. That was the very first Nearfest. It was a great gig then and it has grown to become a very popular festival over the years.

On the SB front, we have been on a short hiatus because of schedules but are going to resume recording next week. We are getting close to the end though. I have a bunch of songs to sing and there are a few extra overdubs but that is about it. Al has done most of his guitars and everything is sounding amazing. We are still going to try for an October release and a tour to follow but I will keep you updated because things always change a bit. But as of this moment we are very excited about this new record. I feel it is going to rank as one of our best ever. Yes I am slightly biased but I have also been in this band from the very beginning and know very intimately all the great music we have made. I feel this new SB effort is very strong and can't wait for all of you to hear it.

OK y'all, I am off to my gig. Wish me luck that I don't forget how to play that part in 15/8. - NDV

Recording has been going great. We have been getting back into it pretty heavily now. Al is playing great as usual and I have started vocals. We are getting close to having the big epic "A Flash Before My Eyes" done. This is getting fun now. It is hard to keep everything straight sometimes until it starts to come together. I am starting to see a life to this new record and it puts a big smile on my face. Take care everybody. More updates to come soon. - NDV

So for now it is into the studio today so Al can put down some guitars for the new record. That is still going on as planned. There was a little lull in recording after Ryo was done, but now we'e getting back into it. -Thanks for the understanding and rock on y'all!! - NDV

Ryo finished up his Keyboard parts for the new Spock's CD last Friday and he did an amazing job. Now it is on to guitar and vocal land which we will be getting to in the very near future. I can't wait for you all to hear it. So in the words of the great ELP "COME SEE THE SHOW, IT'S A DYNAMO, COME SEE THE SHOW!!!!"

The place turned out to be fantastic. Apparently, HOB owns a few different studios. One in Nashville and Memphis, and here in LA. The studio is on the bottom floor of this amazing home on top of a hill in Encino, a very swanky part of L.A. The house was originally owned by Tito Jackson. It looks just like a Spanish or Italian Villa on the Mediterranean. A great place to hang and make music. Other than few hard-drive hassles, everything got done and Ryo played just great. So, that is it for now. We are going back into Rich's for the next few days to finish up Ryo's parts before he heads out with Natalie Cole and then it is off to vocal and guitar land. I must tell you that this record is sounding amazing. Rich is just great and all you PROGGERS should be VERY happy with this new record. We are pulling out all the stops. And it is so much FUN!!!!!!!!! Take care everybody, NDV

So, now I have to go through everything and get it all ready for me, Al and Ryo to do overdubs. That is always a tedious process, but it is a labor of love. If all goes well and there are no setbacks, we should be able to release this new CD in October or November and then...TOUR!!! I hope everywhere. I always wish for that, although my wishes never come true. Either way, we will be playing live somewhere. So, I will keep you all updated on the progress of the record and all the happenings.

On another note, I will be playing with Mike Keneally, Rick Musallam, and a most amazing bass player named Doug Lunn at the Baked Potato (here in LA) on May 8th. Go to www.keneally.com for more info. It's going to be a different kind of gig. Since Brian Beller can't be there, we are changing things up a bit. The first set is going to be acoustic with some Keneally, NDV, Spock's, and whatever else we can think of music.

The second set will be electric and all cover songs. I'm sure with MK leading the way, there will be some crazy fun things going on. If you have never seen or heard Doug Lunn play bass, you should make the trip out. He is a amazing and unique player. I met Doug through Kevin Gilbert years back and have done a few things with him over the years.

Alright peoples, take care. I will be in touch again very soon. - NDV

Well, that's me! For some reason I thought that I could cram 10 years of French Horn playing experience into a month and a half. And to be honest, I improved by leaps and bounds over where I was at a couple months ago. But not quite enough to successfully cut the French Horn parts on our next CD. Since it needs to sound professional, we'll hire a pro like we usually do. I have actually played on a couple earlier CDs, but they have been the simplest little parts imaginable... always leaving the harder parts to real horn players.

Have you ever heard a French Horn played badly? It's not pretty, and the picture that is attached here is a pretty good visual representation of how I was sounding. Damn! Maybe next time...

On a better note, the tracks we've been cutting are pretty slammin'. Rich's new studio is pretty awesome, both cosmetically and sonically, and he is even more of a mad scientist genius than ever. He took a total-piece-of-crap house with a bizarre floorplan and turned it into a really beautiful hi-tech facility.

Some of the drum sounds he's getting are so amazingly huge that when I hear them the only thing I can do is laugh. We even completely changed a song arrangement to fit around one of his more insane drum sounds.

We're clipping right along, recording at a faster pace than usual, which is good since we have a very small window of recording opportunity between now and August. We did two days last week and will do Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. And then I gotta go out and make a living for a few months. So hopefully by Wednesday night we'll have all of the basic tracks in the can! That would be pretty amazing, considering that we are pretty much learning the songs and arranging as we go, which takes quite a bit of time. But I think we'll do it. Then again, I also thought I'd nail those French Horn parts... - Dave

There's a lot of material to record. Besides the six sections of the concept suite "A Flash Before My Eyes", there are 10-12 other songs. At some point, the decision is going to come down to whether to make it a double CD, a single CD with a bonus disc that includes five or new six songs, put those songs on a separate EP, or... who knows? It's kind of like making sausage...nothing will go to waste!!! At this point, the plan is for a Fall, 2004 release to coincide with a tour. Here are some pics from the first day...

Hey drummers, Jimmy Keegan (SB touring drummer) is now accepting students at all playing levels. If you live in the Los Angeles or Orange County area and are interested in improving your skills, send him an e-mail. He'll be teaching out of three stores as well as privately.

But they apologized very sincerely and asked me to send them in again, which I'm going to do. (Even though the last ones disappeared into a black hole and I'm not terribly confident that the same won't happen to these, I gotta give them the benefit of the doubt).

They assured me that they'd take care of it properly this time, so hopefully in a couple weeks (or so) Spock's Beard will be up on iTunes for downloading. Cheers. Dave