Well it’s first week of July and, with the exception of a mini-heatwave a few weeks ago, Summer’s been a bit shy here in LA. All we’ve been having is this gorgeous, breezy 72F weather, which, I’m sorry but, that’s not enough to warm my pool up. So now we have to wait until it’s nearly dark so the swimming pool has had a day’s worth of sun to truly enjoy it and not freeze. Then again, maybe I should be happy it’s not TOO hot.

Now, I have been so very busy that this is the first time i’ve turned the computer on in ages. Since i got my t-mobile side kick phone i can email and use the internet no matter where i am. i can view and download jpegs and i can take very nice pictures and email them immediately. Its made my life a little easier. LA is so fast paced and people need things like 2 weeks ago. Take this gig i just booked, for example.

Baby Lemonade is playing a show in Santa Monica on September 16 at the Temple Bar. The bands playing with us are The Black Watch and Velouria, both great bands. The contract for the show was convoluted beyond definition. AND they needed everyone’s stage plot and input locations. What? For real? AND they need this and they need that and they need Hi Rez photos and if you want this and that you gott let em know fast and then you gotta pay em for it. So we took the simpliest road possible so that everyone will have a great time. We’ll be playing an hour and 20 minute set with about half of that Love tunes. I am also close to nailing down an Orange County show, which will either be at the Doll Hut or maybe the Blue Cafe (which is in Long Beach but the LBC is so close to the O.C. it may as well be in it). I like both places. But the Doll Hut doesn’t have the same owner (Linda) anymore so I’m starting from sctratch. We always had fun at the Blew Cafe and played many shows with Calexico there. Back then they were called Friends of Dean Martin, which had to be changed (for Legal reasons!) to Friends of Dean Martinez.

So I’ve been busy with that, as well as exchanging emails with possible singers (and/or their managers) for the benefit show. Jon Auer from the Posies is on board. He also sent me a copy of his solo album, which is brilliant. If you’re a fan of the first two Posies records (Dear 23 and Frosting on the Beater) you’ll like it, as it falls right in between the two, sound-wise and song-wise. Unfortunately Mr. Plant can not attend the event but he sent a very politely email explaining he’ll be on tour. Now, I hope we don’t have to coax Bobby P. to help Baby Lemonade on a couple of Arthur Lee tunes in the UK…I hope not….

And as if i wasn’t busy enough, the Pedal Effect that my friend, Phil Hussey and I unleashed on guitarist everywhere – the HTO Overdrive, has been a big hit. The pedal has won quite a few Overdrive ‘shoot-outs’ at the Guitar shop. Now, you may ask, what is an Overdrive Shoot-out? Well, that’s when you get a customer who comes into the guitar shop and says, “I need an Overdrive that’ll give me that great bluesy tone but still have that bite, with a tad bit of crunch without sounding heavy metal.” So we give the them about 10 pedals and send ’em in the amp room (a room with about 40 Dr. Z amps) to try out each pedal. Kind of like how Hannah shops for shoes and handbags. Eventually, the customer emerges with a winner and that’s the one they buy. The HTO has done well in the shootouts, to the point that we sold out! But we just got a new batch of 5 in so let the shootouts begin! If you want to know more please visit our site WHICH IS NEW AND SIMPLE but will get better. We do not have any sound files as of yet because I have been too busy. www.hfxpedals.com But i need to get my sh*t together, as a couple of folks at guitar magazines got wind of the HTO and so it looks like it’s taking off….fast…

Now, most of my energy lately has gone into the pedal and booking the Temple Bar gig, as well as rehearsing and going over my guitar parts. I also got a new guitar. A John Lennon Casino Revolution. The guitar is awesome and plays like butter. I need to figure out which guitars I ma bringing to the UK (btw, the tix have been selling…thank you! Keep it coming please…let’s make this something special) and with all the high fuel prices and airport security and all other kind of nonsense they spring on you at the last minute, I need to find a way to Protect my instruments from Airport bozos. it used to be about, ‘how can i save money when i fly’. now it’s ‘ how can i save my guitar from reckless airport luggage handlers’. It really does suck. But we’ll make the best of it. We are all excited about the UK tour and working hard to make that truly memorable.

Also, we finished mastering the Baby Lemonade Best Of CD, which we’ll have for sale at the UK shows. As we know everyone is hurting in this world economy (that seems to have no budget for anything except weapons), we will keep prices on merchandise as low as possible. The ‘Best Of’ contains tracks from 3 of our records (1996- 68% Pure Imaginiation, 1998-Exploring Music & 2001 – High Life Suite) plus a live Love track from a German Festival from that July 2005 tour. We also include a bonus track that’s never appeared on any of our records and was only available on a limited run compilation on Popsycle Records called, “Closet Pop Geek” or something like that. The bonus song was produced by E.T. Thorngren, which was part of about 6 songs we did with him for the 3 weeks we were on Mercury Records!

Through all of the stuff going on I also work in a guitar shop and am happily married and also have a wonderful 9 year old son, Julian, who is visiting us this Wednesday for a month. Being a good friend & husband and being a good listener & dad, those are THE most important things to me and my top priorities. So, when life gets hectic or times get rough or things get me down, i try to remind myself of what’s important and i try not to sweat the small stuff.

Mike Randle