Hi there, boys and girls!

Greetings from Santa Monica, California!
It's been a long time since I actually wrote some stuff on this blog. Basically, I've been somewhat trying to life life, in between all projects. Writing and demoing shit, gigging a lot with Super Rock in Brazil and trying to enjoy my home, my town, my family and my best friends. I had a super summer back home, in between all that.
I came to Los Angeles on May 8th to record the Takara album. It's cool, because it's a band I liked from way back, the kind of music I grew up on, filling in for the great Jeff Scott Soto and Michael Flatters and I got to write the lyrics and music to the majority of the tunes. Neal Grusky totally gave me free reins to do my thing and "Gussify", as he puts, his music. Thanks for that, bro!
Neal and Alysa, his better half, picked me up at LAX Friday night and we already had fun from the minute we got home. Never a dull moment, from trying to blow a bed to ... well, you name it! They have been the coolest. It's been my first time in California, and it was really a dream come true, since I really dreamt of coming to GIT when a kid and study to become one of the world's top guitar players. NOT!!! Yet in my first actual trip to California, I work with an MI teacher, Bjorn Englen, who also plays with Yngwie Malmsteen. I met Bjorn during the Takara photo shoot and is a super nice guy.
We have started working on Saturday, after taking the first day to try recovering a bit from jet-lag and getting to know Santa Monica a bit. Really great place.
Recordings have been amazing so far. 10 songs done, 2 to go. The album is being engineered by Stefan Svensson, an amazing guy, super drummer, full of great ideas. Big Swede will become a HUGE expensive producer, mark my words! We laugh about "WACKY SHIT" all the time, and it's been one more great learning experience.
This picure features Neal Grusky, Big Swede, me and Sugarfoot. This guy, Jonathan Moffett, has been drumming for Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, George Michael, Madonna, you name it... for over 25 years and is like the nicest guy you could ever meet.
The album still has no title, but it will probably still come out during 2008.
I have been driving home - studio back for the last couple of days, but last night I managed to go sightseeing a bit. One of my best friends in the world, Gisele Habib, who I went to university with way back lives here and it was something we used to say during boring mornings cutting classes that we'd hang out in Hollywood sometime. So, paying this long overdue visit to someone who actually helped me through heartaches, getting drunk, puking and other embarassing shit from the past is a great thing. We had dinner with her friend Melissa at the Rainbow Bar and Grill, where I went mad from all the memorabilia, seen the Kiss and Alice Cooper stars at the Walk of Fame and finally saw the Steel Panther Show at THe Key Club, that used to be Gazarri's. All these movies and videos and everything and their actual scenarios. The show was actually great, fantastic musicianship and even better jokes. Scott Ian from Anthrax also played, as Whit Crane, from Ugly Kid Joe, who did a great Dio and Corey Taylor, from Slipknot, who was really good singing Priest.
Of course, I lost my camera... With all the pictures... Hope to find the time to take some more pics before I leave.
Got to have some sleep. Last day of screaming ahead.