Well, after about 2.5 years of continuing in much the same way I must admit it seems more now than ever, it has given us time to stop and smell the roses, and you know they smell good!

Hourglass has changed as well and we have all found that playing each weekend isn’t what we are all about.

Effective communication and respect for that other interest is hard to do when it’s the other member smelling them.

Combining schedule of five people, three of which travel much of the time, can prevent rehearsals and live show opportunities alike.

King Onus, Spivey Crossing, M.A.C.T., remodeling the house, Waco Chamber of Commerce, 7-yr old daughter Drake, relationships, birth, death, what I did on my 4-month summer vacation in between jobs helped to fill the gaps for me and it was very rewarding.  Each has its own story, but isn’t that life anyway??

A lot of time has passed since then and Mike has been busy finding ways to grow with the time.  Musically, while Hourglass has still been a focal point, a new wave of appreciation for other music and musicians has come around.  “Country and Western music has really never been an interest of mine, but like as good friend said once …it just happens”.  While Mike isn’t a bashing fan, he has warmed to it over the last year.  “It’s easier when you have someone to share it with.”

“Who’s the fool when apathy rules, you’ve got to want it. There is no fence against pointed arrogance, you’ve got to want it, you’ve got to want it,  because if you don’t want it, it remains the same and the heart of Darkness comes to play by day; if its all compliance it remains insane; if its all defiance it’s a runaway train.”

Recently, Mike has incorporated some d-drums into his kit to add another level of possibilities to Hourglass’s music.  “Drumming still tells a story in my opinion complete with sentences, inflections and punctuation.  Let’s just say I have a few more fonts in that department with the electrics”

Hourglass is still very much a cover band.  Mike has been fortunate to be able to bring in new music he grew up playing into the set lists.  While live shows have been missing from the local band line-up for about a year now, Mike is eager and excited to get out and begin playing new material for the fans like Limelight, whole new Pink Floyd – Have a Cigar Series, Allison Morsette - King of Pain, new ZZ-Top, Allman Brothers - Whippin’ Post (for the Fans), Fleetwood Mac – Chain, and a few others that will surely please the listeners.  And if anyone was able to seen Hourglass at the 2005 River Jam you know that Alison Lampert is still very much a part of the vocal treat one has come to expect from them.  “We enjoy having the flavor of a female voice as Alison has been able to bring.  It has opened up a whole new area of possibilities for our music as a result.”

As many of you realized, the website was left unattended for some time but with a recent rekindle of interest, Mike has been working hard with Dana McKenzie (102.5 - The Bear) to promote Hourglass with a new one (which you have obviously found if you are reading this).  Hourglass is not the household word as it is used to be but with a little luck and a few solid shows perhaps the fans will not have forgotten and will once again be able to enjoy an evening out with some great live music as 2006 finishes and the new year begins.

“We have new toys too!”, Mike grins.  “We’ve had always been plagued by our PA system, which had become more or less abandoned-in-place.  Not to say it has not served its purpose but for fear of it falling to dust if it were touched let alone moved, we always had to find a live sound company to play.  That changed last summer when we were fortunate enough to have picked up a new system, one that is both newer and much more road-worthy.  Once the nuances are digested and we’re comfortable with the functionality, we will be looking to utilize the abundant local talent to run sound and participate in our shows so we can concentrate on the music.”

Because Hourglass has such a big stage, local venues have always been a concern.  Hourglass and other local acts have come to realize that Rock is dying a slow death in Waco, but with the addition of new (or renewed) venues like Hog Creek Ice House, Graham’s, and Lakeside Tavern, they are not as concerned about stage size.  “Yea, we got a lot of shit, and we play it ….scaling down has never been interesting to me.  However, in the interest of less is more we’ve reluctantly done this in the past …especially if we are an opening act at the HOT Fair (which in ’06 we will not be able to book).