The Time played in Chicago last Friday (8/11), and I had the opportunity to escort the group around town for the day. Between hours at the hotel, dressing room, backstage, etc., I was able to get some great info directly from the band members.



The New Album: Produced by Terry Lewis. Currently at 10 songs. Jimmy & Terry are on the disc. I heard conflicting info about how much Jessie participated. The disc is not mixed yet, as some people still want to tweak the songs (i.e. Terry). This is a Time effort, with just a little input and playing from Prince. No release date in sight. The name is not "Old Dog New Tricks" as reported on Monte's Web site.



Morris "Get a Job" Single: He doesn't have any plans for a wider release. As he said, "It was just a fun thing to do for the Web site." He was interested, and somewhat excited, when I mentioned that people at prince.org have been talking about the promo mixes.



Prince -- A Celebration: Everyone expressed interest in how the event was viewed by fans. (I, unfortunately, didn't attend, but told folks to read prince.org for details). J.B. said they were all approached to participate, but weren't pressured by Paisley Park. No one in the band (except Bean) had any real interest.



Rave un2 the Year 2000: I sensed some disappointment on how The Time were edited in the final show. One person was particularly interested in showing "Cool," which slammed. ("Cool" was also the song that Prince came out to play keyboards on.)



The Guys: They couldn't have been nicer. No attitudes. J.B. is as funny and energetic behind the scenes as he is onstage. Morris was laid-back and talkative...the same with Bean, Freeze and Tori. Tori, in particular, was really cool. He was selling his own CD "Freak Juice" (http://www.freakjuicemusic.com) and answering a ton of questions. Monte was really quiet and kept to himself. Jessie, the manager and Morris' brother, was friendly as well.



Before they left the dressing room for the stage, the group huddled together for a few words and a prayer. I was walking out of the room to give them some privacy, when J.B. grabbed me and had me join the huddle. Way cool.



From backstage, I could see alot of the ChitownGeneration in attendance and grooving to the funk. I'll let someone else comment on the set.