The summer issue of HRH, the Hard Rock Hotel’s boutique magazine, actually came out a few weeks ago, but I was waiting to post about it until after the digital edition was live. And so it is. And so here we are.

I don’t have too much to say about my cover story on Them Crooked Vultures. Like my Muse story for the spring issue, I didn’t have a chance to interview the band (Them Crooked Vultures isn’t really doing much press), so I had to make 1200 words about a year-old rock supergroup appear out of nowhere. Thankfully, I did get a chance to see the band when it performed at the Joint in the spring, so I at least had that. To fill in the gaps, I had to use a handy-dandy series of “behind the scenes” videos Them Crooked Vultures posted on its YouTube channel. Really, it wasn’t much different than doing a basic interview with the band or being provided B-roll from a publicist, so it kinda worked out fine … I think.

As usual, my words are enhanced and accompanied by live photos shot by my pal Erik Kabik, who always does amazing work. But even more than that: I share a contributors page with one of my heroes, Cameron Crowe. Crowe, who is a good friend of rock photographer Neal Preston, turned out for the HRH issue release party/Preston photo exhibit at the Hard Rock’s new SkyBar — an event I also attended. Sadly, though, I had to run off to catch Henry Rollins at Wasted Space and left the party before Crowe arrived. I don’t know what I would have had to say to him, but he’s one of the few people (Rollins being one of the other) whose work and career has really shaped my life and I’d be interested in meeting. Well, I’d actually be more interested in learning from him, but one must crawl before he can walk, right? Right.