LOST IN THE GROOVE (as seen through the eyes of their producer J.C. Unger) My studio, Sugar Lieu, stands just off 46th Avenue in a quiet little neighborhood just outside St. Petersburg, Florida. When I built it in 2004 as an attachment to my home, I consulted my friend Gary Praeg who had worked with everyone from George Clinton to Eminem. "Use what Em' uses," he mentored and I did, placing a type of sound proofing into the walls that made it impossible for neighbors to hear anything. No one living around me knew there was a full blown studio right next door! I was free to record day or night. Nevertheless I was very particular about who came into my environment. When Scott and Phil from Lost In The Groove first came to my Florida recording facility in 2006, I already knew what to expect. Scott was tall and lean with redish - blonde buzzed-up hair and a winning smile. Phil was dark and handsome, the quiet thinker. A few months earlier they had sat in with my band, When Buffett Meets Sinatra at a quaint beach side club we were playing called Philthy Phil's in St. Pete Beach. Up to that point the night had been pretty mundane. The boys brought down the house. Especially Scott with his sexually charged vocals. Our band had to go on playing after them and let me tell you, it wasn't easy. With a voice somewhere between Rob Thomas and the planet Pluto, Scott brought that same magic into the recording studio. As a producer I'm always on the lookout for vocalists that sound unique. Scott's got "it," that elusive quality that makes listeners turn their heads at first hearing. It's a gift. It's what record companies pay big bucks for. And it's why I decided to produce Lost In The Groove's debut CD. I'm one of those all-in-one producers that also runs the board and creates some of the music so working with these guys was fun the whole time. I got to take a peak into the wonderful world of Lost In The Groove. I'm old enough to be their Dad but we joked around in that secret language that musicians use and age difference soon evaporated. We laughed, we worked, and the guys made magic. Phil's oozy ballad, For You, gave me goose bumps, so much feeling and such a great hook. Phil is no slouch as a singer and he worked hard in the studio. The long haired, pony-tailed perfectionist wouldn't stop until every note was just right. I love that in an artist. "Do It With the Lights On," a tongue-in-cheek anthem that is already an in-demand staple for LITG's live shows, rings with as much energy as any call-and-response rock anthem ever has. The young nubiles reaching out from the front row prove it every night. But my all time favorite song of theirs and the one I spent the most time with in post-production was, "Love You Anyway." Scott's succulent vocal on that gem made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. And believe me, that doesn't happen very often. I'm lucky to have been a part of this magic session. The boys are making noise all up and down the East Coast and it won't be long I'm sure, before I can say, "Hey fellas, remember me?" J.C. Unger lives and works out of his studio Sugar Lieu in St. Petersburg Florida. His new book, A Musician's Story is published by Authorhouse and can be purchased at Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles, and Borders Books.