Our first real professional band photo taken at Newport Beach, California	Gotta love the hair!	A failed attempt in trying to make a professional photo	We had a thing for stained glass backgrounds back then
From front- Brian, Ray, James, Mike, Noah	Brian Singer on bass guitar	Ray Flowers on guitar	James Preston on vocals
Michael Hackett on keyboards	Brian, James, and Ray	Fans from one of our first concerts	Ray (Harold Raymond) Flowers and James  Preston

The Baseline Years (approximately 1989-1993)
Mike Baker replaced Noah Elias as drummer sometime within the first two years. All the new wave-like songs and look were discarded for a more dark, gothic sound. The following pictures span the era that included Mike Baker as our drummer.

Mike Baker & James Preston backstage in a star trailer at Knotts Berry Farm's Jubilation	James Preston at Azuza Pacific University	Mike Baker just before showtime at the Azuza Pacific show	Mike Hackett live on keyboards
Ray Flowers at the Azuza Pacific University show	Brian Singer at Azuza Pacific University	James Preston freezing during this outside concert	James Preston screaming out lyrics
A more calm moment on stage	One of many lead guitar solos by Ray Flowers	A live backstage perspective	Mike Baker smirking at ???
Mike Baker during sound check at Creation Festival	Brian Singer at Creation Festival, 1992-Pennsylvania	Brian and James live	James praying he can make it through this show
Sound Check-Creation Festival, 1992	James Preston-Reality Rock radio interview	James and band members from "One Bad Pig"	James and band members from "Dance House Children" (now "Starflyer 59")
On the road and on tour in Arizona, 1992	Another "One Bad Pig" photo op	Creation Festival merchandise booth 1992	Mike Hackett and James Preston at a sound check
Fans at the merchandise booth	Our audience at Creation Festival, 1992	Sincerely Paul photo collage	Sincerely Paul opening for "A Flock of Seagulls"
Another "Flock of Seagulls" live shot	Performing one of our many shows at the Troubadour in Hollywood, CA	All five S.P. members (goofing off as usual) in Knotts Berry Farm's star wagon trailer	Mike Hackett practicing on the piano before our show with "Undercover"
A very warm east coast live show	Mike Baker looking for his drum sticks	Sincerely Paul's name on the famous Whiskey-a-Go-Go marquee in Hollywood, CA	Sincerely Paul live at the world famous Whiskey-a-Go-Go
James and Mike Hackett just prior to showtime	Screen shot of a video of Brian Webster (left) and Mike Baker mixing the song Those That Kill for Grieve	Mike Baker and two friends after the benefit show at the Whiskey in Hollywood, CA	In memory of sound man Peter Tessitore - (Left to Right: Peter, Ray Flowers, Noah Elias)
Brian and James at sound check - Creation Fest 1992	A shot taken by Mike Baker during the Creation Fest Show 1992	Mike Baker recording Grieve at Neverland Studios	S.P. studio shot that was probably used more than any other photo

The Record Release Party for “Grieve”
Pics of our official record release party of “Grieve” held at Joybells Bible Bookstore in Garden Grove, California (September 1991).

The Tower Records-like display of "Grieve"	Record Release Party-The Black Cake	Ray Flowers and Mike Hackett autographing CD's	James, Brian, and Mike Baker signing CD's
More of the crowd at the SP Record Release Party	The whole band in action at the artist table	Former SP drummer, Noah Elias, Cutting the party cake. Noah painted the promo piece directly behind him and created a lot of the SP artwork we used	James, Brian, Mike Baker & Ray taking a break at the record release party

Discography

1988
Sincerely Paul
(4-song self-titled cassette EP)
Recorded at Casbah Studios in April 1998
Noah Elias – Drums,
Ray Flowers – Guitar,
Mike Hackett – Synth,
Brian Singer – Bass
James Preston – Vocals

What’s the Difference?; You Gotta Love; The Real Me; Crime of Persecution

1989
Sincerely Paul
(2 song cassette single);
Recorded at Public Recording Studios in Brea, CA - 1998 with Brian Webster
Mike Baker – Drums,
Ray Flowers – Guitar
Michael Hackett – Synthesizers
Brian Singer – Bass
James Preston – Vocals

Darkness Blinds You; 19 Years

1990
ACM Journal CD - 1st Anniversary Compilation CD
Recorded at Public Recording Studio - 1990 with Brian Webster

I Saw Sin

1991
Grieve
(Blonde Vinyl Records)
Recorded at Neverland Studios – 1991 engineered by Dave Hackbarth
Mixed at Public Recording Studio – 1991 by Brian Webster

Mike Baker – Drums,
Ray Flowers – Guitar
Michael Hackett – Synthesizers
Brian Singer – Bass
James Preston – Vocals

Open, Nineteen Years, Bare My Soul, Drug, House of Fire, Shame Last Sunday, Those That Kill, Grieve, Wait, Helpless, Turnaway, Close

1991
Blonde Vinyl Teaser II cd
Compellation of Blonde Vinyl artists

Shame Last Sunday

Coming in 2009
Re-ISSUE of Grieve
(2 Cd set)

This 2 CD set will not only include a re-mastered recording of the entire GRIEVE album but will include a 2nd CD with 11 tracks spanning the entire career of Sincerely Paul (including 4 live tracks) All eleven tracks have never been issued in wide-release.

Interviews and Reviews

Lighthouse Interview with Mike Baker and James Preston 1992	KASR Radio Review- Arizona, 1992	Cassette Single Review	NoteBored Magazine
Autographs Magazine Votes Grieve # 1 Album of the Year	NoteBored Magazine Interview	Tustin Weekly Newspaper Review with Ray Flowers (Harold Raymond) and James Preston	Print Interview; Unknown Source-Part One
Print Interview; Unknown Source-Part Two	Print Interview; Unknown Source-Part Three	WhiteThrone Magazine-1992	Access Magazine-1991

Sincerely Paul Concert Advertisements and Mentions

Knott's Berry Farm Concert	Orange County Register	Sincerely Paul Opens for "A Flock of Seagulls"	S.P. with MTV's Video Jockey "Duff" at U2's Televised Satellite Party
Hollywood's Famed "Roxy" Club and Music Connection Magazine	Grieve Advertisement- Music Connection	Sincerely Paul Opens for "Undercover"	Sincerely Paul Live at Snow Valley Ski Resort, Running Springs, California
More Show Announcements	Yet Another Troubadour Show	10th Annual Reality Rock Anniversary Concert	Whiskey-A-GO-GO
CreationFest - Artist Schedule	WinterFest-1991	One of Our Many Troubadour Shows	One of Our Roxy Shows

Sincerely Paul Memorabilia and More

Club OK Ticket Stub	Sincerely Paul Bumper Sticker sold during Grieve Release	Sincerely Paul's 1st Bumper Sticker	Artwork for our Last and Final T-Shirt
Press and Media Kit Release	Troubadour Tickets- Hollywood, CA	Roxy Tickets- Hollywood, CA	Authentic California License Plate Inherited by a S.P. Fan

James Preston from Sincerely Paul
By Jason - www.somewhercold.com
February 2007

I am so glad to finally get to interview you. Grieve was a fabulous disc and still holds up today.

Can you tell us some fond memories of that time in your life musically?
It has been approx. 14 years since the band split and went their separate ways. Honestly, I never imagined I’d be doing an interview about Sincerely Paul all these years later. But thanks to the internet, it has helped to bridge a gap between the fans and some of the members of SP. And thanks for the comment about Grieve. I am so grateful to have been a part of that creative process. Some of the best memories I have from that era was playing live and meeting fans that appreciated what we did. Although one of our first big shows was Cornerstone in the late 80’s, I would have to say the 1992 Creation Fest show in Pennsylvania stands out in my memory as my favorite live show. The CD had just been released on Blonde Vinyl, and we were able to spend several days after the show hanging out with our audience at the festival. The shows we did at Knott’s Berry Farm Jubilation, as well as some of our Hollywood Club gigs rank up there as well.

When did you get started in music?
I can’t remember a day I haven’t loved music. My mom had me in piano lessons starting at age 6. That lasted a few years. I then began singing in various plays and church functions throughout my teen years. Just prior to joining the band, I was taking opera and voice training through Cal State Fullerton’s musical department. I was also writing a lot of poetry and song lyrics in my college English classes.

With Grieve being released in 1991 and no subsequent follow up album, what sort of musical projects did you pursue after Sincerely Paul parted ways? If you know of any, are there places that one could obtain some of your other music?

After leaving Sincerely Paul in 1993, I went on to form a new band named SLIDE. One of the first songs I recorded was “The back and the blue”, a previous Sincerely Paul song that was never finished. So I tweeked it a bit with the help of a keyboardist friend of mine, but ultimately fell back on SP guitarist Harold Raymond and SP drummer Mike Baker to put the finishing touches on the song. I was under time constraints because REX records wanted me to record the song so it could be featured on their 2nd compilation CD. Commercially, this was the only song to ever be released by Slide. As time went on, Slide eventually evolved in a three piece band with new members with the hopes drummer Mike Baker would also come on board as well. The compilation CD was released through REX. The single generated enough interest for REX to offer SLIDE a recording contract. Unfortunately, I had to turn the contract down as they simply refused to fairly negotiate with the band on any level yet wanted me to sign a 5 album deal. As much as I wanted to sign the contract, I didn’t feel it was wise for me to sign away that many years of my life. Looking back now, it was the right decision to make. But for music lovers out there wanting to know about lost Slide tracks, they have recently been found, and I am in the process of digitally preserving these lost tracks. The Grieve CD shows up on Ebay and Amazon.com and they are the only places I know where you can the CD.

In terms of parting ways, what circumstances caused it? How many songs did you get into the second album and why did the band stop recording?
I would say creative differences caused Sincerely Paul to split. I will even go a step further and say some of our personalities clashed at that time as well. We drove our poor manger Charles crazy. Some of us wanted to take the 2nd album in a different musical direction, while others wanted it to go another way. Following a show we did at Six Flags over Georgia in the summer of 1993, I saw the writing on the wall. I struggled with making the decision, and was the first to leave the band. A few weeks later after my departure, drummer Mike Baker left the band as well. I imagine it was a painful time for all of us. It certainly was for me. I had been with these guys for close to 7 years. Prior to the split, we had about 3 to 4 new Sincerely Paul songs we were working on. We had performed some of them live, and was just recently told by guitarist Harold Raymond he has these live tracks on tape. The tentative working title at the time for the 2nd album was “Ego-Mine”.

In the 17 or so years since the release of Grieve, what have you been doing? This could be musical, jobs, or anything you can think of that you would be willing to share.

After Slide, I decided to return to graduate school and get my Master’s degree. I was accepted to USC in Los Angeles and graduated in 1998. I have been practicing as a licensed Clinical Psychotherapist for the past 9 years both in private practice and for the State of California. I am also a real estate investor and manage my properties here in Southern California. Artistically, I still write, and recently I designed a fan website based on Disney’s Tower of Terror Attraction. The website is located at http://p067.ezboard.com/bserviceelevator . Scroll down and find the forum “Sincerely Posts”.

With the advent of the digital recording age, would you consider recording more music with your old band mates? How about some solo projects of your own?
That’s a tough question to answer. I’m not sure if Sincerely Paul (meaning all 5 of us) could ever record again. I’m not saying it’s out of the question, but who knows….stranger things have happened. I will tell you this. I was very disappointed that I was not able to release a full length Slide album. Slide allowed me to do the material I always have wanted to do. I could see putting out a Slide album today and would do it if I had the right people involved with it. I would also welcome the notion of having some SP members be involved with it. Ideally, I would need to work with a talented keyboardist to make this project happen. So yeah, if I was able to find the right keyboardist today, I would definitely put out that Slide project that I’ve always wanted to do.

Have you kept in touch with your old band mates? How about those from your other projects, if there were any?

Until just recently, I had no idea where any of the other band members were nor had I been in contact with any of them for approx. 10 years. I have to give a big thanks to the Sincerely Paul blog page that was started http://christiannewwave.wordpress.com/2006/07/28/sincerely-paul/ because that page has helped me reconnect with both SP band members Mike Baker and Harold Raymond. I recently met with Mike Baker and it was a thrill to talk with him again and reminisce about the old times. I have been in email contact with guitarist Harold Raymond and hope to visit with him in person soon. It’s been great hearing from them after all these years. Talk about a lot of catching up to do! As far as Slide, I have had no contact with the other 2 members whatsoever. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for them.

There are murmurings about releasing unreleased Sincerely Paul tracks. Is this true? If so, how many will be released, in what format, and how far along are you in the process of gathering together those tunes?

All I know at this point is that Mike Baker and Harold Raymond have some live cuts of unreleased Sincerely Paul tracks. I may have some as well but need to dig further. I did recently find some lost Slide Tracks that I recently put into MP3 format. So the possibility of releasing these is there, but how we are going to do it is another issue. Mike and I have talked about doing a website. If that comes to fruition, we will probably offer the lost music tracks of Sincerely Paul and Slide there. Plus, the remaining members of SP who went on to do Laughing Stock may have some material to offer. I guess I have to ask everybody to be patient as we truly have just started to talk again after all these years. I also want to see if there is enough interest from people before we set out to do anything. I would say, a website is highly likely to happen at this point.

Personally, what is it about music that makes you want to create it?

I believe music speaks to the mind, heart, and soul in all of us. It says something about us, and helps us communicate to others. This has helped motivate me to do what I have done in the past (musically speaking). Lyrics and music are of equal importance to me…it’s the blending of both of those worlds that make music such an interesting and fascinating medium.

What is a day like in the life of James Preston? What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

We’ll a typical day for me is seeing patients during the day, and working on real estate during the evenings or weekends. Since I have been in the mental health profession, you can probably imagine I have heard and seen a lot of “horror stories”. But it is rewarding to know when you’ve have helped out another person who may be hurting and in distress. I am and will always be truly thankful for the things that have been given to me over the years (ie: family, friends, opportunities). In ten years or less, I plan to be retired and traveling. I love to travel, and plan to do more as I get closer to retiring early in my life. If I am given the opportunity to perform musically again, I would welcome that as well.

What are you currently listening to? What artists have been in your rotation lately?

Lately, I have re-discovered The Beatles. I am also listening to a lot of newer music courtesy of XM radio. I absolutely love XM, and listen to a lot of Electronica and D.J. culture music. Still love Patrick O’hearn, Tangerine Dream. Also enjoy listening to The Sneaker Pimps, Garbage, and The Smiths. Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett are in rotation as well.

Any other comments you would like to make?

I truly want to thank all the fans that have remembered us over the years. Thank you for your emails, your myspace invites, your blogs,…. everything. I have always enjoyed interacting with our audience. Who knows, maybe some new material will come out of this. In the meantime, you can use the above mentioned links to keep informed of what’s happening. You can also go to one of these 2 places to chat about Sincerely Paul. http://vagrantcafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24