Behind the Scenes: My shoot with Anthony Hamilton đźŽĄ

April 17, 2026

I grew up listening to all different kinds of music…

My mom had an extensive record collection. My dad could play a little bit of every instrument he picked up. My older brother, Nate, who I share a 10-year age gap with, had many iterations of punk rock bands rehearsing in the garage. My sister had a great music collection that I wanted to build mine just like. And though we didn’t grow up together, my other older brother, Bill, loves music and concerts, as well! I guess it’s in the genes.

I think I was 7 or 8 when I started picking out my own cassettes. I was diverse. I remember having No Doubt, Backstreet Boys, & Dave Matthews, among a few. But I was always stealing my sister’s KRS One tape because I wasn’t allowed to listen. I loved spinning my mom’s records, too. We’d play George Harrison, Elvis Costello, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Karen Carpenter. There was a LOT of music being played around the house growing up.

I was born in 1988, so CDs quickly replaced cassettes, and by the time I was 12, I was big into Mariah, Brandy, Aaliyah, Monica, Mya – you name it. If there was a beautiful voice singing R&B, I was all about it.

Another R&B voice that I always loved was Mr. Anthony Hamilton. I loved “Po’ Folks” when it came out with Nappy Roots. My friends and I all grew up on “Charlene”, “The Point Of It All”, and “Coming From Where I’m From”. Anthony had that authentic, soul sound.

Working with Anthony to create “Best In Me” was a dream come true. And yesterday, the dream exceeded itself when we shot a music video together for the song! We filmed it in Charlotte, NC, which is Anthony’s hometown. It was an incredible experience and I can’t wait to share the final product with you all!

Thank you all for following along this journey. I am truly grateful!

And there is more to come! Please, stay tuned. And in the meantime, come see a live show:

4/23

Seabreeze Jazz Festival

PCB, FL

4/24

Dosey Doe

Houston, TX

5/1

Ram’s Head

Annapolis, MD

5/24

TBA

Carson, VA

5/26-5/29

Music in the Mountains

Woodstock, NY

6/4

Yoshi’s

Oakland, CA

6/12

Ludlow Garage

Cincinatti, OH

6/13

Attucks Theater

Norfolk, VA

6/21

Bush Hall

London, UK

6/22

Hare & Hounds

Birmingham, UK

6/25

The Funky Biscuit

Boca Raton, FL

6/26 – 6/27

Middle C

Charlotte, NC

7/11

TBA

Chicago, IL

7/15

The Sellersville Theater

Sellersville, PA

7/16

Branford Jazz on the Green

Branford, CT

7/17

The Iridium

NYC

7/18

The Jamesport Winery

Jamesport, NY

7/11

TBA

Chicago, IL

7/15

The Sellersville Theater

Sellersville, PA

7/16

Branford Jazz on the Green

Branford, CT

7/17

The Iridium

NYC

7/18

The Jamesport Winery

Jamesport, NY

8/8

The Iriqouis Amphitheater

Louisville, KY

8/11 – 8/12

Jazz Alley

Seattle, WA

9/19

Self Coast Summer Fest

Pensacola, FL

11/4

TBA

Mesa, AZ

11/13-11/15

Cancun Jazz Festival 

Cancun, MXSHOW TIX

And as always, peace, love, and music!

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Lindsey Webster · Box 11 · Woodstock, NY 12498 · USA
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Published by RJ Hamster

I was born on 6 August 1956 in San Francisco, California to Janet and (the late) Richard Hovis. I grew up in Santa Monica, California where I attended elementary, junior high school, and high school (graduating in 1974), in addition to involvement in sports and recreation (Little League +, the Boy’s Club ++). Further, it was in elementary school – St. Augustine’s By-the -Sea Parish School that I found, and made the choice to truly journey with God. I attended Arizona State University from 1974 to 1977 – seeking to become an architect, however, I was not accepted, and, as such, I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree. Upon graduation from Arizona State University, I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied City and Regional Planning at the Master’s level. I successfully completed one (1) year in a two (2) year program – I did not complete the Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning – due to personal reasons. I returned to Santa Monica where I started (October 1979) my career as graphic designer with Exxon Company, USA. I spent five years with Exxon Company, USA. While working with Exxon Company, USA I was accepted into architectural school – Sci-Arc in Southern California, however, I did not attend preferring to stay with Exxon.. In 1982 I married Laura Flosi and in April 1983 we had our one and only child – Lauren Alain Hovis – a gift from God. We moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1984 from Los Angeles, where I went to work as a graphic designer with Kitchell CEM (from 1985 -1987). From 1987 – 1995 I was an independent contractor, and a registered representative in mortgage finance, financial management, graphic design, and drafting. Further, I attended the University of Phoenix and successfully obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982. I was also a member of the Scottsdale Jaycees, where I became very involved in community events and projects. In 1994, I accepted a cartography position with the Defense Mapping Agency in Reston, Virginia. As such, I relocated from Phoenix to Reston. In 1998, I was accepted and worked as a Visual Information Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2002, I worked as a Support Officer until my retirement (due to a need for shoulder surgery) in September 2018. Away from my Federal Government service, I have been involved in various organizations and activities in Northern Virginia. In November of 2011, I married Rebecca Ouellette in Santa Monica, California. I reside in San Tan Valley, AZ with my two hamster - Jess and Timothy, our fish, our lizard - RJ Lizard., and our cats - Pearl and Grey. As to hobbies, I enjoy playing sports, attending sporting events, mentoring individuals from financial management to hamsters, building models, photography, travel, multimedia design, managing partner for RJ Hamster, and jazz – smooth jazz to a samba or a bossa nova. Love and God Bless, Peter – aka RJ Hamster Jo hi

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