Hall and Oates were deeply moved by the BMI Icon Honor, a lifetime award for songwriting excellence, which they received Tuesday night at a ceremony in L.A. "It's probably the most personally satisfying thing to be honored for, 'cause the songs are how we started," John Oates told Spinner before the ceremony. "It's the basis and the essence for everything we do. There's nothing without the songs."

But while the duo, who performed such hits as 'Maneater' and their breakthrough song, 'She's Gone,' are focused on the now. "What happens right now matters to us," Daryl Hall said. "The past is the past, but bringing the past into the present and looking toward the future is what matters."

To that end, Oates is concentrating on a solo album, 'A Thousand Miles of Light,' due in September. "I recorded in Nashville," he said. "I was fortunate enough to have some amazing musicians on it -- people like Becca and Bonnie Bramlett, Steve Cropper, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush and Five Blind Boys From Alabama. It's a very eclectic singer-songwriter record. I think it's the best thing I've ever done and I can't wait for people to hear it."

For his part, Hall is enjoying the success of his internet show, livefromdaryl'shouse.com. "It's really a reality/performance show, where I deconstruct the idea of playing in front of people and bring the world sort of into the room," he said. "It's sort of fly on the wall with interaction with a lot of interesting musicians."