Best of
Music

2014

Dark Days: My Tribulations and Trials


D. Randall Blythe - 2014
    To protect himself, singer Randy Blythe pushed the fan away. Unbeknownst to Blythe, the young man hit his head on the floor when he fell and later died from the injury. Blythe was promptly incarcerated on charges carrying a prison term of five to ten years. Thirty-seven days later, he was released on bail to await trial. Although legal experts told him not to return to the Czech Republic to face the charges, Blythe explained that he “could not run away from this problem while the grieving family of a dead young man searched hopelessly for answers that [he] might help provide.”After a five-day trial, he was acquitted on March 5, 2013.In Dark Days, Blythe tells the story of his incarceration and the wild life that led up to it. As he explains, “Most substance abuse books end with the author getting sober. My book starts there.”

Ed Sheeran: A Visual Journey


Ed Sheeran - 2014
    "Ed Sheeran: A Visual Journey" will reveal his early childhood experiences and the various musical influences that have helped him become the musician he is today. It's an intimate book that will give fans a look at the musings, dreams, and hopes of this very private artist.With close to 100 photos and illustrations by well-known illustrator Phillip Butah, who has worked with Ed Sheeran to create the artwork for his huge hit album "+," this is a book that all Ed Sheeran fans would love to own and cherish!

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys


Viv Albertine - 2014
    Her memoir tells the story of how, through sheer will, talent, and fearlessness, she forced herself into a male-dominated industry, became part of a movement that changed music, and inspired a generation of female rockers.After forming The Flowers of Romance with Sid Vicious in 1976, Albertine joined The Slits and made musical history in one of the first generations of punk bands. The Slits would go on to serve as an inspiration to future rockers, including Kurt Cobain, Carrie Brownstein, and the Riot Grrrl movement in the 1990s. This is the story of what it was like to be a girl at the height of punk: the sex, the drugs, the guys, the tours, and being part of a brilliant pioneering group of women making musical history. Albertine recounts helping define punk fashion, struggling to find her place among the boys, and her romance with Mick Jones, including her pregnancy and subsequent abortion. She also gives a candid account of what happened post-punk, beyond the break-up of The Slits in 1982, including a career in film, surviving cancer, and making music again, twenty-five years later.A truly remarkable memoir told in Viv’s frank, irreverent, and distinctive voice, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. is a raw, thrilling story of life on the frontier.

Banded Together


Hilary Storm - 2014
    'Banded Together' is a continuation of the Rebel Walking Series that will give you insight on Talon and Eaven's wedding as well as the rest of the characters in the series. Taron and Ivy are not left out of this one and you'll quickly see the banter between them remains. The previous books in the Rebel Walking Series should be read before this one for the best experience and optimal character development.

The Big Midweek: Life Inside The Fall


Steve Hanley - 2014
    These vividly drawn scenes give unprecedented insight into the intense, highly-charged creative atmosphere within The Fall and their relentless work ethic which has won them a dedicated cult following, high-art respectability and a unique place in popular music history.

Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph


Jan Swafford - 2014
    His magnificent new biography of Ludwig van Beethoven peels away layers of legend to get to the living, breathing human being who composed some of the world’s most iconic music. Swafford mines sources never before used in English-language biographies to reanimate the revolutionary ferment of Enlightenment-era Bonn, where Beethoven grew up and imbibed the ideas that would shape all of his future work. Swafford then tracks his subject to Vienna, capital of European music, where Beethoven built his career in the face of critical incomprehension, crippling ill health, romantic rejection, and “fate’s hammer,” his ever-encroaching deafness. Throughout, Swafford offers insightful readings of Beethoven’s key works. More than a decade in the making, this will be the standard Beethoven biography for years to come.

Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums


Travis Barker - 2014
    But the dark side of rock stardom took its toll: his marriage, chronicled for an MTV reality show, fell apart. Constant touring concealed a serious drug addiction. A reckoning did not truly come until he was forced to face mortality: His life nearly ended in a horrifying plane crash, and then his close friend, collaborator, and fellow crash survivor DJ AM died of an overdose.In this blunt, driving memoir, Barker ruminates on rock stardom, fatherhood, death, loss, and redemption, sharing stories shaped by decades’ worth of hard-earned insights. His pulsating memoir is as energetic as his acclaimed beats. It brings to a close the first chapters of a well-lived life, inspiring readers to follow the rhythms of their own hearts and find meaning in their lives.

I Never Met a Story I Didn't Like: Mostly True Tall Tales


Todd Snider - 2014
    This collection takes readers on a tour through one of the most inventive and idiosyncratic minds at work today.

Not the Life It Seems: The True Lives of My Chemical Romance


Tom Bryant - 2014
    Inspirational, original, and stunningly creative, they forged an extraordinary connection with their fans. Not the Life It Seems: The True Lives of My Chemical Romance is their definitive biography. Author Tom Bryant has been given unparalleled access to the band over the years, and now he draws on interviews with Gerard Way, his brother Mikey, Ray Toro, and Frank Iero, as well as friends and associates, to bring their stories to life. In this unauthorized biography, he takes us behind the scenes from their very first show in front of thirty kids in New Jersey-the Ways downing beer to calm their nerves-to international arena-storming superstardom. He sheds light on the personal demons the bandmates battled and the haunted recording sessions that resulted in the brilliance of The Black Parade. He also explores the genesis of their music, the constant reinvention that culminated in the visual splendor of Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, and the strains that led to their split in 2013. Insightful and revealing, Not the Life It Seems presents one of the most adored rock bands of this century, their story an epic saga of self-belief and the pursuit of dreams.

So This is Permanence: Joy Division Lyrics and Notebooks


Ian Curtis - 2014
    Reproduced in this beautiful clothbound volume are Curtis's never-before-seen handwritten lyrics, accompanied by earlier drafts and previously unpublished pages from his notebooks that shed fascinating light on his writing and creative process.Also included are an insightful and moving foreword by Curtis's widow Deborah, a substantial introduction by writer Jon Savage, and an appendix featuring books from Curtis's library and a selection of fanzine interviews, letters, and other ephemera from his estate.

Please Be with Me: A Song for My Father, Duane Allman


Galadrielle Allman - 2014
    Playing was her father—Duane Allman, who would become one of the most influential and sought-after musicians of his time. Just a few short years into his remarkable career, he was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of twenty-four. His daughter was two years old.   Galadrielle was raised in the shadow of his loss and his fame. Her mother sought solace in a bohemian life. Friends and family found it too painful to talk about Duane. Galadrielle listened intently to his music, read articles about him, steeped herself in the mythic stories, and yet the spotlight rendered him too simple and too perfect to know. She felt a strange kinship to the fans who longed for him, but she needed to know more. It took her many years to accept that his life and his legacy were hers, and when she did, she began to ask for stories—from family, fellow musicians, friends—and they began to flow.   Galadrielle Allman’s memoir is at once a rapturous, riveting, and intimate account of one of the greatest guitar prodigies of all time, the story of the birth of a band that redefined the American musical landscape, and a tender inquiry of a daughter searching for her father in the memories of others.Praise for Please Be with Me  “Duane Allman was my big brother, my partner, my best friend. I thought I knew everything there was to know about him, but Galadrielle’s deep and insightful book came as a revelation to me, as it will to everyone who reads it.”—Gregg Allman“Poignant and illuminating . . . brings Duane Allman to life in a way that no other biography will ever be able to do.”—BookPage   “Galadrielle Allman offers a moving and poetic portrait of her late father.”—Rolling Stone   “[Allman’s] descriptions and scenes are vivid, even cinematic. . . . The pleasure of reading Please Be With Me lies as much in its lyrical prose as in its insider anecdotes.”—Newsweek   “An elegantly written, heartfelt account.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution   “Evokes a wistful, elegiac atmosphere; fans of the ’70s music scene may find it indispensable.” —San Jose Mercury News “A compelling and intimate portrait of Duane.”—The Hollywood Reporter   “Illuminating.”—Kirkus Reviews   “Frequently touching . . . Readers will come away feeling more connected to the man and his music.”—Publishers Weekly“The most moving music biography I’ve ever read. Better than that, Galadrielle has uncovered the heart and motivations, the desolation and saving graces, of the man, and lays it plain in a born-to-write southern voice. She has looked into absence, and from it she has salvaged two hearts: her father’s and her own.”—Mikal Gilmore, author of Shot in the Heart

Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page


Jimmy Page - 2014
    With incredible attention to detail, Page has chosen hundreds of photographs representing significant moments in his career: from a schoolboy with a rock-a-billy quiff through his extensive work as a session musician; including The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, ARMS, The Firm, Outrider, Coverdale & Page and Page & Plant; playing with Roy Harper and The Black Crowes; collaborating with P. Diddy and performing with Leona Lewis at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Both Genesis Publications and Jimmy Page have sifted through thousands of images representing the work of more than 70 photographers including some of the greatest names in rock photography – Ross Halfin, Kate Simon, and Gered Mankowitz, to name but a few. Included are a mixture of iconic portraits, rare and unseen photographs from Jimmy’s archive along with visas, photos and stamps from his own passports.Page has officially put pen to paper about his career taking the form of extended captions, which describe and document pivotal moments and events making this book an historical document and a definitive visual record of a remarkable life of music.

Live At the Brixton Academy: A riotous life in the music business


Simon Parkes - 2014
    Over the next fifteen years he turned it into Britain's most iconic music venue. And now he's telling his story: full of fond - and wild - reminiscences of the famous musicians who played at the venue, including Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Lou Reed, The Ramones, New Order, the Beastie Boys and The Smiths.This is about one man's burning desire for success against the odds, his passion for live music and the excitement of those wilderness years, a far cry from the corporate world that controls the scene today. From rock-star debauchery and mixing it up with Brixton gangsters to putting on the first legal raves in the UK and countless backroom business deals, this is the story of how to succeed in business with no experience and fulfil your teenage fantasies.

The Practice of Practice


Jonathan Harnum - 2014
    Practice is everything. But exactly what is good practice? How does good practice create talent? And what in the world does a pinwheel have to do with practice? The focus of this book is music practice, but these techniques and mindsets can be applied to any skill you want to improve. This book covers essential practice strategies and mindsets you won’t find in any other book. Drawn from in-depth interviews with world-class professional musicians across several genres of music, published research, and personal experience with practice. You’ll learn the What, Why, When, Where, Who, and especially the How of great music practice. You’ll learn what research tells us about practice, but more importantly, you’ll learn how great musicians in many genres of music think about practice, and you’ll learn the strategies and techniques they use to improve. This book will help you get better faster, whether you play rock, Bach, or any other kind of music. Whatever instrument you want to play, The Practice of Practice will help you get the most out of your practice. This book will help you become more savvy about getting better. It will also help you be a more informed teacher or a more effective parent of a young learner. Don’t practice longer, practice smarter.

Face the Music: A Life Exposed


Paul Stanley - 2014
    Face the Music is the shocking, funny, smart, inspirational story of one of rock’s most enduring icons and the group he helped create, define, and immortalize.Stanley mixes compelling personal revelations and gripping, gritty war stories that will surprise even the most steadfast member of the KISS Army. He takes us back to his childhood in the 1950s and ’60s, a traumatic time made more painful thanks to a physical deformity. Born with a condition called microtia, he grew up partially deaf, with only one ear. But this instilled in him an inner drive to succeed in the most unlikely of pursuits: music.With never-before-seen photos and images throughout, Stanley’s memoir is a fully realized and unflinching portrait of a rock star, a chronicle of the stories behind the famous anthems, the many brawls and betrayals, and all the drama and pyrotechnics on and off the stage. Raw and confessional, Stanley offers candid insights into his personal relationships, and the turbulent dynamics with his bandmates over the past four decades. And no one comes out unscathed—including Stanley himself.People say I was brave to write such a revealing book, but I wrote it because I needed to personally reflect on my own life. I know everyone will see themselves somewhere in this book, and where my story might take them is why I’m sharing it.—Paul Stanley

Herbie Hancock: Possibilities


Herbie Hancock - 2014
    A true innovator, Hancock has had an enormous influence on both acoustic and electric jazz, R&B and hip-hop, with his ongoing exploration of different musical genres, winning fourteen Grammy awards along the way. From his beginnings as a child prodigy to his work in Miles Davis’s second great quintet; from his innovations as the leader of his own groundbreaking sextet to his collaborations with everyone from Wayne Shorter to Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder; Herbie Hancock reveals the method behind Hancock’s undeniable musical genius. Hancock shares his musical influences, colorful behind-the-scenes stories, his long and happy marriage, and how Buddhism inspires him creatively and personally. Honest, enlightening, and as electrifyingly vital as the man who wrote it, Herbie Hancock promises to be an invaluable contribution to jazz literature and a must-read for fans and music lovers.

Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story


Rick Bragg - 2014
    He gave rock and roll its devil's edge with hit records like 'Great Balls of Fire'. His incendiary shows caused riots and boycotts. He ran a decade-long marathon of drugs, drinking, and women, and married his thirteen-year-old second cousin, the third of seven wives. He also nearly met his maker, at least twice. He survived it all to be hailed as one of the greatest music icons. For the very first time, he reveals the truth behind the Last Man Standing of the rock-and-roll era.

Little Melba and Her Big Trombone


Katheryn Russell-Brown - 2014
    As a child, she daydreamed about beats and lyrics, and hummed along with the music from her family's Majestic radio. At age seven, Melba fell in love with a big, shiny trombone, and soon taught herself to play the instrument. By the time she was a teenager, Melba's extraordinary gift for music led her to the world of jazz. She joined a band led by trumpet player Gerald Wilson and toured the country. Overcoming obstacles of race and gender, Melba went on to become a famed trombone player and arranger, spinning rhythms, harmonies, and melodies into gorgeous songs for all the jazz greats of the twentieth century: Randy Weston, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, and Quincy Jones, to name just a few. Brimming with ebullience and the joy of making music, Little Melba and Her Big Trombone is a fitting tribute to a trailblazing musician and a great unsung hero of jazz.

The True Lives of My Chemical Romance: The Definitive Biography


Tom Bryant - 2014
    Inspirational, original, stunningly creative, they forged an extraordinary connection with their fans. Author Tom Bryant was given unparalleled access to the band over the years and now he draws on interviews with Gerard Way and his brother Mikey, Ray Toro and Frank Iero, as well as friends and associates, to bring their stories to life. In this unauthorized biography, he takes us behind the scenes from their very first gig in front of thirty kids in New Jersey - the Ways downing beer to calm their nerves - to international arena-storming superstardom. He sheds light on the personal demons the bandmates battled and the haunted recording session that resulted in the brilliance of "The Black Parade". He also explores the genesis of their music, the constant reinvention that culminated in the visual splendour of "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys", and the strains that led to their split in 2013.Insightful and revealing, "The True Lives of My Chemical Romance" is the definitive biography of the most adored rock band this century, a story of self-belief and the pursuit of dreams.

Schubert's Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession


Ian Bostridge - 2014
    Written in 1828, in the last months of the young Schubert's life, 'Winterreise' ("Winter's Journey"), has come to be considered the single greatest piece of music ever written for the male solo voice. Deceptively brief - the twenty-four short poems are performed uninterrupted in 70 minutes - it nonetheless has an emotional depth and power that no music of its kind has ever equalled. Originally intended to be sung to an intimate gathering, performances of 'Winterreise' now pack the greatest concert halls around the world. Drawing on his firsthand experience with this work (he has performed it more than one hundred times), on his musical knowledge, and on his training as a scholar, Ian Bostridge teases out the enigmas and subtle meanings of each song, exploring the world and the states of heart and mind in which Schubert created them, and the exquisite resonance and affinities that continue, even today, to move us so profoundly.

Remembered for a While


Gabrielle Drake - 2014
    Drake released only three complete albums -- Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970), Pink Moon (1972) -- and was not well known before his death in 1974. Yet he gained a massive posthumous following, inspiring leading musicians such as R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Robert Smith of The Cure and bands such as Coldplay and The Black Crowes.Forty years after Nick's death, Remembered for a While peels back some of the mystery surrounding his life. The book will feature gorgeous color photographs, as well as original letters and interviews with family and friends. As Nick's sister writes in the introduction, Remembered for a While will reveal "the poet, the musician, the friend, the son, the brother, who was also more than all of these together, and as indefinable as the morning mist."At long last, Remembered for a While paints a portrait of a visionary musician who inspired a fanatical following and whose legacy continues to inspire future generations of musicians -- and the lives of his fans.

Victory Run 1


Devon Hartford - 2014
    With nothing but her car and her guitar, she's ready to claw her way to success. Victory never gives up.Then she breaks rock's cardinal rule. She falls in love with her lead singer, the gorgeous and brooding Scott Walker. That is mistake number one.Mistake number two is a roadblock named Kellan Burns. Kellan is primed to claim the title of hottest lead guitar player in Los Angeles with his rugged good looks and his own guitar slung as low as his tight jeans. Kellan isn't the kind of guy to let some upstart babe with a six string stand in his way.Victory Payne, meet Kellan Burns.BOOM.Ladies, you will need a fire extinguisher for this one.Content Warning: Due to sexual situations and strong language, this novel may not be appropriate for readers under 18.

Far and Near: On Days Like These


Neil Peart - 2014
    His first volume in this series, Far and Away, combined words and images to form an intimate, insightful narrative that won many readers.Now Far and Near brings together reflections from another three years of an artist’s life as he celebrates seasons, landscapes, and characters, travels roads and trails, receives honors, climbs mountains, composes and performs music. With passionate insight, wry humor, and an adventurous spirit, once again Peart offers a collection of open letters that take readers on the road, behind the scenes, and into the inner workings of an ever-inquisitive mind.These popular stories, originally posted on Peart’s website, are now collected and contextualized with a new introduction and conclusion in this beautifully designed collector’s volume.

Only the Beginning


Laramie Briscoe - 2014
    It hasn’t always been easy. One heartbreak almost ruined her. Some days it’s hard to keep a smile on her face and stay positive, but there are a lot of people counting on her to keep it together. Just when it seems like she’s at the pinnacle of her career, her life takes a turn. She meets a man who challenges everything she knows about herself and makes her question if the life she’s living is for her or for the Nashville machine. Heavy Metal’s bad boy.Hair trigger temper.Struggling to deal with pressure of the industry. Garrett 'Reaper' Thompson is tired. Touring and keeping up appearances with his band “Black Friday” is beginning to wear him out. He’s ready for a change, ready for something different. When he meets Hannah at an awards show, he knows that she’s the one, he knows that he can’t live without her.The problem?Their own insecurities, their fans, her ex-boyfriend, and the media themselves. Can they look past it all and come through on the other side? For their story – this is only the beginning.

Violins of Hope: Violins of the Holocaust--Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind's Darkest Hour


James A. Grymes - 2014
    But during the Holocaust, the violin assumed extraordinary new roles within the Jewish community. For some musicians, the instrument was a liberator; for others, it was a savior that spared their lives. For many, the violin provided comfort in mankind’s darkest hour, and, in at least one case, helped avenge murdered family members. Above all, the violins of the Holocaust represented strength and optimism for the future.In Violins of Hope, music historian James A. Grymes tells the amazing, horrifying, and inspiring story of the violins of the Holocaust, and of Amnon Weinstein, the renowned Israeli violinmaker who has devoted the past twenty years to restoring these instruments in tribute to those who were lost, including 400 members of his own family. Juxtaposing tales of individual violins with one man’s harrowing struggle to reconcile his own family’s history and the history of his people, it is a poignant, affecting, and ultimately uplifting look at the Holocaust and its enduring impact.

Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting


Eilon Paz - 2014
    With a foreword by the RZA, compelling photographic essays are paired with in-depth interviews to illustrate what motivates record collectors to keep digging for more records.Readers get an up close and personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions as well as a glimpse into the collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts. The book is divided into two main parts: the first features 250 full-page photos framed by captions and select quotes, while the second consists of 12 full-length interviews that delve deeper into collectors’ personal histories and vinyl troves.

I'm the Man: The Story of That Guy from Anthrax


Scott Ian - 2014
    Through various lineup shifts, label snafus, rock 'n' roll mayhem, and unforeseen circumstances galore, Scott Ian has approached life and music with a smile, viewing the band with deadly seriousness while recognizing the ridiculousness of the entertainment industry. Always performing with abundant energy that revealed his passion for his craft, Ian has never let the gravity of being a rock star go to his shaven, goateed head.Ian tells his life story with a clear-eyed honesty that spares no one, least of all himself, starting with his upbringing as a nerdy Jewish boy in Queens and evolving through his first musical epiphany when he saw KISS live on television and realized what he wanted to do with his life. He chronicles his adolescence growing up in a dysfunctional home where the records blasting on his stereo failed to drown out the sound of his parents shouting at one another. He sets down the details of his fateful escape into the turbulent world of heavy metal. And of course he lays bare the complete history of Anthrax—from the band's formation to their present-day reinvigoration—as they wrote and recorded thrash classics like Spreading the Disease, Among the Living, and the top-twenty-charting State of Euphoria.Along the way, Ian recounts harrowing, hysterical tales from his long tour of duty in the world of hard rock. He witnesses the rise of Metallica, for which he had a front row seat. He parties with the late Dimebag Darrell while touring with Pantera and gets wild with Black Label Society frontman and longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde. He escapes detection while interviewing Ozzy for "The Rock Show" while dressed as Gene Simmons and avoids arrest after getting detained on suspicion of drugs while riding the tube in England with the late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.In addition, I'm the Man addresses the trials and tribulations of Ian's life and loves. He admits his foibles and reveals the mistakes made along the way to becoming a fully-functioning adult. He celebrates finally finding peace and a true sense of family with his wife, singer/songwriter Pearl Aday, and examines how his world changed after the birth of their first son.I'm the Man is a blistering hard rock memoir, one that is astonishing in its candor and deftly told by the man who's kept the institution of Anthrax alive for more than thirty years.

Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin


Chieri Uegaki - 2014
    The trouble is, she's only a beginner, and she's had only three lessons. Her brothers insist she isn't good enough. "It's a talent show, Hana," they tell her. "You'll be a disaster!" Hana remembers how wonderfully her talented grandfather, or Ojiichan, played his violin when she was visiting him in Japan. So, just like Ojiichan, Hana practices every day. She is determined to play her best. When Hana's confidence wavers on the night of the show, however, she begins to wonder if her brothers were right. But then Hana surprises everyone once it's her turn to perform --- even herself! The Asian American female protagonist in this story offers a unique perspective, and bestselling author Chieri Uegaki has woven in lyrical scenes from Japan that add depth and resonance. The details in the artwork by Qin Leng connect the two places and contain a feeling of melody throughout. In the classroom, this book could serve as a celebration of music and performing arts, multicultural studies or the importance of intergenerational relationships. It is also a fabulous character education tie-in for discussing courage and perseverance. This terrifically inspiring book offers hope and confidence to all children who are yearning to master something difficult. Perhaps even more important, it allows children to see that there is more than one way to be successful at a task.

Brian May's Red Special: The Story of the Home-Made Guitar that Rocked Queen and the World


Brian May - 2014
      In 1963, Brian May and his father Harold started to build the Red Special, an electric guitar meant to outperform anything commercially made. "My dad and I decided to make an electric guitar. I designed an instrument from scratch, with the intention that it would have a capability beyond anything that was out there, more tunable, with a greater range of pitches and sounds, with a better tremolo, and with a capability of feeding back through the air in a 'good' way'." (Brian May). Brian used the Red Special guitar on every Queen and solo album that he recorded and at the vast majority of his live performances: the roof of Buckingham Palace, Live Aid, the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics . . . and beyond. Here, Brian talks about his one-of-a-kind instrument, from its creation on. Along with original diagrams, sketches, and notes, May has included a great selection of photographs of himself with the guitar, in action from the last 40 years, and photographs of every stage of the Red Special's creation, which was fully dismantled and photographed inside and out just for this book, as well as close-ups and X-rays, and Brian will be commenting on it all. It is a unique guitar with unique sound. Any fan of Queen, Brian, or electric guitars will find this book utterly fascinating. 200 clr and b&w illus.

Collaboration


Michelle Lynn - 2014
    For one, the “rock star” is a rapper. And not just any rapper. Trace is the hottest ticket in the music industry right now, regardless of which definition of ‘hot’ you choose.Taryn Starr is not the girl-next-door who unknowingly meets a celebrity. Known as “America’s Sweetheart,” the reigning country music princess and world-renowned superstar knows exactly who Trace is…or does she?Their worlds collide when the musicians whose paths were never destined to cross are forced by their joint record label to collaborate on a song. The sparks fly and ignite a fire that blazes hotter with every minute they spend together—for better or worse. One thing’s for certain, the two media magnets can’t deny their explosive chemistry, but will life in the spotlight ultimately bring Trace and Taryn together or force them apart?***This contemporary romance new adult novel is for mature audiences. The language alone would make a sailor blush (the guy’s a rapper, remember?) so 18+ only, please.

Donuts


Jordan Ferguson - 2014
    The songs on Donuts are not hip hop music as "hip hop music" is typically defined; they careen and crash into each other, in one moment noisy and abrasive, gorgeous and heartbreaking the next. The samples and melodies tell the story of a man coming to terms with his declining health, a final love letter to the family and friends he was leaving behind. As a prolific producer with a voracious appetite for the history and mechanics of the music he loved, J Dilla knew the records that went into constructing Donuts inside and out. He could have taken them all and made a much different, more accessible album. If the widely accepted view is that his final work is a record about dying, the question becomes why did he make this record about dying?Drawing from philosophy, critical theory and musicology, as well as Dilla's own musical catalogue, Jordan Ferguson shows that the contradictory, irascible and confrontational music found on Donuts is as much a result of an artist's declining health as it is an example of what scholars call "late style," placing the album in a musical tradition that stretches back centuries.

Chris Stein / Negative: Me, Blondie, and the Advent of Punk


Chris Stein - 2014
    While a student at the School of Visual Arts, Chris Stein photographed the downtown New York scene of the early ’70s, where he met Deborah Harry and cofounded Blondie. Their blend of punk, dance, and hip-hop spawned a totally new sound, and Stein’s photographs helped establish Harry as an international fashion and music icon. In photos and stories direct from Stein, brilliant writer of hits like "Rapture" and "Heart of Glass," this book provides a fascinating snapshot of the period before and during Blondie’s huge rise, by someone who was part of and who helped to shape the early punk music scene—at CBGB, Andy Warhol’s Factory, and early Bowery. Stars such as David Bowie, the Ramones, Joan Jett, and Iggy Pop were part of Stein’s world, as were fascinating downtown characters like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hell, Stephen Sprouse, Anya Phillips, Divine, and many others. As captured by one of its greatest artists and instigators, and designed by Shepard Fairey, this book is a must-have celebration of the new-wave and punk scene, whose influence on music and fashion is just as relevant today as it was four decades ago.

Danny Clinch


Danny Clinch - 2014
    His photos have appeared on hundreds of album covers, as well as in publications such as Vanity Fair, Spin, Rolling Stone, and the New Yorker, and his ad campaigns for John Varvatos have adorned city streets and billboards.This lavish monograph chronicles Danny Clinch’s illustrious career with more than 200 photographs of the most important musicians of all time, along with his personal anecdotes and a written contribution by Bruce Springsteen. With images ranging from backstage shots at the Grammys to intimate candids, Still Moving is the ultimate gift for music lovers.

Michael Jackson, Inc.: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of a Billion-Dollar Empire


Zack O'Malley Greenburg - 2014
    In addition to famously buying the Beatles' publishing catalogue, Jackson was one of the first pop stars to launch his own clothing line, record label, sneakers, and video games—creating a fundamental shift in the monetization of fame and paving the way for entertainer-entrepreneurs like Jay Z and Diddy. All told, Jackson earned more than $1.1 billion in his solo career, and the assets he built in life have earned more than $700 million in the five years since his death—more than any other solo music act over that time.Michael Jackson, Inc. reveals the incredible rise, fall, and rise again of Michael Jackson's fortune—driven by the unmatched perfectionism of the King of Pop. Forbes senior editor Zack O'Malley Greenburg uncovers never-before-told stories from interviews with more than 100 people, including music industry veterans Berry Gordy, John Branca, and Walter Yetnikoff; artists 50 Cent, Sheryl Crow, and Jon Bon Jovi; and members of the Jackson family. Other insights come from court documents and Jackson's private notes, some of them previously unpublished. Through Greenburg's novelistic telling, a clear picture emerges of Jackson's early years, his rise to international superstardom, his decline—fueled by demons internal and external, as well as the dissolution of the team that helped him execute his best business moves—and, finally, his financial life after death.Underlying Jackson's unique history is the complex but universal tale of the effects of wealth and fame on the human psyche. A valuable case study for generations of entertainers to come and for anyone interested in show business, Michael Jackson, Inc. tells the story of a man whose financial feats, once obscured by his late-life travails, have become an enduring legacy.

Different Every Time: The Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt


Marcus O'Dair - 2014
    Robert Wyatt started out as the drummer and singer for Soft Machine, who shared a residency at Middle Earth with the Pink Floyd and toured America with Jimi Hendrix. He brought a Bohemian and jazz outlook to the 1960s rock scene, having honed his drumming skills in a shed at the end of Robert Graves' garden in Mallorca. His life took an abrupt turn after he fell from a fourth floor window at a party and was paralysed from the waist down. He reinvented himself as a singer and composer with the extraordinary album Rock Bottom that has brought him a loyal following not just in Britain but in France, Italy and Germany. Today, Wyatt remains perennially hip, guesting with artists such as Bjork, Brian Eno, Scritti Politti, David Gilmour and Hot Chip. Marcus O'Dair has talked to all of them - indeed to just about everyone who has shaped, or been shaped by, Wyatt over five decades of music history.

Loving Amy: A Mother's Story


Janis Winehouse - 2014
    . . She was a bundle of emotions, at times adorable and at times unbearable. . . . Amy's passing did not follow a clear line. It was jumbled, and her life was unfinished—not life's natural order at all. She left no answers, only questions, and in the years since her death I’ve found myself trying to make sense of the frayed ends of her extraordinary existence.”Amy's mother, Janis, knew her in a way that no one else did. In this warm, poignant, and at times heartbreaking memoir, she tells the full story of the daughter she loved so much. As the world watched the rise of a superstar, then the free fall of an addict to her tragic death, Janis simply saw her Amy: the daughter she’d given birth to, the girl she’d raised and stood by despite her unruly behavior, the girl whose body she was forced to identify two days after her death—and the girl she's grieved for every day since.Arguably the most gifted artist of her generation, Amy Winehouse died tragically young, aged just twenty-seven. With a worldwide fan base and millions of record sales to her name, she should have had the world at her feet. Yet in the years prior to her death, she battled with addiction and was frequently the subject of lurid tabloid headlines.Including rare photographs and extracts from Amy's childhood journals, Loving Amy offers a new and intimate perspective on the life and untimely death of a musical icon.

Hello, I'm Johnny Cash


G. Neri - 2014
    His deep voice is instantly recognizable, and his heartfelt songs resonate with listeners of all ages and backgrounds. G. Neri captures Johnny’s story in beautiful free verse, portraying an ordinary boy with an extraordinary talent who grew up in extreme poverty, faced incredible challenges, and ultimately found his calling by always being true to the gift of his voice. A. G. Ford’s luscious paintings of the dramatic southern landscape of Johnny Cash’s childhood illuminate this portrait of a legend, taking us from his humble beginnings to his enormous success on the world stage.

The Essential Ellen Willis


Ellen Willis - 2014
    In the years that followed, Willis’s daring insights went beyond popular music, taking on such issues as pornography, religion, feminism, war, and drugs.The Essential Ellen Willis gathers writings that span forty years and are both deeply engaged with the times in which they were first published and yet remain fresh and relevant amid today’s seemingly intractable political and cultural battles. Whether addressing the women’s movement, sex and abortion, race and class, or war and terrorism, Willis brought to each a distinctive attitude—passionate yet ironic, clear-sighted yet hopeful.Offering a compelling and cohesive narrative of Willis’s liberationist “transcendence politics,” the essays—among them previously unpublished and uncollected pieces—are organized by decade from the 1960s to the 2000s, with each section introduced by young writers who share Willis’s intellectual bravery, curiosity, and lucidity: Irin Carmon, Spencer Ackerman, Cord Jefferson, Ann Friedman, and Sara Marcus. The Essential Ellen Willis concludes with excerpts from Willis’s unfinished book about politics and the cultural unconscious, introduced by her longtime partner, Stanley Aronowitz. An invaluable reckoning of American society since the 1960s, this volume is a testament to an iconoclastic and fiercely original voice.

The Treasures of Queen


Harry Doherty - 2014
    

Jim Morrison: Friends Gathered Together


Frank Lisciandro - 2014
    Lies, myths, rumors and tall tales spread by people who didn’t know him have masked Jim Morrison and clouded what he accomplished. Fearing that the original, actual real Jim would become hopelessly lost, Frank Lisciandro, Jim’s friend and film collaborator, gathered together more than a dozen of Morrison’s friends for a series of conversations and interviews. In the transcripts of these talks Jim Morrison is candidly brought to light by the people who knew him, who were his pals, colleagues, mentors and lovers. Jim Morrison: Friends Gathered Together confronts and sweeps away the fantasy to illuminate an extraordinary man and gifted creative artist. A quote from the book: "To call him a rock star is just a total insult to him and his intelligence and his awareness and this philosophy that was inside of him. His life was a philosophy. He didn’t tell people what they have to do, he just did it himself. He just put it all out there."– Ron Alan The conversations covered a multitude of topics and events. The people who share their stories were themselves active participants in the West Coast music scene: musicians, concert promoters, publicists and band managers. Readers will discover funny stories, secrets revealed and truths more astounding than the fabrications published during and after Morrison’s life. Another quote from the book: “I loved Jim when he would get an idea, he'd say, ‘Uh oh, I think I'm getting a cerebral erection’. And then he'd hold his hands to his head because he had a new idea for a poem or song and then laugh about it. It was the laughter that followed that was wonderful.”– Leon Barnard From his first year in high school and his student days at UCLA to the formation of The Doors and his rise to fame, this book weaves an amazing tapestry of honest information about Morrison the poet, the brilliant lyricist, and the iconic singer and performer of The Doors. The book is a treat for Jim’s fans worldwide and for curious readers who want to know the true Jim Morrison story. The conversations also offer a unique oral history of the restless and turbulent Sixties when L.A.’s Sunset Strip was the focus of a cultural renaissance and musical revolution. The book contains more than 50 original Frank Lisciandro photographs, many never published before. More quotes from the book: "Jim was totally not interested in the economic aspect of his career. I never met anybody like Jim. He was seemingly disconnected with the meaning of money. He truly had no interest in physical possessions." – Bill Siddons “The biographers seem to have lost Jim’s sense of humor. I can’t impress upon you enough that it was always there….He was the funniest human being I ever met. Simply that, the funniest human being I ever met.” – Fud Ford "A few weeks before he left for Paris, I organized a (touch) football game. Jim was relentless in his pursuit of my brother, who was the opposing quarterback.

Primus, Over the Electric Grapevine: Insight into Primus and the World of Les Claypool


Greg Prato - 2014
    In fact, when you finish the last page here, race over to your Primus CD collection and re-listen to all their music with new and educated ears. Their music will never have sounded so good."--Curled Up With a Good Book"Almost as if you're sitting across from them at the bar as they reminisce about the past...this book was the most fun I've had reading a book all year. Go get it!"--Erlenmeyer's MindPraise for Primus:"They were real musicians' musicians...Primus had their own thing, for sure. Nobody really does that Primus thing--they have their own personality, which is something difficult to do."--Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers"Primitive, animated, dinosaur, Halloween, trailerfunk. I felt Les was a kindred spirit. Someone I could learn from and collaborate with. Quick, schooled, humble, with an amazing musical lexicon and down home as hell, with a bent sense of humor."--Tom WaitsUsually when the "alternative rock revolution" of the early 1990s is discussed, Nirvana's Nevermind is credited as the recording that led the charge. Yet there were several earlier albums that helped pave the way, including the Pixies' Doolittle, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Mother's Milk, Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking, and especially Primus's 1991 album Sailing the Seas of Cheese.This fascinating and beautifully curated oral history tells the tale of this truly one-of-a-kind band. Compiled from nearly fifty all-new interviews conducted by journalist/author Greg Prato--including Primus members past and present and many more fellow musicians--this book is sure to appeal to longtime fans of the band, as well as admirers of the musicians interviewed for the book.Interviewees include: Tim Alexander, Trey Anastasio (Phish), Matthew Bellamy (Muse), Les Claypool, Stewart Copeland (The Police), Chuck D (Public Enemy), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Larry LaLonde, Geddy Lee (Rush), Mickey Melchiondo (Ween), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Matt Stone (South Park), Tom Waits, and many more.

Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace: The Worldwide Compendium of Postpunk and Goth in the 1980s


Andi Harriman - 2014
    “Goth” did not gain lexical currency until the late 1980s. But no matter what term was used, “postpunk” encompasses all the incarnations of the 1980s alternative movement. Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace is a visual and oral history of the first decade of the scene. Featuring interviews with both the performers and the audience to capture the community on and off stage, the book places personal snapshots alongside professional photography to reveal a unique range of fashions, bands, and scenes. A book about the music, the individual, and the creativity of a worldwide community rather than theoretical definitions of a subculture, Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace considers a subject not often covered by academic books. Whether you were part of the scene or are just fascinated by different modes of expression, this book will transport you to another time and place.

Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith


Joe Perry - 2014
    He delves deep into his volatile, profound, and enduring relationship with singer Steve Tyler and reveals the real people behind the larger-than-life rock-gods on stage. The nearly five-decade saga of Aerosmith is epic, at once a study in brotherhood and solitude that plays out on the killing fields of rock and roll.With record-making hits and colossal album sales, Aerosmith has earned their place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But theirs is ultimately a story of endurance, and it starts almost half a century ago with young Perry, the rebel whose loving parents wanted him to assimilate, but who quits school because he doesn’t want to cut his hair. He meets Tyler in a restaurant in New Hampshire, sways him from pop music to rock-and-roll, and it doesn’t take long for the “Toxic Twins” to skyrocket into a world of fame and utter excess. From the mega-successful song and music video with Run DMC, “Walk This Way,” to the realization that he can’t pay his room service bill, Perry takes a personal look into the human stories behind Aerosmith, the people who enabled them, the ones who controlled them, and the ones who changed them. In his own words, Rocks is the whole story: “the loner’s story, the band’s story, the recovery story, the cult story, the love story, the success story, the failure story, the rebirth story, the re-destruction story, the post-destructive rebirth story.”Foreward by Johnny Depp.

The Universal Tone: My Life


Carlos Santana - 2014
    In the category of major rock memoirs yet undone, this is at the top-a big autobiography by one of the most mysterious and influential musicians of the last 50 years. From growing up dirt poor in Mexico and suffering abuse to becoming a lowly dishwasher in the US with a hot guitar hand, to a person whom you might almost think is perpetually in a state of nirvana or at least bliss, this is the story of a fascinating man who brings the ideal combination of storytelling gold and a major marketing machine. This is one of the most sensory (and sensual) major rock bios you'll ever read. His voice comes through, it's deeply honest and frank, and from imagining the wisps of smoke from a long gone Miles Davis before Carlos's shows to describing the depths of his connection to sound, Santana brings a remarkable book to his huge following this fall.

Everything I Want


Natalie Barnes - 2014
    Static fills my ears and all I hear is the muffled sound of the chanting and screaming of the crowd. I can hear my own heart beating in my ears. I don’t know whether to laugh, yell, cry, scream, or even puke. I’m completely frozen. Everything plays out around me and I know it’s time. The panic inside me slowly fades away and adrenaline starts pumping heated blood through my veins. Instead of feeling weak, I begin to feel strong. Looking over my shoulder, I notice him. Tristan. He’s watching me intently. Tristan is the misery I crave. He’s probably waiting for me to fuck up. Yes, I’m nervous as hell, but I won’t let him see it, or feed off of it. No . . . this time I will starve him, and show everyone here what I can do. The shadow of my smile releases the last of the fear. I glance back at him one more time. He’s still standing there, like a statue. Stepping to edge, I know now what can break him. Tonight, I’ll risk everything …

Frozen: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack


Hal Leonard Corporation - 2014
    Frozen has been called one of Disney's greatest musicals of all time high praise indeed! In fact, it's the first soundtrack in over a decade to top the Billboard Album Charts for over a month. This souvenir songbook features 11 songs as penned by songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, plus color artwork from the film. Songs include: For the First Time in Forever * Frozen Heart * In Summer * Let It Go * Love Is an Open Door * Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People * and more. Includes color artwork from the film!

Christmas Presence


Lisa Hobman - 2014
    Can anything...or anyone make her realise she needs to let go of the past and live for today?

Björk: Archives


Klaus Biesenbach - 2014
    Here, now, is the ultimate celebration of this multimillion-selling superstar. Designed by top design studio M/M (Paris) as a slipcased world of wonders, this publication which accompanies springs exhibition on Bjork at The Museum of Modern Art is composed of six parts: four booklets, a paperback and a poster. Each booklet contains illustrated texts by, respectively, Klaus Biesenbach, Alex Ross, Nicola Dibben and Timothy Morton, while the poster features artwork of Bjorks albums and singles. The main book focuses on her seven major albums Debut, Post, Homogenic, Vespertine, Medulla, Volta and Biophilia and the personas created for each one. Poetic texts by longtime collaborator, Icelandic poet Sjon, are accompanied by shots of Bjork performing live; multiple stills from music videos made by directors including Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham and Spike Jonze; images of Bjork in breathtaking costumes by designers such as Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan; and shots by star photographers such as Nan Goldin, Juergen Teller, Stephane Sednaoui, Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, and Araki. All combine to form an extraordinary visual masterpiece, celebrating the magical world of Bjork.

Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters


Jeff Burger - 2014
    Now, for the first time, he tells his story in his own words, via more than 50 interviews conducted worldwide between 1966 and 2012.            In Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen—which includes a foreword by singer Suzanne Vega and eight pages of rarely seen photos—the artist talks about “Bird on the Wire,” “Hallelujah,” and his other classic songs. He candidly discusses his famous romances, his years in a Zen monastery, his ill-fated collaboration with producer Phil Spector, his long battle with depression, and much more.            You’ll find interviews that first appeared in the New York Times and Rolling Stone, but also material that has not previously been printed in English. A few have not been available until now in any format, including many illuminating reminiscences that contributors supplied specifically for this definitive anthology.

Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia


Fiona Ritchie - 2014
    Many of these Scots-Irish immigrants made their way into the mountains of the southern Appalachian region. They brought with them a wealth of traditional ballads and tunes from the British Isles and Ireland, a carrying stream that merged with sounds and songs of English, German, Welsh, African American, French, and Cherokee origin. Their enduring legacy of music flows today from Appalachia back to Ireland and Scotland and around the globe. In "Wayfaring Strangers," Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr guide readers on a musical voyage across oceans, linking people and songs through centuries of adaptation and change. From ancient ballads at the heart of the tradition to instruments that express this dynamic music, Ritchie and Orr chronicle the details of an epic journey. Enriched by the insights of key contributors to the living tradition on both sides of the Atlantic, this abundantly illustrated volume includes a CD featuring 20 songs by musicians profiled in the book, including Dolly Parton, Dougie MacLean, Cara Dillon, John Doyle, Pete Seeger, Sheila Kay Adams, Jean Ritchie, Doc Watson, David Holt, Anais Mitchell, Al Petteway, and Amy White.

Springsteen: Album by Album


Ryan White - 2014
    Renowned for his passionate songwriting, galvanizing live shows, and political activism, the iconic rocker shows no signs of slowing down. Richly photographed, and featuring brilliant writing by one of Americas top music critics as well as a foreword by Peter Ames Carlin (author of the bestselling biography Bruce), this is a must-have for Springsteens millions of fans.

Off Your Rocker


K.E. Osborn - 2014
    When Delia (Lia) Norman meets Rock Royalty Colter (Colt) Slade unexpectedly after her boyfriend of 4 years breaks up with her, sparks fly immediately. Lia's ex always told her she was dull and boring, she was no fun at all, and he was right. Colt tells Lia to do something exciting - be spontaneous. So she moves out of her comfort zone and goes on tour with the most famous rock group in the world 'Slayed'.How will Lia deal with being pushed out of her comfortable life and into a world of chaos, paparazzi, screaming 'evil minion' fans and most of all the idea that maybe there is love just around the corner?***THIS IS BOOK ONE OF A TWO BOOK SERIES***

Children of the Stone: The Power of Music in a Hard Land


Sandy Tolan - 2014
    Ramzi Hussein Aburedwan, a child from a Palestinian refugee camp, confronts an occupying army, gets an education, masters an instrument, dreams of something much bigger than himself, and then, through his charisma and persistence, inspires scores of others to work with him to make that dream real. The dream: a school to transform the lives of thousands of children--as Ramzi's life was transformed--through music.Musicians from all over the world came to help. A violist left the London Symphony Orchestra, in part to work with Ramzi at his new school, Al Kamandjati. An aspiring British opera singer moved to the West Bank to teach voice lessons. Daniel Barenboim, the eminent Israeli conductor, invited Ramzi to join his West Eastern Divan Orchestra, which he founded with the late Palestinian intellectual, Edward Said. Since then the two have played together frequently. "Ramzi has transformed not only his life, his destiny, but that of many other people," Barenboim said. "This is an extraordinary collection of children from all over Palestine that have all been inspired and opened to the beauty of life."Children of the Stone chronicles Ramzi's journey--from stone thrower to music student to school founder--and shows how through his love of music he created something lasting and beautiful in a land torn by violence and war. This is a story about the power of music, first, but also about freedom and conflict, determination and vision. It's a vivid portrait of life amid checkpoints and military occupation, a growing movement of nonviolent resistance, the prospects of musical collaboration across the Israeli–Palestinian divide, and the potential of music to help children everywhere see new possibilities for their lives.

Hip Hop Family Tree 1975-1983 Vols. 1-2 Gift Boxed Set


Ed Piskor - 2014
    As if that’s not enough, in addition to the two books and the slipcase itself, Piskor has drawn a 24-page comic book — Hip Hop Family Tree #300 — specifically for this boxed set that elegantly reflects the confluence of hip hop and comics, which was never more apparent in the early 1990s than with the famous Spike Lee-directed Levi Jeans commercial starring Rob Liefeld, who went on to create Youngblood and co-found Image Comics, not to mention ending up on the radar of gangster rapper Eazy E. Piskor tells this story as a perfect parody/pastiche/homage to ’90s Image comics.

Families Can Be Together Forever


Greg Olsen - 2014
    They are so good to me. I want to share my life with them through all eternity ...An enchanting book to be treasured by generations, Families Can Be Together Forever evokes the spirit of the beloved Primary hymn through the stunning paintings of renowned artist Greg Olsen. With a beautiful presentation of the tender lyrics, along with a collection of Olsen's most beloved works featuring sweet scenes of family life, this charming volume serves as an inspiring reminder of the miracle of eternal families.

No Booker, No Bouncer, No Bartender: How I Made $25K On A 2-Month House Concert Tour (And How You Can Too)


Shannon Curtis - 2014
     No Booker, No Bouncer, No Bartender: How I Made $25K On A 2-Month House Concert Tour (And How You Can Too) breaks down in plain language and precise detail a plan for artists that doesn’t follow the traditional club & coffeehouse methodology. Topics covered include: Finding the right hosts: how to build an itinerary using your existing email list and social media relationships Creating the ideal performance space: how to focus your audience and maximize your show’s intimacy and connectivity Helping your hosts put together their invite lists: how to set yourself up for a successful event by guaranteeing “critical mass” Setup and flow: how best to pace the evening to maximize guests’ experience (and your income!) Gathering donations: how to partner with your host for a financially successful event Merchandise strategies: how to create awareness, maximize your effectiveness, and make more money Making sure you have the right gear: specific equipment recommendations and how-tos But more than just giving procedural suggestions, Curtis goes deeper, thoroughly explaining the psychology and interpersonal dynamics behind her tremendously successful house concert touring method. You won’t just come away with a knowledge of what works, you’ll understand why it works. Curtis says: “My decision several years ago to abandon traditional club touring in favor of house concerts has made my career as an artist better on every measurable level. I sell more albums and merch, generate more income, receive more signups to my email list, and most importantly, I make stronger, deeper connections with the people listening to my music. With this book, I’m confident that you can open the door to a whole new world of deeply enriching performance experiences, whether you’re a veteran artist or a complete rookie to touring.”

American Interior: The quixotic journey of John Evans, his search for a lost tribe and how, fuelled by fantasy and (possibly) booze, he accidentally annexed a third of North America


Gruff Rhys - 2014
     In 2012, Gruff Rhys set out on an 'investigative concert tour' in the footsteps of John Evans, with concerts in New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St Louis, North Dakota and more. American Interior is the story of these journeys. It is also an exploration of how wild fantasies interact with hard history and how myth-making can inspire humans to partake in crazy, vain pursuits of glory, including exploration, war and the creative arts. Gruff Rhys is known around the world for his work as a solo artist as well as singer and songwriter with Super Furry Animals and Neon Neon, and for his collaborations with Gorillaz, Dangermouse, Sparklehorse, Mogwai and Simian Mobile Disco amongst others. The latest album by Neon Neon, Praxis Makes Perfect, based on the life of radical Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, was recently performed as an immersive live concert with National Theatre Wales.

Assassinated Beauty: Photographs of the Manic Street Preachers


Kevin Cummins - 2014
    With their early singles Motown Junk, You Love Us and Stay Beautiful the Manics reminded us at a moment of great hedonistic indulgence that pop is an instrument to provoke and destabilise. It was the legendary photographer Kevin Cummins who captured James, Sean, Richie and Nicky in their most uncompromising, glam-fixated early years.(Title) is a unique record of a band on a mission to reclaim rock n roll through literature, image and thrilling guitar pop. Working at the NME and already famous for his association with the classic images of Joy Division, The Smiths and Stone Roses, Cummins was the ideal photographer to capture the essence of a band who understood and manipulated androgynous and decadent imagery.These photographs document the period just before the release of Generation Terrorists (1992) up to Holy Bible (1995) and the subsequent disappearance of guitarist and lyricist, Richie Edwards. A revealing mix of studio shots and never-seen-before behind the scenes photographs of a band at arguably their creative zenith, (title) is the ultimate portrait of one of the last great British rock n roll bands.

No Slam Dancing, No Stage Diving, No Spikes: An Oral History of the Legendary City Gardens


Amy Yates Wuelfing - 2014
    And now, finally, the story is being brought to you by the people who lived it.During the ‘80s and into the mid-‘90s, City Gardens was a haven for the underground. Music, art, and a general sense of creative collectivism drove the imaginations of its patrons and performers alike, and the resulting memories have been captured and molded into a narrative that, while reminiscent of a larger history, is still uniquely Jersey.The doors of 1701 Calhoun St. closed some 20 years back, but in the minds of many, the “House That Randy Built” still casts its long shadow of influence. Whether you grew up there or you were just visiting, chances are City Gardens had some impact on you, and that impact probably informs and instructs the person you are today. Some of those stories are here; some of those stories still reek of pit-sweat and still glow with the exuberance of youth colored by nostalgia. In the pages of this book are war stories and friendship stories and the inspirational stories of lives realized and identities met. It is a story of life; the imperfect, often messy and sometimes brilliant moments of life. Its cast is as diverse as its moments, yet still uniform in one similar goal: the search for something different. Almost each and every person who participated in the world of City Gardens will echo, in some combination of description and passion, the desire to reject what was handed to them and, instead, find their own path. The universal sentiment is one of belonging; of a visceral impulse to connect to something larger and to find a safety in similarity. To find home.Know that when you read these stories that have been curated with great care; with almost a kind of religious reverence. They have been handled with loving, gloved hands; as one would handle a brittle old photo of a long-lost loved one. They have been chosen to represent the lives of so many people. Regardless of where you were from or how you came to City Gardens, your story is as valuable as any we’ve recorded. The sheer volume of lives intersecting with lives and history piled on top of history may have hindered the inclusion of all stories, but, hopefully, if you lived the life and you felt the joy and the strength of the music we all celebrate, you’ll recognize yourself in some of these words. You can order the book here:http://www.citygardensnj.com/?page_id=9

Honestly: My Life and Stryper Revealed


Michael Sweet - 2014
    Michael Sweet, in this – his first autobiography – chronicles his life as the founding member, songwriter, singer, and guitarist of the pioneering Christian rock band Stryper. The first Christian rock band to see chart-topping success on MTV, Stryper went on to see over 10 million albums and has sold out arenas all over the world. Sweet gives and honest an moving account of the unexpected highs and lows throughout his tumultuous path to success. It’s especially fitting to find the intensely personal nature of these musical expressions supplementing the vastly thorough and revealing subject matter of the book Honestly, titled ever so poignantly after the chart-topping Stryper song of the same name. Not only does Sweet delve further into his rarely discussed youth, but offers a full array of rock n’ roll antidotes, plus several surprises from his family and faith journeys.

A Little History: Nick Cave & Cohorts, 1981-2013


Bleddyn Butcher - 2014
    And then enthralled. He set about trying to catch their lightning in his Nikon F2AS.That quixotic impulse became a lifelong quest. A little history got made on the way.Collected here for the first time are the fruits of his labour. A Little History is an extraordinary document, tracking Nick Cave's creative career from the apoplectic extravagance of The Birthday Party to the calmer disquiet of 2013's Push The Sky Away via snapshots, spotlit visions and sumptuous, theatrical portraits. It mixes the candid and uncanny, the spontaneous and the patiently staged, and includes eyeball encounters with Cave's baddest lieutenants, men for the most part who long since burned their own bridges down. Butcher's Nikonic eye defines moment after arresting moment in Cave's glorious, sprawling story: it's a splendid testament to two brilliant careers.

NYHC: New York Hardcore 1980-1990


Tony Rettman - 2014
    As bands of misfits from across the region gravitated to the forgotten frontier of Manhattan's Lower East Side. With a a backdrop of despair, bands like Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags, Murphy's Law, and Youth of Today confronted their reality with relentlessly energetic gigs at CBGB, A7, and the numerous squats in the area.Tony Rettman's ambitious oral history captures ten years of struggling, including the scene's regional rivalries with D.C. and Boston, the birth of moshing, the clash and coming to terms of hardcore and heavy metal, the straightedge movement, and the unlikely influence of Krishna consciousness. With a foreword by Freddy Cricien of Madball, who made his stage debut with Agnostic Front at age seven, NYHC slams the sidewalk with savage tales of larger-than-life characters and unlikely feats of willpower. The gripping and sometimes hilarious narrative is woven together like the fabric of New York itself from over 100 original interviews with members of Absolution, Adrenalin O.D., Agnostic Front, Antidote, Bad Brains, Bloodclot, Bold, Born Against, Breakdown, Cause for Alarm, Citizen Arrest, Cro-Mags, Crumbsuckers, Death Before Dishonor, Even Worse, False Prophets, Don Fury, Gorilla Biscuits, H20, Heart Attack, Inhuman, Into Another, Irate, Judge, Kraut, Leeway, Life’s Blood, Major Conflict, Max’s Kansas City, Murphy’s Law, Nausea, Nihilistics, Nuclear Assault, Numskulls, Outburst, Pro-Pain, Quicksand, Rat Cage Records, Raw Deal, Reagan Youth, Rorschach, S.O.D., Sacrilege, Savage Circle, Sheer Terror, Shelter, Shok, Sick of it All, Side by Side, Skinhead Youth, Straight Ahead, the Abused, the Cryptcrashers, the Mad, the Misfits, the Misguided, the Mob, the Psychos, the Ritz, the Stimulators, the Undead, Token Entry, Underdog, Urban Waste, Virus, Warzone, Youth of Today, and many, many more.MOSH IT UP!

Death and Other Dances


Carla Harvey - 2014
    Already disconnected from her peers at an early age because of her background, she becomes even more withdrawn when her young parents divorce. Ever changing but stubbornly tenacious, she survives the cards she's been dealt by playing them against the odds. Hurt her and she will not hesitate to "kill you off," making it easier to walk away. Transplanting herself from her factory-driven hometown to the alluring City of Angels, she has but one goal: to find herself. Struggling to make solid connections with those around her, Autumn swallows her reservations and pushes limits to the extreme as she transitions between two drastic career changes: from the bowels of the adult entertainment industry to her rebirth as a mortician. There amongst the dead, she learns what it is to live, love, and to allow others inside, finally landing in her most comfortable place of all: her own skin.

Check the Technique Volume 2: More Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies


Brian Coleman - 2014
    25 classic albums from the '80s and '90s are lovingly and extensively profiled by acclaimed rap journalist Brian Coleman in this impressive volume, making it mandatory reading for all Hip-Hop junkies.

Recording Secrets for the Small Studio


Mike Senior - 2014
    Based on the backroom strategies of more than 200 famous names, this thorough and down-to-earth guide leads you through a logical sequence of practical tasks to build your live-room skills progressively from the ground up. On the way, you'll unravel the mysteries of many specialist studio tactics and gain the confidence to tackle a full range of real-world recording situations. User-friendly explanations introduce technical concepts on a strictly need-to-know basis, while chapter summaries, assignments, and extensive online resources are perfect for school and college use.* Learn the fundamental principles of mic technique that you can apply in any recording scenario -- and how to avoid those rookie mistakes that all too often compromise the sonics of lower-budget productions.* Explore advanced techniques which help industry insiders maintain their competitive edge even under the most adverse conditions: creative phase manipulation, improvised acoustics tweaks, inventive monitoring workarounds, subtle psychological tricks...* Find out where you don't need to spend money, as well as how to make a limited budget really count.* Make the best use of limited equipment and session time, especially in situations where you're engineering and producing single-handed.* Pick up tricks and tips from celebrated engineers and producers across the stylistic spectrum, including Steve Albini, Roy Thomas Baker, Joe Barresi, Tchad Blake, Bruce Botnick, Joe Chiccarelli, Neil Dorfsman, Jack Douglas, Geoff Emerick, Paul Epworth, Humberto Gatica, Nigel Godrich, Andy Johns, Eddie Kramer, Kevin Killen, George Massenburg, Hugh Padgham, Alan Parsons, Jack Joseph Puig, Phil Ramone, Bob Rock, Elliott Scheiner, Al Schmitt, Bruce Swedien, Butch Vig, Tony Visconti, and many, many more...

I Drive a Valence: The Collected Lyrics of Bill Callahan


Bill Callahan - 2014
    I Drive a Valence, however, which spans two decades of Smog/ Bill Callahan songs, is a fairly unforgettable look-see; in fact, it’s a definitive-yet-concise trip through the mirror, collecting the lyrics to 70 songs and pairing them with 116 dreamy inkwash images by the man himself. The nuances and ambiguities within plain-spoke expression are at the exquisite center of Callahan’s gift, and the plain fact of words on paper nails them down in a concrete fashion that signals eternity somehow more concretely than sounds in the air can conjure. I Drive a Valence does this for the listener — makes him/her a reader, while putting Bill Callahan’s songson another shelf where they sit just as entirely as they do on LP shelves around the world.

Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression


Richard Havers - 2014
    The roster of greats who cut indelible sides for the label include Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Norah Jones, and many more. Published for Blue Note's seventy-fifth anniversary, this landmark volume is the first official illustrated story of the label, from 1939 roots to its renaissance today. Featuring classic album artwork, unseen contact sheets, rare ephemera from the Blue Note Archives, commentary from some of the biggest names in jazz today, and feature reviews of seventy-five key albums, this is the definitive book on the legendary label.

Dance of Death: The Life of John Fahey, American Guitarist


Steve Lowenthal - 2014
    Fahey made more than 40 albums between 1959 and his death in 2001, most of them featuring only his solo steel-string guitar. He fused elements of folk, blues, and experimental composition, taking familiar American sounds and recontextualizing them as something entirely new. Yet despite his stature as a groundbreaking visionary, Fahey’s intentions—as a man and as an artist—remain largely unexamined. Journalist Steve Lowenthal has spent years researching Fahey’s life and music, talking with his producers, his friends, his peers, his wives, his business partners, and many others. He describes Fahey’s battles with stage fright, alcohol, and prescription pills; how he ended up homeless and mentally unbalanced; and how, despite his troubles, he managed to found a record label that won Grammys and remains critically revered. This portrait of a troubled and troubling man in a constant state of creative flux is not only a biography but also the compelling story of a great American outcast.

American Legends: The Life of Roy Rogers


Charles River Editors - 2014
    *Includes Rogers' own quotes about his life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "I did pretty good for a guy who never finished high school and used to yodel at square dances." - Roy RogersA lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.In the early 20th century, Westerns were one of the most popular genres in Hollywood, and one of the young stars at the forefront was Roy Rogers, who had come from an Ohio farm to transform himself into a cowboy. Regardless of his background, Rogers certainly looked the part of the quintessential cowboy, along with his wife Dale Evans and his horse Trigger. His versatile singing and acting abilities made him successful both on radio and on the screen.Rogers came of age at a time when the "singing cowboy" was at the apex of his popularity, and that was favorable because he actually got his start in show business as a singer. In the early '30s, he bounced around several groups as a country music singer before earning national attention as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers, who were signed to Decca and had a couple of hits. As a result, when he first appeared in movies in 1935, it was usually in bit roles that required singing, but when Gene Autry threatened to quit acting in 1938, Rogers was viewed as a suitable replacement for lead roles. As it turned out, he became the premiere "singing cowboy" in Autry's stead, and from 1939-1954, he was one of the Top 10 Western stars in Hollywood, and a Top 10 movie star overall during some of those years.As Rogers evolved into the "King of the Cowboys", he became a pop culture icon, and he was shrewd enough to capitalize on his image. All sorts of Roy Rogers merchandise hit stores, from action figures to comic strips, and Rogers even banked on the popularity of his horse Trigger by featuring him enough to make the horse a household name as well. Even today, people can find the name Roy Rogers all over the place, if only because he eventually had his name lent to a popular fast food chain in later years.Even as his movie career inevitably tailed off, Rogers remained popular enough to host a television show in the '60s with his wife, and though it was only on for a short while, the show's theme song, "Happy Trails", is still well-known today. Rogers continued to appear on television and was involved with a production company in later years, the capstone on a career that saw him earn 3 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and induction into both the Western Performers Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame.American Legends: The Life of Roy Rogers chronicles the life and career of one of America's most famous actors. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the "King of the Cowboys" like never before, in no time at all.

Selected


Brian Molko - 2014
    But even this desire for clarity, fills me with unease..." A book containing Brian Molko's own selection of lyrics from throughout his 20-year career at the helm of Placebo. Includes a foreword by Brian.

Taylor Swift - 1989


Taylor Swift - 2014
    When Taylor Swift's first official "pop" album, 1989 was released in October 2014, it quickly achieved record-breaking sales. According to Billboard, it sold almost 1.3 million copies in its debut week, the largest sales week for an album since 2002 and made Taylor the first artist ever to have three albums top $1 million in sales in a week. Our songbook features all 13 songs from the album, including the mega-hit "Shake It Off," plus: All You Had to Do Was Stay * Bad Blood * Blank Space * How You Get the Girl * I Know Places * I Wish You Would * Out of the Woods * Welcome to New York * and more.

Remedy for a Broken Angel


Toni Ann Johnson - 2014
    Artie's anger eventually drives her to Serena's younger lover, Jamie L'Heureux, a jazz superstar. The spirit of Charles Mingus thrums throughout the story as these two women tangle in a syncopated mother-daughter relationship.

Pat Pattison's Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming: A Step-by-Step Guide to Better Rhyming for Poets and Lyricists


Pat Pattison - 2014
    Find better rhymes, and use them more effectively. Rhyme is one of the most crucial areas of lyric writing, and this guide will provide you with all the technical information necessary to develop your skills completely. Make rhyme work for you, and your lyric writing will greatly improve. If you have written lyrics before, even at a professional level, you can still gain greater control and understanding of your craft with the exercises and worksheets included in this book. Hone your writing technique and skill with this practical and fun approach to the art of lyric writing. Start writing better than ever before! You will learn to: Use different types of consonant and vowel sounds to improve your lyric story * Find more rhymes and choose which ones are most effective * Spotlight important ideas using rhyme. The second edition of this classic songwriting text contains new strategies and insights, as well as analyses of the rhymes of Randy Newman, Warren Zevon, T.S. Eliot, and other songwriters and poets.

100 of the Most Beautiful Piano Solos Ever (Songbook)


Hal Leonard Corporation - 2014
    100 pop and classical standards that every piano player should master, including: Air on the G String * Bridge over Troubled Water * Canon in D * Clair de Lune * Fields of Gold * Fur Elise * I Dreamed a Dream * I Will Always Love You * Imagine * Lullaby of Birdland * Memory * Misty * Moon River * On My Own * Over the Rainbow * The Shadow of Your Smile * Smile * Stardust * Summertime * Sunrise, Sunset * Time After Time * Unexpected Song * The Way You Look Tonight * We've Only Just Begun * What a Wonderful World * Yesterday * You Raise Me Up * Your Song * and more!

The Haight: Love, Rock, and Revolution


Joel Selvin - 2014
    Covering one of the most unforgettable moments in modern history—and including striking images of twentieth-century icons such as Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsburg, Grace Slick, and more—The Haight is an indispensable gallery of legendary photographer Jim Marshall’s iconic Sixties-era San Francisco photography.

Leontyne Price: Voice of a Century


Carole Boston Weatherford - 2014
      Born in a small town in Mississippi in 1927, the daughter of a midwife and a sawmill worker, Leontyne Price might have grown up singing the blues. But Leontyne had big dreams—and plenty to be thankful for—as she surrounded herself with church hymns and hallelujahs, soaked up opera arias on the radio, and watched the great Marian Anderson grace the stage.              While racism made it unlikely that a poor black girl from the South would pursue an opera career, Leontyne’s wondrous voice and unconquerable spirit prevailed. Bursting through the door Marian had cracked open, Leontyne was soon recognized and celebrated for her leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera and around the world—most notably as the majestic Ethiopian princess in Aida, the part she felt she was born to sing.From award-winners Carole Boston Weatherford and Raul Colón comes the story of a little girl from Mississippi who became a beloved star—one whose song soared on the breath of her ancestors and paved the way for those who followed.

Cathy


John Carder Bush - 2014
    This new edition—the first printing since the original edition—includes a new introduction by John Carder Bush, illustrated with eight previously unpublished photographs. A beautifully bound hardback with a linen cover, head and tail bands, and a matching linen slipcase, Cathy is comprised of 28 cut out pages featuring the text, with full-page photographs revealed on a separate page beneath. The design matches the original limited run in layout, including the original introduction as well.

Kurt Cobain: The Last Session


Glenn O'Brien - 2014
    There’s a diverse range of shots of Cobain with fellow band members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl and on his own, posing, performing, and greeting fans. Jon Savage’s original interview, which appeared with Frohman’s photographs in the Observer is also reproduced, giving us Cobain in his own words. The book is a touching tribute to Cobain twenty years after his tragic demise, and following Nirvana’s recent induction in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Ukulele Aerobics: For All Levels, from Beginner to Advanced


Chad Johnson - 2014
    A 40-week, one-lick-per-day workout program for developing, improving, and maintaining ukulele technique. This title provides practice material for every day of the week and includes audio tracks of all the workouts in the book. Follow this program and you'll see increased speed, improved dexterity, better accuracy, heightened coordination and more in your playing. Musical styles include pop, rock, folk, old-time, blues, jazz, reggae and more! Techniques covered include: strumming, fingerstyle, legato and staccato, hammer-ons and pull-offs, slides, bening, damping, vibrato, tremolo and more.

A Voice to Love


Karolyn James - 2014
    This is the reality for Luke Nolan, just as Fallen Tuesday is breaking big. With a tour, an album, and money on the line, Luke can’t imagine his life – or his band – not continuing to follow their dream. Even at the expense of his own health.Amy is an expert at hiding. She hides the frustration of working in her uncle’s restaurant. She hides her dreams of having her own place one day. Most of all, she hides the fact that there’s a debt on the restaurant that could cost her and her uncle everything.Together, Luke and Amy share a wild passion that leaves them both breathless. Can their hearts and dreams survive the secrets they’ve been keeping?

Audio Effects, Mixing and Mastering


Metin Bektas - 2014
    The first chapter highlights the most commonly used effects in audio production such as compressors, limiters, equalizers, reverb, delay, gates and others. You will learn about how they work, when to apply them, the story behind the parameters and what traps you might encounter. The chapter also contains a quick peek into automation and what it can do.In the second chapter we focus on what constitutes a good mix and how to achieve it using a clear and comprehensible strategy. This is followed by a look at the mastering chain that will help to polish and push a mix. The guide is sprinkled with helpful tips and background information to make the learning experience more vivid.From the author of "Great Formulas Explained" and "Physics! In Quantities And Examples".

Lit Up Inside: Selected Lyrics


Van Morrison - 2014
    Along with Bob Dylan, he was one of the first contemporary lyricists to infuse a serious poetic sensibility into popular music. A colossal influence on a wide range of fellow musicians, he has been a singular beacon of artistic integrity, soulful conviction and musical excellence.One of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time, Morrison has been following his muse in an uncompromising way since the early Sixties. He has explored soul, jazz, blues, rhythm & blues, rock and roll, Celtic folk, pop balladry and more, forging a distinctive amalgam that has Morrison’s unvarnished passion at its core. He has referred to his music as “Caledonia soul,” reflecting his deep immersion in American roots music and Ulster-Scots.This personal selection of what Morrison himself has judged to be his most important and enduring lyrical work will stand as a landmark public statement from an otherwise intensely private artist, an intimate and very intentional view onto what Morrison himself esteems as his creative contribution. The introduction by Eamonn Hughes, of Queen’s University, Belfast, gives a career-long overview of the creative influences Morrison has absorbed and channeled through the years, and the forewords by poet David Meltzer and novelist Ian Rankin provide an appreciation of the writer’s craft demonstrated in Morrison’s evocative, timeless lyrics.A must for any fan, and a solid introduction to this singular, iconic talent."'Tupelo Honey' has always existed and Van Morrison was merely the vessel and the earthly vehicle for it."–Bob Dylan"I know of no music that is more lucid, feelable, hearable, seeable, touchable, no music you can experience more intensely than this. Not just moments, but extended . . . periods of experience which convey the feel of what films could be: a form or perception which no longer burls itself blindly on meanings and definitions, but allows the sensuous to take over and grow . . . where indeed something does become indescribable."–Wim Wenders, filmmaker"No other Irish poets-writing either in verse or in music--have come within a Honda's roar of Patrick Kavanagh and Van Morrison"--Paul DurcanVan Morrison, aka Van the Man, is a famous Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He began his professional musical career in 1958 and is still active to this day. He can play guitar, harmonica, saxophone, keyboard, drums, tamourine, and ukulele. His music genres range from rock to country to gospel to blues. He has received 6 Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rockand Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Songerwriters Hall of Fame.

Joni Mitchell -- Complete So Far: Guitar Tab, Hardcover Book


Joni Mitchell - 2014
    To make it easier to navigate the tunings---absolutely integral to any student of Joni Mitchell's guitar work---this book also includes a very clear and easy-to-use tuning index, and an in-depth article on Joni's evolution as a guitarist. Hardcover and featuring an impressive all-color photo section, the songbook culls the best work from the following albums: Song to a Seagull, Clouds, Ladies of the Canyon, Blue, For the Roses, Court and Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Mingus, Wild Things Run Fast, Dog Eat Dog, Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm, Night Ride Home, Turbulent Indigo, Hits, Taming the Tiger, and Shine.Titles: All I Want * Amelia * The Arrangement * (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care * Bad Dreams * Banquet * Barangrill * Be Cool * The Beat of Black Wings * Big Yellow Taxi * Big Yellow Taxi (2007) * A Bird That Whistles (Corrina, Corrina) * Black Crow * Blonde in the Bleachers * Blue * Blue Boy * Blue Motel Room * The Boho Dance * Borderline * Both Sides, Now * Cactus Tree * California * Car on a Hill * Carey * A Case of You * Chelsea Morning * Cherokee Louise * Chinese Cafe/Unchained Melody * The Circle Game * Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire * Come In from the Cold * Conversation * Cool Water * Court and Spark * Coyote * The Crazy Cries of Love * Dancin' Clown * The Dawntreader * Dog Eat Dog * Don Juan's Reckless Daughter * Don't Interrupt the Sorrow * Down to You * Dreamland * Edith and the Kingpin * Electricity * Ethiopia * Face Lift * Fiction * The Fiddle and the Drum * For Free * For the Roses * Free Man in Paris *

A Hero for High Times: A Younger Reader’s Guide to the Beats, Hippies, Freaks, Punks, Ravers, New-Age Travellers and Dog-on-a-Rope Brew Crew Crusties of the British Isles, 1956–1994


Ian Marchant - 2014
    It's also the story of his times, and the ideas that shaped him. It's a story of why you know your birth sign, why you have friends called Willow, why sex and drugs and rock’n’roll once mattered more than money, why dance music stopped the New-Age Travellers from travelling, and why you need to think twice before taking the brown acid.It's the story of the hippies for those who weren't there – for Younger Readers who've never heard of the Aldermaston marches, Oz, the Angry Brigade, the Divine Light Mission, Sniffin' Glue, Operation Julie, John Seymour, John Michell, Greenham Common, the Battle of the Beanfield, but who want to understand their grandparents’ stories of turning on, tuning in and not quite dropping out before they are gone for ever. It's for Younger Readers who want to know how to build a bender, make poppy tea, and throw the I-Ching.And it's a story of friendship between two men, one who did things, and one who thought about things, between theory and practice, between a hippie and a punk, between two gentlemen, no longer in the first flush of youth, who still believe in love.

Extremity Retained: Notes from the Death Metal Underground


Jason Netherton - 2014
    The outcome of three years of research and over 100 interviews, Extremity Retained is intended to capture the experience and ethos of the international death metal scene from its origins in the late 1980s, through the successive incarnations and evolutions that made it the subcultural force it is today. Comprised entirely of first-hand stories, anecdotes and memories, the book reflects on such diverse areas as the early fanzine and tape trading culture, regional 'scene' reports, death metal performance and technique, the recording process, as well as life on tour, all in an effort to identify the vitality and unity that gives the underground its enduring spirit. Ultimately, the idea is to explore the scene through the voices of those who helped create it, in order to understand better how the death metal underground 'worked' in its early incarnations, how it has evolved, and where it is going.Featuring original cover and section art by Matt "Putrid Gore" Carr, incidental art by Gary Ronaldson, with design and typography from Tilmann Benninghaus, and title page by Timo Ketola. Contributors to Extremity Retained include (but are not limited to): Luc Lemay (Gorguts), Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse), King Fowley (Deceased), Stephan Gebidi (Thanatos, Hail of Bullets), Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity), Doug Cerrito (Suffocation), John McEntee (Incantation, Funerus), Marc Grewe (Morgoth), Ola Lindgren (Grave), Paul Ryan (Origin), Kam Lee (ex-Massacre, ex-Death), Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates, Lock Up), Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation), Robert Vigna and Ross Dolan (Immolation), Jacob Schmidt (Defeated Sanity), Esa Linden (Demigod), Dan Seagrave (Artist), Rick Rozz (ex-Death, Massacre), Steve Asheim (Deicide), Jim Morris (Morrisound Studios), Terry Butler (Obituary, Massacre, ex-Death), Mitch Harris (Napalm Death, Righteous Pigs), Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer), John Gallagher (Dying Fetus), Robin Mazen (Derketa, Demonomacy), George Fisher (Cannibal Corpse), Ed Warby (Gorefest, Hail of Bullets), Rob Barrett (Cannibal Corpse, ex-Solstice), Donald Tardy (Obituary), Moyses Kolesne (Krisiun), Takaaki Ohkuma (Necrophile), Paul Speckmann (Master, Abomination), Anders Jacobson (Nasum, Necrony), Carl Fulli (Epidemic), Matt Harvey (Exhumed), Steve Goldberg (Cephalic Carnage), Ben Falgoust (Soilent Green, Goatwhore), Phil Fasciana (Malevolent Creation), Tony Laureno (ex-Nile, ex-Angelcorpse), Alan Averill (Primordial, Twilight of the Gods), Jason Fuller (Blood Duster), Alex Okendo (Masacre), Dave Witte (Municipal Waste, Human Remains), Lee Harrison (Monstrosity) and many more.

A Composer's Guide to Game Music


Winifred Phillips - 2014
    Composers of video game music must master an array of specialized skills not taught in the conservatory, including the creation of linear loops, music chunks for horizontal resequencing, and compositional fragments for use within a generative framework. In A Composer's Guide to Game Music, Winifred Phillips--herself an award-winning composer of video game music--provides a comprehensive, practical guide that leads an aspiring video game composer from acquiring the necessary creative skills to understanding the function of music in games to finding work in the field.Musicians and composers may be drawn to game music composition because the game industry is a multibillion-dollar, employment-generating economic powerhouse, but, Phillips writes, the most important qualification for a musician who wants to become a game music composer is a love of video games. Phillips offers detailed coverage of essential topics, including musicianship and composition experience; immersion; musical themes; music and game genres; workflow; working with a development team; linear music; interactive music, both rendered and generative; audio technology, from mixers and preamps to software; and running a business.A Composer's Guide to Game Music offers indispensable guidance for musicians and composers who want to deploy their creativity in a dynamic and growing industry, protect their musical identities while working in a highly technical field, and create great music within the constraints of a new medium.

Death Punch'd: Surviving Five Finger Death Punch's Metal Mayhem


Jeremy Spencer - 2014
    In this high-energy memoir, Jeremy Spencer, the band’s cofounder and drummer, takes us onstage and behind the scenes, on tour and into the studio to tell the band’s story and his own. Death Punch’d is a detailed in-depth account of the group’s origins and influences, as well as the infighting and tensions that, when channeled properly, result in the music fans love. It is also the hard-charging, laugh-out-loud tale of how a mischievous boy rose from small-town Indiana to rock royalty—and how he nearly destroyed it all for a good time.Told in his unique, self-deprecating voice, filled with his twisted and humorous take on living the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll dream turned nightmare, and including dozens of photos, Death Punch’d is a lively, no-holds-barred ride and an inspiring cautionary tale that offers lessons for us all.

Van Doodles: Drawings By Request On Tour


Tommy Siegel - 2014
    Artist Tommy Siegel of the band Jukebox The Ghost draws cartoons from fan suggestions during the long van trips while touring with the band.

The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal's Debauched Decade


Martin Popoff - 2014
    The dark themes and brain-busting riffage of bands like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple suddenly fell out of favor--replaced by a new legion of metalheads whose themes of girls, partying, girls, drugs, and girls were presented amid shredding solos and power ballads and who were, for some reason, more acceptable to the masses. In this ultimate guide to the subgenre, acclaimed heavy-metal journalist Martin Popoff examines hair metal in an all-encompassing oral history jacked up by a kaleidoscope of outrageous and previously unpublished quotes, anecdotes, photos, and memorabilia. The Big Book of Hair Metal features the observations of dozens of musicians, producers, promoters, label execs, and hanger-ons in examining hair metal's rise and fall as well as all the bands that kept Aqua Net in business through the Reagan recession: Twisted Sister, Bon Jovi, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Warrant, Great White, Whitesnake, Cinderella, Vixen, Skid Row, L.A. Guns, Guns N' Roses, and dozens more. In crafting a narrative of hair metal, Popoff also examines the factors that contributed to the movement's rise (including MTV, Reagan's "morning in America," and a general move toward prudish morals); the bands that inspired it (the Sweet, New York Dolls, Alice Cooper, and KISS, for a start); and the scenes that nurtured it (the Sunset Strip, anyone?). The ride finally ended circa 1991, when hair metal was replaced by grunge, but what a ride it was. Here it is in all of its primped-up glory.

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From Led Zeppelin: Classic Rock Wisdom


Benjamin Darling - 2014
    Is there a bustle in your hedgerow?  Does it alarm you?  Are you aware that it is just a Spring clean from the May Queen?  Thankfully, for those whose hedgerows are alarmingly bustled, Led Zeppelin answered this existentially relevant question in the classic rock song Stairway to Heaven.  In Benjamin Darling's new book Everything I Need to Know I learned From Led Zeppelin Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones, through their lyrics, and select quotes; with their magical, dreamy and overwhelmingly positive message  provide the reader newly minted aphorisms and freshly conceived maxims  on the timeless topics of life, love and happiness.  All this great advice is wittily presented and cleverly illustrated with children's primer/classic rock art mash-ups.  Reader's will find deep wisdom and profound poetry in the lyrics featured in Everything I Need to Know I learned From Led Zeppelin; part self-help, part anthology, and part philosophical treatise, the book is an exercise, through words and whimsical pictures in free thought, the type of thought many have experienced laying back on their bed staring at a record album  cover.

The Strat in the Attic 2: More Thrilling Stories of Guitar Archaeology


Deke Dickerson - 2014
    Allen relates the tales of buying Nat "King" Cole Trio guitarist Oscar Moore's Stromberg Master 400 archtop and of being gifted a 1953 Standel amp from Merle Travis!Buddy Merrill, the amazingly talented guitarist from the Lawrence Welk show, gives his 1970 Micro-Frets Huntington to the author, but only if he "promises to PRACTICE."Photos of the guitars and other exciting memorabilia round out a package that no vintage-guitar aficionado will want to be without!"Deke Dickerson's love for guitars and his genius for finding some of the rarest birds in the musical aviary is matched by his not-inconsiderable writing chops. The man knows how to tell a great story."--Jonathan Kellerman

Liquid Regret


M.J. Carnal - 2014
    He’s talented, he’s gorgeous, and he’s spinning completely out of control. His dark past is threatening to ruin everything he’s worked so hard for. When a story leaked to the press has the power to clean up his image, he doesn’t see another way out.Mia Lee has spent the past year forgetting about the week that changed her life forever. A chance encounter brings her face to face with the man who has the power to break her heart all over again. She wants the fairytale, but Damien Reynolds is no prince. How far is she willing to go to live out her dream of the perfect relationship?Being famous comes with a price. The paparazzi are hungry, late nights are filled with women lining up waiting for their chance, and danger lurks around the corner. Sometimes the best security detail in the world can’t change what’s already been set in motion.Losing what’s most important has the power to shatter the future. In a world full of darkness, can Damien chase away his demons before it’s too late? After a loss that rocks him to the core, can he take a chance on love again? Or will his past be what truly defines him?

Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked


Jessica Warner - 2014
    Beautiful full-color artwork depicts a variety of scenes in the 1,300-mile journey, from the dangers of crossing rivers to the challenges of ordinary tasks like laundry. The engaging text details everything from equipment and animals used on the trek to games the children played, songs they sang, and prayers they offered. Discussion questions and a glossary of key words encourage family learning and discussion as readers relive this historic, faith-driven journey—and discover how children participated every step of the way.

I Apologize in Advance for the Awful Things I'm Gonna Do


Danny Bland - 2014
    come over"I Apologize in Advance for the Awful Things I'm Gonna Do is a 120-page, full-color collection of haiku written by Danny Bland and photographs by Greg Dulli (leader of The Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers), with calligraphy by Exene Cervenka (cofounder of the band X).From Dave Alvin's foreword to this collection: "[Danny's] deeply personal haiku are funny, serious, painful, and fearless. At times shocking, then abruptly, surprisingly tender, his poems constantly question accepted beliefs and attitudes, both society's and his own. Like the classic blues singers, Danny is able to use a limited form to express the limitless."And, Danny on Greg: "Greg Dulli's photographs take you places, Places where dark and murky and mirth and joyous co-mingle, perhaps even slow-dance."…Awful Things… originated from work that Bland has posted to his Facebook page, presented here with Dulli's photographs, some of which appear on his Instagram feed. By capturing these elements in print, …Awful Things… rescues this material from slipping away downstream in their respective online feeds. Combining the profane and profound, the irreverent and touching, the hilarious and beautiful, …Awful Things… is the perfect hybrid art piece, or complementary physical artifact of these sources.Danny Bland is the author of the novel In Case We Die (2013, Fantagraphics Books), as well as a longtime musician and tour manager. He and Greg Dulli are old friends and new collaborators. This is his first book of poetry, but please don't call it that.

I Get Wet


Phillip Crandall - 2014
    A faint, swirling effect intensifies with each bass kick and, by the eighth one, the ears have prepped themselves for the metal mayhem they are about to receive. When it all drops, and the joyous onslaught of a hundred guitars is finally realized, you'll have to forgive your ears for being duped into a false sense of security, because it's that second intensified drop a few seconds later — the one where yet more guitars manifest and Andrew W.K. slam-plants his vocal flag by screaming the song's titular line — that really floods the brain with endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and whatever else formulates invincibility.Polished to a bright overdubbed-to-oblivion sheen, the party-preaching I Get Wet didn't capture the zeitgeist of rock at the turn of the century; it captured the timelessness of youth, as energized, awesome, and unapologetically stupid as ever. With insights from friends and unprecedented help from the mythological maniac himself — whose sermon and pop sensibilities continue to polarize — this book chronicles the sound's evolution, uncovers the relevance of Steev Mike, and examines how Andrew W.K.'s inviting, inclusive lyrics create the ultimate shared experience between artist and audience.

Metal Cats


Alexandra Crockett - 2014
    Corpse paint and Persians. Baphomet, pentagrams, blood, and tabbies! Metal Cats combines two amazing subjects: the extreme personalities of the hardcore metal music scene and their adorable kitties. These incredibly cute and fluffy felines have been photographed with their loving owners in and around the dark abodes of musicians, fans, and promoters of metal including members of the bands Black Goat, Thrones, Isis, Lightning Swords of Death, Book of Black Earth, Skarp, Harassor, Akimbo, Aldebaran, Atriarch, Oak, Ghoul, Ludicra, Holy Grail, Xasthur, Cattle Decapitation, Murder Construct, Exhumed, Morbid Angel, Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch, Gypsyhawk, Nausea, Phobia, and Napalm Death.Metal isn't all dark and disturbing, violent and misanthropic. Metal Cats is proof that while the music may be brutal, the people in the scene are softies for their pets just like you and me...A portion of the proceeds from this book and a series of benefit shows held along the West Coast will go towards one no-kill shelter in each of the four main cities visited.

Joe Hisaishi Ghibli Best Stories Piano


Joe Hisaishi - 2014
    One Summer's Day (Spirited Away) 2. Kiki's Delivery Service (Kiki's Delivery Service) 3. Confessions in the Moonlight (Castle in the Sky) 4. The Wind Forest (My Neighbor Totoro) 5. Tani heno Michi (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) 6. Fantasia (for NAUSICAA) (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) 7. il porco rosso (Porco Rosso) 8. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Ponyo) 9. Umi no Okaasan (Ponyo) 10. Jinsey no Merry-Go-Round - Piano Solo Ver. - (Howl's Moving Castle) 11. Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) 12. Ashitaka to San (Princess Mononoke) 13. My Neighbour TOTORO (My Neighbor Totoro)

Black Veil Brides 110 Success Secrets - 110 Most Asked Questions On Black Veil Brides - What You Need To Know


Amanda Chen - 2014
    There has never been a Black Veil Brides Guide like this. It contains 110 answers, much more than you can imagine; comprehensive answers and extensive details and references, with insights that have never before been offered in print. Get the information you need--fast! This all-embracing guide offers a thorough view of key knowledge and detailed insight. This Guide introduces what you want to know about Black Veil Brides. A quick look inside of some of the subjects covered: Rebel Love Song, Heaven's Basement - Filthy Empire (2012-present), Rebel Love Song - Music video, Cincinnati - Media and music, Jason Flom - Today, Jake Pitts - Music career, List of dystopian music, TV programs, and games - Music, Alternative Press Tour, Jake Pitts - Production career, Andy Biersack - Andy Black, Knives and Pens, We Are Harlot - 2014–present: Debut album and signing to Roadrunner, Perfect Weapon (song), Alternative Press Tour - Bands, Eyes Set to Kill - Broken Frames (2010-2011), Black Veil Brides discography, Jake Pitts - Personal life, Set It Off (band) - Duality (2014), Throw the Fight - Touring and Album Sales, Jinxx - History, Fallen Angels (song) - Music video, Fallen Angels (song) - Personnel, Hollywood Undead - American Tragedy and Redux (2010–2011), Cincinnati, Ohio - Media and music, Legion of the Black - Commercial performance, Yashin (band), Kerrang! Awards 2012 - Hottest Male, Vampires Everywhere! - 2010, StandBy Records - Former Artists, Andy Biersack - Early Acts and Black Veil Brides, Rebel Yell (song) - Other versions, Lava Records - Current artists, Rock on the Range - 2013 Lineup, Drop C tuning - Artists that have used CGCFAD, Zakk Wylde - Music career, Legion of the Black - Film adaptation: Legion of the Black, Scene (subculture) - Evolution (mid–late 2000s to present), and much more...

Why Lutherans Sing What They Sing


Chad Bird - 2014
    This booklet provides a clear and concise explanation of the purpose of hymns in worship, discusses the theological nature of church music, and provides criteria for hymns which are worthy of the church's voice.