Twenty years ago, I was a 17-year-old punk wandering outside of Soldier Field in Chicago with some friends, hearing some strange music from inside and witnessing an even stranger scene in the parking lot, having no idea what a “jam band” was or the scene that it entailed. We never…
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I just completed a pair of interesting books, Robert Baer’s The Perfect Kill: 21 Laws for Assassins, and Ben Mezrich’s Sex on the Moon. First, Baer’s The Perfect Kill, with a little background on the author to provide some context. Baer is an ex-CIA agent and now serves as a…
I just finished a pair of solid books, Hugh Howey’s science-fiction Dust, and Brendan Koerner’s non-fiction The Skies Belong to Us. First, Dust is the sequel to Howey’s Wool, the story of a post-apocalyptic Earth where the human race lives in contained silos stretching over a hundred stories underground. The…
Last weekend I completed a trifecta of shows – three in eight days (#THANKYOUWIFE). It started with The Gaslight Anthem at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on Thursday, October 16th, who are touring in support of their excellent, if a touch ballad-y, new album Get Hurt. The New Jersey-bred lads…
I just finished two excellently-written books, Black Irish, a fiction piece by Stephan Talty, and True Crime in the Civil War, a nonfiction work by Tobin T. Buhk. Black Irish is a thriller set in the insular Irish neighborhood of South Buffalo called “The County.” The story centers around Detective…
Hello Everyone! Many apologies for not posting in a while, but the summer months are always hectic and I’ve been hard at work writing Book III: The Resistance, as well as promoting and advertising the first two books in the trilogy. I want to thank all the new readers who…
I just finished reading Gavin Edwards’ Last Night at the Viper Room, a biography of River Phoenix and a snapshot of the world of Hollywood at the time of his life and death. Edwards, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, digs deep into the complex life of Phoenix, interviewing hundreds…
It has been a busy time, prepping Book II: The Revelations for publication and working on Book III: The Resistance, so I apologize for not posting anything for a while. I’ve seen some great movies recently (The Conjuring is a must-see if you like scares) and some great shows (Dropkick…
Book II: The Revelations is now being formatted and should be ready soon . . .
I’ve seen some great bands on back-to-back Fridays in Chicago. First, Dropkick Murphy’s at the Aragon Ballroom on February 22. This was my seventh or eighth time seeing the American-Celtic punk bank from Boston (technically Quincy) and they never seem to disappoint. The band is best known for their “I’m…