Wesley Britton's Blog, page 28
October 28, 2017
More New Blog Tour Posts!
Speculative Fiction Author Aaron-Michael Hall shines an “Author Spotlight” on Wes Britton as part of this week’s Beta-Earth Chronicles Blog Tour at:
https://aaronmichaelhall.com/2017/10/...
Another post went up at the intrigueing IndieSFfantasy blog:
http://indiescififantasy.com/beta-ear...
https://aaronmichaelhall.com/2017/10/...
Another post went up at the intrigueing IndieSFfantasy blog:
http://indiescififantasy.com/beta-ear...
October 27, 2017
Dee-scoveries discovers Beta-Earth!
The next blogger to join the blog tour is Dee-scoveries who like “stories to entertain, inform, inspire”
https://devorahfox.wordpress.com/2017...
https://devorahfox.wordpress.com/2017...
The Blog Tour has begun!
This week, a blog tour is happening to let everyone know about the highlights of the Beta-Earth Chronicles. The first blogger is Rainne’s Ramblings at:
https://rainne15.wordpress.com/2017/1...
Thanks Rainne!
More to come—
https://rainne15.wordpress.com/2017/1...
Thanks Rainne!
More to come—
October 20, 2017
Join the Beta-Earth Chronicles Blog Tour!
The Beta Earth Chronicles are six amazing sci fi novels that break the boundaries of science fiction. We’re looking for bloggers who would be willing to post a generic- copy and paste- document on their blog between Fri. 27th October - 3rd November. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A SCIFI/FANTASY GENRE BLOG.
In return not only will we be sharing your blog around ALL social media platforms, but we will gladly return the favor and post a feature on our blogs when you need it.
If this interests you, click on this link and please fill out the short form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...
In return not only will we be sharing your blog around ALL social media platforms, but we will gladly return the favor and post a feature on our blogs when you need it.
If this interests you, click on this link and please fill out the short form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...
October 19, 2017
Announcing: Words of Fury (Words of Power series book 2) by acclaimed UK fantasy author Ritchie Valentine Smith
From: Emily Mullen
Senior Publicity Specialist
Announcing: Words of Fury (Words of Power series book 2) by acclaimed UK fantasy author Ritchie Valentine Smith
I'm thrilled to announce that WORDS OF FURY (the second novel in the 3-volume Words of Power series) by acclaimed UK fantasy author Ritchie Valentine Smith is now on sale!
Smith imagines what has been called a "samurai wonderland" -- an imagining of Japan slowly growing in conflict with the west’s steampunk mysticism. But the realms of our hero Emmanuel "Man" Kinross is imbued with a magic wholly different from the usual medieval European fair of most fantasy. The city of Jade, the land of Albion, and the Lord of the North confronts our heroes in a multicultural battle were persecuted Christians fight for freedom.
Ritchie Valentine Smith talks about his new magical fantasy, WORDS OF FURY, during Reddit AMA
"Smith’s novel has an impressive density but equally moments where it reads almost like biblical psalms, a sort of Tolkein-esque prose reminiscent of The Silmarillion...Lovers of fantasy fiction will find in Words of Fury an intricate story already underway beckoning them to join, to follow along." --Reviewed by Daniel Casey, Misanthropester.com
FOR IMMEDIWORDS OF FURY
by Ritchie Valentine Smith
Award-winning writer of ‘Rocket Man’
WORDS OF FURY, volume 2 in the Words of Power samurai fantasy series, will be released for the first time in the U.S. on Tuesday, Oct. 17th from the UK-based indie publisher, RVSMedia (Amazon ISBN-13: 978-1544214832; paperback $17.99; also available as Kindle eBook).
To the people who live in this book, our world is the fantasy, but events here have powerful consequences there...
Now imagine the great multi-cultural city Jade, which trade and freedom has made rich. The walls are going up around Foreigners’ Town and the persecution is starting. However, a handful of heroes manage to escape by balloon. As they fight back, they must find sanctuary in a psychic fortress called “The Waning of the Moon” or their world will end…and so will ours.
WORDS OF FURY has real heart and magic. In it Emmanuel Kinross, ‘Man’ to his friends, has been exiled from Albion to a samurai Japan where steam-powered Europe is arriving. His opponent is the Lord of the North, but this entity isn’t human, and doesn’t just do dark magic: he represents cold, entropy, and the power of death.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ritchie Valentine Smith is a poet, writer of international thrillers, and an award-winning playwright for 'Rocket Man' who has become a powerful voice in contemporary fantasy. The author has travelled extensively to write the Words of Power fantasy series, and was in Israel when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. He has also visited Japan, where the story starts. Smith will be at the British Fantasy Society’s Fantasycon Sept. 29th-Oct. 1st, in Peterborough where he’ll launch WORDS OF FURY. He has been involved in SFF since he was a teenager, and was in anthologies with Brian Aldiss, Christopher Priest, Rob Holdstock, Ramsey Campbell, and Keith Roberts. A current member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Smith’s theatre work includes ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Kiss’. He is currently working on a sequence of fantasies, which will be on sale at Fantasycon. For more info, please visit the author’s website at www.ritchievalentinesmith.com.
**Praise for the author’s work:
David Wingrove (Chung Kuo) - “A wonderful story, in the spirit of Robert Jordan.”
Thebookbag.co.uk (4 stars) - “...a story that comes to us dripping with fantasy-satisfying magic (and with) a thundering good denouement.”
AMAZON READERS – “Magic, mystery and danger...hard to put down.” “A very smooth read. The exotic samurai background is accessible and (the writer) really believes in what he’s writing.” “Extraordinarily well-written fantasy...twists and plot-turns all along the way.”
METRO – “There is a latent power in the story that can’t be ignored.”
THREE WEEKS – “Decidedly explosive…you’re left guessing until the very end. This goes with a bang.”
***Coming in 2018: WORDS OF DARKNESS, volume 3 in the Words of Power series, is scheduled for 2018. Stay tuned for more info!
Senior Publicity Specialist
Announcing: Words of Fury (Words of Power series book 2) by acclaimed UK fantasy author Ritchie Valentine Smith
I'm thrilled to announce that WORDS OF FURY (the second novel in the 3-volume Words of Power series) by acclaimed UK fantasy author Ritchie Valentine Smith is now on sale!
Smith imagines what has been called a "samurai wonderland" -- an imagining of Japan slowly growing in conflict with the west’s steampunk mysticism. But the realms of our hero Emmanuel "Man" Kinross is imbued with a magic wholly different from the usual medieval European fair of most fantasy. The city of Jade, the land of Albion, and the Lord of the North confronts our heroes in a multicultural battle were persecuted Christians fight for freedom.
Ritchie Valentine Smith talks about his new magical fantasy, WORDS OF FURY, during Reddit AMA
"Smith’s novel has an impressive density but equally moments where it reads almost like biblical psalms, a sort of Tolkein-esque prose reminiscent of The Silmarillion...Lovers of fantasy fiction will find in Words of Fury an intricate story already underway beckoning them to join, to follow along." --Reviewed by Daniel Casey, Misanthropester.com
FOR IMMEDIWORDS OF FURY
by Ritchie Valentine Smith
Award-winning writer of ‘Rocket Man’
WORDS OF FURY, volume 2 in the Words of Power samurai fantasy series, will be released for the first time in the U.S. on Tuesday, Oct. 17th from the UK-based indie publisher, RVSMedia (Amazon ISBN-13: 978-1544214832; paperback $17.99; also available as Kindle eBook).
To the people who live in this book, our world is the fantasy, but events here have powerful consequences there...
Now imagine the great multi-cultural city Jade, which trade and freedom has made rich. The walls are going up around Foreigners’ Town and the persecution is starting. However, a handful of heroes manage to escape by balloon. As they fight back, they must find sanctuary in a psychic fortress called “The Waning of the Moon” or their world will end…and so will ours.
WORDS OF FURY has real heart and magic. In it Emmanuel Kinross, ‘Man’ to his friends, has been exiled from Albion to a samurai Japan where steam-powered Europe is arriving. His opponent is the Lord of the North, but this entity isn’t human, and doesn’t just do dark magic: he represents cold, entropy, and the power of death.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ritchie Valentine Smith is a poet, writer of international thrillers, and an award-winning playwright for 'Rocket Man' who has become a powerful voice in contemporary fantasy. The author has travelled extensively to write the Words of Power fantasy series, and was in Israel when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. He has also visited Japan, where the story starts. Smith will be at the British Fantasy Society’s Fantasycon Sept. 29th-Oct. 1st, in Peterborough where he’ll launch WORDS OF FURY. He has been involved in SFF since he was a teenager, and was in anthologies with Brian Aldiss, Christopher Priest, Rob Holdstock, Ramsey Campbell, and Keith Roberts. A current member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Smith’s theatre work includes ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Kiss’. He is currently working on a sequence of fantasies, which will be on sale at Fantasycon. For more info, please visit the author’s website at www.ritchievalentinesmith.com.
**Praise for the author’s work:
David Wingrove (Chung Kuo) - “A wonderful story, in the spirit of Robert Jordan.”
Thebookbag.co.uk (4 stars) - “...a story that comes to us dripping with fantasy-satisfying magic (and with) a thundering good denouement.”
AMAZON READERS – “Magic, mystery and danger...hard to put down.” “A very smooth read. The exotic samurai background is accessible and (the writer) really believes in what he’s writing.” “Extraordinarily well-written fantasy...twists and plot-turns all along the way.”
METRO – “There is a latent power in the story that can’t be ignored.”
THREE WEEKS – “Decidedly explosive…you’re left guessing until the very end. This goes with a bang.”
***Coming in 2018: WORDS OF DARKNESS, volume 3 in the Words of Power series, is scheduled for 2018. Stay tuned for more info!
Announcing: Mark John Terranova’s Eternal Twins, volume one of his Gemini Ascending series
For those enthralled with Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings comes a fast-paced, lively and highly imaginative thriller.
Outskirts Press Announces the Release of a New Series — Gemini Ascending: Book 1: Eternal Twins by Mark John Terranova.
Outskirts Press—the fastest-growing full-service self-publishing and book marketing company—is pleased to announce the release of Gemini Ascending: Book 1: Eternal Twins, the first in the Gemini Ascending series. Mark John Terranova’s new thriller begins an incredible journey filled with intricate characters, subsequent power struggles and seamless transitions between the past and present, where mysteries surrounding the earth and the universe are explored in an intriguing manner.
In Book 1, James Montgomery has existed almost as long as the country he lives in. Born at the dawn of the 17th century, he has seen cultures rise and fall, and progress made in every facet of life. After four centuries, James begins a journey that will lead him to his fraternal twin, and together they may hold the key to saving the world and continuing the existence of humanity.
John Parella is unaware of the fate handed to him at birth by his father.
Believing himself crazy due to the voices in his head, strange recurring dreams, and mental quirks, John is willing to take extreme measures to halt his madness—but these are merely side effects from waiting for his true destiny to reveal itself.
Dr. Junger—handsome, mysterious, ageless, and seemingly aligned with many powerful worldwide organizations—works tirelessly to steer James and John toward one another, while Dr. Katherine Duhring, the brilliant young director of psychiatry at the Grant Institute and at one time deeply in love with Dr. Junger, now finds herself becoming his adversary.
Outskirts Press Announces the Release of a New Series — Gemini Ascending: Book 1: Eternal Twins by Mark John Terranova.
Outskirts Press—the fastest-growing full-service self-publishing and book marketing company—is pleased to announce the release of Gemini Ascending: Book 1: Eternal Twins, the first in the Gemini Ascending series. Mark John Terranova’s new thriller begins an incredible journey filled with intricate characters, subsequent power struggles and seamless transitions between the past and present, where mysteries surrounding the earth and the universe are explored in an intriguing manner.
In Book 1, James Montgomery has existed almost as long as the country he lives in. Born at the dawn of the 17th century, he has seen cultures rise and fall, and progress made in every facet of life. After four centuries, James begins a journey that will lead him to his fraternal twin, and together they may hold the key to saving the world and continuing the existence of humanity.
John Parella is unaware of the fate handed to him at birth by his father.
Believing himself crazy due to the voices in his head, strange recurring dreams, and mental quirks, John is willing to take extreme measures to halt his madness—but these are merely side effects from waiting for his true destiny to reveal itself.
Dr. Junger—handsome, mysterious, ageless, and seemingly aligned with many powerful worldwide organizations—works tirelessly to steer James and John toward one another, while Dr. Katherine Duhring, the brilliant young director of psychiatry at the Grant Institute and at one time deeply in love with Dr. Junger, now finds herself becoming his adversary.
Read the first two pages of The Blind Alien today--
If you have yet to get your toes wet in The Beta Earth Chronicles, you can read the very first two pages of volume one of the series, The Blind Alien, at:
https://www.facebook.com/BetaEarthChr...
https://www.facebook.com/BetaEarthChr...
October 18, 2017
Announcing: Doug Harr's Rockin' the City of Angels
October 18, 2017
"Rock Gods were the musicians whose legends loomed larger than life,
deities to fans who worshipped at their alters. They roamed the continents
in the 1970s: some, like the Who and the Rolling Stones, starting the decade
with established careers; others, such as Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, building
their huge followings as the decade progressed. Closely coupled with these
legends, a new class of gifted rock entertainers, including Queen, David Bowie,
Alice Cooper, and Elton John commanded the stage. These consummate
showmen held audiences in rapt attention, thrilling them with their dynamic
stage presence, theatrical stagecraft, and phenomenal vocal prowess.
Legions knew these artists' names, followed them in the press, and scrambled
to get tickets to their sold-out tours, reveling in the glory of their stage
spectacles and the extraordinary personas at the heart of them."
-- Author Doug Harr, Page One of Rockin' the City of Angels --
DOUG HARR'S NEW BOOK, "ROCKIN' THE CITY OF ANGELS,"
TAKES READERS ON A ROCK AND ROLL ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE SEVENTIES,
PROVIDING A FRONT ROW PERSPECTIVE TO THE BEST CONCERTS OF
THE DECADE AT A VARIETY OF VENUES THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
THE ROLLING STONES, ALICE COOPER, DAVID BOWIE, PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS,
THE EAGLES, LED ZEPPELIN AND FLEETWOOD MAC ARE JUST A FEW OF THE LEGENDARY
ARTISTS WHOSE MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES AT THE "FABULOUS" FORUM IN LOS ANGELES
DURING THE 70'S ARE IMMORTALIZED IN 396-PAGE BOOK, "ROCKIN' THE CITY OF ANGELS"
It was the early seventies and rock and roll was firing on all cylinders.
In 1972, Bowie became "Ziggy," Alice had "School's Out," Led Zeppelin was on the loose after "IV" and The Who were hoping everyone would "Join Together" with the band.
Oh yeah... and a southern California kid by the name of Doug Harr would have his ears glued to such radio stations as 95.5 KLOS, 93 KHJ and "the mighty MET," 94.7 KMET, daydreaming of the next concert coming to town.
Hot on the heels of their Exile on Main Street release in May, one of rock's greatest bands were hitting the road and coming to the "fabulous" Forum in Los Angeles, California on June 11... not for one show that day, but two! One in the afternoon and one at night.
That particular show by the Rolling Stones would mark the first of a dozen major concerts making their way to the "fabulous" Forum in the seventies.
"The band skipped over their early hits and played songs mostly from the 1968-1972 period, cranking out hits like "Gimme Shelter," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Street Fighting Man," writes Harr, who has authored a new book, titled Rockin' the City of Angels - Celebrating the Great Rock Shows of the 1970s - In Concert, On Record, and On Film that features this particular concert experience and many others from the decade (including all of the aforementioned).
While many southern California venues such as the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Long Beach Arena, Universal Amphitheater, Shrine Auditorium, Civic Auditorium Center in Santa Monica, Dodger Stadium, Anaheim Stadium, Whiskey a Go Go and Roxy Theater are featured/highlighted in the book, other Forum (Inglewood, CA) shows featured in the book include:
Jethro Tull - A Passion Play Tour (July 20-22, 1973)
Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare Tour (June 16-18, 1975)
Cat Stevens - Numbers/Majikat Tour (February 2, 1976)
David Bowie - Station to Station Tour (February 8, 9 and 11, 1976)
Paul McCartney & Wings - Wings Over the World Tour (June 21, 1976)
Eagles - Hotel California Tour (October 19-21, 1976)
Genesis - Wind & Wuthering Tour (March 24, 1977)
Supertramp - Even in the Quietest Moments Tour (April 28, 1977)
Led Zeppelin - Presence Tour (June 23, 1977)
Queen - News of the World Tour (December 22, 1977)
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk Tour (December 4-6, 1979)
This month marks the 41st Anniversary of the Eagles' three-night stand at the Forum during their Hotel California tour. Shows so sonically pleasing that some of the songs recorded those nights subsequently appeared on the band's very first live album, Eagles Live, accounting for five of the fifteen featured tracks.
Paul McCartney & Wings started off the summer in fine fashion that year with two-performances at the Forum on June 21 and 22 that marked Paul's first live performances in Los Angeles since the Beatles performed at Dodger Stadium ten years prior in 1966.
"The Wings Over the World tour of 1975-1976 attracted massive audiences and was one of the most successful tours of that time; it is also a personal favorite," comments Doug. "The stop at the Los Angeles Forum on June 21, 1976, was just one of many dates in North America and it was a fabulous night of rock 'n' roll."
The following year, Led Zeppelin came into town, performing an incredible six-night stand at the Forum during their Presence tour.
"Led Zeppelin, the mightiest rock band of the 1970s, was the soundtrack to my life in Los Angeles."
396 pages. 34 chapters featuring just as many artists. More than 500 images captured by some of rock's greatest photographers.
Elton John, AC/DC, Yes, Heart, Pink Floyd, Electric Light Orchestra, Rush and others are "here" as well!
So many great shows. So many memorable experiences.
If you were able to see one of rock's greatest artists on tour in the seventies, then you know just how lucky you were to witness the spectacle.
If you only dreamed about what it was like, then your rock 'n' roll day has come with the arrival of Rockin' the City of Angels, a book that captures some of the biggest and best shows to ever land in the Southland.
If you never had that opportunity, Rockin' the City of Angels gives you those front row seats you wish you had! Call the tome -- nearly the size of an LP cover -- a wonderful perspective from both a true fan's point of view and the photographer's pit.
Doug has now attended over 400 shows during his lifetime and it should come as no surprise that he still gets excited about great shows coming to town.
Long live rock.
SPECIAL NOTE: Rockin' the City of Angels makes for a terrific holiday gift for any music fan and is available at Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/Amazon-RTCOA). If you run something featuring the book as a gift, please note that this December marks the 40th Anniversary of Queen's performance at the Forum during their News of the World Tour (12/22) and the 50th Anniversary of the venue, itself (12/30). It also marks the 38th Anniversary of Fleetwood Mac's performance at the Forum during their Tusk Tour (12/4 - 12/6). Thank you.
"This book celebrates more than thirty of these incredible performances including key
tours by bands such as Led Zeppelin, Queen, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Heart,
Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, The Who and Yes. We'll share memories of those legendary concerts
and my reviews of the best video documents of the era, each band illuminated by a hand-picked collection of brilliant images -- some never-before seen -- by the best photo-journalists of that time."
-- Doug Harr --
ACT 1 - "Rock Gods & Entertainers"
The Who kicks off the seventies decade with a featured performance at Anaheim Stadium on June 14, 1970 during their "Tommy" Tour. What follows in that chapter are performances and tours by The Rolling Stones ("Exile on Main Street" Tour: the L.A. Forum appearance was 45 years ago this month on June 11, 1972), Alice Cooper ("Welcome to My Nightmare" Tour), Jethro Tull ("A Passion Play" Tour), Elton John ("Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Tour), David Bowie ("Station to Station" Tour), Wings ("Wings Over the World" Tour), Queen ("News of the World" Tour), Led Zeppelin ("Presence" Tour), Styx ("Pieces of Eight" Tour) and AC/DC ("Highway to Hell" Tour).
ACT 2 - "Shamans, Storytellers & Mellow Rockers"
This section highlights the performances and tours of Genesis ("The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" Tour), Cat Stevens ("Numbers/Majikat" Tour), Ambrosia ("Somewhere I've Never Traveled" Tour), Yes ("Relayer" Tour), Eagles ("Hotel California" Tour), Supertramp ("Even in the Quietest Moments" Tour), Heart ("Little Queen" Tour), Kansas ("Point of Know Return" Tour), Fleetwood Mac ("Tusk" Tour: the last featured tour of the 70's in this book - December 4-6, 1979) and Pink Floyd (1980's "The Wall" Tour).
ACT 3 - "Virtuoso's & Classical Rockers"
This section features the performances and tours of Frank Zappa and Mothers, Rick Wakeman, Emerson, Lake & Palmer ("Brain Salad Surgery" Tour), King Crimson ("Starless and Bible Black" Tour), Premiata Forneria Marconi ("The World Became the World" Tour), Gentle Giant ("The Power and the Glory" Tour), Camel ("The Snow Goose" Tour), Happy The Man ("Crafty Hands" Tour), Electric Light Orchestra ("Out of the Blue" Tour), Rush ("Hemispheres" Tour), Dixie Dregs ("Night of the Living Dregs" Tour), Kate Bush ("Lionheart" Tour) and the band, U.K. ("Night After Night" Tour).
IV - "Encore"
This section features additional photos and commentary on the band Genesis along with the solo efforts of the band's individual members - Phillips, Collins, Banks and Rutherford - and a sole section about Peter Gabriel.
Featured Photographers
Richard E. Aaron
Jorgen Angel
Martyn Dean
Ian Dickson
Armando Gallo
Stacey Katsis
Neal Preston
Jim Summaria
Lisa Tanner
Brian Weiner
Neil Zlozower
Social Media
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/rockinthecit...
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RockinCOA
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/rockintheci...
Book Facts
AUTHOR: DOUGLAS HARR
ART DIRECTOR AND DESIGNER: TILMAN REITZLE
COPY EDITOR: COURTNEY LEE ADAMS
EDITOR: MIKE EDISON
FOREWORD: ARMANDO GALLO
PUBLISHER: DIEGO SPADE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
HARDCOVER: 396 PAGES / OVER 500 IMAGES
DIMENSIONS: 11" x 11" x 1.5" (nearly the size of an LP cover!)
"Rock Gods were the musicians whose legends loomed larger than life,
deities to fans who worshipped at their alters. They roamed the continents
in the 1970s: some, like the Who and the Rolling Stones, starting the decade
with established careers; others, such as Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, building
their huge followings as the decade progressed. Closely coupled with these
legends, a new class of gifted rock entertainers, including Queen, David Bowie,
Alice Cooper, and Elton John commanded the stage. These consummate
showmen held audiences in rapt attention, thrilling them with their dynamic
stage presence, theatrical stagecraft, and phenomenal vocal prowess.
Legions knew these artists' names, followed them in the press, and scrambled
to get tickets to their sold-out tours, reveling in the glory of their stage
spectacles and the extraordinary personas at the heart of them."
-- Author Doug Harr, Page One of Rockin' the City of Angels --
DOUG HARR'S NEW BOOK, "ROCKIN' THE CITY OF ANGELS,"
TAKES READERS ON A ROCK AND ROLL ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE SEVENTIES,
PROVIDING A FRONT ROW PERSPECTIVE TO THE BEST CONCERTS OF
THE DECADE AT A VARIETY OF VENUES THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
THE ROLLING STONES, ALICE COOPER, DAVID BOWIE, PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS,
THE EAGLES, LED ZEPPELIN AND FLEETWOOD MAC ARE JUST A FEW OF THE LEGENDARY
ARTISTS WHOSE MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES AT THE "FABULOUS" FORUM IN LOS ANGELES
DURING THE 70'S ARE IMMORTALIZED IN 396-PAGE BOOK, "ROCKIN' THE CITY OF ANGELS"
It was the early seventies and rock and roll was firing on all cylinders.
In 1972, Bowie became "Ziggy," Alice had "School's Out," Led Zeppelin was on the loose after "IV" and The Who were hoping everyone would "Join Together" with the band.
Oh yeah... and a southern California kid by the name of Doug Harr would have his ears glued to such radio stations as 95.5 KLOS, 93 KHJ and "the mighty MET," 94.7 KMET, daydreaming of the next concert coming to town.
Hot on the heels of their Exile on Main Street release in May, one of rock's greatest bands were hitting the road and coming to the "fabulous" Forum in Los Angeles, California on June 11... not for one show that day, but two! One in the afternoon and one at night.
That particular show by the Rolling Stones would mark the first of a dozen major concerts making their way to the "fabulous" Forum in the seventies.
"The band skipped over their early hits and played songs mostly from the 1968-1972 period, cranking out hits like "Gimme Shelter," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Street Fighting Man," writes Harr, who has authored a new book, titled Rockin' the City of Angels - Celebrating the Great Rock Shows of the 1970s - In Concert, On Record, and On Film that features this particular concert experience and many others from the decade (including all of the aforementioned).
While many southern California venues such as the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Long Beach Arena, Universal Amphitheater, Shrine Auditorium, Civic Auditorium Center in Santa Monica, Dodger Stadium, Anaheim Stadium, Whiskey a Go Go and Roxy Theater are featured/highlighted in the book, other Forum (Inglewood, CA) shows featured in the book include:
Jethro Tull - A Passion Play Tour (July 20-22, 1973)
Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare Tour (June 16-18, 1975)
Cat Stevens - Numbers/Majikat Tour (February 2, 1976)
David Bowie - Station to Station Tour (February 8, 9 and 11, 1976)
Paul McCartney & Wings - Wings Over the World Tour (June 21, 1976)
Eagles - Hotel California Tour (October 19-21, 1976)
Genesis - Wind & Wuthering Tour (March 24, 1977)
Supertramp - Even in the Quietest Moments Tour (April 28, 1977)
Led Zeppelin - Presence Tour (June 23, 1977)
Queen - News of the World Tour (December 22, 1977)
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk Tour (December 4-6, 1979)
This month marks the 41st Anniversary of the Eagles' three-night stand at the Forum during their Hotel California tour. Shows so sonically pleasing that some of the songs recorded those nights subsequently appeared on the band's very first live album, Eagles Live, accounting for five of the fifteen featured tracks.
Paul McCartney & Wings started off the summer in fine fashion that year with two-performances at the Forum on June 21 and 22 that marked Paul's first live performances in Los Angeles since the Beatles performed at Dodger Stadium ten years prior in 1966.
"The Wings Over the World tour of 1975-1976 attracted massive audiences and was one of the most successful tours of that time; it is also a personal favorite," comments Doug. "The stop at the Los Angeles Forum on June 21, 1976, was just one of many dates in North America and it was a fabulous night of rock 'n' roll."
The following year, Led Zeppelin came into town, performing an incredible six-night stand at the Forum during their Presence tour.
"Led Zeppelin, the mightiest rock band of the 1970s, was the soundtrack to my life in Los Angeles."
396 pages. 34 chapters featuring just as many artists. More than 500 images captured by some of rock's greatest photographers.
Elton John, AC/DC, Yes, Heart, Pink Floyd, Electric Light Orchestra, Rush and others are "here" as well!
So many great shows. So many memorable experiences.
If you were able to see one of rock's greatest artists on tour in the seventies, then you know just how lucky you were to witness the spectacle.
If you only dreamed about what it was like, then your rock 'n' roll day has come with the arrival of Rockin' the City of Angels, a book that captures some of the biggest and best shows to ever land in the Southland.
If you never had that opportunity, Rockin' the City of Angels gives you those front row seats you wish you had! Call the tome -- nearly the size of an LP cover -- a wonderful perspective from both a true fan's point of view and the photographer's pit.
Doug has now attended over 400 shows during his lifetime and it should come as no surprise that he still gets excited about great shows coming to town.
Long live rock.
SPECIAL NOTE: Rockin' the City of Angels makes for a terrific holiday gift for any music fan and is available at Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/Amazon-RTCOA). If you run something featuring the book as a gift, please note that this December marks the 40th Anniversary of Queen's performance at the Forum during their News of the World Tour (12/22) and the 50th Anniversary of the venue, itself (12/30). It also marks the 38th Anniversary of Fleetwood Mac's performance at the Forum during their Tusk Tour (12/4 - 12/6). Thank you.
"This book celebrates more than thirty of these incredible performances including key
tours by bands such as Led Zeppelin, Queen, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, Heart,
Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, The Who and Yes. We'll share memories of those legendary concerts
and my reviews of the best video documents of the era, each band illuminated by a hand-picked collection of brilliant images -- some never-before seen -- by the best photo-journalists of that time."
-- Doug Harr --
ACT 1 - "Rock Gods & Entertainers"
The Who kicks off the seventies decade with a featured performance at Anaheim Stadium on June 14, 1970 during their "Tommy" Tour. What follows in that chapter are performances and tours by The Rolling Stones ("Exile on Main Street" Tour: the L.A. Forum appearance was 45 years ago this month on June 11, 1972), Alice Cooper ("Welcome to My Nightmare" Tour), Jethro Tull ("A Passion Play" Tour), Elton John ("Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" Tour), David Bowie ("Station to Station" Tour), Wings ("Wings Over the World" Tour), Queen ("News of the World" Tour), Led Zeppelin ("Presence" Tour), Styx ("Pieces of Eight" Tour) and AC/DC ("Highway to Hell" Tour).
ACT 2 - "Shamans, Storytellers & Mellow Rockers"
This section highlights the performances and tours of Genesis ("The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" Tour), Cat Stevens ("Numbers/Majikat" Tour), Ambrosia ("Somewhere I've Never Traveled" Tour), Yes ("Relayer" Tour), Eagles ("Hotel California" Tour), Supertramp ("Even in the Quietest Moments" Tour), Heart ("Little Queen" Tour), Kansas ("Point of Know Return" Tour), Fleetwood Mac ("Tusk" Tour: the last featured tour of the 70's in this book - December 4-6, 1979) and Pink Floyd (1980's "The Wall" Tour).
ACT 3 - "Virtuoso's & Classical Rockers"
This section features the performances and tours of Frank Zappa and Mothers, Rick Wakeman, Emerson, Lake & Palmer ("Brain Salad Surgery" Tour), King Crimson ("Starless and Bible Black" Tour), Premiata Forneria Marconi ("The World Became the World" Tour), Gentle Giant ("The Power and the Glory" Tour), Camel ("The Snow Goose" Tour), Happy The Man ("Crafty Hands" Tour), Electric Light Orchestra ("Out of the Blue" Tour), Rush ("Hemispheres" Tour), Dixie Dregs ("Night of the Living Dregs" Tour), Kate Bush ("Lionheart" Tour) and the band, U.K. ("Night After Night" Tour).
IV - "Encore"
This section features additional photos and commentary on the band Genesis along with the solo efforts of the band's individual members - Phillips, Collins, Banks and Rutherford - and a sole section about Peter Gabriel.
Featured Photographers
Richard E. Aaron
Jorgen Angel
Martyn Dean
Ian Dickson
Armando Gallo
Stacey Katsis
Neal Preston
Jim Summaria
Lisa Tanner
Brian Weiner
Neil Zlozower
Social Media
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/rockinthecit...
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RockinCOA
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/rockintheci...
Book Facts
AUTHOR: DOUGLAS HARR
ART DIRECTOR AND DESIGNER: TILMAN REITZLE
COPY EDITOR: COURTNEY LEE ADAMS
EDITOR: MIKE EDISON
FOREWORD: ARMANDO GALLO
PUBLISHER: DIEGO SPADE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
HARDCOVER: 396 PAGES / OVER 500 IMAGES
DIMENSIONS: 11" x 11" x 1.5" (nearly the size of an LP cover!)
October 17, 2017
Book Review: Carbon Run (Tales from a Warming Planet Book 1) by Joe Follansbee
Book Review: Carbon Run (Tales from a Warming Planet Book 1) by
Carbon Run (Tales from a Warming Planet Book 1)
Joe Follansbee
Print Length: 331 pages
Publisher: Joseph G. Follansbee / Fyddeye Media (October 20, 2017)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B075HMN6RL
https://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Tales-W...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
I’ve decided one of my favorite attributes I look for in new sci fi is the freshness or originality in the premise, settings, or characters. Whether I’m reading space opera or dystopian speculative fiction, I like to be pleasantly surprised and not feel like I’m reading yet another paint-by-numbers adventure.
Pleasantly surprised is exactly the vibe I felt delving into Carbon Run, a dystopian yarn that doesn’t follow the usual molds. As the story opens, we learn about a future after a methane “spike” that aggravated a planet already plagued with global warming. After that, crimes against the environment are what gets the guilty and innocent alike into trouble. Government agents hunt anyone who is exceeding their limits on use of resources, being excessive about leaving their carbon footprint, not properly recycling their waste or, most heinous of all, contributing to the extinction of a species. In this future, fossil fuels are banned, pirates smuggle oil, and governments erase citizens' identities.
In Carbon Run, Bill Penn becomes a criminal when he accedentily set his house on fire and the flames destroy a nearby sanctuary of an endangered species of magpies. Deputy Inspector Janine Kilel begins to hound and chase Penn feeling the law must be strictly adhered to and claims no excuse mitigates the destruction of the bird sanctuary. While Penn goes on the run, his daughter Ann is used as a pawn to track him down. At the same time, we meet former businessman and now beggar monk Martin Skribb who is justly blamed for the “spike” and has had his identity purged from all public records. Equally, if not more so, culpable is Molly Bain, a woman with a scientific past, business-minded present, and is a high-priced prostitute. She is also Penn’s former wife and the mother of Ann who abandoned her family fifteen years ago. Among the men, or creatures, enamored with her is Gore, a mutant that is part human, part tiger. (I must admit, Gore’s genetic mutation seems a bit contrived, a gratuitous character descriptor tossed in to make the book seem more sci fi than it is. Just my impression . . .)
All these characters come together in surprising ways on ships near Russia when old family dramas are more or less resolved, ecological crimes are solved, and justice, if not the strict letter of the law, is served.
Readers may be forgiven for being a tad confused about whether Carbon Run is the first or second book in the series as it’s listed at Amazon and elsewhere as Book 2 but press releases proclaim it’s book 1. Apparently, Carbon Run was preceeded by a novelette, The Mother Earth Insurgency. Two sequels are in the pipeline for 2018, City of Ice and Dreams and Restoration.
Until then, Carbon Run is certainly worth the interest of sci fi fans with a taste for futuristic, terrestrial adventures with very well-drawn characters. It’s a nice tapestry of storylines that weave together pretty much seamlessly.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Oct. 17:
http://dpli.ir/vNJIYE
Carbon Run (Tales from a Warming Planet Book 1)
Joe Follansbee
Print Length: 331 pages
Publisher: Joseph G. Follansbee / Fyddeye Media (October 20, 2017)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B075HMN6RL
https://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Tales-W...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
I’ve decided one of my favorite attributes I look for in new sci fi is the freshness or originality in the premise, settings, or characters. Whether I’m reading space opera or dystopian speculative fiction, I like to be pleasantly surprised and not feel like I’m reading yet another paint-by-numbers adventure.
Pleasantly surprised is exactly the vibe I felt delving into Carbon Run, a dystopian yarn that doesn’t follow the usual molds. As the story opens, we learn about a future after a methane “spike” that aggravated a planet already plagued with global warming. After that, crimes against the environment are what gets the guilty and innocent alike into trouble. Government agents hunt anyone who is exceeding their limits on use of resources, being excessive about leaving their carbon footprint, not properly recycling their waste or, most heinous of all, contributing to the extinction of a species. In this future, fossil fuels are banned, pirates smuggle oil, and governments erase citizens' identities.
In Carbon Run, Bill Penn becomes a criminal when he accedentily set his house on fire and the flames destroy a nearby sanctuary of an endangered species of magpies. Deputy Inspector Janine Kilel begins to hound and chase Penn feeling the law must be strictly adhered to and claims no excuse mitigates the destruction of the bird sanctuary. While Penn goes on the run, his daughter Ann is used as a pawn to track him down. At the same time, we meet former businessman and now beggar monk Martin Skribb who is justly blamed for the “spike” and has had his identity purged from all public records. Equally, if not more so, culpable is Molly Bain, a woman with a scientific past, business-minded present, and is a high-priced prostitute. She is also Penn’s former wife and the mother of Ann who abandoned her family fifteen years ago. Among the men, or creatures, enamored with her is Gore, a mutant that is part human, part tiger. (I must admit, Gore’s genetic mutation seems a bit contrived, a gratuitous character descriptor tossed in to make the book seem more sci fi than it is. Just my impression . . .)
All these characters come together in surprising ways on ships near Russia when old family dramas are more or less resolved, ecological crimes are solved, and justice, if not the strict letter of the law, is served.
Readers may be forgiven for being a tad confused about whether Carbon Run is the first or second book in the series as it’s listed at Amazon and elsewhere as Book 2 but press releases proclaim it’s book 1. Apparently, Carbon Run was preceeded by a novelette, The Mother Earth Insurgency. Two sequels are in the pipeline for 2018, City of Ice and Dreams and Restoration.
Until then, Carbon Run is certainly worth the interest of sci fi fans with a taste for futuristic, terrestrial adventures with very well-drawn characters. It’s a nice tapestry of storylines that weave together pretty much seamlessly.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Oct. 17:
http://dpli.ir/vNJIYE
Just in time for horror week . . . The Tomb (Scarrett and Kramer #3) By: Neil Carstairs
By way of Pretty Little Book Promotion and PA Service and Pretty Little Book Blog, here’s a book announcement that might be just down your Halloween alley:
The Tomb (Scarrett and Kramer #3) By: Neil Carstairs is now LIVE!!
https://www.amazon.com/Tomb-Scarrett-...
Ben Scarrett's got one too many bruises, had one too many close calls. If it's not gods and demons trying to kill him it's weird monsters trying to eat him alive. Quitting the Department of Special Investigations and getting back to a nice, safe office job is the sensible option.
Joanne Kramer holds Scarrett’s heart in the palm of her hand and insists on one last assignment together. After all, what harm could come from a trip to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts to view a Mayan relic? Apart from the fact that the statuette of a goddess is whispering about the end of the world.
But if Scarrett and Kramer think they've got it bad, they need to see what's happening to their old friends in the United Kingdom . . .
The Tomb (Scarrett and Kramer #3) By: Neil Carstairs is now LIVE!!
https://www.amazon.com/Tomb-Scarrett-...
Ben Scarrett's got one too many bruises, had one too many close calls. If it's not gods and demons trying to kill him it's weird monsters trying to eat him alive. Quitting the Department of Special Investigations and getting back to a nice, safe office job is the sensible option.
Joanne Kramer holds Scarrett’s heart in the palm of her hand and insists on one last assignment together. After all, what harm could come from a trip to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts to view a Mayan relic? Apart from the fact that the statuette of a goddess is whispering about the end of the world.
But if Scarrett and Kramer think they've got it bad, they need to see what's happening to their old friends in the United Kingdom . . .
Wesley Britton's Blog
This just came in. My favorite two sentences of all time!
“The Blind Alien is a story with a highly original concept, fascinating characters, and not-too-subtle but truthful allegories. Don’t let the ...more
“The Blind Alien is a story with a highly original concept, fascinating characters, and not-too-subtle but truthful allegories. Don’t let the ...more
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