Joseph Baneth Allen's Blog, page 76
October 8, 2022
"The Spider and the Slave Doctor"
Just finished listening to "The Spider and the Slave Doctor" by Norvell W. Page writing as Grant Stockbridge, released by Radio Archives.
Now as frequent readers of my reviews here on Facebook know, I always reveal when I have a connection to the book, movie, music CD, and/or audio drama that I am reviewing. I have written liner notes for some of Radio Archives' collections and while I never have met and/or talked with Nick Santa Maria, we are friends here on Facebook. I believe in fair and full disclosure.
The Spider is one of the most intriguing anti-heroes from the Golden Age of Pulp Magazines. To say that Richard Wentworth, a.k.a. The Spider, has "issues" would be akin to saying that Bruce Wayne is a normal guy. Wentworth is fiction's first popular anti-hero serial killer. While Raffles was also a popular fictional anti-hero, he was just a thief, pure and simple. The Spider kills for the good of humanity and sends warning to criminals by marking his kills with the vermilion seal of the Spider on their foreheads. Wentworth also displays behavior typical of someone who is suffering from manic depression and he most definitely has a savior complex and a team of disciples who willingly follow him into hell and back.
The Spider also has a gritty, realistic determination that has helped him endure during his initial 10-year-run in the pulps. Mom and Dad always enjoyed listening to each release of The Spider's adventures that Nick Santa Maria brought to thrilling life.
One of the more interesting aspects of Norvell W. Page's life was that he was deeply religious and a student of several Western and Eastern religions, and a good majority of his Spider novels are quests towards redemption in the best of religious traditions.
So it's only natural that Richard Wentworth would become involved in the case of Doctor Gilmuir who is on trail for murder and is being railroaded into the death house by the machinations of the Man in the Red Mask, who is seeking to control the United States through the medical drug supply chain.
Only Wentworth has seemingly handcuffed himself by trying to clear Doctor Gilmuir without resorting to his alter-ego as The Spider! And this time his beloved Nita might not survive!
Another thrilling adventure of The Spider!
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.radioarchives.com/The_Spi...
Now as frequent readers of my reviews here on Facebook know, I always reveal when I have a connection to the book, movie, music CD, and/or audio drama that I am reviewing. I have written liner notes for some of Radio Archives' collections and while I never have met and/or talked with Nick Santa Maria, we are friends here on Facebook. I believe in fair and full disclosure.
The Spider is one of the most intriguing anti-heroes from the Golden Age of Pulp Magazines. To say that Richard Wentworth, a.k.a. The Spider, has "issues" would be akin to saying that Bruce Wayne is a normal guy. Wentworth is fiction's first popular anti-hero serial killer. While Raffles was also a popular fictional anti-hero, he was just a thief, pure and simple. The Spider kills for the good of humanity and sends warning to criminals by marking his kills with the vermilion seal of the Spider on their foreheads. Wentworth also displays behavior typical of someone who is suffering from manic depression and he most definitely has a savior complex and a team of disciples who willingly follow him into hell and back.
The Spider also has a gritty, realistic determination that has helped him endure during his initial 10-year-run in the pulps. Mom and Dad always enjoyed listening to each release of The Spider's adventures that Nick Santa Maria brought to thrilling life.
One of the more interesting aspects of Norvell W. Page's life was that he was deeply religious and a student of several Western and Eastern religions, and a good majority of his Spider novels are quests towards redemption in the best of religious traditions.
So it's only natural that Richard Wentworth would become involved in the case of Doctor Gilmuir who is on trail for murder and is being railroaded into the death house by the machinations of the Man in the Red Mask, who is seeking to control the United States through the medical drug supply chain.
Only Wentworth has seemingly handcuffed himself by trying to clear Doctor Gilmuir without resorting to his alter-ego as The Spider! And this time his beloved Nita might not survive!
Another thrilling adventure of The Spider!
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.radioarchives.com/The_Spi...
October 7, 2022
"Mad Max - Fury Road"
Just stopped watching "Mad Max - Fury Road" released by Warner Brothers.
A third Mad Max movie did sound intriguing. Sadly it didn't live up to the pre-release hype. As much as I hate to say this, but the Jew-hating actor known as Mel Gibson was iconic in the role of Mad Max which he had made his own in two cult movies. And Hollywood being Hollywood doesn't know when to move on and come up with an original idea or character. Sometimes you should let a franchise have it's run and move on - take "Weekend at Bernie's" for example. One surprise hit movie and a widely successful sequel that outgrossed the original in earnings, yet there wasn't a third or a reboot.
Tom Hardy simply isn't believable as Mad Max, and this movie is more of a set up for introducing Imperator Furiosa and making her the main focus of the Mad Max universe. In fact, there was talk of replacing Mad Max with Imperator Furiosa. Never a good sign in a movie franchise.
There are two reasons why I stopped watching this movie. The first reason I can place the blame solely at the feet of Zack, Jeff H., and my lovely baby sister Selma Franz, all who had seen the movie before me and forgot to mention the seizure inducing scenes sprinkled throughout The second reason, I just didn't like this movie. I will give it a star for beautiful cinematography thought.
Strongly Advise Skipping this movie.
One Star.
https://www.amazon.com/Mad-Max-Fury-R...
A third Mad Max movie did sound intriguing. Sadly it didn't live up to the pre-release hype. As much as I hate to say this, but the Jew-hating actor known as Mel Gibson was iconic in the role of Mad Max which he had made his own in two cult movies. And Hollywood being Hollywood doesn't know when to move on and come up with an original idea or character. Sometimes you should let a franchise have it's run and move on - take "Weekend at Bernie's" for example. One surprise hit movie and a widely successful sequel that outgrossed the original in earnings, yet there wasn't a third or a reboot.
Tom Hardy simply isn't believable as Mad Max, and this movie is more of a set up for introducing Imperator Furiosa and making her the main focus of the Mad Max universe. In fact, there was talk of replacing Mad Max with Imperator Furiosa. Never a good sign in a movie franchise.
There are two reasons why I stopped watching this movie. The first reason I can place the blame solely at the feet of Zack, Jeff H., and my lovely baby sister Selma Franz, all who had seen the movie before me and forgot to mention the seizure inducing scenes sprinkled throughout The second reason, I just didn't like this movie. I will give it a star for beautiful cinematography thought.
Strongly Advise Skipping this movie.
One Star.
https://www.amazon.com/Mad-Max-Fury-R...
The Spider #88 - Harbor of Nameless Dead
Just finished watching "The Spider #88 - Harbor of Nameless Dead" by Norvell W. Page writing as Grant Stockbridge, released by Radio Archives.
Now as frequent readers of my reviews here on Facebook know, I always reveal when I have a connection to the book, movie, music CD, and/or audio drama that I am reviewing. I have written liner notes for some of Radio Archives' collections and while I never have met and/or talked with Nick Santa Maria, we are friends here on Facebook. I believe in fair and full disclosure.
The Spider is one of the most intriguing anti-heroes from the Golden Age of Pulp Magazines. To say that Richard Wentworth, a.k.a. The Spider, has "issues" would be akin to saying that Bruce Wayne is a normal guy. Wentworth is fiction's first popular anti-hero serial killer. While Raffles was also a popular fictional anti-hero, he was just a thief, pure and simple. The Spider kills for the good of humanity and sends warning to criminals by marking his kills with the vermilion seal of the Spider on their foreheads. Wentworth also displays behavior typical of someone who is suffering from manic depression and he most definitely has a savior complex and a team of disciples who willingly follow him into hell and back.
The Spider also has a gritty, realistic determination that has helped him endure during his initial 10-year-run in the pulps. Mom and Dad always enjoyed listening to each release of The Spider's adventures that Nick Santa Maria brought to thrilling life.
In "Harbor of Nameless Dead," Nick does his usual outstanding job of bringing the story to life. This time The Spider a.k.a. The Master of Men, is up against The Master - a super criminal who is terrorizing the nation with his murder emissaries. Wentworth, in his alter-ego, goes toe-to-toe with a vicious criminal who will stop at nothing, including the mass murder of thousands, in an attempt to loot the United States for plunder.
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.radioarchives.com/The_Spi...
Now as frequent readers of my reviews here on Facebook know, I always reveal when I have a connection to the book, movie, music CD, and/or audio drama that I am reviewing. I have written liner notes for some of Radio Archives' collections and while I never have met and/or talked with Nick Santa Maria, we are friends here on Facebook. I believe in fair and full disclosure.
The Spider is one of the most intriguing anti-heroes from the Golden Age of Pulp Magazines. To say that Richard Wentworth, a.k.a. The Spider, has "issues" would be akin to saying that Bruce Wayne is a normal guy. Wentworth is fiction's first popular anti-hero serial killer. While Raffles was also a popular fictional anti-hero, he was just a thief, pure and simple. The Spider kills for the good of humanity and sends warning to criminals by marking his kills with the vermilion seal of the Spider on their foreheads. Wentworth also displays behavior typical of someone who is suffering from manic depression and he most definitely has a savior complex and a team of disciples who willingly follow him into hell and back.
The Spider also has a gritty, realistic determination that has helped him endure during his initial 10-year-run in the pulps. Mom and Dad always enjoyed listening to each release of The Spider's adventures that Nick Santa Maria brought to thrilling life.
In "Harbor of Nameless Dead," Nick does his usual outstanding job of bringing the story to life. This time The Spider a.k.a. The Master of Men, is up against The Master - a super criminal who is terrorizing the nation with his murder emissaries. Wentworth, in his alter-ego, goes toe-to-toe with a vicious criminal who will stop at nothing, including the mass murder of thousands, in an attempt to loot the United States for plunder.
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.radioarchives.com/The_Spi...
"The House of The Lost On The Cape"
Just finished watching "The House of The Lost On The Cape," released by SHOUT! Studios.
Based on the novel of the same title by Sachiko Kashiwaba, "The House Of The Lost On The Cape" is a quiet anime about three generations of women who have no common bond except that they are apparently all alone in the world, who come to live together in a Mayoiga, a house for travelers overlooking the sea on a cliff - a house that provides for all their needs. Only Kiwa, the elderly lady who rescues Yui and Hiyori from their individual circumstances at a shelter during an earthquake.
As Yui and Hiyori settle into their new life together, Kiwa's nature and her true purpose is slowly revealed and now Yui and Hiyori must put aside their fears and fight for the life that they now cherish.
"The House of The Lost On The Cape" is a wonderful blending of real life with the magical realism of Japanese folk lore.
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/House-Lost-Cap...
Based on the novel of the same title by Sachiko Kashiwaba, "The House Of The Lost On The Cape" is a quiet anime about three generations of women who have no common bond except that they are apparently all alone in the world, who come to live together in a Mayoiga, a house for travelers overlooking the sea on a cliff - a house that provides for all their needs. Only Kiwa, the elderly lady who rescues Yui and Hiyori from their individual circumstances at a shelter during an earthquake.
As Yui and Hiyori settle into their new life together, Kiwa's nature and her true purpose is slowly revealed and now Yui and Hiyori must put aside their fears and fight for the life that they now cherish.
"The House of The Lost On The Cape" is a wonderful blending of real life with the magical realism of Japanese folk lore.
Highly Recommended!
Ten Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/House-Lost-Cap...
Red Sonja
Just finished watching "Red Sonja" released by Warner Brothers.
Red Sonja was never a major character in pulp writer Robert E. Howard's mythical pre-history world of the Hyborian Age. Dad said that she has a brief mention in a Conan story. Howard definitely didn't write any about Red Sonja. Her popularity as the female warrior counterpart to Conan grew out of the huge success of the widely popular Marvel Comics of the 1970s and 1980s, with licensed original novels using the character of Red Sonja. It's interesting to note the Conan and Red Sonja never met in the fictional novels, just in the comic books - to the best of my memory. [I could be wrong on this.]
So with the popularity and box office success of the two Conan movies, it seemed only natural for Hollywood to try to milk a cash cow and launch a Conan-Universe by filming and releasing "Red Sonja." But Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't reprise his role as Conan in this movie. Instead he played Kalidor, a Lord of Eternia - yes, there is definitely a reference to He-Man here - perhaps Arnold was looking to play He-Man - and in interviews I recall him stating that he believed that Conan and Red Sonja would make appearances in forthcoming sequels.
Sadly Red Sonja bombed badly at the box office. The basic plot is a dozy - after having violently rejecting the overt advances of a lesbian queen who orders her soldiers to kill Sonja's family and brutally rape her, a supernatural being gives Sonja the strength she needs to carry about a quest for revenge. Now this is interesting. Sonja is given just the bare minimum of what she needs to begin her journey. In order to learn combat skills and to handle a sword, Sonja must go learn at a dojo and submit to the teachings of - gasp - a man, but a man she respects since he's too old to be interested in her sexually. It's unknown how much time has passed.
Que the return of the evil lesbian queen who attacks a religious temple of warrior women priestess who are about to destroy a talisman that is capable of destroying the world since it has become too powerful. Naturally her soldiers kill all the priestess, with only one, Sonja's sister, surviving long enough to warn Lord Kalidor and asks her to find her sister, Red Sonja to find the talisman and destroy it because only women can touch it.
While Red Sonja is not an overt feminist, she's not a caricature and Brigitte Nielsen's portrayal of character is definitely not a prototype of Lucy Lawless's portrayal of Xena.
After a journey to the evil lesbian queen's kingdom, Red Sonja kills her in a convoluted battle that does echo a scene in "Conan The Destroyer." It's hinted that the queen's wizard is gay, and the queen's look-a-like girl friend is shown and does have a few speaking parts. The portrayals of gay characters is typical and their fates as well of this era in film making.
"Red Sonja" was a box office bomb. It probably was responsible for ending the Conan franchise. It probably didn't help that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen were rumored to be having an affair - people did hold actors accountable for their actions back then to a higher degree.
"Red Sonja" is not a bad movie, and it's not a great movie. I don't think Dad cared for it too much. Neither did Mom.
Not really recommended.
Two-and-a-half stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Sonja-Brig...
Red Sonja was never a major character in pulp writer Robert E. Howard's mythical pre-history world of the Hyborian Age. Dad said that she has a brief mention in a Conan story. Howard definitely didn't write any about Red Sonja. Her popularity as the female warrior counterpart to Conan grew out of the huge success of the widely popular Marvel Comics of the 1970s and 1980s, with licensed original novels using the character of Red Sonja. It's interesting to note the Conan and Red Sonja never met in the fictional novels, just in the comic books - to the best of my memory. [I could be wrong on this.]
So with the popularity and box office success of the two Conan movies, it seemed only natural for Hollywood to try to milk a cash cow and launch a Conan-Universe by filming and releasing "Red Sonja." But Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't reprise his role as Conan in this movie. Instead he played Kalidor, a Lord of Eternia - yes, there is definitely a reference to He-Man here - perhaps Arnold was looking to play He-Man - and in interviews I recall him stating that he believed that Conan and Red Sonja would make appearances in forthcoming sequels.
Sadly Red Sonja bombed badly at the box office. The basic plot is a dozy - after having violently rejecting the overt advances of a lesbian queen who orders her soldiers to kill Sonja's family and brutally rape her, a supernatural being gives Sonja the strength she needs to carry about a quest for revenge. Now this is interesting. Sonja is given just the bare minimum of what she needs to begin her journey. In order to learn combat skills and to handle a sword, Sonja must go learn at a dojo and submit to the teachings of - gasp - a man, but a man she respects since he's too old to be interested in her sexually. It's unknown how much time has passed.
Que the return of the evil lesbian queen who attacks a religious temple of warrior women priestess who are about to destroy a talisman that is capable of destroying the world since it has become too powerful. Naturally her soldiers kill all the priestess, with only one, Sonja's sister, surviving long enough to warn Lord Kalidor and asks her to find her sister, Red Sonja to find the talisman and destroy it because only women can touch it.
While Red Sonja is not an overt feminist, she's not a caricature and Brigitte Nielsen's portrayal of character is definitely not a prototype of Lucy Lawless's portrayal of Xena.
After a journey to the evil lesbian queen's kingdom, Red Sonja kills her in a convoluted battle that does echo a scene in "Conan The Destroyer." It's hinted that the queen's wizard is gay, and the queen's look-a-like girl friend is shown and does have a few speaking parts. The portrayals of gay characters is typical and their fates as well of this era in film making.
"Red Sonja" was a box office bomb. It probably was responsible for ending the Conan franchise. It probably didn't help that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen were rumored to be having an affair - people did hold actors accountable for their actions back then to a higher degree.
"Red Sonja" is not a bad movie, and it's not a great movie. I don't think Dad cared for it too much. Neither did Mom.
Not really recommended.
Two-and-a-half stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Sonja-Brig...
"Conan - The Complete Quest"
Just finished watching "Conan - The Complete Quest" released by Universal.
I'm probably going to get in a lot of trouble for this comparison, but "Conan The Barbarian," the first movie in this duology successfully captures the epic feel and sweeping grandeur of a historical/biblical movie made in the 1950s and 1960s, which surprised me, because my memory of these movies were almost lighthearted. I do recall watching them with Dad, who was a great fan of the Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, and while Dad correctly said that the movies were nothing like the Conan stories, they did capture some of the essence of the character, which actor Arnold Schwarzenegger effectively brought to life.
"Conan The Barbarian" is definitely a derivative of several of Howard's Conan stories and is basically an origin story of one of the most popular sword and sorcery genre's characters. It's also more graphic than I had recalled with its sex and fighting scenes. There is also a rather curious scene in where Conan uses his masculine wiles on a male priest in order to get his clothes. One can see "Conan The Barbarian" as a cautionary tale about the price a life long quest for revenge has because Conan does pay a price that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
"Conan The Barbarian" did well enough on the silver screen to warrant a sequel "Conan The Destroyer" which greatly toned down the sex and violence in order to get a PG-Rating. "Conan The Barbarian" has an R-Rating.
Both Conan movies excel at showing how Conan is a leader and team builder, with flaws that he overcomes in order to achieve his goals.
I believe Dad would agree that "Conan - The Complete Quest" are the best representations of Howard's legendary hero. The one-season television series was horribly bad, and Dad lost interest in it after watching the first episode. I did watch the television series after Dad had passed away for him and I wish I hadn't because Dad had been right, the television show was bad. Now I did take Dad to see the Conan The Barbarian reboot movie in 2011 that bombed and neither Dad or I thought that it was true to Howard's Conan stories.
Will there be another Conan movie? Well, who owns the rights is rather a deep, convoluted tale, though there is talk of a new Red Sonja movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he's interested in doing a "King Conan" movie. It might be his last hurrah as an actor.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Conan-Complete...
I'm probably going to get in a lot of trouble for this comparison, but "Conan The Barbarian," the first movie in this duology successfully captures the epic feel and sweeping grandeur of a historical/biblical movie made in the 1950s and 1960s, which surprised me, because my memory of these movies were almost lighthearted. I do recall watching them with Dad, who was a great fan of the Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, and while Dad correctly said that the movies were nothing like the Conan stories, they did capture some of the essence of the character, which actor Arnold Schwarzenegger effectively brought to life.
"Conan The Barbarian" is definitely a derivative of several of Howard's Conan stories and is basically an origin story of one of the most popular sword and sorcery genre's characters. It's also more graphic than I had recalled with its sex and fighting scenes. There is also a rather curious scene in where Conan uses his masculine wiles on a male priest in order to get his clothes. One can see "Conan The Barbarian" as a cautionary tale about the price a life long quest for revenge has because Conan does pay a price that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
"Conan The Barbarian" did well enough on the silver screen to warrant a sequel "Conan The Destroyer" which greatly toned down the sex and violence in order to get a PG-Rating. "Conan The Barbarian" has an R-Rating.
Both Conan movies excel at showing how Conan is a leader and team builder, with flaws that he overcomes in order to achieve his goals.
I believe Dad would agree that "Conan - The Complete Quest" are the best representations of Howard's legendary hero. The one-season television series was horribly bad, and Dad lost interest in it after watching the first episode. I did watch the television series after Dad had passed away for him and I wish I hadn't because Dad had been right, the television show was bad. Now I did take Dad to see the Conan The Barbarian reboot movie in 2011 that bombed and neither Dad or I thought that it was true to Howard's Conan stories.
Will there be another Conan movie? Well, who owns the rights is rather a deep, convoluted tale, though there is talk of a new Red Sonja movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he's interested in doing a "King Conan" movie. It might be his last hurrah as an actor.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Conan-Complete...
October 6, 2022
Secret Space Program
Just finished listening to "Secret Space Program" by Sverre Knut Johansen, released by Spotted Peccary Music.
Johansen's second release for Spotted Peccary Music explores popular conspiracy theories of extraterrestrials, military abductions, secret lunar bases, conspiratorial ideas, and black-ops programs with vibrant and engrossing hybrid of symphonic melodies and electro-tech music that hearkens to the space music of the 1970s.
My favorite tracks on this CD are: "Blue Avians," "Lunar Operation Command," "Precognitive Abilities," "Matrix of the Sphere," and Intuitive Empath."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
Johansen's second release for Spotted Peccary Music explores popular conspiracy theories of extraterrestrials, military abductions, secret lunar bases, conspiratorial ideas, and black-ops programs with vibrant and engrossing hybrid of symphonic melodies and electro-tech music that hearkens to the space music of the 1970s.
My favorite tracks on this CD are: "Blue Avians," "Lunar Operation Command," "Precognitive Abilities," "Matrix of the Sphere," and Intuitive Empath."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
Gnosis
Just finished listening to "Gnosis" by Chronotope Project, released by Spotted Peccary Music.
The sole musician behind the Chronotope Project is Jeffrey Ericson Allen, and aside from having a fairly common surname, we are not related.
Before he signed with Spotted Peccary Music, Allen did independently produce and sell his own music. I do remember taking a chance on his first CD that he released, and being glad that I had, with his latest release, "Gnosis" building on his music.
"Gnosis" is a Greek word for knowledge and Allen combines classical Greek myth with modern day science to take the listener on a musical journey as the two worlds combine.
My favorite tracks on this CD are: "Lethe, The River of Forgetfulness," "Myth of the Cave,' and "Higgs Field, Cauldron of Being."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/gnosis/
The sole musician behind the Chronotope Project is Jeffrey Ericson Allen, and aside from having a fairly common surname, we are not related.
Before he signed with Spotted Peccary Music, Allen did independently produce and sell his own music. I do remember taking a chance on his first CD that he released, and being glad that I had, with his latest release, "Gnosis" building on his music.
"Gnosis" is a Greek word for knowledge and Allen combines classical Greek myth with modern day science to take the listener on a musical journey as the two worlds combine.
My favorite tracks on this CD are: "Lethe, The River of Forgetfulness," "Myth of the Cave,' and "Higgs Field, Cauldron of Being."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/gnosis/
Emerald Waters
Just finished listening to "Emerald Waters" by Hollan Holmes, released by Spotted Peccary Music.
Now in the interest of fairness under my personal guidelines for reviews here on Facebook and other Social Media sites, once upon a time, Hollan Holmes and I were friends on Facebook. We've never met in person, nor to the best of my knowledge did we ever exchanged emails or IMs. I simply believe that Hollan Holmes updated his Facebook with another page here on Facebook when he was signed by Spotted Peccary Music - prior to that he independently produced and sold his CDs - to provide it a fresher look, nothing more, nothing less.
The connection between water and life is vibrantly explored in richly textured melodies derived from a single moment in Holmes' life when on a car ride with his father, they drove over a bridge spanning a creek Del Rio, Texas years ago. The memory of that moment stayed with Homes and he used it as inspiration for this album that follows the course of the creek and life it provides through layer upon layer of techno-sync music the envelop the listener throughout the course of the water's journey.
My favorite tracks on this CD are: "A Ribbon of Life," "The River," "Changing Course," "Emerald Waters," "Taken By The Current," and "Tales From The Abyss."
Another great CD from Hollan Holmes that shows his growth as a musician.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/emera...
Now in the interest of fairness under my personal guidelines for reviews here on Facebook and other Social Media sites, once upon a time, Hollan Holmes and I were friends on Facebook. We've never met in person, nor to the best of my knowledge did we ever exchanged emails or IMs. I simply believe that Hollan Holmes updated his Facebook with another page here on Facebook when he was signed by Spotted Peccary Music - prior to that he independently produced and sold his CDs - to provide it a fresher look, nothing more, nothing less.
The connection between water and life is vibrantly explored in richly textured melodies derived from a single moment in Holmes' life when on a car ride with his father, they drove over a bridge spanning a creek Del Rio, Texas years ago. The memory of that moment stayed with Homes and he used it as inspiration for this album that follows the course of the creek and life it provides through layer upon layer of techno-sync music the envelop the listener throughout the course of the water's journey.
My favorite tracks on this CD are: "A Ribbon of Life," "The River," "Changing Course," "Emerald Waters," "Taken By The Current," and "Tales From The Abyss."
Another great CD from Hollan Holmes that shows his growth as a musician.
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/emera...
"The Spider #85 - Council of Evil"
Just finished listening to "The Spider #85 - Council of Evil" by Grant Stockbridge, released by Radio Archives.
While the pen name of Grant Stockbridge was the non-de-plume of several writers, Norvell W. Page was primary chronicler of The Spider's exploits during his ten year run from 1933-to-1943 during the Golden Age of Pulps.
The Spider - Master of Men, was one of the most intriguing anti-heroes from the Golden Age of Pulps. Unlike most pulp heroes, The Spider, who is in reality millionaire and socialite Richard Wentworth, willingly and knowingly kills and marks those who he kills for "the good of humanity" with the Spider's Seal making him a pre-Dexter type of serial killer. Also intriguing about The Spider/Richard Wentworth is that his secret identity is a loosely known secret, even though that there is no reliable evidence linking the two.
Naturally due to the "success" of his anti-criminal activities The Spider has made many, many enemies and as a result, some of them have come together in an attempt to unmask and kill The Spider, only this time they might succeed because the Council of Evil just might have an unexpected ally on their side - Nita van Sloan, the finance of Richard Wentworth.
Now The Spider must untangle a maze of deceit of lies and murder if he is to protect New York City from the Council of Evil.
Now as frequent readers of my reviews here on Facebook and other Social Media know, I'm always honest and forthcoming about any connections I may have with a book, music CD, movie, and audio dramas. Previously I have written liner notes for Radio Archives collections; and while Nick Santa Maria and I are friends here on Facebook, we have never met in person nor have we talked over the phone.
Nick Santa Maria does his usual outstanding job of portraying The Spider and bringing his crime fighting exploits to real life.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
FIVE STARS!
https://www.radioarchives.com/The_Spi...
While the pen name of Grant Stockbridge was the non-de-plume of several writers, Norvell W. Page was primary chronicler of The Spider's exploits during his ten year run from 1933-to-1943 during the Golden Age of Pulps.
The Spider - Master of Men, was one of the most intriguing anti-heroes from the Golden Age of Pulps. Unlike most pulp heroes, The Spider, who is in reality millionaire and socialite Richard Wentworth, willingly and knowingly kills and marks those who he kills for "the good of humanity" with the Spider's Seal making him a pre-Dexter type of serial killer. Also intriguing about The Spider/Richard Wentworth is that his secret identity is a loosely known secret, even though that there is no reliable evidence linking the two.
Naturally due to the "success" of his anti-criminal activities The Spider has made many, many enemies and as a result, some of them have come together in an attempt to unmask and kill The Spider, only this time they might succeed because the Council of Evil just might have an unexpected ally on their side - Nita van Sloan, the finance of Richard Wentworth.
Now The Spider must untangle a maze of deceit of lies and murder if he is to protect New York City from the Council of Evil.
Now as frequent readers of my reviews here on Facebook and other Social Media know, I'm always honest and forthcoming about any connections I may have with a book, music CD, movie, and audio dramas. Previously I have written liner notes for Radio Archives collections; and while Nick Santa Maria and I are friends here on Facebook, we have never met in person nor have we talked over the phone.
Nick Santa Maria does his usual outstanding job of portraying The Spider and bringing his crime fighting exploits to real life.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
FIVE STARS!
https://www.radioarchives.com/The_Spi...
