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Music Book Reviews

Long Plastic Hallway by Joyce V. Harrison

Long Plastic Hallway by Joyce V. HarrisonTwenty-somethings Ellis, Bax and Chloe set out for a roadtrip only to quickly find they have no money. Busking to get by, Ellis eventually makes his way to Los Angeles and into the cut-throat music business, and all the highs (literally) and lows you find there. A story as much about friendship as it is about the music industry, Long Plastic Hallway is a generation-defining book that’s as fun to read as it is for these characters to live.

Taking a listen to Harrison’s Soundcloud account, it’s obvious she knows the music industry very well, and her passion for music […]

2015-12-03T11:10:47+02:00December 3rd, 2015|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |
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Review: Spiritualized by Victor Levine ★★★★

SpiritualizedSpiritualized is a raucous rock and roll mystery, part of Victor Levine’s Spec Time Trilogy series of books, which follow the exploits of Jon Cells, an aspiring rock star (based on a real person and real musician). Spiritualized acts as a kind of prequel to Vaporized, taking place four years before, over four days in 1978. This novel covers everything from coke deals, to cow mutilations, to New Age Buddhists, to rock stardom, to Hollywood filmmakers, and more in this spirited and literary epic novel.

As in Vaporized, the city is a character all its own. Whereas in […]

2019-01-22T15:46:19+02:00June 2nd, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , , |
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Review: Elliptical: The Music of Meshell Ndegeocello by André Akinyele and Jon O’Bergh ★★★★

Elliptical: The Music of Meshell NdegeocelloElliptical: The Music of Meshell Ndegeocello by André Akinyele and Jon O’Bergh is the tribute to musician and songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello, and is purported to be the first comprehensive overview of her work. The bulk of the book is about André Akinyele’s personal experience discovering her music, while Jon O’Bergh contributes more factual information about her recording history.

I should probably preface this by saying that I wasn’t entirely familiar with the music of Meshell Ndegeocello before receiving this book to review – a career that spans three decades. In short, I haven’t had the same experience of exultation that […]

2019-01-22T15:48:33+02:00May 1st, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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Review: The Day The Music Died By Blair Evans


Cameron Forsyth is a young man studying at music school in New Zealand looking for an impossible answer – what is random chance and what is talent? Is he being deluded in his love for music? What is the secret to music’s magic and what has been twisted out of shape by academics and the media?

Along with his few eccentric misfit friends, he struggles to prove his points to musty music professors after a revelation from a guest speaker at the university that turns his life on its head, and alters his perception of what music is forever.

The […]

2014-05-19T18:27:44+02:00June 11th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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Review: Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh by Timothe Davis

A key ingredient to a successful movie is a fabulous soundtrack.  Not many people want to sit in a theater and listen to horrible songs no matter how great the actors.  But are soundtracks exclusive to movies?  Timothe Davis’ novel Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh challenges this question.  His story about three best friends is set to music.

Jordan Spencer is the heart of the trio.  Jordan, who was orphaned at a young age, has difficulties forming lasting relationships.  None of his relationships have made it past six months.  However, he is close with his two friends Gabby and Chris.  They […]

2014-05-19T21:29:09+02:00May 21st, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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Review: One-Hit Willie: A Classic Rock Novel by William Westhoven

As an art critic says to an artist in the 1850 Charles Reade novel Christie Johnstone, “Art is not imitation, but illusion.” In fiction, it’s challenging to tell a story using archetypal themes and characters without descending into cliché. When you tell a story involving rock and roll, this feat becomes even trickier.

William Westhoven, who has covered the performing arts as a journalist since 1989, makes the leap to fiction successfully with his debut novel. He accomplishes this by using a compassionate, humorous narrative voice, interspersing his journalistic observations about the music business with a light enough touch […]

2014-05-19T22:23:13+02:00January 25th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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