Review: Jesse Cannon – Processing Creativity

Deanna Chapman Apr 24, 2017

Jesse Cannon’s latest book takes a look at the creative process and how to get results that you’re happy with. While it focuses largely on music, it can easily apply to so much more than that. Processing Creativity: The Tools, Practices And Habits Used To Make Music You’re Happy With isn’t a behemoth of a book like Get More Fans, but it’s equally as effective. The book takes you through the motions of finding who is a best fit to work with, how to make music you’re happy with, and so much more.

The Hardy Boys The Final Chapter

Jason Tate Apr 13, 2017

The Washington Post:

I recently rediscovered my youth. It made me sneeze.
It lay unremembered at the top of a tall bookcase: 15 vintage Hardy Boys novels by Franklin W. Dixon. In getting them down I took a faceful of dust and beetle carapaces.
I carried the books to my favorite rocking chair, beside my favorite lamp, and reverently broke them open to revisit the literature that had inspired in me a lifelong love of language. The pages were as thick as a shirt collar and ochered with age. They smelled the way old books smell, faintly perfumed, quaintly mysterious, like the lining of Great-Grandma’s alligator handbag out in the steamer trunk. I began to read.
Pretty soon a new smell entered the room.
The Hardy Boys stank.

The Story Behind the ‘Essential Guide to Emo Culture’ 10 Years Later

Jason Tate Apr 10, 2017

Rabab Al-Sharif looks at the story behind the book, Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide To Emo Culture, as it turns ten:

“A lot of people, mostly critics and Pitchfork disciples, were quick to write off emo as a passing trend. They thought it was a gateway music that would provide an adequately angsty soundtrack to your teen years. Then, after puberty passed, you’d throw away the eyeliner, hide the flat irons, and try to forget whether mics were for singing or for swinging,” Simon says.

I’ve known Leslie Simon for a long time now and I can’t believe it’s been ten years since this book came out. What a trip down memory lane. I can see my copy sitting on the bookshelf from where I write this.

Sidebar: Why is loading one page on AltPress.com over 16 MB? That website is a mess.

Obamas Sign Book Deal With Penguin Random House

Jason Tate Mar 1, 2017

Penguin Random House has signed a book deal with former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama:

The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but publishing industry executives with knowledge of the bidding process said it probably stretched well into eight figures. Robert B. Barnett and Deneen C. Howell of Williams & Connolly represented the Obamas.
Penguin Random House acquired world rights to the books, and worldwide sales could be substantial. No decision has been made yet as to which of the company’s major imprints — which include Random House, Doubleday, Alfred A. Knopf and Crown — will publish the books. Mr. Obama’s previous books were published by Crown, which also published Mrs. Obama’s book “American Grown,” about the White House garden.

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Review: Spoke: Images and Stories from the 1980s Washington, DC Punk Scene

Deanna Chapman Feb 7, 2017

Scott Crawford took what he worked on with Salad Days and brought it to a nice coffee table book format. He compiled a list of influential punk bands from the 80’s DC scene. Each entry gives the perspective of the band members, concert goers, photographers, and more. It’s a thorough look at the history without being overwhelming. The format works well since it focuses a lot on the images and sometimes those can tell stories better than words can.

I wouldn’t say I’m in tune with all of the punk bands from the 80’s era, let alone all of the ones around Washington D.C., but I’d like to think I know at least a little about punk music. This book has the bigger bands you’d expect with Fugazi, Bad Brains, and Minor Threat, but it’s the others that will surprise you if you haven’t done your homework. Ian MacKaye sprinkled his talents around in more bands than I had thought, so he’s a prominent feature in this book.

Tom DeLonge Announces ‘Gods’ Book

Jason Tate Feb 7, 2017

Tom DeLonge’s next novel, Gods, will be out on March 7th. Pre-orders are up and the full press release can be found below.

Enter Shikari Are Releasing a Book

Jason Tate Feb 3, 2017

Enter Shikari will be releasing a book.

192 pages featuring all of Rou’s lyrics from Take To The Skies through to Hoodwinker, plus extensive essays by Rou with the meanings / backstories / inspirations behind a lot of the songs, plus a load of unseen photos and artwork expanding across the band’s career.

‘1984’ Rises to Top of Amazon Charts

Jason Tate Jan 25, 2017

George Orwell’s classic, 1984, has recently shot up the Amazon charts.

On Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning the book was #1 on Amazon’s computer-generated list of best-selling books. The list reflects hourly book sales.
The 68-year-old novel appeared on the list on Monday, hovered around the #6 spot for much of the day, rose to #2 by Tuesday afternoon and then hit #1.

John Darnielle Shares Novel New Teaser Trailer

Jason Tate Dec 26, 2016

John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats has posted a teaser trailer for his new novel, Universal Harvester.

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New Book to Document 80’s D.C. Punk Scene

Jason Tate Dec 16, 2016

A new book featuring photos and interviews detailing the various bands from the 1980’s Washington D.C. punk scene is coming out early next year. The book is called Spoke and was compiled by Scott Crawford. It’ll be out on February 2nd.

Tom DeLonge Releases New YA Novel Series

Jason Tate Oct 4, 2016

Tom DeLonge has released the new young adult novel Strange Times: The Ghost in the Girl. The full press release can be found below.

Dave Grohl’s Mother to Release New Book

Jason Tate Sep 7, 2016

Dave Grohl’s mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, will be releasing a new book all about rock stars’ moms. It’s called From Cradle to Stage: Stories From the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars and is due out on April 25th, 2017. Pre-orders are now up. A more detailed summary can be found below.

Mr. Feeny Writing a Memoir

Jason Tate Jul 20, 2016

William Daniels, maybe best known as playing Mr. Feeny on Boy Meets World, has announced his memoir will be out next year.

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Steven Hyden’s ‘Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me’

Craig Manning Jun 7, 2016

If you’ve ever told someone they’re a fucking moron for liking band X more than band Y, or for otherwise disagreeing with your obviously superior musical opinion, then Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me is the book for you. Written by Steven Hyden, a former contributor for Pitchfork, the AV Club, and Grantland (RIP), Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me is a thoroughly entertaining excavation of artist-versus-artist pissing contests. The subtitle says the book will teach us What Pop Music Rivalries Reveal About the Meaning of Life. Hyden’s thesis is that, depending on which side you take in any given pop music war, your choice says something about you. Something like Oasis vs. Blur might seem pretty trivial for anyone who wasn’t actively paying attention to Britpop in the 1990s, but in the pages of Hyden’s book, these battles mean everything.

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‘Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me’

Jason Tate May 18, 2016

Steven Hyden released his new book, Your Favorite Band is Killing Me: What Pop Music Rivalries Reveal About the Meaning of Life, this week.

Beatles vs. Stones. Biggie vs. Tupac. Kanye vs. Taylor. Who do you choose? And what does that say about you? Actually–what do these endlessly argued-about pop music rivalries say about us?
Music opinions bring out passionate debate in people, and Steven Hyden knows that firsthand. Each chapter in Your Favorite Band is Killing Me focuses on a pop music rivalry, from the classic to the very recent, and draws connections to the larger forces surrounding the pairing.

I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve heard really good things and have always enjoyed Steven’s writing.