Booked On Rock

In "Babysitting A Band On The Rocks", G.D. Praetorius tells the story of a chaotic youth producing concerts during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the summit of rock god excess. He offers humorous and insightful reflections on the excitement and insanity of the era from the eyes and ears of a fan who hit the jackpot, leaping from the back row to backstage, promoting, pacifying and occasionally partying with some of the world's biggest names. Praetorius' adolescent infatuation with music and

The year 1979 was an amazing time for UK post-punk pop. At the end of March, a fresh new sound entered the British top 20. "Sultans of Swing", a very wordy song with lots of driving guitar, a tight rhythm section and some killer musicianship. Dire Straits, unlikely pop stars led by a balding 29-year-old Geordie who could play guitar brilliantly, had finally arrived. Six years later, they were, for a time, the biggest band in the world. 'Brothers in Arms' sold by the truckload, one of the first

The conclusion to the definitive biography of the rock ’n’ roll kings of the North. "Rush In The 90s" includes two full-colour photo inserts, with unearthed photos of the band. In this conclusion to his trilogy of authoritative books on Canada’s most beloved and successful rock band, Martin Popoff takes us through three decades of “life at the top” for Rush’s Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. Though this era begins with the brisk-selling 'Roll the Bones' and sees throngs of fans sell out

This week the late great Levon Helm of The Band would have turned 81. He was born May 26th, 1940 in Elaine Arkansas. He sadly passed away in April of 2012. This is an interview I did for my last podcast DISCovery. It’s with author Sandra B. Tooze, who released a book last summer on Levon. The book is called "Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of The Band and Beyond". He sang the anthems of a generation: "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and "Life Is a Carnival." Levon Helm's story––told

Throughout the remarkable twenty-two-year career of the Ramones the seminal punk rock band, Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famers, Recording Academy Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners and inductees into The Library of Congress' National Recording Registry, Monte A. Melnick saw it all. He was the band's tour manager from their 1974 CBGB debut to their final show in 1996. In his book "On The Road With The Ramones" Monte, along with co-author Frank Meyer, tell that story. Full of insider perspectives and

Few rock drummers remain as universally praised as Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham. Listen to any Zeppelin album, and you will hear a virtual showcase on expert rock drumming – while never getting in the way of the group’s other members and their contributions, singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist John Paul Jones. But sadly, one of rock’s all-time greats died tragically young – he was only 32 years old – resulting in the end of one of rock’s most celebrated bands. To mark 40 years since

For the debut episode of Booked On Rock we talk with Frank Meyer, author of two great books on the Ramones!ON THE ROAD WITH THE RAMONES: Throughout the remarkable twenty-two-year career of the Ramones the seminal punk rock band Monte A. Melnick saw it all. He was with the band for over 2,200 shows, from their very early CBGB dates to their final show in 1996 working his way up to be the bands tour manager. Monte tells his story of what it is like to be on and off the road with the band. Full of

Hello rock fans! I've got a brand new podcast called Booked On Rock. If you enjoyed listening to my podcast DISCovery, I think you’re gonna enjoy this one too.Join me for deep dive discussions of the greatest artists, albums and songs in rock history with the authors who've written all about them. There are so many great books that have been written about rock music and so many that continue to come out every week. This will be the place for both those who’ve written books about rock and those who