Music Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Raised on Rock by Thomas Drago

Anyone who has ever set a personal dream aside understands the pain and nagging doubt that can come along with such a decision. Youthful ambition drives us to pursue even our most outlandish hopes, but as the years pass, those old possibilities dwindle and narrow, even if we hate to admit it. In Raised on Rock, a novel by Thomas Drago, this challenging shift in reality is explored in stark detail.

Dante Rose has been enthralled by rock and roll since he was young, and chased that rocker lifestyle for years through small-town North Carolina with his band Thorn[…]

Review: The Gospel of Tommy Visconti (The Edge of the Known – Conclusion) by Seth Mullins

The Gospel of Tommy Visconti by Seth Mullins is the sixth and final volume of The Edge of the Known series, which follows the rise of the band Edge of the Known and the mercurial bandleader Brandon Chane, as he muses about life and the creative process. Here the story is told by his creative partner Tommy Visconti, as we get a view of Brandon from a distance, and potentially a deeper look into the author of this fascinating series.

Tommy Visconti is the lumbering bass player in Edge of the Known – not quite the mastermind, but instrumental in […]

Henry Baum2018-03-23T12:41:18+02:00March 22nd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|

Review: Awaken to the Wilderness (The Edge of the Known Book Five) by Seth Mullins

★★★★

Awaken to the Wilderness by Seth Mullins follows the band, Edge of the Known, on a grueling 180-day tour, which may be the undoing of band leader, Brandon, who has never been one to handle the trappings of success and fame very well. Here though, Brandon may be coming to terms with his life and art, realizing there’s always a wilderness, but you can always find meaning and contentment within the struggle.

Unlike the four earlier books in the series, Awaken loses a fair bit of its pretension and philosophizing, focusing more on the antics and experiences of a […]

Henry Baum2018-02-16T11:42:57+02:00February 4th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|

Review: Water and Air by Neill

We all wish to have the strength to find our own inner happiness and the peace we require to survive and thrive. However, there are times in life when we need a nudge in the right direction, or a calming whisper in our ear. For moments like that, Water and Air, the first two meditation guidebooks in a new 5-part series, can help quiet the raucous world around you.

Coupled with an audio CD, Water and Air are distinctly different books, but both seek to achieve similar goals. Water is Book 1, and the accompanying disc taps into musical […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:52:28+02:00November 13th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Music Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

Review: Fire Thief Reborn (The Edge of the Known Book 4) by Seth Mullins

★★★★★

Fire Thief Reborn is the fourth installment in Seth Mullins’ riveting Edge of the Known series. In previous installments, we’ve seen the band Edge of the Known struggle in obscurity and then shoot to stardom, told through the eyes of its artistic visionary, Brandon Chane. Brandon’s had his struggle in relationships, and with the artistic process, through it all. Success isn’t always an answer.

In Book 4, it’s seven years after the band’s rise to stardom. Brandon’s found the peace of an artist who’s said everything he needed to say, and reached a willing audience. He’s content, for perhaps […]

Henry Baum2018-02-16T11:46:10+02:00April 3rd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Men's Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|

Review: Humanity’s Way Forward (The Edge of the Known Book 3) by Seth Mullins

★★★★½

Humanity’s Way Forward (The Edge of the Known Book 3) by Seth Mullins finds the band Edge of the Known finally getting a real foothold in the music industry, and Brandon, their leader, as conflicted as ever. The band wins a battle of the bands, gets favorable reviews and a record deal, and with it massive success. All the while, Brandon is continually tormented by his troubled past, his girlfriend, Janie, as well as deaths that find their way into his life. The book is a meditation on artistic creation, fame and fate. It’s a novel, and a series, […]

Henry Baum2019-01-22T15:27:59+02:00November 28th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Men's Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|

Golden Notes by Samuel Joeckel

Golden Notes by Samuel Joeckel is a love letter to music. Starting in 1981, it follows the life of young Cali Sky, a musical prodigy on the piano, and then guitar, which she discovers in her bedroom closet, unleashing an odyssey of musical exploration. The child of hippie parents, Cali Sky branches out to the punk movement of the moment – first covering Agent Orange, and moving on from there. Through her broadening horizons on the musical front, she begins to explore deeply her friendship with her musical cohort, Brodie, and further understand her parents’ past.

As Joeckel was formerly […]

Henry Baum2016-05-06T06:49:52+02:00May 6th, 2016|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Music Book Reviews|

Review: Trust in the Unseen (The Edge of the Known Book 2) by Seth Mullins

★★★★½

Trust in the Unseen is the second book in Seth Mullins’ cerebral and inspiring Edge of the Unknown series. The first installment of the series found Brandon Chane in a band on the way up, Edge of the Unknown, and seeking spiritual counsel from the enigmatic Saul.

The second volume finds Brandon reeling from a break-up, even as his band is on the rise, and as visionary as ever. His mentor, Saul Mason, is having personal issues of his own, and may not be the spiritual rock he purported himself to be. One thing remains true through the turmoil: […]

Henry Baum2018-02-16T11:46:37+02:00April 25th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|