The College Crowd Digs Me

"The Silent Land"  by Graham Joyce (2010) Hardcover, 262 pages NO SPOILERS: Curling up with " The Silent Land"  is a lot like watching a trippy episode of "Black Mirror."   The story is both eerie and atmospheric with very off-kilter vibes.  Very little can be written without giving too much away, but suffice it to say, a young romantic couple on a ski vacation gets caught up in an avalanche.  Graham Joyce cleverly creates a very claustrophobic world void of almost any sounds and then covers it with snow and spooky, ominous goings-on.  It's a very easy read, and perfect for the cold, wintry nights ahead.  I was also delighted with the beautiful dust jacket design.  It has a frosted transparent cover with gray letters on the jacket and black letters on the book.  It's a very cool and unusual presentation and the extra effort is appreciated. "Winter Time" - Steve Miller / "Book Of Dreams" (1977) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow

"Livin' Love" - The Feminine Complex (1969) The Feminine Complex were five high school girls from Tennessee and historically one of the earliest all-girl rock and roll groups on the scene.  Playing their own instruments and singer/guitarist  Mindy Dalton writing most of the songs, their music was a spectrum of catchy garage pop-rock and dreamy, melancholic ballads with some soft psych nuggets thrown into the mix.  The band was all hot pants and high boots and high energy on stage for those lucky enough to have seen them.  Apparently. they toned it down somewhat for their lone album, "Livin' Love," but the square is still filled with infectious energy and commitment.  And I found it quite enjoyable. "Livin' Love" - The Feminine Complex (back) The band is also listed in The Acid Archives , but the review is a little bit misleading.  The album is described as being "horn-led pop" and that is just so not true.  Horns show up on a cou

  "Home" (front) This was a blind buy.  It was $8 and it looked interesting enough to take a chance.  Plus the back cover mentioned guitarist Leslie West as a guest musician on one of the songs.  Felix Pappelardi was the producer.  Turns out  Jolliver Arkansaw was really the psych band... Bo Grumpus .  When the band changed labels from ATCO to Bell Records, for some legal reason or other, the band was forced to also change their name.  So the band from New York, via Boston, went with the name Jolliver Arkansaw .  Whaddyagonnado? Anyway, "Home" wound up being a surprising chance purchase.  The music is catchy and rocks pretty hard with a rural garage attitude.  There is occasional psych dustings on a couple of songs as well.  Side two is the stronger spin with Leslie West playing nice on the closing track... "Gray Afternoon."   The fuzzier  "Lisa My Love" is heavy with a Hendrix vibe all over it.  The wonderful "Hatred Sun" is a

"...if you were prone to stage fright... then you were in the wrong occupation." ~ Pete Agnew ~         “Heartbreaker, soul shaker.”   Nazareth's  classic hard rock album “Hair Of The Dog” (1975) has just celebrated its 45th anniversary.  Filled with blistering rock gems and a definitive power ballad,  “Hair Of The Dog” is a no-filler must-own square.    Dan McCafferty's scorching vocals. Manny Charlton's guitar burns.  The drumming of Darrell Sweet .  The tight, low-down bass runs from Pete Agnew.  Together...they made a little rock and roll magic.  Nazareth has been rollin' the ball since their self-titled debut album in 1971.  After 24 albums, (the last being their 2018 barnburner "Tattooed On My Brain") ... Pete Agnew is the only member to have played on every single one.  But it is “Hair Of The Dog” that has cemented Nazarerth's place on shelves of rock and roll ass-kickery.  A son of a bitch, indeed.    Go get you some. Pete Agnew