In The Shadow Of The Gods: The Memoirs Of A Led Zeppelin Tribute SingerCo-authored with Jean Violet
2021 From Jean Violet:
Once upon a time I wanted to be this rock star. That guy on MTV and on the radio. Well, I did, sorta. I'm not on MTV, nor on the radio, but I did figure out a way to make music, do what I love, pay the bills and have a fulfilling life. I may not quite be the rock star I dreamed of, but I'm in the shadow of rock star gods, in more ways than one. I get to play one and play on the same stages with them, hang out with them, and sometimes be treated as one of them, and I had my time signed to a label and touring with them on two continents. This is my rock'n'roll journey of how I've spent over 20 years playing Robert Plant on stage with the tribute band Kashmir, alongside Andy Urban, Paul Cooper and Zebra's Felix Haneman. Tribute bands are an unsung part of the music world whose backstage story rarely gets told. This is my experience growing the band from New York City clubs to Madison Square Garden to theaters across America, while growing as a person and a singer. Its the highs and lows of the music business, the tragedies and successes, the unexpected adventures and missed opportunities, the huge egos and humbling learning experiences. Its working with famous people like manager Don Hills and Kix's Jimi K. Bones, touring with Ratt's Stephen Pearcy and Carmine Appice, to getting a reality check from Little Steven. It is also the path that led me to Kashmir, including the bands, making music in Japan, day jobs and family issues, to burning out and being burned by folks I thought were friends. And, here's the irony of it all ... I didn't even like Led Zeppelin when I was growing up. Yet, somehow I made it from A to Zeppelin. |
Watch the video below for an hour long interview with Jean talking about the book on the CBC Wizdumb Hour podcast
Click below for an interview with me mentioning the book on the Awesome Gang authors blog.
Click below for another interview with me mentioning the book on Ramona Portelli's author blog.
"In The Shadow Of The Gods was a brilliant approach to making a book like this. To any Zeppelin fan it's more than just a biography. Some of the parts that really grabbed me were the speaking of different tribute bands & the approaches that were taken during the journey. After reading this you will gain more respect for all tribute band musicians & the rock n' roll roads they have taken." - Led Zeppelin USA website
"So vivid in your descriptions. Such a heartbreaking story, but such a sweet story. If you're a musician & you've been through anything you'll definitely relate to this book, but you'll also learn some stuff. You guys are the premier Zeppelin tribute band." - Steve Witschel co-host of Cover Band Central Wizdumb Hour podcast, former bassist of Kashmir "Being a musician must truly be a labor of love because the music industry seems to be a very challenging environment. I salute anyone who believes in themselves enough to persevere through it. It has really reminded me of how much the world has changed around me over the last 40 years or so. Jean's struggle and drive are clearly illustrated. You just have to admire someone with that much conviction and perseverance." - Ananda Bhagat, artist and videographer "I was working in my garden yesterday when Fed Ex delivered your book. I sat on my porch and read 5 chapters, and couldn't put it down. Awesome story. I can relate to so many things, too many to mention. The one thing that comes to mind is, the first time we experienced Kashmir the after show meeting showed us a band that was very down to earth and as genuine as you can get." - anonymous fan of Kashmir "The book was inspiring." - Melissa G. fan of Kashmir "Jean Violet, you are an inspiration!" - Eric, Amazon review |
Drivin' Sideways: The Story Of The Band Danger Danger2019
This is the first book on Danger Danger. Its charts their life using words from all the members, from their early days as Hotshot to their quasi-reunion as the Defiants. This is an unauthorized fan publication. Many critics lump them in with their 1980's peers, but further listening makes it evident that Danger Danger had so much more to offer. While in the glam metal bubble their many textures got lost, only to then reinvent themselves once the grunge wave hit the musical shores. While the members have worked with Michael Bolton, Billy Sheehan, Motley Crue, Peter Criss, Alice Cooper, White Lion, David Lee Roth, Y&T, Megadeth, Joan Jett, Asia, Dee Snider, and Dio, among others. Now comes the history of Steve West, Bruno Ravel, Ted Poley, Paul Laine, Mike Pont, Phil Naro, Rob Marcello, Andy Timmons, Tony "Bruno" Rey, Al Pitrelli, Kasey Smith, touring members Steven Mazza of the Ted Poley Band, Steve Brown of Trixter, Scott Brown of Trooper, and roadie Kelly Nickels later of L.A. Guns.
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"The usual book about bands follows a predictable course of action: Band meets. Band plays together. Band makes album. Band has millions of adoring fans. Band gets in trouble, usually with drugs or women or something of that nature. Band breaks up. Band gets back together later, and all love each other, and start writing again. Band’s new album sucks. Nobody believes band is all forgiven. Everyone loses interest in band, so someone writes a book about it. Blah, blah, blah.Some people really like that style of biographical band research. They like the idea of treating the band like it’s a literal discography, a timeline of events that seemed crammed into a specific order. Seldom, if ever, is life – and history – that neat, nice, and simple. If that’s your only reference of band biographies, then let me introduce you to something better: an intimate portrait of a band, composed over several hundred hours’ of research, detailing, and interviews that contain the actual words of band members. Enter in: Drivin’ Sideways: The Story of the Band Danger Danger.
I admit that Danger Danger wasn’t a band I was particularly familiar with prior to reading Aaron Joy’s work. Though familiar to a certain extent with the 80s metal scene, largely in part because my late husband was a huge metal fan (and saw many of the bands in person when he was still in his teens), Danger Danger wasn’t ever on my radar. Now that I’ve read it, I feel like I sat down and personally talked with each member of this band. Instead of presenting a timeline of events, Aaron does something unique with his book: he focuses on members of the band, one at a time, as well as the album creation and thoughts about the final product from the members themselves. Instead of just talking about their experiences with the band, he also provides an extensive background on their musical history, other bands and musical acts they were part of at different parts of their careers, including Michael Bolton, Megadeath, Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Mahogany Rush, Alice Cooper, UFO, and beyond. Aaron Joy holds back nothing in his honest assessments and critiques of the band, while still presenting the band’s story as their own, from their own words. From their early days with the moderate hit, Bang Bang, to their dark days of grunge’s sound with their album, Dawn, to reunions, quasi-reunions, breakups, and new members, the group’s entire history is found within its pages, written in a way that lets the band speak for themselves. Documented from hundreds of interviews, each band member’s thoughts are found in this book. Uncensored, raw, and sometimes shocking, you are able to hear exactly what the band thought about their own projects, their songs, what they thought was best or worst, what they enjoyed most, what they disliked, and how they feel about themselves, growing from Danger Danger now to the quasi-reunion present in the group, The Defiants. It’s evident the author is a fan; not just of the band, but of many of the band’s members, and that can be heard in his commentaries, historical details, and array of knowledge that can only be had when one truly enjoys the music as well as the people. Sincere, intimate, and candid, the book reflects as if you aren’t just learning a band’s basics, but about the members of the band, themselves. After all, isn’t that what makes great music – feeling like you know the artists, rather than just ideas about them?" - Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino of Bookmasters blog |
The Pianos I Have Known: The Autobiography Of Irving FieldsBy Irving Fields
As Told To Tony Sachs Introduction by pianist Albert Aprigliano Edited & Published by Aaron Joy 2012 Jewish pianist/composer Irving Fields, aka "The Rabbi of Rhumba" (as touted the liner notes of his 1959 album “Bagels & Bongos", formed one of the first piano-bass-drum trios in jazz and would compose song performed by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Xavier Cugat, Guy Lombardo, Dinah Shore, Sarah Vaughan and others, including the Muppet Show. In 1959 made history by fusing Latin and jazz music on his album "Bagels And Bongos", followed by a series of albums fusing jazz with world rhythms and his legacy was set. In his 90's his wrote this autobiography about his life with the help of Huffington Post columnist and former music store owner Tony Sachs. Introduction by fellow NYC cocktail pianist Albert Aprigliano. Every publisher had turned down the manuscript when Irving, who was a friend of my roommate, introduced me to Tony. Tony had disowned the book and didn't want it published. I read it and had others read it, and we all had the same issues with it. I took the manuscript and gave it a complete re-organization. I re-adjusted the focus away from the travels and moved it to the music, and wrote an appendix on Irving's sister Peppy who was a Florida radio star. The result was Tony calling the result his dream book, while Irving's wife Ruth also finally liked it.
Click below for Irving's obituary in the New York Daily News at age 101, 2016.
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"Racy memoir." - Benjamin Ivry, The Forward Jewish newsletter
"This book is a wonderful journey into a life of great adventures. A easy read and a must for all New Yorkers and great music lovers." - Calamari Kid, amazon review
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Co-author Tony Sachs spent many years writing for the Huffington Post. Below is an article he wrote excepting from the book (2010). Click photos below to enlarge.
The book was mentioned in an article discussing Irving's life in The Forward Jewish newsletter (2016). Click photos below to enlarge.
In 2010 through my record label (Roman Midnight Music) I reissued Irving's 1959 album "More Bagels & Bongos" with his trio, along with releasing two albums of contemporary solo piano music. Irving and his wife Ruth designed the cover for the reissue. This was done before we released the memoir and part of a year of projects I did with Irving. A couple tracks, and my name, got played on Dr. Demento's Valentines Day show. It also was reviewed in fRoots magazine touting itself as "The Essential Folk, Roots & World Music Guide" out of England (2010) . Click photos below to enlarge.
The album was also reviewed in the the Jewish Libraries Newsletter and the Blog In Dm that is "Blogging Jewish Music from A to Zorn!" (2010). Click photos below to enlarge both.
Heavy Metal MusicFrom The Inside: Quotes On Being A Rocker2017
A rock musician's life is glamorous, but it is also a winding road of learning and discovery with no clear road signs to guide by. This book broadly paints this unique journey via the words of those who have done it and have much to share following both successes and failures . . . or at least stuff to vent about. This book goes deep inside the music business and into the musician's life, looking for the real struggle, real life and real feelings. It tries to paint the otherwise invisible street signs as it charts the life of a musician from learning an instrument to being in a band to breaking up, quoting both mainstream and indie musicians. While the book may be focused on the heavy metal/hard rock experience, the story it tells is actually one any struggling or successful working musician will relate to. This is unlike any other music quote book around and is more than a collection of thoughts but an education.
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"You are amazing to me, bro. I have read your book 5 times now & its just killer." - Charlie Z of the Militants
"The book is awesome." - Michael Schermuly promoter of Ringo Starr "You applied the industrial music art philosophy to a book? Genius! It's amazing how much you've embraced industrial music without knowing what it was. That concept of imperfect art for the sake of humanizing it." - Stefan "Dod Beverte" Klein of Dethcentrik "Well researched & presented, its something pretty unique, in my opinion." - librarian Ed King of Maine Masonic Grand Lodge library |
This book was mentioned in Sin City magazine of Las Vegas in an interview with Charlie Z. of the Militants, who is quoted in the book (2018). Click photos below to enlarge.
John Cage took the world apart and transformed it into something new through his music and writings. This avant-garde collection of poetry, pen drawings and prose takes apart his life and music and puts it back together in a new form. This book tells through prose of my actual 10 year search to find an album featuring a recording of Cage's famed composition 4'33", i.e. the 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. This search is mixed with poetry based on and inspired by his life and music.