RARWRITER PUBLISHING GROUP PRESENTS

CREATIVE CULTURE JOURNAL

at www.RARWRITER.com      

--------------------"The best source on the web for what's real in arts and entertainment" ---------------------------

Volume 1-2016

MUSIC    BOOKS    FINE ARTS   FILM   THE WORLD

ARTIST NEWS    THIS EDITION   ABOUT   MUSIC   MUSIC REVIEWS  BOOKS  CINEMA   FASHION   FINE ARTS  FEATURES   SERIES  MEDIA  ESSAY  RESOURCES  WRITTEN ARTS POETRY  CONTACT  ARCHIVES  MUSIC LINKS

                                 

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Use this link to add your email address to the RARWRITER Publishing Group mailing list for updates on activities associated with the Creative Culture and Revolution Culture journals, and other RARWRITER Publishing Group interests.

 

ABOUT RAR: For those of you new to this site, "RAR" is Rick Alan Rice, the publisher of the RARWRITER Publishing Group websites. Use this link to visit the RAR music page, which features original music compositions and other.

Use this link to visit Rick Alan Rice's publications page, which features excerpts from novels and other.

RARADIO

(Click here)

Currently on RARadio:

"On to the Next One" by Jacqueline Van Bierk

"I See You Tiger" by Via Tania

"Lost the Plot" by Amoureux"

Bright Eyes, Black Soul" by The Lovers Key

"Cool Thing" by Sassparilla

"These Halls I Dwell" by Michael Butler

"St. Francis"by Tom Russell & Gretchen Peters, performance by Gretchen Peters and Barry Walsh; 

"Who Do You Love?"by Elizabeth Kay; 

"Rebirth"by Caterpillars; 

"Monica's Frock" by Signel-Z; 

"Natural Disasters" by Corey Landis; 

"1,000 Leather Tassels" by The Blank Tapes; 

"We Are All Stone" and "Those Machines" by Outer Minds; 

"Another Dream" by MMOSS; "Susannah" by Woolen Kits; 

Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and other dead celebrities / news by A SECRET PARTY;

"I Miss the Day" by My Secret Island,  

"Carriers of Light" by Brendan James;

"The Last Time" by Model Stranger;

"Last Call" by Jay;

"Darkness" by Leonard Cohen; 

"Sweetbread" by Simian Mobile Disco and "Keep You" fromActress off the Chronicle movie soundtrack; 

"Goodbye to Love" from October Dawn; 

Trouble in Mind 2011 label sampler; 

Black Box Revelation Live on Minnesota Public Radio;

Apteka "Striking Violet"; 

Mikal Cronin's "Apathy" and "Get Along";

Dana deChaby's progressive rock

 

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Rick Alan Rice (RAR) Literature Page

ATWOOD - "A Toiler's Weird Odyssey of Deliverance" -AVAILABLE NOW FOR KINDLE (INCLUDING KINDLE COMPUTER APPS) FROM AMAZON.COM. Use this link.

CCJ Publisher Rick Alan Rice dissects the building of America in a trilogy of novels collectively calledATWOOD. Book One explores the development of the American West through the lens of public policy, land planning, municipal development, and governance as it played out in one of the new counties of Kansas in the latter half of the 19th Century. The novel focuses on the religious and cultural traditions that imbued the American Midwest with a special character that continues to have a profound effect on American politics to this day. Book One creates an understanding about America's cultural foundations that is further explored in books two and three that further trace the historical-cultural-spiritual development of one isolated county on the Great Plains that stands as an icon in the development of a certain brand of American character. That's the serious stuff viewed from high altitude. The story itself gets down and dirty with the supernatural, which in ATWOOD - A Toiler's Weird Odyssey of Deliveranceis the outfall of misfires in human interactions, from the monumental to the sublime. The book features the epic poem "The Toiler" as well as artwork by New Mexico artist Richard Padilla.

Elmore Leonard Meets Larry McMurtry

Western Crime Novel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am offering another novel through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing service. Cooksin is the story of a criminal syndicate that sets its sights on a ranching/farming community in Weld County, Colorado, 1950. The perpetrators of the criminal enterprise steal farm equipment, slaughter cattle, and rob the personal property of individuals whose assets have been inventoried in advance and distributed through a vast system of illegal commerce.

It is a ripping good yarn, filled with suspense and intrigue. This was designed intentionally to pay homage to the type of creative works being produced in 1950, when the story is set. Richard Padilla has done his usually brilliant work in capturing the look and feel of a certain type of crime fiction being produced in that era. The whole thing has the feel of those black & white films you see on Turner Movie Classics, and the writing will remind you a little of Elmore Leonard, whose earliest works were westerns. Use this link.

 

EXPLORE THE KINDLE BOOK LIBRARY

If you have not explored the books available from Amazon.com's Kindle Publishing division you would do yourself a favor to do so. You will find classic literature there, as well as tons of privately published books of every kind. A lot of it is awful, like a lot of traditionally published books are awful, but some are truly classics. You can get the entire collection of Shakespeare's works for two bucks.

You do not need to buy a Kindle to take advantage of this low-cost library. Use this link to go to an Amazon.com page from which you can download for free a Kindle App for your computer, tablet, or phone.

Amazon is the largest, but far from the only digital publisher. You can find similar treasure troves atNOOK Press (the Barnes & Noble site), Lulu, and others.


 

 

 

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THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS

Art often thrives in the aftermath of adversity, and since we last heard from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, there have been plenty of variables that the five-piece alternative rock act had to endure. But for the Middleburg, Florida-based band, hardships eventually ironed out thanks to unrelenting perseverance, paving the way for the band’s incredibly ambitious (and aptly titled) The Hell Or High Water EP in 2010, followed by its third and highly anticipated long player Am I The Enemy (bowing in August 2011).

Like the EP that preceded it, the project comes under a partnership with its management company The Collective Don’t You Fake It on the heels of the band’s voluntary parting of ways with Virgin Records, the company that first signed the band for 2006’s gold selling (spawning the smash single “Face Down”), followed by 2009’s Lonely Road (which debuted in the top twenty of the Billboard 200). Reconnecting with its DIY roots, Am I The Enemy finds the guys sounding more on fire than ever before, exuding confidence at every razor sharp turn of the amplifier or bellowing vocal execution from impassioned front man Ronnie Winter.

“It’s been three years since our last full-length album, and in the time between, there’s been a lot of rebuilding where we’ve gotten a lot more focused, sorted out all our behind the scenes issues and got to the point of just really wanting to make a new record,” the front man asserts. “We knew that the fans were behind us after their support of The Hell Or High Water EP, but we wanted to take our writing to the next level without having to worry about any of the business stuff and just put all our focus on the music. It was just like riding a bike; right after we got into the studio, the training wheels came off and we were ready to get dangerous and test our limitations.”

Besides the band’s enthusiasm and tenacity, additional creative prodding came from producer John Feldmann, perhaps most familiar for his role as Goldfinger’s ringleader, but also known for behind the scenes work with The Used, Story of the Year, Good Charlotte, Plain White T’s, Saosin and Neon Trees (amongst countless others). Though the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus guys were lifelong Goldfinger fans, the connection came very organically after a co-producing session.

“It was totally genuine and we weren’t even looking for a producer type of deal, but just wanted to come up with some new ideas,” notes Winter. “We sat around with two acoustic guitars and right off the bat we clicked. We wrote the first single “Reap” (out April 26) and then turned around and wrote “Salvation” on the same day. We jumped right into demoing both of those songs a week after that and one thing led to another. Our work ethics blended really well, it was a ton of fun and there was no drama, which all made a huge difference in creating a record we’re all really proud of.”

Adds Feldmann: “It was a piece of cake working with the Red Jumpsuit guys. They were full of ideas and a real pleasure to record. Every one of them brought something unique to the record. This was a really fun record for me to make. Super talented musicians. Plus I kicked all their asses at ping pong.”

As for the tracks contained therein, die-hards and newcomers alike can look forward to a slew of sonic risks, wrapped around the group’s signature, post-hardcore, alternative rock romps. “There’s some cool digital programming and drum sound experimenting that we’ve never tried before and some crazy new chords with some really cool half step progressions,” reveals Winter. “John really opened some doors for us and I think any of our fans who are also musicians will notice it right away. Some of the chords are really peculiar sounding, but crazy awesome and cohesive with the rest of the record.”

A major case in point comes from the aforementioned “Reap,” which Winter asserts spawned the direction of the entire record thanks to its searing choruses, chugging verses and a ballsy “goes around comes around” attitude. The singer and producer’s second collaboration “Salvation” is an in your face anthem for anyone who’s ever faced adversity, while “Fall From Grace” firmly addresses the major label red tape from the group’s past and eventual realization to make music on its own terms. “Dive Too Deep” demonstrates the decade-nearing band dusting off an old riff that guitarist Duke Kitchens dreamt up when the guys were mere teens, but with a campfire crackling and the beer flowing, Winter finally found the right melody to match the undeniably catchy, emotional apex of the record.

As for the underlying theme, Am I The Enemy continues in the group’s thought-provoking, politically-charged direction that’s peppered previous projects, but has yet to be this bold. Regardless of one’s party line or personal beliefs, the band is sure to get listeners diving deep into the linear notes as they’re faced with probing rhetorical questions.

“We travel abroad all the time and I definitely feel like there’s a weird cloud in other countries regarding their perception of Americans,” explains Winter. “There seems to be this feeling that they think of us as bullies or the world police, though I don’t see it that way, especially when we’ve played for troops in Iraq, Cuba and here in the States. Sure there are problems, but if Am I The Enemy had a question mark after it, I would respond as a 28-year-old American by saying we’re actually trying to help strife-ridden countries learn about democracy, capitalism and freedom. We may have a bad economy and lying politicians, but as a society, I think we live in one of the greatest countries on earth.”

Listeners can certainly judge for themselves as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus loads up its tour buses for its first proper North American tour since the last long player, backed by a bevy of international appearances. “We want to show fans we still care about them, even though we’ve been away for awhile,” sums up Winter. “We’re really excited about this record, more than anything we’ve ever released before, and we finally felt free to do what we wanted without having some huge shadow hanging over us.”

For More Information Contact
Christen Thomas at christen@presswolfpr.com or Nikki Herceg at heynikkih@gmail.com

 

 

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©Rick Alan Rice (RAR), November, 2018

 

   

 

 

  ARTIST NEWS    THIS EDITION   ABOUT   MUSIC   MUSIC REVIEWS  BOOKS  CINEMA   FASHION   FINE ARTS  FEATURES   SERIES  MEDIA  ESSAY  RESOURCES  WRITTEN ARTS POETRY  CONTACT  ARCHIVES  MUSIC LINKS

Copyright © November, 2018 Rick Alan Rice (RARWRITER)