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.
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 inATWOOD
- 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.
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.
Oh why not? Disco Japanese vampires!
Japanese girls look stylish in everything, even Goth.
Quruli
- The World's Greatest Band?
Quruli
has been one of the best bands in the world for more than a
decade, limited in their international appeal only by the language barrier, with
all of their songs presented in their native Japanese. Whatever, the music
translates without difficulty. Masashi Satoh,
the primary songwriter of what is now a duo, is world class as melodist and rock
composer. Shigeru Kishida holds down a
vicious bass, as well as a business empire built around
Noise McCartney Records, the band's label, led by Kishida. The derivation
of the name of the label is unknown to this writer, but Satoh has clearly been
influenced by The Beatles and Paul McCartney, so inferences may be forgiven.-
RAR
After meeting at "Rock Commune," Ritsumeikan University's music club, Shigeru Kishida, Masashi Satō, and
Nobuyuki Mori formed the original three-piece band. The name "Quruli,"
an onomatopoeic word expressing rotation, was taken from a sign in the
Kyoto Municipal Subway. In October 1998 Quruli released the single
"Tokyo" on Victor Entertainment. They released their first major label
album, Sayonara Stranger in 1999.
Quruli released the albums Zukan in 2000
and TEAM ROCK in 2001, both produced by Jim O'Rourke. During the
production of THE WORLD IS MINE (2001), Quruli added guitarist Tasshin
Ōmura to its lineup. In 2002, Mori left the band.
In 2003, after a trip to England, Quruli
returned with a single, How to Go, and created the soundtrack for Josee,
the Tiger, and the Fishes. After working with a number of session
drummers, Quruli officially added drummer Christopher McGuire to their
lineup in November of 2003. In 2003, HMV Records Japan rated Quruli #74
in their "Top 100 Japanese pops Artists".
In 2004 Quruli released the album
Antenna. After the tour for the album was completed, Christopher McGuire
left the group. 2005 saw the release of several Quruli singles along
with a new album, Nikki, released in December of that year. In 2007
Quruli released a new album, Tanz Walzer, recorded in Vienna with the
famous Ambassade Orchester Wien. They joined forces again in 2008 to put
out the live album Philharmonic or die.
Quruli first appeared on television
performing Aoi Sora on NHK. On September 9, 2005, Quruli appeared on the
popular "Music Station" program and performed their song, Akai Densha.
The song was also featured as the theme song to a Keihin Electric
Express Railway commercial.
On May 26, 2010, Quruli released the
B-side compilation Boku no Sundeita Machi, which also included their new
song "Tokyo Rerere no Re." The album reached No. 1 on the Oricon weekly
album charts, becoming their first No. 1 album on the charts.
On September 8, 2010, Quruli released
their latest album "Kotoba naranai Egao wo Misete kure yo", including
the singles "Shatsu wo araeba" (with Matsutoya Yumi) and "Maho no Jutan."
Their songs continue to be used in Tiovita drink commercials, starting
with Jubilee, followed by Taiyo no blues, Shatsu wo araeba, Maho no
Jutan, and a new song yet to be released.
