“Step It Up and Go” — literally onscreen

Well, folks, I can tell you this: There are better times to publish a book than in the midst of a ravaging worldwide pandemic and catastrophic economic meltdown. Still, we’re doing what we can to mark this fall’s rollout of “Step It Up and Go” — coming Oct. 19 from the fine folks at UNC Press.

Alas, a number of scheduled in-person events have come and gone from the calendar, like the “Step It Up and Go” stage I was going to curate and emcee for one day of the NC State Fair. So we’re pressing on with online virtual events. Below is what we have on the books so far; more events are in the works, so please continue checking here for schedule updates.

Meanwhile, UNC Press has begun rolling out the multi-media promotional stuff, starting with this short preview trailer below. A longer one is in-progress and will be coming soon, too. Check that out and I hope to cross paths with you sometime, virtually if not physically.

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Readings and Events

Tuesday, Aug. 25 (7 p.m.) – Virtual event with novelist David Goodwillie and writer/musician Kelly Crisp, via Page 158 Books, Wake Forest.

Sunday, Sept. 13 (10 a.m.) — Interview on Little Raleigh Radio.

Wednesday, Oct. 14 — “History @ High Noon” talk on beach music, virtual event via North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh.

Monday, Oct. 19 (7 p.m.) — Virtual event with Scott Huler via Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh.

Wednesday, Oct. 21 (6 p.m.) — “UNC Press Presents” virtual event via Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville.

Saturday, Oct. 24 — Record Store Day at Schoolkids Records, Raleigh.

Thursday, Oct. 29 (6 p.m.) — Virtual discussion with Jon Wurster and Tom Maxwell via Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill.

 

 

Bruce Springsteen rocks the forest

The latest news in my bookish world is a somewhat unusual project: a coffee-table book about a football stadium. I’m one of several contributors to Lee Pace’s “Football in a Forest: The Life and Times of Kenan Memorial Stadium,” a lavishly illustrated history of the University of North Carolina’s sports stadium in Chapel Hill. Kenan has also been the site of a few concerts over the years, most notably a September 2003 Bruce Springsteen show that I attended.

The show was great, of course, and I reviewed it for the News & Observer. But the most memorable part actually happened long before showtime, when I got to accompany a well-connected friend on a backstage visit. That’s where we encountered the late great Terry Magovern, a former Navy Seal who worked for many years as Springsteen’s personal assistant. Magovern was also in charge of gathering “local-color research,” which was how my friend and I found ourselves being grilled about North Carolina trivia “in case Bruce wants to say something onstage.” Turned out he did!

That wound up being the basis of my contribution to this book, an essay titled “A Visit From The Boss,” which can be found on pages 130-133 (accompanied by a spectacular onstage concert photo shot by Bernard Harris from the Durham Herald-Sun). Priced at $39.95, “Football in a Forest” is available at various brick-and-mortar stores around the Triangle including Chapel Hill’s Flyleaf Books, where Pace will do a reading-and-discussion event on Sept. 14; and Johnny T-Shirt, where Pace will be on Sept. 16. You can also order the book online here.

ADDENDUM (9/20/2016): Author interview about this book in the News & Observer.

Reading rainbow

Photo courtesy of Kevin Currin

Major thanks to everyone who came out for the first two “Losering” readings, this past Thursday at Quail Ridge in Raleigh and Friday at Flyleaf in Chapel Hill. They were both lovely events with attentive audiences, especially Quail Ridge, although that night got off to a somewhat unpromising start. I read a passage, which seemed to go over well enough, and then I asked for questions. The only person to raise a hand was a young man who apparently thought I was Ryan Adams.

Ummm…!

The thought flashed through my mind that this was going to be a long night — or, worse, a very short one. Fortunately, as I tried to explain that I just wrote a book about Ryan and could take no credit for his songs, I spied a rock star in the house. Bless his heart, Mr. Kenny Roby showed up; I was surprised and touched to see him there. So I gave Kenny a shout-out and a plug for his show the next night.

After that, the next hour flew by with lots of fine and thoughtful questions about the book and Whiskeytown and Ryan, leaving just enough time for me to sign a stack of books in a flurry before closing time. My great and loyal friend Scott Huler also threw an after-party where his band the Equivocators played a few Whiskeytown songs including “Faithless Street” and “Midway Park.” It was truly, truly awesome, and a big honor — a night I’ll never forget.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Lee

Friday night at Flyleaf didn’t draw quite as big a crowd; didn’t help that the heavens opened up just before showtime. But there was still a nice nucleus of folks — including Glenn Boothe, owner of Chapel Hill’s Local 506, a club where I saw Ryan play one of his best-ever solo shows in October 1999 (recounted in chapter 11 of the book); Steve Balcom, who used to run the aforementioned Mammoth Records, where the Backsliders recorded back in the day; and noted computer guru/poet Paul Jones. My American Music Series co-editor Peter Blackstock did the introduction, and I was glad to have him there.

The next readings will be Thursday (Oct. 4), at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Bull’s Head at 3:30 p.m. followed by The Regulator in Durham at 7 p.m. So if you’re over that way, please do come out and say hey.