March 10, 2024

GARAGE SALE VINYL: Rediscovering the Magic of Music... for a Song!

GARAGE SALE VINYL
Rediscovering the Magic
of Music... for a Song!
(2024)
____________

AVAILABLE NOW
Bibliozona Books
ISBN: 978-1-7332470-4-7
__________
 
One of the most exciting music trends in recent years has been the roaring resurgence of the vinyl record format. Enthusiasts worldwide now are rediscovering the magic of music — on cozy and (sometimes) crackly LPs.

Join author Christopher Long as he rummages through garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets along Florida’s sunny Space Coast (and beyond) in his pursuit of vinyl treasure — for "a song."

Based on his popular weekly Ink19.com column, Garage Sale Vinyl offers Long's lively analysis of his favorite seasoned album finds.

Each of the 50 chapters is devoted to a different classic album — enhanced by Long's feel-good stories and peppered with related commentary from an array of such famed music artists as Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Foghat co-founder Roger Earl, as well as celebrated media names, including FOX News personalities Jimmy Failla and Kat Timpf.

The foreword was penned by rising arena rock star, Bella Perron — guitarist for the band, Plush.
__________

__________
 
THE WORD ON THE STREET...

"Garage Sale Vinyl captures
the excitement of rediscovering
your favorite albums — a
must-read for any vinyl fan!"
Bella Perron
(Guitarist, Plush) 

"A nostalgic tunnel of love."
Judy Craddock
(Ink19.com)

"Warm and wonderfully written."
Scott Itter
(AllMusicMagazine.com)

"A welcome return
to a simpler time."
Steve Keller
(WFIT 89.5 / Melbourne, FL)

"I’ve been a Garage Sale Vinyl
fan from the beginning."
Rodney O’Quinn
(Bassist, Foghat)

"It’s thrilling to have a
new book about our fortune
of growing up in the greatest
time in music history!"
Cherie Currie
(Vocalist, The Runaways)

"I had to quickly get
on board this train."
Jesse Striewski
(RewindItMagazine.com)

"Chris’ adventures in musical
bargain hunting always
make for a gripping yarn."
Ian Koss
(Founder, Ink19.com)
 
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AMAZON (Paperback)

AMAZON (eBook)

__________



- GARAGE SALE VINYL -
(2024)
__________

- A SHOT OF POISON -
"10th Anniversary Edition"
(2020)
__________

- SUPERSTAR -
(2019)
__________

- SHOUT IT OUT LOUD -
(2014)
__________

- C'MON! -
(2012)

March 23, 2023

MY NEW VIDEO: DL Serios - “Smile Sara, Smile”

MY NEW VIDEO
DL Serios
“Smile Sara, Smile”
__________

Dig the skinny
on my phat new
music video...
__________

Under my secret agent alias, DL Serios, I formed the band DEAD SERIOS way back in 1985. I fronted the outrageous, award-winning punk / metal combo for the next 35 years. In 2020, I launched my snappy solo project and began "rebuilding" — writing new songs with my (now) longtime musical partner, guitarist, Chuck Lazaras, and playing live shows in tiny dumps throughout the "Sunshine State." Last fall, I released my debut album, PECKER, along with the lead-off video single, "Feeling Freakie" (See it here). This week, the second PECKER video single, "Smile Sara, Smile" arrived over on YouTube (See it here).

Me and Chuck doing what we do!
(Photo: Lenin Rodriguez)

“Smile Sara, Smile" is a happy little song about a sad little girl. It reflects my two primary musical influences; Motörhead and Debbie Gibson. Sara is (or maybe was) a real-life person. She was a barista at my neighborhood coffee joint a few years ago when I lived in Satellite Beach, Florida. I always was the first guy through the door every morning, so we kinda got to know each other. Sara was a sweet 19-year-old kid. But I knew she was hiding something dark behind her sunshine smile. A little while after moving from the beach, I was heartbroken to discover Sara’s mug shot in the local paper — the tragic result of making bad decisions while hanging out with bad people. I still don’t know how it all played out, or where she is now.

  
Master makeup artist Misti Blu Day transformed
actress Laura Cummins for her lead role as Sara
in the "Smile Sara, Smile" video.

Sara meant so much to me that I wrote a song for her — a creative collaboration between me, Chuck, former Pat Travers Band drummer, Tommy Craig, and bassist, Darrell Fleming. Despite its happy-sounding exterior and playful lyrics, the underlying message suggests something completely different. My ex-wife has reminded me ad nauseam that "Smile Sara, Smile" is the "stupidest" song I've ever written. I maintain that it's the most important song I've ever written. People matter to me. Sara mattered to me.

Actress Christina Weaver as the 
contagious "Coffee Lounge Cutie."

"Smile Sara, Smile" was shot by
videographer, Brendon Keith Paredes.

"Smile Sara, Smile" is the second video I've written and directed. It was shot at the fabulous Arts for All Studio in Melbourne, Florida. It features several return cast members from the "Feeling Freakie" video, as well as a bunch of fun, fresh-faced and very talented newcomers who I dubbed, "The Terror Teens."


The "Terror Teens" were total troopers!

To celebrate the recent video release, the folks at Arts for All Studio hosted an awesome "Big-Screen Premier Event" on March 18th. From the band to the cast to family and friends, it seemed like EVERYONE was there. The gala opened with a lively Q&A between Arts for All co-owner, Sarah Karp and myself. We then debuted the video on the in-house big screen, followed by a live set from the DL Serios band.  We even served up popcorn and soda AND milk and cookies! Now THAT'S punk rock!

See the full "Big-Screen Premier" photo gallery HERE.
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WATCH THE VIDEOS
 
HEAR THE RECORD

"FOLLOW"

MEDIA INQUIRIES
 
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- GARAGE SALE VINYL -
(2024)
__________

- A SHOT OF POISON -
"10th Anniversary Edition"
(2020)
__________

- SUPERSTAR -
(2019)
__________

- SHOUT IT OUT LOUD -
(2014)
__________

- C'MON! -
(2012)

November 20, 2022

IN MUSIC: Louis Tomlinson "Faith in the Future"

IN MUSIC
Louis Tomlinson
Faith in the Future
(BMG)
__________

Hmm, the TWO shiniest
pop records of 2022 were
made by guys who once
were in the same band.
That's straight-up wacky.
__________

Truth be told, when a long-established, celebrated artist drops a new record, their past accolades and prior achievements become irrelevant. ALL that matters is what they've got cookin' NOW. And once one dismisses the typical distractions  "machine"-generated hype, schmancy packaging, appealing production, the allure of who's bangin' who, upcoming movie roles and so on, a new record release comes down to just ONE thing — songs.

Depending on the format, Faith in the Future houses anywhere from 14 to 21 songs — an impressive, exhaustive effort, to be sure. And throughout the affair, Louis Tomlinson checks all the right boxes with his signature style, swagger and charm. Simply put, the record is an intoxicating night out — an exhilarating orgy where Tomlinson entertains an array of contemporary influences, while never losing his distinctive artistic identity.

Overseen by the extremely qualified Red Triangle production team and a slew of very capable co-writers, the songs feel genuine — honest and pure. Rife with relationship-fueled tension, "Written All Over Your Face" offers a crisp "morning after" account. Equally telling, "Face The Music" delivers one of the record's best lines — "I don't wanna face the music, but I still wanna dance with you." Owning a particularly crunchy, ska-flavored guitar riff,  "Out Of My System" serves as another tall standout.

"Silver Tongues"
(Official Video)

From the epic-sized opener, "The Greatest" to the soaring "Bigger Than Me" to the catchy "Silver Tongues" to the ambient "She Is Beauty We Are World Class" to the transparent "Common People," Faith in the Future possesses the ability to "scratch" that "itch" — wherever one's itch happens to be. Among my personal itches that Tomlinson scratches best  the MASSIVE heartache ballads, "Chicago" and "Angels Fly," as well as the 110% irresistible "Headline" and the record-closing, "That's The Way Love Goes" — a delicate, heartfelt treasure that showcases Tomlinson perched atop the tippy of his songwriting apex.

In sum, Faith in the Future crushes with Buick-sized hooks and infectious melodies. And Louis Tomlinson proves — even after all this time, to be an important artist who continues moving in only one direction  forward. (A+)

Faith in the Future (Track List)
01. The Greatest 3:02
02. Written All Over Your Face 2:41
03. Bigger Than Me 3:42
04. Lucky Again 3:28 
05. Face The Music 2:49 
06. Chicago 3:53 
07. All This Time 2:56 
08. Out Of My System 2:18 
09. Headline 2:54 
10. Saturdays 4:25 
11. Silver Tongues 3:26 
12. She Is Beauty We Are World Class 3:40 
13. Common People 2:59 
14. Angels Fly 3:38
15. Paradise 3:32
16. Holding On To Heartache 3:31
17. Copy Of A Copy Of A Copy (Live From Lima) 4:16
18. That's The Way Love Goes 2:31

Additional Bonus Tracks
- Change
- High in California
- Face the Music (Acoustic Demo)

Street Date 11.11.22
Record Label BMG

-Christopher Long
(November 2022)
__________



- GARAGE SALE VINYL -
(2024)
__________

- A SHOT OF POISON -
"10th Anniversary Edition"
(2020)
__________

- SUPERSTAR -
(2019)
__________

- SHOUT IT OUT LOUD -
(2014)
__________

- C'MON! -
(2012)

September 06, 2021

CAT STRICKLAND: Ethereal Singer/Songwriter Strikes Magical Chord with South Carolina Music Fans

CAT STRICKLAND
Ethereal Singer/Songwriter
Strikes Magical Chord with
South Carolina Music Fans
__________

There were discus-sized fried
green tomatoes, fluffy waffles
(an inch thick), and Nilla-crusted
chicken breasts. But at Mount
Pleasant's world-famous Page's
Okra Grill, there was more cookin'
that what was on the menu.
___________

By 10am it already was pushing 90° and the line of perspiring, hungry patrons waiting outside to be seated was hopelessly long. The plan was that my posse would have rolled up at Page's much earlier. I'd traveled to South Carolina from Florida to DJ a private event the day before. But the after-party ran well into the night, so we'd gotten a later start than expected that next morning.

All considering, the wait wasn't terribly long, maybe 20 minutes. Initially, we had no preference. The first available table was fine, inside or outside. It didn't matter. I just needed to destroy one of those fluffy waffles — ASAP. As luck would have it, we wound up outdoors.

As our hostess took us from the waiting area and down the sidewalk leading around back to the breezy dining patio, I couldn't help but notice that there were happy puppies everywhere — lounging in the sunshine, tethered to tables and generally chillaxin' at nearly all points in between. The lovable lab and the perky poodle were my two faves. As we approached the patio, I also noticed the distinctive, groovy music playing — probably a random Sunday morning playlist. Siri, play happy, breezy, sunny, fluffy waffle songs for people and puppies!

But the joke was on me. The music wasn't a Siri studio playlist. It was live. As I came around the corner, there she was — an airbrushed princess with a "gently loved" acoustic guitar in-hand. Sporting neon green hair and possessing a gypsy chic fashion sense, she could have been the angelic love child of the Gold Dust Woman and Ziggy Stardust — singing and playing "Superstar" (of course) — the iconic 1969 Bonnie Bramlett / Leon Russell collab recreated most famously by The Carpenters in 1971. What? The Carpenters? Really? In 2021? Hey NASA, I think I just discovered an alien!

Cat Strickland performing at Page's Okra Grill.

While my peeps settled in at our table and began perusing menu options, I made a beeline to the little makeshift stage area. "Lil' Ms. Gold Dust" had just segued into a soulful acoustic rendition of a Pretenders number and I embraced two objectives; 1) Confirm that this being was an actual human life form. 2) Stuff a wad of cash into her massive shiny tip bucket. As it turned out, she was in fact a human — and a darn sweet one at that. She allowed me to get a photo with her, then I promised to go away, eat my fluffy waffle and not pester her any further.

As her magical hit parade ensued, I became more and more captivated (along with everyone else who was within earshot), as she not only was engaging, and her voice was honest and pure, but her set list was an eclectic collection of cozies that included golden old timey classics from Foo Fighters, Weezer and The Cranberries plus SUPER old timey tunes from The BeatlesLed Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and a slew of others. 

Then it got wacky. On her break, she came up to our table and struck up a legit conversation — a rather brave and bold move in today's less than intimate iUniverse — particularly impressive given her immediate confession that she was only 20. Also, come to find out, her name really wasn't "Lil' Ms. Gold Dust," as she introduced herself to us (with physical handshakes) as Cat Strickland, a local Charleston area singer / songwriter who was putting herself through college by playing live music.

A genuinely likable and unassuming gal, Cat confessed that her parents had a big influence on her music interests, turning her on at an early age to "old" music by the likes of Steely Dan. She further revealed that her folks were less fond of her personal "weird '80s goth" faves such as Cocteau Twins. She also counts Stevie Nicks among her biggest musical inspirations. Ah-ha! I knew it!

Simply put, Cat Strickland is a true treasure. And if she isn't the hardest-working musician on the South Carolina scene, she's gotta come darn close to earning that distinction. She seemingly plays everywhere in and around Charleston and she's well-worth seeing and hearing for yourself. And if you catch her at Pages, you gotta try the fluffy waffles!

-Christopher Long
(September 2021)

__________

CAT STRICKLAND
SOCIALS
__________



- GARAGE SALE VINYL -
(2024)
__________

- A SHOT OF POISON -
"10th Anniversary Edition"
(2020)
__________

- SUPERSTAR -
(2019)
__________

- SHOUT IT OUT LOUD -
(2014)
__________

- C'MON! -
(2012)