Tosh Berman in the Current Issue of L.A. Record (Regarding "Sparks-Tastic" and other subject Matters)

Once there is an illustration of one's self, I feel I made the big time. Illustration by Amy Hagemeier http://akhhka.blogspot.com/ for L.A. Record, which by the way has a fantastic interview with yours truly regarding "Sparks-Tastic" and other subject matters.

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Los Angeles Review of Books: "In The Words Of Sparks... Selected Lyrics" edited by Ron Mael & Russell Mael

Los Angeles Review of Books did a focus on "In The Words Of Sparks... Selected Lyrics" With three lyrics plus a short introduction by yours truly for this specific great website.
read it here: http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?id=1824

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Tosh Berman Interviewed by Colin Marshall (LARB) Regarding "Sparks-Tastic"

Painting by Lun*na Menoh

https://soundcloud.com/lareviewofbooks/larb-podcast-34-tosh-berman

Thank you Colin and the Los Angeles Review of Books:
http://lareviewofbooks.org/

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Interview with Tosh Berman

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rarebirdradio/2013/06/09/poetiscape-w-rich-ferguson-and-tosh-berman

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Access All Areas 21 Albums in 21Nights Sparks Pass

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Tosh Berman on Dennis Cooper's Blog Regarding "Sparks-Tastic"

For those who want to read an excerpt of my book "Sparks-Tastic" and interview do go here:

http://denniscooper-theweaklings.blogspot.com/2013/05/spotlight-on-tosh-berman-sparks-tastic.html?zx=3b5bc82080685e2c

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"Sparks-Tastic"' by Tosh Berman

ISBN: 9780983925583

$14.00

Published by A Barnacle Book (Distribution by Publishers Group West)

Publication Date: May 14, 2013

In 2008, Tosh Berman--author and publisher of TamTam Books--got on a plane with a single motive: "Sparks Spectacular." It had been announced that the band Sparks would perform all twenty-one of their albums in a succession of twenty-one nights in London...a monumental experience for any Sparks fanatic. Part travel journal, part personal memoir, Berman takes us through the streets of London and Paris, observing both cities' history and culture through the eye of an obsessive Sparks fan's lens. Including album-by-album reviews of all twenty-one albums and beyond, "Sparks-Tastic" defines a place and time in music history that's too defining to be ignored.

On May 14, "Sparks-Tastic" will be officially released and one can get it on their favorite online shops as well as Independent bookstores through out the U.S.A and the U.K.  Also I imagine various music stores will be carrying this title as well.  And remember, if you can shop at your favorite neighborhood bookstore or music shop please do so.  They can more likely special order the book (just in case they don't have it in stock) and send it off to you.

And at the moment, Book Soup, Stories, Powell's Books, and City Lights have signed copies in their stock.  Do contact them (easily findable on the Internet) and they will mail it out to you.

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Tosh Berman reads and signs "Sparks-Tastic" at Book Soup April 29

Ladies and Gentlemen (and anyone else) of Los Angeles, I will be doing a reading/signing/chit-chat for my book "Sparks-Tastic" at Book Soup on Monday April 29th at 7:00 PM.  For those who can't make it to the reading or from some other part of the world, one can contact the store at 310-659-3110 to pre-order a book.  Do enjoy.

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"Sparks-Tastic: Twenty-One Nights with Sparks in London" by Tosh Berman

ISBN: 9780983925583

$14.00

Published by A Barnacle Book (Distribution by Publishers Group West)

Publication Date: May 14, 2013

In 2008, Tosh Berman--author and publisher of TamTam Books--got on a plane with a single motive: "Sparks Spectacular." It had been announced that the band Sparks would perform all twenty-one of their albums in a succession of twenty-one nights in London...a monumental experience for any Sparks fanatic. Part travel journal, part personal memoir, Berman takes us through the streets of London and Paris, observing both cities' history and culture through the eye of an obsessive Sparks fan's lens. Including album-by-album reviews of all twenty-one albums and beyond, "Sparks-Tastic" defines a place and time in music history that's too defining to be ignored.

2013 Book Tour: 

April 21:  Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.  Rare Bird Booth No. 065.   Signing books from 12:30 to 1:00 P.M.

April 23:  Stories Books in Los Angeles (Echo Park)

April 24: City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco

April 25:  Powell's Bookstore in Portland, OR

April 29:  Book Soup in West Hollywood (Los Angeles)

More to come.....

Right now due to the reading tour that will soon take place, the book "Sparks-Tastic" is available at the above independent bookstores.   Feel free to contact them if you want to pre-order a signed copy of the book by yours truly.

On May 14, "Sparks-Tastic" will be officially released and one can get it on their favorite online shops as well as Independent bookstores through out the U.S.A and the U.K.  Also I imagine various music stores will be carrying this title as well.  And remember, if you can shop at your favorite neighborhood bookstore or music shop please do so.

- Tosh Berman

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PORTLAND: Tosh Berman reads and signs "Sparks-Tastic" at Powell's Bookstore in Portland

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SAN FRANCISCO : Tosh Berman reads and signs "Sparks-Tastic" at the great City Lights Bookstore

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Tosh Berman Reads and Signs "Sparks-Tastic" Stories Books in Echo Park (Los Angeles) April 23

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"Sparks-Tastic" by Tosh Berman (in my hands)

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A Review of Sparks' "Two Hands One Mouth" album

Sparks keep on re-inventing themselves by looking back and then going forward. Here they look at their classic material with new eyes and ears. At the moment they're in the middle of their “Two Hands One Mouth” tour, which also comes with a live album, recorded in Europe. Its a remarkable document/sound on many levels. For one, Sparks never take the easy route. It seems like whenever they do something they go for the hard road – and I am not sure if its a hardcore work ethic or a way for them to honor the process of discovery and seeing if they can pull it off.

Artists tries to bring something new to the table. And for the 21^st Century Sparks have been focusing on a theatrical presentation of their music. Either by theater-set performances to actually doing an old-fashioned musical. Here on “Two Hands One Mouth” Sparks become an unusual version of a classic cabaret act. Maybe the bigger picture is them playing at a cave in Saint-Germain des Prés in the 40's or in the middle of Manhattan at a piano bar in the classic mid-century 1950's. But their music is more suited for Carnegie Hall (and with practice they will...) because the work itself is a superb collection of classic American songwriting. I easily put their songs up to the standards of Cole Porter, Gershwin, Stephen Sondheim, and Rogers & Hart.

A live album can work as a souvenir to a show or a memory of an event. Sparks I feel sees this as 'new' work. And it is. “The Number One Song in Heaven” is totally re-worked, but the melody is intact. More hypnotic than the original recording, and also has a strong minimal bent to the arrangement. Its a fresh take on this classic song and it is also my favorite recorded version. Taking the whole album in, one is struck by the sound -which is full bodied. They're playing live (of course) but with no over-dubbing or computer magic on the stage. So in a way its a challenge to work with the limitations. Ron and Russell didn't want to see this as a songwriting showcase or an unplugged performance. The interest is using the limitations and making it into a new listening experience. As well as re-visiting the classic Sparks songbook, for not the sake of giving it a fresh airing, but how far one can take the material and set it in a new landscape.

“Two Hands, One Mouth” should not be seen as a 'live' album of hits. The album is not about a single performance, but how the new arrangements plays with the medium of doing the songs live. To re-think, re-model, and re-do is part of the process, and the finished album is the experiment at work. I call it an experiment because I think their songs can be re-thought on many levels. I am reminded of hearing various Thelonous Monk live albums, where one can hear the process of Monk's thoughts as he plays one of his familiar tunes. And that's the beauty of a performance, where the artist uses his material as a springboard to another level. Sparks' approach is more conceptual, in that they want to tear into their music and re-make it as a new piece of sorts. And the process is important, the fact that they perform these songs live without a band, and having the keyboards doing the keys, and the voice doing the voice – with no additional trickery, except using the skills of a sound-man.

Their “21 Albums in 21 Days” spectacular in London was to me the same thing as Marcel Duchamp taking his life's work and shrinking it to fit in a suitcase. Those series of shows was about capturing not a moment, but to preserve their catalog and if they can possibly do it live with respect to the original recordings. And they succeeded in doing that. For “Two Hands One Mouth” its a work that is not about capturing their songs, but to open them up to see what they are made of, and how the story can be told in a new setting or light. And what they have done with this new album is not only celebrate their songwriting skills, but also to take another journey to see how the works would react to a format that is very structural, yet at the same time it allows the songs to open up in their own fashion.

So yeah, a great album. And I can't wait till I see the show.

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Sparks U.S. Tour

Sparks on tour starting tonight in San Francisco.

The remarkable and always wonderful Sparks will be doing their long-awaited U.S. Tour. Starting tonight in San Francisco. Also watch out for their book "In The Words of Sparks... Selected Lyrics." Coming out this Summer.

Sparks Tour Dates

04/09/13 Tue The Chapel San Francisco, CA
04/10/13 Wed The Chapel San Francisco, CA
04/12/13 Fri Coachella Indio, CA
04/16/13 Tue Masonic Lodge At Hollywood Forever Los Angeles, CA
04/17/13 Wed Masonic Lodge At Hollywood Forever Los Angeles, CA
04/19/13 Fri Coachella Indio, CA
04/21/13 Sun Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
04/22/13 Mon Neptune Theatre Seattle, WA
04/24/13 Wed The Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
04/25/13 Thu Highline Ballroom New York, NY

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"Sparks-Tastic" West Coast Reading Tour April 2013

In 2008, Tosh Berman—author and publisher of TamTam Books—got on a plane with a single motive: “Sparks Spectacular.” It had been announced that the band Sparks would perform all twenty-one of their albums in a succession of twenty-one nights in London…a monumental experience for any Sparks fanatic. Part travel journal, part personal memoir, Berman takes us through the streets of London and Paris, observing both cities’ history and culture through the eye of an obsessive Sparks fan’s lens. Including album-by-album reviews of all twenty-one albums and beyond, Sparks-Tastic defines a place and time in music history that’s too defining to be ignored.

Tosh Berman, author of "Sparks-Tastic: Twenty-One Nights With Sparks in London" (A Barnacle Book) will be doing a small West Coast Reading & Signing Tour in April 2013.   The dates so far:

Tuesday April 23rd; 7 PM
Stories Books and Cafe
1716 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles (Echo Park), CA 90026-3225
Phone number 213-3733
http://www.storiesla.com/#home

Wednesday April 24th; 7 PM
 City Lights Booksellers
261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone Number 415-362-4921
http://www.citylights.com/info/?fa=events

Thursday April 25th; 7:30 PM
Powell's City of Books on Burnside
1005 W Burnside
Portland, OR
Phone Number 800-878-7323
http://www.powells.com/calendar.html

Monday April 29; 7 PM
Book Soup
8818 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone number 310-659-3110
http://www.booksoup.com/author-events?page=1

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Sparks-Tastic by Tosh Berman.... Soon!

COMING MAY 14TH FROM RARE BIRD BOOKS!

SPARKS-TASTIC: TWENTY-ONE NIGHTS IN LONDON WITH SPARKS
by Tosh Berman
In 2008, Tosh Berman—author and publisher of TamTam Books—got on a plane with a single motive: "Sparks Spectacular." It had been announced that the band Sparks would perform all twenty-one of their albums in a succession of twenty-one nights in London...a monumental experience for any Sparks fanatic. Part travel journal, part personal memoir, Berman takes us through the streets of London and Paris, observing both cities' history and culture through the eye of an obsessive Sparks fan's lens. Including album-by-album reviews of all twenty-one albums and beyond, Sparks-Tastic defines a place and time in music history that's too defining to be ignored.
(A Barnacle Book)

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TamTam Journal: January 16, 2013

Adding the finishing touches to my book "Sparks-Tastic: Twenty-One Nights With Sparks in London."  It is hard to say goodbye to the writing.  If I had the choice, I would like to work on this book for the next 20 or so years.  But alas, I have a date with destiny by the name of A Barnacle Book - my publisher.   The book will come out this Spring 2013.

The cover is a painting by Lun*na Menoh, and it's a portrait of Ron Mael and Russell Mael (Sparks) from the album cover "Big Beat."  The painting is one of a series of portraits of rock n' roll figures with dirty white collars.  Lun*na collects men's dirty white collars and what she does with them is document the collars by its brand and country.  And afterwards she either makes individual sculptures of each shirt collar, or make an oil-paint portrait of them.  Lately she has been using her collection of dirty collars and making wearable clothing.  For instance she made a formal wedding gown, as well as accessories such as purses, motorcycle helmet, jackets, pants, and so forth.  including a bed, tea cups, and furniture - all made my men's dirty white collars.

To see more of her work, go here:  www.lunnamenoh.com

The book will have 21 chapters, each one devoted to a specific Sparks' show and album.  But keep in mind that this book is not a biography of the band.  It is more about my love for their music and culture.   Since the shows took place in London, there is a lot of information and commentary on that great city as well as Paris.  The book is a journal, but it goes into the world of Sparks as well as my mental state at the time of the shows.  More information later!

Ciao,

Tosh

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In The Words of Sparks... Selected Lyrics by Sparks

Coming out in June 2013.  Published by TamTam Books

 Sparks--the long-running duo of Ron and Russell Mael--are among the most respected songwriters of their generation, their songs ranking alongside those of Ray Davies (The Kinks having been a formative influence), George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim. Formed in Los Angeles in 1971, Sparks have issued over 20 albums and scored chart hits with songs such as "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us," "Cool Places" and "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Nature." While their musical style has changed dramatically over the course of 40 years--embracing the British Invasion sound of the 60s, glam rock, disco (they teamed up with Giorgio Moroder for 1979's "No. 1 in Heaven") and even techno--their work has consistently stretched the boundaries of pop music and the song form. Sparks continue to break new ground: they are currently working on a project with filmmaker Guy Maddin and are soon to embark on a world tour. Now, for the first time, the Mael brothers have chosen their favorite Sparks lyrics (to some 75 songs), editing and correcting them for presentation in In the Words of Sparks. As James Greer--novelist and former member of Guided by Voices--comments, "Sparks-level wordplay is a gift, and more than that, an inspiration." This book also includes a substantial introduction by fellow Los Angeles resident and longtime fan, Morrissey.

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Sparks-Tastic: Twenty-One Nights with Sparks in London by Tosh Berman

Sparks-Tastic: Twenty-One Nights with Sparks in London

by Tosh Berman

 5.00  ·  rating details  ·  3 ratings  ·  1 review

In 2008, Tosh Berman—author and publisher of TamTam Books—got on a plane with a single motive: "Sparks Spectacular." It had been announced that the band Sparks would perform all twenty-one of their albums in a succession of twenty-one nights in London...a monumental experience for any Sparks fanatic. Part travel journal, part personal memoir, Berman takes us through the streets of London and Paris, observing both cities' history and culture through the eye of an obsessive Sparks fan's lens. Including album-by-album reviews of all twenty-one albums and beyond, Sparks-Tastic defines a place and time in music history that's too defining to be ignored.(less)

From Goodreads of course.

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