Suvudu Universe

Caught these guys recently on their R40 tour, celebrating their 40 (actually 41) year career.

It was bittersweet knowing it might also be their last tour. Neil Peart wants to spend more time with his family, plus the guys are in their sixties now. It’s a shame, because they’ve never sounded as good as they do right now.

The stage set was awesome and very clever. It went backwards in time from the steampunk setup of Clockwork Angels to old amps on folding chairs with a high school gym on the big screen in the background. (Their first paid gig!) The stage hands worked hard to keep the set evolving backwards throughout the show.

They played some songs they haven’t played in years. (Again, going back in time with their selections.) Highlights included Between the Wheels from Grace Under Pressure, Cygnus X-1 Book II from Hemispheres, and Xanadu and Cygnus X-1 Book I from A Farewell to Kings.

It was an amazing show – Rush has never let me down!


Tomorrowland

It started off intriguing, and then went into a slow decline.

There were a lot of plot contrivances and parts of the film were a bit convoluted. And unbelievable. (A rocket ship built under the Eiffel Tower over a hundred years ago? Right…) Plus there were some unoriginal clichés, like the diatribe by the villain at the end.

The Tommorwland sets and designs were really cool. Just a shame most of the movie takes place in the here and now.

It was also a bit preachy. (Not as bad as Happy Feet, but still preachy.)

Overall it was all right but not great. A decent way to shoot two hours. Just don’t expect to remember much after you leave the theater. If you want a great film that you will remember, go see Mad Max: Fury Road instead.

(And for a really great breakdown of the movie’s borrowed plots, read the review at Pensuasion.)


Beth Ellyn Summer signed a deal with Bloomsbury Spark for her manuscript At First Blush!

Out now!
Layers of Lace by Christine Rains
Find it Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads

Don’t forget this Wednesday is Insecure Writer’s Support Group day!

Have you picked up you’re a to Z Challenge t-shirt?
Created by our very own Jeremy Hawkins, you can purchase it at the NeatoShop



Hosted by Faraway Eyes and Stephen T. McCarthy.

I decide to pick something a little different - Peter Gabriel’s Shock the Monkey.

Now, if I’d just pitted Coal Chamber’s version against Gabriel’s, then quite likely the original would win. But I dug around and found another band who had covered the song. You know the routine – pick your favorite:

Suburban Tribe


Coal Chamber (with Ozzy Osbourne)


Make your selection! Votes will be tallied and posted next Monday.



Hosted by Michael at A Life Examined, this is the debut of Question of the Month!

If your house caught on fire, what's the one thing you'd grab before running out?

Trusting that my wife would be running out with me, I would grab my guitars. I have several Les Paul guitars and a Music Man, and I would do my best to scoop them all up. Loosing those in the fire just might make me cry!