Thank you to all who have joined our Rock and Roll Book Club meetings this year! We will resume our gatherings on Wednesday, September 17th at 7pm when we will be discussing local Vineyard resident Emma Brodie's novel Songs in Ursa Major.

The novel is a love story set in 1969, centered around a musician's rise to fame and her passionate relationship with a folk legend. The setting is loosely inspired by the Laurel Canyon scene and folk rock movement of the late 1960's and early 1970's as well as the lives of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. Thank you to Emma for sharing her book with us and joining us on September 17th for our discussion!

Sending gratitude from all of us at MVY Radio's Rock and Roll Book Club. We wish you a fun, music filled summer and look forward to seeing you in September at our next gathering!

Synopsis and Plot of the book:

A scintillating debut from a major new voice in fiction, Songs in Ursa Major is a love story set in 1969, alive with music, sex, and the trappings of fame.

Raised on an island off Massachusetts by a mother who wrote songs for famous musicians, Jane Quinn is singing in her own band before she's old enough to even read music. When folk legend Jesse Reid hears about Jane's performance at the island's music festival, a star is born--and so is a passionate love affair: they become inseparable when her band joins his on tour. Shot through with the lyrics, the icons, the lore, the adrenaline of the early 70s music scene, Songs in Ursa Major pulses with romantic longing and asks the question so many female artists must face: What are we willing to sacrifice for our dreams?

This page is sponsored by Titcomb's Bookshop. and Brewster Book Store.

There is no sign-up necessary for the Rock and Roll Book Club. Just read the book (it's ok if you don't read the book- come anyway!) and use the Zoom Link. We hope to see you soon at an MVYRADIO Rock n’ Roll Book Club gathering. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81619064078

Have any questions? Email polly@mvyradio.org.

Spotify Playlist for Ursa Major:

Zoom meeting with Larry S. Sherman and Dennis Plies:

Full interview with Larry S. Sherman and Dennis Plies:

Zoom meeting with Mark Blake:

Mark Blake full interview:

Fleetwood Mac Spotify playlist:

Fleetwood Mac article: https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/fleetwood-mac-line-ups-complete-list-of-bandmembers/

Zoom meeting with Jayson Greene:

Full interview with Jayson Greene in two parts

Here is a beautiful video created about Jayson's words and story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYqAMBRqgZM
Here is an interview with Jayson Greene:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/11/jayson-greene-interview-once-more-we-saw-stars-trauma
The Oprah Magazine article with the playlist link:
https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a27395764/jayson-greene-once-more-we-saw-stars-playlist/
Here is a few articles by Jayson about one of his favorite musicians Elliot Smith:
https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-untold-story-of-elliott-smiths-teenage-band/
https://pitchfork.com/features/podcast/elliott-smith-like-youve-never-heard-him-before/


Zoom meeting with Peter Shapiro:

Check out the interview here:

Please find a playlist below highlighting some of the music that Peter has enjoyed and been involved in as well as two links for book-related films:

Wetlands Preserved, the History of an Activist Rock Club

Peter's 1993 Grateful Dead Tour Documentary"Miles to Go Before I Sleep"

Zoom meeting with Jeff Tweedy:

Zoom meeting with Danyel Smith:

Polly's Danyel Smith full interview:

Danyel Smith Spotify Playlist:

Zoom meeting with Dar Williams:

Polly's Dar Williams full interview:

Dar Williams Spotify Playlist:

Past book club material:

Our book club for January 2024 was Susan Rogers' This is What it Sounds Like.

Polly's full Susan Rogers interview:

Check out The Kitchen Sisters Presents podcast episode which discusses Susan's book (requires an Apple Podcast subscription and MacOS 11.4 or higher).

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Our book for November 2023 was Lou Reed's "The Art of the Straight Line" ~ a book written in part by Lou before his death and curated and edited by Laurie Anderson, Stephan Berwick, Bob Currie and Scott Richman. The book includes interviews and stories from many who knew Lou well and truly captures his life story. Hear the interview with Scott Richman here (mp3).

Check out Barbara Dacey's interview with Lou Reed from 1997!

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Our Book Club book for September 2023 was "Remain In Love" by Chris Frantz. Below you'll find video of our Book Club meeting, plus Polly's full interview with Chris Frantz.

A note from Polly:
This playlist is an exploration of musical references from Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz' book Remain in Love - beginning with his earliest musical influences, through his RISD days where he met David and Tina, then stepping into the Talking Heads' formative days at CBGB, touring with the Ramones as well as a walk through the Talking Heads studio albums, Stop Making Sense and some Tom Tom Club tracks as well! Listen to some or all to get a taste of what Remain in Love sounds like!

In 2002, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth visited the MVY studios on their way to a Tom Tom Club gig at The Atlantic Connection in Oak Bluffs. Here's their chat with Barbara Dacey.