The Tenth Anniversary of Eclectic Avenue

A long time ago, in a city not so far away, a young man declared he wanted to be a writer, in order to share his love and passion for the music, movies and books that he loved so much. It took a long time, and several almost serpentine twists and turns in life for it to happen, but here I am many years later, writing about music, movies and books here at Eclectic Avenue (since 2011) and for CultureSonar, the excellent arts and entertainment website I began writing for in 2017. Since this month marks the tenth anniversary of Eclectic Avenue, I just wanted to say a few words of thanks to all the friends and colleagues who've said kind things about my work, and supported my writing throughout the years.

I have always dabbled in writing in one way or another, starting in my high school years, and moving on through college and into my subsequent jobs in the publishing and IT worlds. As with many things in life, there were those who supported me in my endeavors, and others who thought I was crazy to pursue my dream. After several tough years on the personal side of life in the early to mid 2000s, I decided to start my own blog in 2011, and Eclectic Avenue was born. That led to me meeting a great group of writers in the blogging community. I began participating in some blogathons, which got my work noticed by a larger number of people, and gained me some new readers. I even got some sincere kudos from some of the bands I covered (thanks, Early Elton) and a lot of support from my pal and musical compadre Gilda, with whom I'd worked on the well-regarded KISS fanzine, FIRE, back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Since Eclectic Avenue was doing well, I decided to expand my horizons. I submitted a piece to CultureSonar, a fantastic arts and entertainment website which features the work of some very talented writers penning articles celebrating the music, movies and books they care about the most. My first piece for CultureSonar, a story on Elton John's Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player, was published in February 2017, and I've been writing for them ever since. My work for CultureSonar has allowed me to write some great articles, and to interview Dave Mason, William Shatner and Phil Volk of Paul Revere & The Raiders, among others. I continue to write for CultureSonar, and I want to thank Al, Cindy and Drew of CultureSonar for their support of my work. It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of such a phenomenal group of writers.

The writing I do here at Eclectic Avenue, and for CultureSonar, continues to be a lot of fun for me, and never seems like work. I've been able to write about everything from classic films to a number of great albums, as well as share my reviews of some terrific live concerts, including shows by Todd Rundgren and Bruce Springsteen. In addition to being able to indulge my passion for writing, I also have a full-time job in the healthcare world, and I also share positive energy as a Reiki volunteer. I can honestly say that all of these things bring me a great deal of joy. I'm very grateful for these multi-faceted parts of my life. Eclectic Avenue has come a long way in ten years, and so have I. Thanks to all of the artists, producers and writers who've graciously allowed me to interview them over the years. A big thanks to all of my friends and colleagues for your ongoing support of my work: thanks for reading, for commenting on my pieces, and for sharing my stories with others. I look forward to sharing more of my work with you in the future.