13 Years of Eclectic Avenue

I started this blog back in 2011 as an outlet to write about my passion for the movies, music and books I loved, and share those thoughts with others. Throughout the previous years, I'd done some writing for local newspapers, and I'd also did a stint as a writer/editor for the KISS fanzine FIRE, which was published by my pal Gilda. I had been thinking about doing a blog for a while, and thanks to the support and encouragment of Gilda and a few other dear friends, I launched Eclectic Avenue. Alongside my "real-life" job experiences in publishing, IT and healthcare, working on the blog been a fantastic adventure, and the blog (and my writing) have come a long way in the ensuing years.

The positive response to Eclectic Avenue allowed me to participate in several blogathons, which are special events where a group of bloggers all write about a shared topic (for example, favorite TV episodes) and it also led me to submit a story to CultureSonar, a well-respected arts and entertainment website. I became a regular contributor to the site in 2017 and have written a quite a few articles for them since, including interviews with Dave Mason, William Shatner and Phil Volk of Paul Revere and The Raiders. It's a privilege to work for CultureSonar, and an honor to be part of the site's group of uber-talented writers.

A live shot of Early Elton from 2016

 

My work here at Eclectic Avenue and at CultureSonar has been tremendously fulfilling, and a whole lot of fun. When I started this blog, if you'd told me about the incredible experiences I'd have over the years, the people I'd meet, and the artists, writers and producers (including the talented Marc Platt, Grey DeLisle, Rin Lennon, Kurt Reil and Rich Pagano, John Conte and Jeff Kazee of Early Elton) I've gotten to know (and interact with on a regular basis) I probably wouldn't have believed you! My sincere thanks to you all for your kindness and cooperation, and your appreciation of my writing. It has been a fabulous, awesome and amazing experience to work with all of you.

I'm grateful to everyone who's read and enjoyed my work, and to those who've taken the time to reach out and comment about it. Thanks to Al and Cindy from CultureSonar for their continued support and encouragement, and also to Marty and Maureen at JEM Records for digging my work, and asking me to write about their fabulous artists on a regular basis, both here and at CultureSonar. Finally, I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my friends for being there for me throughout the years. There's more to come both here at Eclectic Avenue and over at CultureSonar, so stay tuned!