“Boys Don’t Lie: A History of Shoes” Book Launch Tues October 15th

The West is pleased to host a book launch party for the recently released Boys Don’t Lie—A History of SHOES, by Mary E. Donnelly with Moira McCormick, and forward by Steve Simels.  BDL from Pure Pop Press is the long-awaited critical biography of the reclusive power-pop master craftsmen.

Donnelly has penned a detailed biography of the DIY power pop band Shoes, from their fantasy beginnings to their triumphant return, 2012’s Ignition.

We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday October 15th at 7 O’clock for a talk with the author, and book signing!

Ever since their storied beginning—recording the 1977 masterpiece Black Vinyl Shoes in a garage in the religious enclave of Zion, Illinois—Shoes have been legendary in DIY and pop circles. Their most recent release, 2012’s Ignition, was greeted with tremendous critical acclaim.

Caught between cosmopolitan respect and provincial indifference, the members of Shoes are ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. Here, for the first time, they tell their story as they experienced it: three men in a small but determined boat, buffeted by the waves of historical change that have swept the music industry for the last forty years. Those changes are explored in a broader history of the music industry: the technological and commercial upheavals that have affected both the major labels and the independents.

Mary E. Donnelly is a college professor and music blogger living in upstate New York. Co-author credit
goes to longtime music journalist Moira McCormick (Rolling Stone, Billboard, Chicago Sun-Times); the
foreword was penned by veteran rock scribe Steve Simels (Stereo Review).

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