Review Tour & Giveaway: No Bass No Party by Gary Shea

NO BASS NO PARTY

Sketches of My Life in Music

by

Gary Shea

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by

Goddess Fish Promotions.

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Creative NonFiction / Autobiography
Publisher: BWL Publishing, Inc.
Publication Date: April 1, 2025
Page count: 172 pages

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SYNOPSIS:

An outstanding account of the music business. 

A riveting story of determination and focus.

Musical teenage dream come true.

Against all odds musical ups and downs.

Defying logic following your heart.

Climbing the musical ladder of success.

Fearless journey on the road to stardom. 

You won’t read about the heads of chickens being bitten off or mounds of drugs being snorted from the naked bodies of sweaty groupies. No, what you will read about on these pages is the deep and intense journey into the very heart of rock and roll and what it takes to come out the other side. 

Gary Shea took that ride and has survived to tell his thrilling tale and there is no need for embellishment nor hyperbole—the truth is more unbelievable than fiction.

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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

The great bass player Jaco Pastorious had just released his solo album that set the bass playing world on its ear with his amazing technique. Greg, more than anyone else I knew, truly flipped-out and decided that he had to have a bass player that played in this new, jazzy, funky style. I'll be the first to admit that ain’t me. This added to Greg's frustrations, and it continues to this day in his endless search for new musicians. I knew that although we were, and still remain good friends, I was not destined for Greg's creativity.

 

I was new in town and getting used to seeing people like Dick Van Dyke at the gas station pumping his own gas. It was time to branch out and seek new opportunities in Los Angeles. Other than my East Coast friends I had a hard time finding a local heavy rock band to join that played the music I heard in my heart. Most of the music was more laid back, and in a more acoustic guitar vein like Poco or The Eagles. At The Starwood I watched Quiet Riot. They were doing very well for themselves with Randy Rhodes on guitar. Van Halen had yet to be discovered and sign a record deal. It was very frustrating trying to find the kind of music I had made with Target in the land of the sun, surf, and beach boys. I saw my good friend Ted McKenna play at The Starwood. He had left the Alex Harvey band and was on tour playing drums with the great Rory Gallagher. 

A few of my friends from the band Angel and I went to lunch one day at the trendy Hamburger Hamlet in Century City. It was located on Century Park East among the towers of movie and music business offices and was a great place for lunch. We were sitting in the lobby waiting for a table and someone sat down next to me. I was mildly surprised that it was Sally Struthers from the television show, All In The Family. We sat and watched the parade of people go by. An attractive blonde woman in a white business suit, carrying a briefcase, came up to me. She told me I looked interesting to her and introduced herself as the editor of Playgirl Magazine. My friends couldn't believe it. Neither could I. She said she would like to put me in the magazine and explained the different payments for the three features. The full spread would pay the rent for a long time. To say I wasn't flattered wouldn't be true. The best part was that my friends' egos were on the floor. She gave me her card telling me to send in some nude photos of myself and that selection was done by a panel of Playgirl Magazine executives. In the world of today’s mores I would be considered a hero, but back then the world was much more conservative. I didn't want to jeopardize any future musical situations, and most of all I didn’t want my mother to endure any repercussions. I thought about it for a week and decided to decline the offer. I still have the white embossed business card she gave me.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gary is the bassist and co-founder of New England and Alcatrazz, two bands that burned very brightly during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Along the way, Shea walked amongst giants including Steve Vai, Paul Stanley, Todd Rundgren, Yngwie Malmsteen and a slew of others. He guides us through the machinations, madness and magic of the music world, beginning with his early fascination for bass players and rock and running all the way through to standing on big stages in big arenas in front of big crowds. For every step forward, the industry took two bites of his soul but owing to perseverance, passion and no little amount of pigheadedness, he endured and now reveals all his secrets. 

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REVIEW:

4 stars!

Fascinating, passionate, entertaining, and eye-opening! 

No Bass, No Party (Sketches of My Life in Music) by premier bassist and now author Gary Shea is a fascinating, fun, and passion-filled look back over his more than 60 years creating music. Not a “tell-all” tale by any means, Shea instead reveals what it was like for him, a kid with little formal musical training but a lot of heart, desire, and natural ability, to forge a successful career in one of the hardest industries around. 

Gary, who started out playing guitar, quickly transitioned to bass to fill a need in his first band and was mostly self-taught. However, his desire and passion for his instrument of choice overcame his lack of training and pushed him to excel. Throughout the years, he was a driving force behind several well-known rock and roll bands, including New England and Alcatrazz. His story and past are filled with renowned musicians, singers, and industry legends, a veritable who’s who that most readers will recognize. His recounting includes the many stumbling blocks he and his bandmates encountered along the way, proving that “the best laid plans” can go sideways at any time. 

The biggest surprise for me was reading about how fluid the composition of bands actually was. These musicians came together, bonded over music and performing, and became like family to one another. However, an opportunity for one would entice them away, or a change in vision might see another member tossed out, abandoned, and left behind. Personal situations would arise for others that would require them to quit. All good reasons, perhaps, but each one had a lasting impact on the three or four, or more, others in the band, a family now torn apart. As Shea explained, some changes would prove to have happy outcomes, and members remained friends despite the parting of ways or, at least, reconciled down the road. 

I enjoyed Shea’s many tales of writing and creating new, original material, as well as the story behind the tracks. He even explains how to access some of the results online when they weren’t included on an album or from bands that only existed for a short time. It would be great to compile a playlist of all the music mentioned in the book and listen to it while reading Shea’s reminiscences. From one chapter to another later in the book, there tended to be some repetitions of earlier information or stories that could be eliminated as well as spelling, typos, wrong words, and other production issues that need to be cleaned up. However, none were difficult to pass over in order to continue reading about his fascinating life.

I recommend NO BASS, NO PARTY to nonfiction readers with an interest in rock music.

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Book Review: The Rise of the Mad March by Robert Espenscheid, Jr.

The Rise of the Mad March by Rob Espenscheid Jr.


The birth of a punk rock band, where the music is the thing, but love and family are the results.

The Rise of the Mad March by Rober Espenscheid, Jr., is the story of the making, life, and times of a scrappy, groundbreaking punk rock band in early 1970s Iowa. Henry Hollins had sworn to himself that if he got out of Vietnam in one piece, he would follow his heart and pursue a musical career, but it wasn't until a chance meeting with two young female felons at a state-run halfway house for offenders that he would find his path to fulfill his dream.

While the narrative follows Henry Hollins's journey, it is truly an ensemble tale as he builds his band with three talented young women, a novelty even today. Individually, each of his new band members has a tragic backstory, but together, they find the support and family they need to heal. Just like any family, they don't always see eye-to-eye, and there are some epic disagreements. But they always return to each other with love.

The plot tells the story of the band's formation, early days, and eventual success. I was surprised by how much work went into getting them to a point where they could take the stage to perform in front of a live audience. One of my favorite storylines was about the significant impact a seasoned sound engineer can have on the success of a live gig. Several serendipitous encounters of this type made all the difference in the band's trajectory. The relationships among the band members were very fluid, but they ultimately formed into a family, which gave the women a place of safety, love, and trust where they could finally heal from the traumas they had experienced in their pasts. However, neither their safe place nor the band's success prevents life from throwing the members another curveball.

The story is easy to read except for one issue I encountered. I did have some trouble with the flow of the dialogue. Early on, the exchanges between characters felt choppy; the replies didn't quite align with what the characters were responding to at the time. This was particularly true of discussions between Henry and his wife, Esther. Sometimes, I couldn't really understand what she meant. Still, I was riveted to the story until the very last page.

I recommend THE RISE OF THE MAD MARCH to readers of historical fiction, especially those with an interest in the music industry and punk rock bands.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.


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