I am a program writer, for the world’s largest Beatles festival

This weekend Louisville is hosting Abbey Road on the River, the world’s largest Beatles-inspired festival. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Abbey Road on the River published a souvenir program, which it hired me to write. For the 20-page glossy booklet I wrote

• bios of all 64 bands
• a two-page history of the festival
• a sidebar on four families who are festival regulars
• an ad on George Harrison’s history with Gretsch guitars
• a one-page article on the festival’s ensemble shows

The program’s not online but will be available at the festival for $6 (I get no commission, but recommend picking up one anyway).

[Updated June 13, 2011: Abbey Road on the River made the program available for free as a low-resolution, watermarked .pdf download.]

Talking babysitting, video games and rock n’ roll with REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin

REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin and me at the band's meet and greet after its recent show in Louisville.

Regardless of how well you prepare and what interesting questions you’ve come up with, the quality of an interview depends a lot on the subject and a bunch of variables. To be honest, I was concerned my recent conversation with REO Speedwagon’s lead singer, Kevin Cronin, was going to be a dud:

• It was delayed by a couple of hours because he was at the dentist.
• We spoke while he was in a rush to get to the airport.
• I was interviewing him for Louisville.com; while I’m proud of the site and its traffic, it’s not Rolling Stone in 1981.

Cronin, however, was fantastic to speak to, both in my interview, REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin on Louisville, power ballads and if my wife’s a slut, and when we met during a meet and greet after the band’s Louisville concert Friday night (my review of which is here). He was engaging, funny and passionate about subjects ranging from the power of the power ballad to the band’s new video game.

While REO Speedwagon put on a fun show that I reckon was similar to its performances during its peak in popularity in the 1980s, the backstage scene is probably a lot different now–Cronin and I chatted about how hard it can be to find a babysitter (he has two pre-teens and Friday was the first time my wife and I left our daughter with a sitter).

The Who’s website quotes, links to my review of Roger Daltrey’s solo concert

This post is about The Who.com’s post about my Louisville.com review of The Who’s Roger Daltrey’s solo concert.