Happy New Year

Hello All-

Thank you to all for a great 2013, as we saw the release of our book. There's lots more to come in 2014   with the book, and other projects related to There Was A Time. And I hope to see you soon. Check out our book on Amazon, or email me via this site, or our publisher site, fortcanogapress.blogspot.com.

Thanks to all, and happy New Year,
-Daniel (and Jake Berger)
December 31, 2013

Nothing Says Christmas Like Our Book

Hello All-

Just a friendly reminder that our book makes for a bad-ass Christmas present. Check out our book on Amazon, or email me at danielcoston (at) aol dot com. Thanks, and happy Christmas,
-Daniel
November 19, 2013

News on the Mannish Boys, and a new release from Fort Canoga Press

Hello All-

If you're in Charlotte, NC on December 15th, come out to the Thirsty Beaver Saloon around 5pm. Book co-author Jake Berger will be there leading the Mannish Boys in some raucous Rock & Roll. His co-author, yours truly, will be there to say hello and maybe shake a tambourine.

Fort Canoga Press has now released its second book! This book, Charlotte's Home Of The Blues, is an update of a book I co-authored with the late Debby Wallace in 2009 on Charlotte's fabled blues music venue. The book features Jake Berger, and many other folks featured in There Was A Time. I've added a new chapter, new photos, and the first-ever publication of photos from the night that Eric Clapton played the Double Door. You can purchase the book here-

http://www.amazon.com/Charlottes-Home-Blues-Years-Double/dp/0615936768/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387001507&sr=1-4&keywords=daniel+coston

You can also more info on the book, as well as There Was A Time, at fortcanogapress.blogspot.com. Thanks, and happy holidays,
-Daniel
December 14, 2013

Nice review in Big Takeover Magazine of our book

Jacob Berger & Daniel Coston

There Was A Time: Rock ’n’ Roll In The 1960s In Charlotte, and North Carolina

            (Fort Canoga Press)

Any region boasts a rich musical past. Some, such as New York, L.A., and Nashville are known, but rock sprung up everywhere, including North Carolina, and Berger and Coston are perfect historical guides. In this oral history, the region’s early days of rock, with such artists as The Paragons [not the “TheTide is High” ‘60s Jamaican ska group or the ‘50s Brooklyn R&B group.—ed.] with their 1966 local hit “Abba” and others show the development of a scene that rode the wave of the British Invasion, soul from Motown and Stax, and AM radio pop. Later, early efforts by Don Dixon (with Arrogance) or Mitch Easter with his early band Sacred Irony, helped lead, decades later to the area becoming one of the most important stopping grounds in the1980s punk/new wave scene. Berger and Coston have produced a work that will serve as a compelling read. (therewasatimebook.blogspot.com)

Hello To Everyone That Heard About Our Book ON WNCW

Hello-

Hello to everyone that heard me on WNCW yesterday. Yes, our book covers the Rock & Roll, Garage Rock and Psychedelic that was in Charlotte, and NC during the 1960s. This is the first book of its kind about this era of music in North Carolina. Here's the songs you heard on the show yesterday, all of which are featured in There Was A Time.

Grifs (Charlotte, NC) "Keep Dreamin'", 1967
Bondsmen (Durham, NC) "I See The Light", 1968
Paragons (Charlotte, NC) "Abba", 1966

You can find all of these on Youtube, and on Ken Friedman's fantastic Tobacco A Go Go series, much of which is available online.

To order copies direct from the authors, you can contact me at danielcoston (at) aol dot com. You can also order the book from Amazon here.

http://www.amazon.com/There-Was-Time-Charlotte-Carolina/dp/0615809405/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1384971128&sr=8-2&keywords=daniel+coston

Thanks, and happy holidays,
-Daniel
November 20, 2013

Article about our book, and my other NC Musicians book

My thanks to the Tribune for this. FYI, I did also photograph the Avett Brothers' Mignonette album. We also did not get to interview members on Concord's own Tamrons for the book, but we have since located some of the bandmembers, and am working on interviews soon.

See you all soon,

-Daniel

November 17, 2013

http://www.independenttribune.com/mobile_adv/#/news/article_7b038a14-4edc-11e3-ac2f-0019bb30f31a.html?mode=jqm

Damascans photo

Hello All-

As far as we know, there were only a handful of Rock bands from Charlotte that released a single. The Grifs, Paragons, 18th Edition (based in Hickory, with Charlotte ties), and the Damascans. When we put the book together, the only band we did not have info on was the Damascans. Imagine my surprise when I was told that their keyboardist, Toni Naples, had been at our book release party.

When I was finally able to interview Toni (which you can find on this site), she mentioned that she might have a couple of photos of the band. Thankfully, some photos did exist, and here is the band, in all their glory. My thanks to Toni for this.
-Daniel
November 11, 2013