Catching Up: Connecting With Great 21st Century Music

by Jim Fusilli

Written by Jim Fusilli, the long-time rock and pop critic of The Wall Street Journal and editor and founder of ReNewMusic.net, “Catching Up” does more than introduce grownup music fans to some of the best, most dynamic and enjoyable music of the 21st century. It insists that today’s music belongs to everyone – and illustrates how that new music is suited to the tastes and passions of grownup rock and pop fans. It’s a book about faith – not only in new music, but also in the ability of veteran music lovers to appreciate and savor the best new sounds.

Genres: Music

140 pages, Paperback

Published November 16, 2015

About the author

Jim Fusilli is the author of nine novels including “The Mayor of Polk Street” and “Narrows Gate,” which George Pelecanos called “equal parts Ellroy, Puzo and Scorsese” and Mystery Scene magazine said “must be ranked among the half-dozen most memorable novels about the Mob.”

Jim’s debut novel “Closing Time” was the last work of fiction set in New York City published prior to the 9/11 attacks. The following year, his novel, “A Well-Known Secret” addressed the impact of 9/11 on the residents of lower Manhattan. Subsequent novels include “Tribeca Blues” and “Hard, Hard City,” which Mystery Ink magazine named its Novel of the Year. “Closing Time,” “A Well-Known Secret” and “Tribeca Blues” were reissued by Open Road Media in October 2018. Lawrence Block provided a new foreword for “Closing Time.”
Jim has published short stories that have appeared in a variety of magazines as well as anthologies edited by Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman and other masters of the mystery genre. He edited and contributed to the anthologies “The Chopin Manuscript” and “The Copper Bracelet.” His “Chellini’s Solution” was included in an edition of the Best American Mystery Stories and his “Digby, Attorney at Law” was nominated for the Edgar and Macavity awards. The novel “Narrows Gate” was nominated for a Macavity in the Best Historical Fiction category.
The former Rock & Pop Critic of The Wall Street Journal and an occasional contributor to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Jim is the author of two books of non-fiction, both related to popular music. “Pet Sounds” is his tribute to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ classic album. It was translated for a Japanese language edition by Haruki Murakami Combining his interests, Jim edited and contributed a chapter to “Crime Plus Music: Twenty Stories of Music-Themed Noir,” published in 2017.
His novel for young adults “Marley Z and the Bloodstained Violin” was published by Dutton Juvenile.
Jim is married to the former Diane Holuk, a global communications executive. They currently reside just north of New York City. Find out more about them at https://jimfusilli.com/.

Reviews

[Herzog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently saw the author participate in a panel on this subject at South by Southwest. His main point is spot on - older people, especially boomers, have a strong tendency to believe that there hasn't been any decent music made since the Beatles or Neil Young. Fusilli argues that this is not remotely true and I agree with him. He offers practical suggestions for discovering new music that you might enjoy and proceeds to list a number of works across a wide variety of genres worth listening to. You won't enjoy every one of them, but, if you listen with an open mind, you will surely find some that you will enjoy. If you're convinced, you can continue to explore new music at his site renewmusic.net

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "Catching Up: Connecting With Great 21st Century Music" Mr. Fusilli shares his many years knowledge and passion for music. He provides evidence in over 50 very varied albums from the
last 15 years, some of which I agreed with and others which I did not. I won this great book on GoodReads and like I do with most my wins I will be paying it forward by giving it to a friend to enjoy before I add my autographed copy to my library.