CLEVELAND CONFIDENTIAL BOOK TOUR ADDS  DAVID THOMAS (PERE UBU AND ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS) TO CLEVELAND ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 4/11  AND LOS ANGELES GRAMMY MUSEUM 4/14 EVENTS - MIDWEST/EAST COAST TOUR RUNS APRIL 2 - 14, 2011

Chicago, IL, February 23, 2011 – Smog Veil Records announces Cleveland Confidential Book Tour returns to the road in April.  David Thomas (Rocket From The Tombs and Pere Ubu) is along for the ride for two dates on April tour.  Thomas takes part at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH on April 11th and at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on April 14th. For all other stops the tour features three author-musicians also from Cleveland, Ohio including Cheetah Chrome (Rocket From The Tombs, Dead Boys, Batusis), Mike Hudson (The Pagans) and Bob Pfeifer (Human Switchboard, Tabby Chinos, former Senior Vice President A&R/Epic/Sony Records and President of Hollywood Records). Each will read excerpts from their book, answer questions from the audience and discuss their books and careers with each other. Authors will be available to sign books at each appearance.

Cheetah Chrome - A Dead Boy's Tale From The Front Lines Of Punk Rock is the no-holds-barred autobiography of Cheetah Chrome, lead guitarist of the Dead Boys, one of the greatest punk bands ever. It’s a tale of success and excess—amazing music, legendary antics, epic drug use, and eventual resurrection—that only a true rock and roller could deliver. As a songwriter Chrome's work has been covered by artists such as Guns n Roses, Pearl Jam and the Beastie Boys. He still performs and records with Rocket From The Tombs and Batusis (with Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls).  He lives in Nashville with his wife and son.

Mike Hudson will read from Jetsam and Diary of a Punk. The 32 short pieces that make up Jetsam were written and published between 1977 and 2009. His lean and unsentimental prose style is apparent in even the earliest entries here. Diary of A Punk is Hudson's autobiography.  He is the founder of the seminal American punk rock group, the Pagans, formed in 1977. His work has appeared in Hustler, the Associated Press, Master Detective, Field & Stream and many other publications here and abroad. He is currently the founding editor and CEO of the Niagara Falls Reporter, a New York tabloid specializing in politics and organized crime.

University of Strangers is Bob Pfeifer's first novel. In a sensational case that made headlines all over the globe, the American student Amanda Knox was convicted of the murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher, in what Italian authorities described as a sadistic sexual encounter. Pfeifer's novel details the efforts of a secret society, comprised of famous contemporary figures from the worlds of literature, show business and politics, to clear the girl's name. A unique blend of fact and fiction the book is a spellbinding account of the violence, corruption and celebrity worship that characterize much of 21st century life. Pfeifer was Senior Vice President A&R/Epic/Sony Records and President of Hollywood Records. Artists he's worked with include Alice Cooper, Ornette Coleman, The Screaming Trees, also soundtracks like the Crow: City of Angels and Lion King. He is a founding member/songwriter of Human Switchboard and Tabby Chinos. He lives in Los Angeles with his son.

Bring Me The Head of Ubu Roi, written by Pere Ubu's singer, David Thomas, is as groundbreaking and radical in its intent as the original text, by Alfred Jarry, that sparked riots in a Paris theater in 1896 - a repudiation of common sense and the refined aesthetic at the heart of the Art-Industrial Complex.  "One reason that Ubu Roi endures is that, like water is the Universal Solvent, Père Ubu is the Universal Monster," Mr. Thomas says. "Whoever you personally think is the Bad Guy - whether you demonize those on the Left or the Right, or everyone In-Between - the Church or the State, Big Business or Big Labor - Père Ubu can supply the face and voice. Ubu is a portrait of the soul of every do-gooder monster."  David Thomas divides his time between England and the United States, living and working on both continents and touring frequently.

Cleveland Confidential Book Tour (all dates may be subject to change):

Wednesday, 2/23 - Gallery Fifty24/Noise Pop Festival

218 Fillmore Street  San Francisco, CA 94117

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

 

Thursday, 2/24 - Vacation Vinyl

3815 Sunset Boulevard  Los Angeles, CA  90026

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

 

Saturday, 2/26 - EMP Pop Conference

UCLA campus Los Angeles, CA

time: TBA

tickets: FREE! (but conference pre-registration required)

 

Sunday 2/27 - Book Soup

8818 Sunset Boulevard  West Hollywood, CA 90069

time: 5:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

 

Saturday, 4/2 - Quimby's Bookstore

1854 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL 60622

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

 

Sunday, 4/3 - The Comet

4579 Hamilton Avenue, Northside Cincinnati OH 45223

time: 4:00 pm

tickets: TBA

 

Tuesday, 4/5 - Exile 

New York, NY PRIVATE EVENT - INVITE ONLY

 

Wednesday, 4/6 - Marketplace Gallery

40 Broadway, Suite#23 Albany, NY 12202

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

 

Thursday, 4/7 - Providence Community Library

441 Prairie Avenue Providence, RI 02905

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

 

Wednesday, 4/8 - Brookline Booksmiths

279 Harvard Street Brookline, MA 02446-2908

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

 

Thursday, 4/9 - powerHouse Arena

37 Main Street Brooklyn, NY 11201

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

 

Saturday, 4/11- Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and Museum

1100 Rock and Roll Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44114

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

featuring David Thomas (Rocket From The Tombs, Pere Ubu)

 

Sunday, 4/12 - Ann Arbor District Library, Pittsfield Branch

2359 Oak Valley Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48103

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

 

Tuesday, 4/14 - Grammy Museum at LA Live

800 W. Olympic Blvd., Ste. A245 Los Angeles, CA 90015

time: 7:00 pm

tickets: FREE!

featuring David Thomas (Rocket From The Tombs, Pere Ubu)

Authors and publishers can be found online by following these links:

http://www.smogveil.com/

http://www.voyageurpress.com/

http://www.niagarafallsreporter.com/hudsonbooks.html

http://www.hearpen.com 

Smog Veil Records was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1991. The label roster includes Batusis (Cheetah Chrome and Sylvain Sylvain of New York Dolls), Complaints Choir, This Moment In Black History, The New Hope v/a compilation, Peter Laughner, Pere Ubu, Tin Huey, Easter Monkeys, Pistol Whip, Unknown Instructors (Mike Watt, George Hurley, Joe Baiza, Dan McGuire, Raymond Pettibon, David Thomas), The Pagans, Teacher’s Pet, Thor, Rocket From The Tombs, Amps II Eleven, New Christs (featuring Rob Younger of Radio Birdman) and Rubber City Rebels.

For press materials or additional information on Cleveland Confidential Book Tour or any artist on Smog Veil Records please contact Fly PR:  T. (323) 667-1344 or flypr [at] flypr [dot] net.