1

"The Worst Day Since Yesterday"    Flogging Molly

Melding punk, passion and Irish trad, Flogging Molly are a band that pick up where The Pogues left off. But these lads are US based. RJ McDonnell's debut novel, Rock & Roll Homicide is like that too.

Like Evelyn David's Murder Off the Books, Rock & Roll Homicide explores crime with a strong Irish American connection. There are plenty of real live Jason Duffys here in Dublin, and the detective's father is a retired member of San Diego PD's unofficial "Irish Mafia" of cops with surnames like O'Malley, Fallon, and Gillhouly. Most importantly: when Duffy digs down to the roots of the murder, he finds them planted in the green and orange soil of Northern Ireland. Though set in a sunny land where rain never falls, Rock & Roll Homicide is not on Critical Mick's list of Irish Crime titles by mistake.

Flogging Molly have given fans many fine compositions. Why begin the virtual EP with "The Worst Day Since Yesterday"? Rock & Roll Homicide opens with a talented, if abrasive, musician named Terry Tucker getting his head blown off with blasting caps. That's a pretty bad day.

2

"Peter Gunn Catastrophe"    Jimi Hendrix

Twenty-seven year old Jason Duffy has laid his guitar on velvet and snapped its case shut. Music career over, he is now a novice PI as the novel opens.

Rock & Roll Homicide opens like a cover of an earlier PI adventure. A beautiful dame walks into Duffy's office, asks the detective to uncover the truth behind her husband's murder and clear her name.

The story follows a classic formula with classic riffs- trading favors off the cops, severe beatings from bodyguards, bullets whizzing past ears. Just like Jimi's cover, it becomes more interesting when the artist improvises and adds his own elements and style. RJ McDonnell gave Jason Duffy two employees who I had not encountered before. The relationship with the estranged father moves in involving directions. And, the novel's romantic subplot was both refreshing and authentic.

3

"Accidentally Like A Martyr" (Unreleased '74 Demo with upbeat pace and superior lyrics)    Warren Zevon

After Terry Tucker's death, the future of his band Doberman's Stub is in doubt and danger. Will the three surviving members be able to fulfil the promise shown in their two successful crossover albums? The reception they receive from an eager audience midway through Rock & Roll Homicide indicates that the band is headed for legendary status. After all, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Warren Zevon died before their time.

This 1974 demo track (finally available to fans on the posthumous Preludes album) is also appropriate because it is a bit rough. Just as Warren Zevon flubbed the piano bit on a bridge, RJ McDonnell let a few typos into this final draft. My favourite example: "surnames" spelled "sir names." There aren't enough bum notes to put listeners or readers off, but both song and novel feel like an early take. The future will reveal if RJ McDonnell will hit Zevon's heights.

4

"Rock and Roll Friend"    Nothing Painted Blue

Yes, Nothing Painted Blue's version. Not the original by The Go Betweens. The Go Betweens were Australian. Nothing Painted Blue were a California band, and Rock & Roll Homicide is set in San Diego.

(Besides, their cover was better.)

"Rock and Roll Friend" was featured on Nothing Painted Blue's 1993 album Power Trips Down Lovers Lane, the same album which included "Undeserving", "Storefronts" and "Block Colors." All of which could have also been selected for this virtual EP of songs that describe Rock & Roll Homicide. But, Jason Duffy gets to know the surviving members of Terry Tucker's band Doberman Stub quite well. He also drafts in members of his own defunct rock band, Tsunami Rush, for assistance during his investigation. Rock and roll friends are never out of place. Rock and roll friends make a novel fun.

5

"War"    The Rugburns

From the album Taking the World by Donkey, "War" rocks head-on with the throttle thrown wide. Pure fun!

Rock & Roll Homicide features a gang war with the Russian Mafia. Besides, it's a fun read.

The Rugburns, a San Diego indie band fronted by Steve Poltz, get a nod in the novel. Definite bonus points!

6

"Talkin Seattle Grunge Rock Blues"    Todd Snider

What does Snyder's Dylanesque tale about a band that sells a record with nothing on it for two and a half million dollars have to do with RJ McDonnell's Rock & Roll Homicide?

The music's missing.

For a narrative about a recording artist's murder that is told from the perspective of a former musician, Rock & Roll Homicide contains very little comment about the sound. Until well into the novel, it's not even revealed whether Doberman's Stub are pop, punk, metal, new age, or dance. Jason jams with the bass player to win his friendship, but the session gets only a brief mention. What's it like to play? What's it like to be interacting with people who live the dream which never came true for you? A great opportunity to place readers inside Jason's head, and into interesting shoes was missed.