Holly Day

Lyn Lifshin

Janet Kuypers

C. E. C E E

Fred Miller

Jordan Blum

Mike Brennan

Allan Onik

John Grey

Bob Strother

Fritz Hamilton

A. Huffman

A. Lippert

Allan Weber

Amy Locke

Brian Rodan

Elly Moore

Erve Beiser

Jon Brunette

K. Walls

Peter Hully

"the Beaten Path" is a poetry and prose collection book from Scars Publications of materials released through Down in the Dirt magazine from January through June of 2014 (containing material not only from issues but also from chapbook supplement releases). Writers and artists included in this book are Janet Kuypers, A. C. Lippert, A.J. Huffman, Allan Onik, Allen M Weber, Amy Locke, Anna Maria Hansen, Bob Strother, Bradford Middletona, Brian Rodan, C. Covey Mason, Caleb Holbrook, CEE, Clinton Van Inman, Damian Sebouhian, Daniel J OíBrien, David Hernandez, David S. Pointer, Denice Penrose, Don Massenzio, Elly Moore, Eric Burbridge, Erve Beiser, Fred Miller, Frederick Pollack, Fritz Hamilton, Holly Day, James Warner , Janet Doggett, Jesse Martin, Joan Koerper, John Grey, Jon Brunette, Jon Saunders, Jordan Blum, Judith Kaufman, K. D. Walls, Katie Karambelas Hill, Kelly Haas Shackeforld, Liam C. Calhoun, Lyn Lifshin, M. Thomas, Marina Manoukian, Mark C. Lane, Matthew Schmidt, Melissa Davis, Meredith Wilshere, Michael Cluff, Natasha Grewal, Paul Smith, Peter Hully, Peter McMillan, Pijush Kanti Deb, Robert Crowl, Robley Browne, Roger G. Singer, Rurik Asher Baumrin, Sarah Lucille Marchant, Stanley M Noah, Susan Rocks, Terri Muuss, Tom Sheehan, Trevor Hackley, Victoria Smith, Wendy C. Williford, William Masters, and Mike Brennan.

Down in the Dirt January-June 2014 Collection Book

The Beaten Path

No other band has affected modern progressive metal as deeply or widely as American quintet Dream Theater. Formed at Berklee College of Music as Majesty in 1985 by guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy, and bassist John Myung, the group have spent thirty years repeatedly pushing new boundaries and reinventing their identity. Although other acts – such as Queensrÿche and Fates Warning – paved the way for the prog-metal subgenre, Dream Theater were, without doubt, the first to meld influences from both metal and progressive rock into a groundbreaking blend of quirky instrumentation, extensively complex arrangements, and exceptional songwriting. Whether with subtly or overtly, they’ve since left their mark on just about every progressive metal band that has followed. In this book, Jordan Blum examines every Dream Theater studio album, and their behind-the-scenes circumstances, to explore how the group impacted the genre with each release. Whether classics of the 1990s like Images and Words and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, benchmarks of the 2000s like Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Octavarium, or even thrilling modern efforts like A Dramatic Turn of Events and Distance Over Time, every sequence of albums contributes something crucial to making Dream Theater’s legacy nothing short of astonishing. Jordan Blum is an Associate Editor at PopMatters, holds an MFA in Creative Writing, and is the founder/Editor-in-Chief of The Bookends Review, an independent creative arts journal. He focuses mostly on progressive rock/metal and has contributed to many other publications, including Sonic Perspectives, Paste, Progression, Metal Injection, Rebel Noise, PROG and Sea of Tranquility. He is the author of Jethro Tull On Track, published by Sonicbond in 2019. Finally, he records his own crazy ideas under the pseudonym Neglected Spoon. When he's not focused on any of that, he teaches English courses at various colleges. He lives in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Every Album, Every Song

Dream Theater

Patton Oswalt

M.O.D.O.K. is the ruthless and brilliant leader of the terrorist organization A.I.M., outsmarting heroes and outmaneuvering all the cutthroat colleagues gunning for his position. But when he begins to be haunted by memories of a family he never had, it leaves him unsure if he is losing his freakishly large mind, or if there is something more sinister behind these visions. M.O.D.O.K.'s quest to uncover the truth will find him teaming up with the most unlikely of allies... none other than Iron Man himself! But can M.O.D.O.K. untangle the mystery within himself before his many foes take advantage of his weakness -- for good?

M. O. D. O. K.

Peter Kearns

No other band has affected modern progressive metal as deeply or widely as American quintet Dream Theater. Formed at Berklee College of Music as Majesty in 1985 by guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy, and bassist John Myung, the group has spent thirty years repeatedly pushing new boundaries and reinventing their identity. Although other acts - such as Queensrÿche and Fates Warning - paved the way for the prog-metal subgenre, Dream Theater were without doubt the first to meld influences from both metal and progressive rock into a groundbreaking blend of quirky instrumentation, extensively complex arrangements, and exceptional songwriting. Whether subtly or overtly, they've since left their mark on just about every progressive metal band that's followed. In this book, Jordan Blum examines virtually all Dream Theater collections, and their behind-the-scenes circumstances, to explore how the group distinctively impacted the genre with each release. Whether classics of the 1990s like Images and Words and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, benchmarks of the 2000s like Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Octavarium, or even thrilling modern efforts like A Dramatic Turn of Events and Distance Over Time, every sequence of albums contributes something crucial to making Dream Theater's legacy nothing short of astonishing.

Collects M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games (2020) #1-4, M.O.D.O.K: Reign Delay One-Shot (2009), Fall of the Hulks: MODOK (2010). A journey into the mind of one of the biggest heads in the Marvel Universe! M.O.D.O.K. is the ruthless and brilliant leader of the terrorist organization A.I.M., outsmarting heroes and outmaneuvering cutthroat colleagues gunning for his position. But haunting memories of a family he never had leave him unsure whether he’s losing his freakishly large mind or if there’s something more sinister behind these visions. M.O.D.O.K.’s quest to uncover the truth will find him teaming up with the most unlikely of allies: Iron Man! But can M.O.D.O.K. untangle the mystery before his many foes take advantage of his weakness — for good? From Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum, showrunners of the upcoming animated series Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.

Head Games

M.O.D.O.K.

Jordan Blum

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