Written by the Grammy-nominated Howard Paar, Once Upon a Time in LA is a dark, thrilling ride deep into the lives of a megalomaniac record label chairman, mob-related radio promotion men, and a young band that gets sucked into the vortex. Once Upon a Time in LA has been released by Over the Edge Books with the book's soundtrack available at http: //bit.ly/oncesnd. The unique 70-song soundtrack for this book includes songs by The Clash, Isaac Hayes, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Kraftwerk, The New York Dolls, Patsy Cline, Primal Scream, George Jones, and many more. Fine art photographer Mona Kuhn shot the cover and is creating a companion series of iconic images from the story.
This rock 'n roll noir novel follows music exec James Dual as he battles ghosts of his past in watering holes from Hollywood to Nashville to Mexico. James finds himself quickly drawn into a web of blackmail, violence, and murder after he receives a cassette tape from a neo-noir femme fatale implicating him in a tragedy from 20 years ago. The story pulses with mythic songs and stories from when music defined reality and meant everything to those who gave their lives over to it.
Howard Paar's work with a diverse range of artists and filmmakers including Larry Clark, Quentin Tarantino, Patty Jenkins, and Gregg Araki have earned Paar a reputation for independent vision and authenticity to character, time, and place and that voice comes through in his first novel, Once Upon a Time in LA.
Advance Praise for Once Upon a Time in LA
"My favorite mysteries don't just solve a murder, they introduce me to a new world. In Once Upon a Time in LA, veteran LA music insider and expat Brit Howard Paar takes us on a joyride through the vanished world of 1970s to 90s LA rock 'n roll. Authentic, fierce, gritty, and moving, with loads of local color and scenes along the Sunset Strip, Malibu, and Hollywood record offices and nightclubs, this is a welcome addition to LA's mystery literature and Paar is an author to watch." -- Denise Hamilton, LA crime writer and editor of the short story anthology Los Angeles Noir
"Infused with an outsider's affection for LA, Howard Paar's lively noir is distinguished by the author's irrepressible love of music and an insider's savvy take on all the dark twisted corners of the record biz." -- Steve Erickson, author of Days Between Stations, Tours of The Black Clock, Zeroville, and These Dreams of You
About the Author: Howard Paar is a Grammy(R) nominated music supervisor who was born and raised in London before continuing his career in Los Angeles. Paar first worked in LA as a club creator/DJ/promoter with such legendary artists as The Specials, The Clash, The English Beat, The Go-Go's, The Psychedelic Furs, The Cure, The Bangles, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Lydia Lunch. Known for developing emergent new music scenes - particularly ska and the Paisley Underground - his club, The ON Klub, in collaboration with Sugarhill Records, was also the first locale to play a rap show in Los Angeles. He subsequently became an independent publicist representing clients including MTV, Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson, N.W.A., Jimmy Cliff, Eric Burdon, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and Michelle Shocked while also booking a TV show that featured emerging figures like Russell Simmons and Run-DMC. He went on to become Vice President, Media & Artist Relations at Polygram Records working with a diverse range of artists including INXS, Def Leppard, Chuck D, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Vanessa Williams, Joan Osborne, James, and X before transitioning to the role of Vice President, Soundtracks at the same company. In this role, Paar worked on many soundtracks including The Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski and Gregg Araki's Nowhere as well as placing numerous songs in films and creating opportunities for Polygram artists to write themes for TV shows including King Of The Hill and Ellen. Paar next joined Richard Branson's V2 Records as Head of Film & TV where he worked closely with artists such as Moby until 1999 when he became an independent music supervisor. He continued to work with Moby whose phenomenally successful album Play, became the first in history to have media placement for all tracks. In 2001, Paar was nominated for a Grammy for the soundtrack for the award-winning documentary Dogtown & Z Boys. Paar continues to music supervise a wide range of critically acclaimed independent films including Monster, Bully, and Mysterious Skin as well as groundbreaking TV shows like The L Word. His work with a diverse range of filmmakers including Larry Clark, Quentin Tarantino, and Mark Waters have helped to earn Paar a reputation for independent vision and authenticity to character, time, and place. A member of the Board for The Guild Of Music Supervisors, Paar values opportunities to elevate music and visual media. Once Upon A Time In LA is his first novel, although he threatens more.