Local authors David Hamilton Golland and Seamus Sionnach announce new book releases
By Regina Molaro
Journey’s Trek
The iconic rock band Journey, of “Don’t Stop Believin” fame, is celebrating 50 years of rocking out with its fans worldwide. The band recently kicked off its Freedom Tour 2024 and will play venues across the country and around the world.
Middletown resident David Hamilton Golland, Ph.D., dean of Monmouth University’s Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences and a professor of history, tapped his expertise and passion for Journey’s music and authored a book about the band’s evolution.
“Livin’ Just to Find Emotion: Journey and the Story of American Rock” was published by Rowman & Littlefield and released Feb. 6.
A fan of the band for 40 years, Golland started penning a journalistic-style blog
called Journey Zone in 2000. In December 2020, after reading a book about the band, the two-time author believed there was an opportunity to tell a more complete story, covering the band’s conflicts and power struggles.
Through his work on Journey Zone, Golland landed an exclusive interview with Robert Fleischman, the former lead singer of Journey. “Fleischman really hadn’t given a full-length interview since he was fired by the band in 1977, so it was an important milestone in telling the full history of the band,” said Golland.
The book uses Journey’s history to tell a story about the development of American rock music from the late 1960s on. In preparation for it, Golland consulted many published interviews and spoke with several band members.
His favorite was a discussion with George Tickner, one of Journey’s founding guitarists who also played with Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. “What a wonderful time we had going back to the early years of the formation of the band,” said Golland. When Tickner passed away in 2023, Golland decided to dedicate the book to his memory.
“The many musicians who have been in and out of the band over the years have had a roller coaster ride of experiences. But remarkably, the story had yet to be told in full, to the degree that I wanted to tell it,” he said.
Golland believes journalists generally document facts and quotes but fail to make any arguments; memoirists tell stories for their own personal reasons. Golland’s academic experience and appreciation for history helped shape the book’s direction and his training as a historian has enabled him to present the facts while also making objective arguments.
“I’m not objective about the music because I cannot be objective about that as a fan. As a professional historian, I am objective as to what the people involved did and why they did it,” he said.
The hardcover book is $33 and is available at rowman.com and through online retailers. The audiobook, which is narrated by Michael Butler Murray, was released Feb. 20. For more information, visit journeyhistorybook.com.
History Lessons
Have you ever wondered what events may have occurred hundreds of years ago in your hometown? Middletown resident Seamus Sionnach has.
While commuting into Manhattan years ago, the wordsmith was inspired by some historical plaques he spotted about Chaquasitt, a Lenni Lenape village that is among the oldest settlements in the Garden State. In 1613, it was populated by the Dutch before it was claimed by the English in 1664. The discovery of those plaques is what sparked Sionnach to pen his first book, “The Light Stalker Series: Chaquasitt,” a supernatural suspense thriller partially inspired by local history. Set against the backdrop of a quiet shore suburb, Sionnach’s tale unravels a haunting mystery rooted in historical events that occurred in the Middletown area from the 17th to the 21st century.
The story centers around photojournalist Jake Hollingsworth who returns to his hometown from a wartime assignment in Iraq. He soon discovers the area besieged by a series of mysterious deaths. Hollingsworth suspects the spilling of Native American blood centuries ago has awakened a malevolent entity responsible for the local tragedies. As he delves deeper, Hollingsworth wonders if he can solve this mystery, which has its sinister roots in pre-revolutionary America.
The author drew inspiration from the American unrest associated with the former occupation of Iraq, which began in 2003. “I became intrigued with the photojournalists who put their own lives in danger to cover the story in a war zone. Some referred to themselves as ‘Light Stalkers,’ ” he said. The writer, who has always been an avid reader of The Two River Times, paid homage to the newspaper in his book. He made a point of recognizing the power of local stories, which can ignite change and inspire community connection.
“It was fun to incorporate The Two River Times into my novel. I hope it illuminates the necessity of our unfettered fourth branch of government,” said Sionnach. A multidisciplinary artist, Sionnach’s writing journey began as a teen. “I always found connection through music lyrics, their interpretation and how that made me feel,” he said. In addition to the book, he has written two EPs (musical releases that are longer than singles, but shorter than full-length albums), theatrical plays and short stories.
“The Light Stalker Series: Chaquasitt” was published in December 2023 via Amazon, retails for $13 and is available on Amazon.com.
Sionnach plans to host a local book signing sometime in the spring.
The article originally appeared in the March 7 –March 13, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
