John Foley
…spent years in under-the-radar Rock bands, releasing a record that made it “all the way to the radio – and all the way back.” He then worked with folksinger Oscar Brand, performing on television, radio and in concert “from NY to LA, Toronto to Texas, from the top of the World Trade Center to the deck of Pete Seeger’s sailing ship.”
Next was a certification in Music Therapy and work with children on the Autism spectrum. His first book, ‘Guitar Music for the Mid-Life Crisis (Music: Why We Listen, Why We Play)’ [Outskirts Press] dealt with the history and science behind the human response to music, using examples from a wide range of musical styles as well as his own experiences as a traveling musician and a clinician.
Researching an article on ‘The History of Music and Healing’ for Renaissance Magazine he came across the phenomenon known historically as “the Dancing Plague” and it dovetailed neatly with a novel he was working on about a traveling musician in the days of Henry VIII. The story branched out to include “mystery, adventure, political intrigue and, surprisingly, humo(u)r.” That book is ‘The Dancing Beast’.
THE DANCING BLOG
Welcome to the blog for the novel, ‘The Dancing Beast’. We’re hoping, of course, that people will read the book and leave questions or comments on the story but we’re wide open. Besides the (real or imagined) history of Renaissance England we’ll be discussing Rennfest-related topics and the Folk and Folk-Rock music of the British…
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