Michael Cavacini

An award-winning arts and culture blog.

09 May 2017

A Conversation With Gene Simmons

Photo by Michael Cavacini.

In addition to recently interviewing Barry Manilow and John Oates, I interviewed the God of Thunder: Gene Simmons. I’ve been a KISS fan since September 4, 1996, when I saw the band perform under the Brooklyn Bridge on MTV’s Video Music Awards. So, having the opportunity to speak with Gene Simmons was a surreal one, especially when I answered the phone and he said, “Hi, this is Gene Simmons.” I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did conducting it.

06 May 2017

The WWE Book of Top 10s

On May 9 DK Publishing releases The WWE Book of Top 10s, featuring more than 50 years of WWE history in 100 lists. These fun bite-sized lists are packed with information and trivia, and fans will debate the order of the lists, what was included and what wasn’t. Check out my video review below to determine whether or not you should pick up a copy of this book:

Posted in Books, Pro Wrestling, Review and tagged Book, Book Review, Michael Cavacini, Pro Wrestling, Review, The WWE Book of Top 10s, Wrestling, WWE | Leave a comment

27 Apr 2017

1 Comment

Dennis DeYoung and Night Ranger Rock Atlantic City

Last Saturday, April 22, I saw a great show featuring two phenomenal bands: Night Ranger and the incomparable Dennis DeYoung. They performed at Harrah’s in Atlantic City and it was one of those rare concerts where I was equally interested in both bands.

Posted in Music, Review and tagged Atlantic City, concert, Dennis DeYoung, Harrah's, Jack Blades, Michael Cavacini, music, New Jersey, Night Ranger, NJ, Review

27 Apr 2017

Philly Switch 3DS Meetup

Are you a Nintendo fan in the Philadelphia area looking to connect with like-minded people online and in-person? Good news! A friend and I just launched a group to serve this need. It’s called Philly Switch 3DS Meetup. It’s a group for owners of the Nintendo Switch and/or Nintendo 3DS to connect and meetup on a regular basis to play games together. And the awesome logo above was designed by my fiancée, Stephanie.

17 Apr 2017

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This Is My Town: Songs Of New York by Barry Manilow

On April 21 Barry Manilow releases his new studio album, This Is My Town: Songs Of New York. Last week I interviewed Barry, and I was part of the live studio audience at his QVC performance. Since then, I’ve been listening to his new album and it’s terrific! It’s a blend of different styles – everything from musicals to jazz – and it features original material, as well as Barry’s brilliant interpretations of iconic songs about the Big Apple.

Posted in Music, Review and tagged Barry Manilow, Michael Cavacini, music, Review, Songs of New York, This Is My Town

15 Apr 2017

2 Comments

Spring Reading List: Three Books Worth Checking Out

#ThankYou @lisascottoline for the advance copy of your new #book. This will be great #reading material for my trip to Las Vegas next week. 😀👍📖 #thriller #novel #LisaScottoline

A post shared by Michael Cavacini (@mcavacini) on Mar 24, 2017 at 6:16am PDT

My to-read list is never ending. However, there are three books that are near the top of the list and I think you should check them out.

11 Apr 2017

48 Comments

A Conversation With Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow is my all-time favorite musician. He’s a Grammy, Tony and Emmy award-winning icon who has 50 Top 40 hits, including 12 #1 singles and more than 85 million albums sold worldwide. With credentials like this, it’s no wonder Barry Manilow is the #1 Adult Contemporary Artist of all time, according to Billboard and R&R magazines, and that Rolling Stone referred to him as “the showman of our generation.” Simply put, he’s fantastic, and I’ve wanted to interview him for the past three years. Yesterday, that dream came true. Barry and I discussed his new album, This is My Town: Songs of New York, which is available April 21, his nearly-40-year relationship with his husband Garry Kief and much more. I hope you enjoy reading this interview. And don’t forget to pick up Barry’s new album – it’s spectacular!

22 Mar 2017

Mano A Mano With John Oates

John Oates was one of the first musicians I interviewed when I started this site several years ago. I had the chance to catch up with him last week about his autobiography, Change of Seasons: A Memoir, which comes out March 28. We covered a lot of ground in this interview, and I hope it whets your appetite for what promises to be an insightful and compelling autobiography.

17 Mar 2017

11 Comments

Hugs, Kisses & Warm Meals

This past Wednesday night, my family’s shore house in Ocean City, NJ, burnt down. The house was built 50 years ago when my Grandfather purchased the land and, since then, it’s been a place for four generations of family members to come together. While a bigger and better house will rise from its ashes, having it taken away from us in such a horrific and involuntary way is shocking and upsetting.

Posted in Family, News and tagged Fire, House, Journey, Michael Cavacini, New Jersey, Ocean City, Steve Perry

15 Mar 2017

A Conversation With Night Ranger’s Brad Gillis

Photo by Ash Newell.

While in Las Vegas last week, I had the opportunity to interview Brad Gillis, the amazing lead guitarist of Night Ranger. We talked about the band’s new album, life on the road with Ozzy Osbourne, Journey’s Neal Schon, and much more.