A review by bookishlibrarian
Power Ballads by Will Boast

4.0

These stories feature the lives of working musicians, their disappointments and frustrations and moments of collaboration and transcendence, whether toiling in obscurity, selling out, or remembering past glories. Tim, a drummer that drifts from band to band, and his sometimes girlfriend, Kate, recur in many of the stories. I found this collection to be consistently strong across the board, no real clunkers for me, but my favorite stories were probably "Sidemen" about the wife of a constantly touring musician, "Mr. Fern, Freestyle" about an aging choir director and his reluctant involvement with a trio of aspiring rappers, and "Lost Coast" which features a rock critic's visit to his dead brother's friend.