Sideman

In Pursuit of the Next

By: Mark Rivera, Mike Poncy - contributor, Ringo Starr - foreword

Narrated by: Mark Rivera

While most successful sidemen are lucky to spend a decade in the music business, multi-instrumentalist Mark Rivera is working on his fifth.

Rivera has shared the stage with some of Rock 'n' Roll's greatest performers, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Tony Bennett, Sheila E., Joe Walsh, Hall & Oates, and Peter Gabriel.

How does he do it while avoiding the typical pitfalls—falling out of favor with the band, burnout, depression?

A devoted father and husband for nearly forty years, Rivera's recollections in Sideman demonstrate that while he struggled to balance the two worlds—a rock 'n' roller circling the globe and a regular guy worried about putting food on the table—his body's compulsion to always be playing music kept him in constant pursuit of "the next gig."

Full of optimism, humor, and candor, Rivera turns the spotlight on the sideman's life, revealing not only what it takes to climb the industry ladder (and stay there), but something more surprising: a bit of ourselves rocking out amongst all those superstars.

©2023 Mark Rivera (P)2023 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Hearing the author

Personal stories, and all that he went through. His love for music really comes through.

A Book Every Hired Gun Should Read

Inspiring and educational! Loved it. I truly enjoyed this book. Highly recommend to any Musician , or even non musician.

Good but could’ve been better

Obviously Mark is talented. And I figured he would talk a lot about his personal life. I just wished there was more details about the big artists he worked with. He does touch on them briefly but not a ton of info on the bands. But not a lot of inside stories.

So if you are expecting that it isn’t here. If u wanna hear about his own personal life you’ll be pleased. I think I was just expecting more personal band stories in the book.

Great story

Mark told a great story in his own words. So very interesting. Great insight into the life of a working musician. Awesome storytelling.

Great Look Behind the Curtain of Fame

Loved hearing Mark’s story. Life is so much more than what we see on stage. Definitely worth the listen for all sidemen. Maybe some front men too so they can see what it takes to please them. Hopefully like Billy Joel, they will care.