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Inspired by the legendary works of Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson, Detroit writer Ryan Bartek traveled the USA to create his own metal/punk road saga of extreme journalism. 1 year, 35 States, 600+ hours on Greyhounds & 1000 cities later, "The Big Shiny Prison (Volume One)" was released - a unique travel book featuring hundreds of interviews with legends in the metal/punk undergrounds and other alternative cultures in America today. Less a "music book" and more a tribute to the Beat Generation, this genre-defying work combines the classic autobiographical road novel with the modern state of the underground.

"The Big Shiny Prison (Volume One)" features appearances/interviews with members of Brutal Truth, DWARVES, Pig Destroyer, Repulsion, AxCx, MDC, Psyopus, Abysmal Dawn, Kylesa, Ludicra, Cephalic Carnage, Atheist, Impaled, HIMSA, Melechesh, Severed Savior, In Memorium, STALAGGH, Kettle Cadaver, Otesanek, The Angelic Process, 7000 Dying Rats, Screaming Mechanical Brain, EXITIUM, Light This City, Genghis Tron, Blood Stained Dusk, Solger, VILE, Sol Evil, SINDIOS, Kill The Client, The Gracchi, My Uncle The Wolf, Apocryph, Salt Lick, Amish Noise, Lesbian, Fre-Ne-Tik, Alchemical Burn, Crematorium, Waco Jesus, Snotrokitz, Suicide Holiday, Vertigo Venus, Kill The Precedent, Beefcake In Chains, Dreaming Dead, They Live, Brian Botkiller, Diverje, Scorched Earth, Quinta Essentia, Alternative Tentacles, Whorehouse of Representatives, RU-486, Mathematicians, Anal Pudding, A.K.A. MABUS, Disgorge, Nihilistik Terrorist, Lysia Gori, The Crashing Falcon, Stormdrain, Bu Hao Ting, Potty Mouth Society, Funeral Age, Uranium Death Crow, Stahlmantel, Hammers of Misfortune, Ron of Japan, Sasquatch Agnostic, Jakked Rabbits, We Both Know, Hunab Ku, Black Flame Records & others.

"'The Big Shiny Prison' is many things; a chronicle of a journey across America, a socio-political tract of mighty proportions, a living novel with Bartek playing the dual roles of author and protagonist - but as an exploration into the bizarrely captivating world of underground music, it penetrates deeper than the vast majority of literature on the subject before, and the metallic intelligentsia nods its head in bemused satisfaction, not to mention vindication." - RockPulse

"'The Big Shiny Prison' is essentially a travel diary from 2006 into 2007 of a man that jumped on a Greyhound bus & traveled across America interviewing metal bands. Essentially, this is true, but there is much more. Bartek, in the style of Jack Kerouac & tone of Hunter S. Thompson, takes the reader into a mental journey pleading for everyone to 'Wake Up ' and 'Live for The Moment ' Formerly in the band, A.K.A. MABUS, Bartek left his band to write this book but is now working on a new acoustic album. Other aliases the author uses include GhostNomad & Klownfuehrer. If all of this seems interesting & at the same time a lot to take in, well, welcome to 'The Big Shiny Prison.'" -MetalUnderground

"I can't even begin to describe it, let alone do it any justice... Going down into The Abyss was a dangerous move in which Bartek did imperil his very life, but he was determined to write this book or die trying..." -SIBHOD Zine

"No matter what anyone says about this book, you have to respect any writer who is willing to live life on the road - in the dirt & grime, rolling from squat to squat, sleeping in parks & generally living in sh*t just to bring us the story." -Ectomag