This audio was so distracting with the background sound I truly couldn’t enjoy the experience of listening even at such a short length.

Rambling stream-of-consciousness novella that's supposed to sound (I think?) like a memoir. Not my favorite. But the narration is very well done, so it definitely wasn't all unpleasant.

What does a dream turn into when you achieve it? A job. A job playing music with real people, who you have to work with every day, and drive from city to city in a crowded van. A group of people who my love you or backstab you or both while stealing your t-shirts. McGrath's book does a great job showing the day to day grind of touring, and what's more does it in a lyrical, non-linear story. I loved his descriptions of musical van life, and the ways images of water and drowning kept showing up. This is the story of a romantic that should know better, a person who wants to believe in empathy and kindness even when he's seeing someone get screwed over, someone who loves the high of playing live music and chases that feeling of the perfect song and the perfect audience, but is worn down from all the other crap he has to do to get there. Loved this.

This audiobook is about 2 and a half hours long and is read by the author, Eamon McGrath. Eamon McGrath also composed a score for this audiobook that is played in the background as you are reading. There are also some moments where there are sound effects like people talking in the background if they were in a crowded place at that point in the story.

I gave this book 3 stars because I actually finished it. I thought it was just an okay audiobook. I think it depends on what you like to listen to. I thought the stories of a touring band would be interesting, different and exciting with hardships but it seemed to be the same sort of stories over and over again. Since I don't drink alcohol myself personally, I wasn't interested in listening to drunk party stories about people being dumb (and there were a lot of those). The whole book felt kind of like a downer and didn't seem to have any bright spots at all which made it all feel a bit one note. Eamon McGrath has a rough deep voice but was a bit like the stories; one note. I had higher hopes for the musical score as well but it was a lot of the same thing over and over again and it made all the stories sound ominous but they still kept happening and nothing really changed. It was interesting enough that I listened to the whole thing and I was glad it wasn't too long at the 2 and a half hour mark.

Here Goes Nothing is a poetic, melo-drama about the world of a touring rock musician. I listened to the audiobook for this one. There is a well-suited soundtrack in the background with sitar music and waves. It is a welcome addition most of the time, accentuating the beatnik vibe. McGarth’s voice is deep and calming as he describes the thrill of the stage, joy rides, surfing and philosophical conversations.

While this book definitely hits the mark for “cool kids indie vibe”, as a story, it is lacking. Within the highly reflective essence of the book, the plot was lost on me and the character development wasn’t substantial enough to hold my interest. I love music. I love stories about musicians, but even this one was too esoteric for my taste.

"Told in two interwoven narratives that blur the lines between past and present..." Blurred indeed. The storyline jumps back and forth between two timelines, at times mid-conversation so the reader/listener is catapulted into a different time with different people in a different place. Listening, it felt scattered. With all the discussion of drugs, I had to wonder if the author was attempting to evoke a drug-hazed memory? Or perhaps they only remember parts of encounters? I'm not sure. For the audiobook version, a soundtrack plays behind the author/narrator. At times, it's a welcome addition, but at others, it's distracting and irritating and I wished I could turn it off. Obviously that is entirely a personal preference. In the end, I believe this just wasn't a good fit for me. As with any book, another reader/listener may fully enjoy this look at the life of a musician on the road in a van.

Thank you to ECW Press Audio and NetGalley for the audioARC in exchange for my honest review.