Is a new American Revolution
brewing in the hills of Virginia?

On A Hill They Call Capital is the story of eight Virginians in their late twenties who decide to mount a revolution against the United States Federal Government based on their grievances with the Patriot Act, excessive taxation, and irresponsible porkbarreling.  Matt Carson has written a very fast paced story brought to life by unforgettable characters.

About author Matt Carson Click here

Excerpt From The Book:

We’d meet at Bardo’s Brewery, an almost legal brewery in a barn on a backroad in Rappahannock County, Virginia.  By “almost legal” I mean Bardo went through 80% of the steps required to open a bar. So instead of just buying a mug of beer, you ask for a tasting - then you tip.  If someone from ABC were to stop by on any given things-are-really-rollin’ night, then people would start getting arrested. But honestly, who cares?  We’re country boys. We know some shit; we don’t care about the rest. Certainly ridiculous and blind authority – along with their laws that don’t make any sense and need not apply to us – can either leave with a boot up their ass or be cool about it and we’ll throw a tip on the counter and get you a beer. 

This old barn was missing a third of its boards; the tin roof was in pretty good shape but when it poured you’d get a little wet depending on where you were standing.  The bar was slapped together with odd pieces of rough cut lumber and there was a wood stove that intended to heat the whole place but in the winter nobody took off their jackets.  Behind the bar, in the middle of the barn, were three two-story stainless steel fermenting tanks with clear plastic hoses that  eventually made their way to the taps. I don’t know much about brewing, but Bardo was serious and his beer was the best. It was at least 12% alcohol; some was as thick as motor oil and some would leave you seeing tiny blue frogs flying around your head. 

You walked on dirt, broken glass, some nails, cigarette buts, and other sundry items that come standard with old barn floors.  The place was barely lit - though there were a few hanging light bulbs that cast interesting shadows all over the place.  On the particular night where I’ll begin, Cat was fired up.   There were the 8 of us there along with Bardo, Bardo’s buddy, and some hippy girl who was trying to keep the wood stove stoked. She was obviously not raised in the country because she created much more smoke than fire so add that to your mental picture.  Cat was fired up because the Patriot Act was just passed the day before – and he couldn’t believe we as Americans had let it get this far. (If you don’t know the contents of the Patriot Act then I suggest that you read it now and then ram your head into a jersey barrier at least 47 times for not paying attention to what was happening to our freedom along the way. Stop dumbasses, what’s that sound, everybody look what’s going down...) 

Patriot Act Highlights:

Authority is granted to the government to seize personal information-- credit reports, communications records and financial information -- through National Security Letters without judicial review

Sneak and peek provision: allows federal agents to get court authorization to search Americans' homes without notifying them for weeks or even months.  

Section 215: allows the F.B.I. to obtain a rubberstamp court order giving it access to Americans' medical, business, library and even genetic records without probable cause.

Etc. etc….

Cat’s fed up and worn out and clearly speaking from more than just what we call “beer muscles” on the subject. He’s not a man who devotes too much time to minutia in the first place. Things that would stress normal people (bills, summons, letters from attorney, etc.) don’t bother Cat at all. He’s a man who truly takes life in stride. So, when he is worked up and devoting serious attention to a matter - we all take note. Soon we find ourselves fired up as well. Afterall, it is truly unbelievable that this would happen.  It is truly unbelievable that our government takes Social Security out of our paychecks, tells us it is going into a “trust fund” for our own use, and then spends it! That’s stealing – and I know that in my world thieves get arrested or shot. Whichever.  Why in the world is our government, our leaders, getting away with crime?

  “The national debt is now over 8 trillion fucking dollars!,” Cat yelled with his hands up, then down, then all over the place. “These bastards have no plan, don’t care about a plan and are long overdue a smack in the face!,” he yelled again with fists.
  “Fuck ‘em” aded Spanky with a mouthful of beer.
  “Yup, it sucks” said Bardo while pouring Spanky another beer.
  “Watcha gonna do?” asked the hippy girl while bending over to grab another log.
  “Ok, ok, we’re good with the logs on the fire thing, let it eat for a while,” said Boomer to the hippy girl.
  “We’re gonna do what our parent’s shoulda done, we’re gonna start a revolution now, not later, we’re done voting, we’re done whining about it. In the spirit of our Founding Father’s and fellow Virginian’s, we’re gonna hurt ‘em!” said Cat with a calm look on his face.

"When a band of good ol boys from Virginia decide that American liberties have been breached once too often, the resulting revolution they launch is both clever and informed by a sense of irony that only true country boys can pull off. Matt Carson has written a story populated by great characters and an ingenious plot. Watch out for this budding story teller."

--Joel Garreau, Washington Post, author "Edge City" & "Radical Evolution"

"It's actually difficult to tell if this is non-fiction and based on a revolution that's going to take place due to the strange details, or simply a great work of fiction. If this is some new strange kind of literature based on future events and a revolution is brewing count me in!"

--The Review Source

"On a Hill They Call Capital has a breezy, humorous style full of allusions to popular culture, but it mines a deep vein of disenchantment with the political system."

--Bacon's Rebellion