The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
If you’ve followed Everclear at any point over the last three decades, you already know that beneath the sweet-sounding, radio-ready power pop of the Portland, Oregon outfit’s music, frontman Art Alexakis never sugarcoated a damn thing. He’s always been the guy who turned the ugliest parts of his life into songs, ones that just happened to be... Continue Reading →
After taking a year off to regroup, I was back at Iceland Airwaves, kicking off the month of November in the Icelandic capital city of Reykjavík and wondering exactly why missing the 2024 edition was a good idea, as it remains – however clichéd – unquestionably the coolest music festival on the entire planet. Arriving... Continue Reading →
One of the biggest acts of the initial MTV era, along with Duran Duran, Talking Heads, The Stray Cats, and Pat Benatar, was Men at Work. Led by the Scottish-born Colin Hay, the Australian exports were known for a series of video clips that aired around the clock, filled with peculiar imagery to match the equally idiosyncratic... Continue Reading →
Back in June, to celebrate his 70th birthday, Vanyaland ranked the 70 greatest songs from Glenn Danzig. Curated by site founder and editor-in-chief Michael O'Connor Marotta and me, it was an exhaustive dive into the catalog of the Evil Elvis, one he would surely bristle at because that's just what he does, but which the... Continue Reading →
Out of all the bands that were part of the late-’80s/early-‘90s Dischord Records roster, Shudder to Think was one of the least likely to be thrust into the mainstream. But that’s what happened come 1994 when the Washington D.C.-based post-hardcore outfit found their fifth LP, Pony Express Record, released by Epic Records. Even for a label diverse enough... Continue Reading →
Art Alexakis hasn’t had the easiest life. But you don’t need us to tell you that; it’s all in the lyrics to some of the most popular songs by his alternative rock band Everclear. Growing up with an absentee dad? “Father of Mine.” Being a child of divorce? “Wonderful.” Brother succumbing to a heroin overdose and his... Continue Reading →
Before there was The Cult, there was Death Cult, a darker, more gothic iteration of the group that would later become known for hits like “She Sells Sanctuary,” “Fire Woman,” and “Love Removal Machine.” And while a shadowy side existed to the modern version through the years, no matter what musical path they ventured down, it was... Continue Reading →
Although they’re approaching their 57th year as a band, ZZ Top has spent the bulk of 2025 on the road, even expanding their ongoing Elevation tour – which began last October – so that it stretches until the end of November. Late last month, the Texas trio of guitarist/singer Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard, and... Continue Reading →
When Shane MacGowan passed in 2023, it seemed as if he was finally in a good place after a life at the other end of the spectrum. The revered frontman for the Celtic punk outfit The Pogues often had his talents overshadowed by drunken antics, with his hard partying ways and drug abuse the stuff of legend. During one... Continue Reading →
A single live show on American soil is all it took for the hyperbole surrounding the reunion of a certain Britpop outfit to reach its apex. “Oasis finally conquer America,” screamed one headline following the gig last Thursday at Chicago’s Soldier Field. “Oasis rewrite history,” went another. Even CNN got involved with their quasi-thinkpiece, “Oasis never really... Continue Reading →
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 