The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
I've become so deeply immersed in the education of the suicide prevention movement over the past six years that it's hard to remember a time when I wasn't involved. My reasons for initially discovering the campaign were both serendipitous and personal, and it turned out to be, what I believe to be, one of the... Continue Reading →
"Moving sucks" is an oft-repeated phrase which I can't add to in any way.I'm currently in the midst of leaving a place I've been in for 10 years. That's a large chunk of time. Certainly the longest I've ever been in one place for any one period of time. Hell, maybe ever. My old address... Continue Reading →
This week marks the 15th anniversary of Jimmy Eat World's breakthrough effort Bleed American. To mark the occasion, I did a short piece on the record for Diffuser. But personally, the album remains one of those which represents a particular period in time; in this case the summer of 2001. Having just graduated from college,... Continue Reading →
It was announced this week that the 15 year running River Gods in Cambridge, MA would be shuttering its doors for good. This came a a massive disappointment to many in the area, as it was a place which had great food, a better atmosphere and music for anyone's taste. Each night featured a different... Continue Reading →
One of the bands I fell really hard for in the mid-90s was Sponge. They'd had a hit with "Molly (Sixteen Candles)" and "Plowed," at which point they were on my radar, but nothing more. Then, in 1996, the Detroit outfit put out their second album, Wax Ecstatic, and it resonated for some reason. It... Continue Reading →
It's summertime, officially, so I got to do one of the theme nights I'm so fond of doing every now and again on the Voltage Factory. The show kicked off with one of my favorite songs by The Dears, "Summer of Protest," which got me into the band in the first place when it came... Continue Reading →
The Cult have always been a band that never quite fit into any one period of time, though it's not for lack of trying. During the mid to late 80s, they had the big hair and glammed out look, but never the trite songs. When grunge hit big in the early 90s, the UK outfit... Continue Reading →
When Metallica dropped Load in 1996, it sent shock-waves through the music industry on every level imaginable. First was the music which had completely dispensed with the thrash of old, replaced with more standard rock fare with a bluesy tint. Then there was the band's newly revealed image where they were outfitted in silk shirts,... Continue Reading →
This week on The Voltage Factory I featured the debut album from The Smashing Pumpkins, Gish, which came out this week in 1991. It wouldn't be until the Chicago outfit's next effort, 1993's Siamese Dream, that they would receive mainstream success, despite the fact that bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, et al were getting widespread acclaim in... Continue Reading →
This week on The Voltage Factory I took a look at 1977, the debut album by Ireland pop-punk act Ash which came out this month in 1996. It's hard to believe they were just kids and only a few months out of school when it was made. It's one of those records I always go... Continue Reading →
