The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
Jeff Lynne is saying goodbye to the road with his brand of the Electric Light Orchestra, only a decade after relaunching and just a handful of years after returning to the States. Jeff Lynne’s ELO will begin a trek dubbed “Over and Out” in late August, with more than a dozen shows across America. Known... Continue Reading →
The last time I saw Billy Bragg was in 2017 when he played Iceland Airwaves at a small church right on a lake in Reykjavík. Now I was sitting down over Zoom to talk with the brilliant and outspoken UK folk punk singer, songwriter and guitarist to talk about his late friend Gary Smith, who... Continue Reading →
What's been going on behind the scenes with pop punkers Alkaline Trio in recent years I've found fascinating on a couple of levels. First, founder, guitarist and co-lead singer Matt Skiba decides to join Blink-182 in the same exact role back in 2015, taking the place of Tom DeLonge. Meanwhile, fellow Alkaline vocalist/bassist Dan Andriano... Continue Reading →
If you're a fan of music documentaries, especially the rough and tumble/conflict-filled type, then you probably love Dig!, which landed the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004. Shot over a period of seven years, it details the up and then down relationship between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. One person... Continue Reading →
I never really got into the prog-metal of Coheed and Cambria, other than the odd song here and there. However, The Prize Fighter Inferno, the side project from frontman Claudio Sanchez, that's right up my alley with its electronica tinged folk. Though he's been creating material under that umbrella for around 25 years, the current... Continue Reading →
There's little argument that Boston - and it's surrounding neighborhoods - was a hotbed of indie rock music by the time the early '90s rolled around. Between The Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr., Belly, Throwing Muses and Letters to Cleo, it was like looking through Lewis Largent's Rolodex to see who he was going to feature on... Continue Reading →
I've been a fan of Nada Surf for decades, and was lucky enough to have frontman Matthew Caws pen the foreword to my book, Depeche Mode: All That’s Left to Know About the World’s Finest Synth-pop Band. But he's got more music going on behind the scenes of this main outfit. This time around is with The... Continue Reading →
Children of famous musicians who attempt to follow in the family trade are a bit hit and miss in terms of talent, success and longevity. From Frank Sinatra Jr. to Miley Cyrus, results vary wildly, but what can’t hurt is doing a different kind of music altogether. Take Matteo Bocelli for instance. The 26-year-old son of superstar... Continue Reading →
Keep even the most cursory eye out and the name Barrett Martin is bound to appear somewhere in the liner notes to albums from countless artists across dozens of genres spanning three decades. Best known as the drummer in Screaming Trees and the grunge era supergroup Mad Season, the Seattle multi-instrumentalist has played on recordings by everyone... Continue Reading →
Certain artists hit at just the right time. And for a small number, they hit generations over and over again. In the case of Violent Femmes, it's typically during the late-high school/early-college years sweet spot. Tracks like "Blister in the Sun," "Add It Up" and "American Music" have that folksy but funky swing while still... Continue Reading →
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 