Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
There’s a bit of a misconception when one hears the words “jazz” and “festival” placed next to one another. It conjures up images for some of smoky nightclubs and endless improvisation by highly trained musicians. Kicking off this Thursday (June 29), just north of the Canadian border in the most populated city in the province... Continue Reading →
I've been trying to nail down Glen Phillips for a Vanyaland 617 Q&A for a bit now. Whether it was on one of his solo runs or with his primary outfit, Toad the Wet Sprocket, there was some things I wanted to ask him about. During our chat ahead of the Toad show in Boston... Continue Reading →
Rarely is it an easy road treading the same ground as a parent in music, but perhaps never more so when your father was the frontman for a legendary band that also experienced more than its fair share of drama. Still, Andrew Hagar is intent on pursuing the dream as a singer and musician, following in the... Continue Reading →
It’s hard to believe Boston Calling celebrated its 10th anniversary this past weekend, and that’s more a comment of how long it’s lasted than how quickly time flies. But the three-day music festival, which got it’s start as a two-day event in the heart of downtown at City Hall Plaza, has made all the right... Continue Reading →
Many years ago, while in the Finnish gothic rock band HIM, Ville Valo coined the term "love metal" to describe the type of music he made. And while that band may have said goodbye in 2017, Valo is still waving the genre's flag on his first solo full-length, Neon Noir. Recently he and I sat... Continue Reading →
Foo Fighters returned to the big stage last night with a headlining slot at Boston Calling, a gig three years in the making. Delayed twice; first by the pandemic and then the tragic passing of drummer Taylor Hawkins, the loss of the latter hung in the air all night long, with frontman Dave Grohl doing... Continue Reading →
Progressive metal and post-metal made for a sold out show at Roadrunner in Boston last night, May 4. Here's some shots from the evening.
When I was doing promotion for my Depeche Mode book, I was linked up with Bradley Jay through mutual friends. A longtime Boston radio staple, Jay and I clicked pretty instantly over music, with him a fellow aficionado of all things synthpop. When he decided to launch his own post punk duo, Bridge Bender, I... Continue Reading →
I've always had a soft spot for Third Eye Blind, for a myriad of reasons. When I was in college at Temple University in the late-90s, the band was just breaking big. And while it didn't really fit in with anything else I was listening to, it was - on the surface - fun music.... Continue Reading →
Having talked to Scott Ian on three separate occasions for three different publications, I'm still not sure if he's a jerk, hardened New Yorker who carries the city's attitude with him wherever he goes or is just always on constant alert (i.e. paranoia) that people (i.e. interviewers, media, etc.) are trying to "gotcha!" him for... Continue Reading →
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 