The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
Ever since Sphere opened in Las Vegas in the fall of 2023, music fans have been speculating/debating on what artists would be a good fit for such a marvel of a venue. U2 set the bar high with 40 shows between that September and the following March as the inaugural act to play there, and... Continue Reading →
Back in 2023, I spoke with Marty Friedman for Metal Edge. He was touring the U.S. in support of Queensrÿche at the time and told me how it was all a part of his grand plan to reintroduce himself to the country, as he'd lived in Japan for over 20 years at that juncture. Now,... Continue Reading →
Two things happen when an artist has been around long enough. First, they begin to transcend generations, like when Led Zeppelin T-shirts show up year after year in high school hallways as students continue to discover them. Then there’s the backlash to sustained popularity. At this critical juncture in time, that means being “canceled,” and... Continue Reading →
Following two years of having to cancel due to the ongoing pandemic, Boston Calling made a triumphant return over Memorial Day Weekend, but it wasn't without its hiccups...or straight up coughing fits. The Strokes had to bail out as the second night's headliner, only to be replaced by Nine Inch Nails, who had already killed... Continue Reading →
It's one thing to have what is arguably the greatest crossover heavy metal song in history. It's quite another to be accused to finding major amounts of inspiration in said song not just in independent acts from a parallel label, but the guitarist and co-founder you fired many years prior. An unknown Los Angeles band,... Continue Reading →
It's hard to believe 30 years have passed since "Enter Sandman" completely changed the way the mainstream viewed heavy metal. Metallica ended up with one of the biggest hits of their career, shifted both radio and MTV in one fell swoop, and it all happened by riffing on a nightmare scenario of getting sand in... Continue Reading →
Load, the follow-up to Metallica's squillion-selling Black Album, was widely considered to be a bit of a letdown when it came out 25 years ago. That's not exactly a fault of the band, look at any other landmark effort in an artist's catalog and the LP that came after it rarely lives up to the... Continue Reading →
Just like you and I, there are rockers, rollers and other assorted musical miscreants out there who need help keeping their declared promises to make the next 12 months better than the dozen prior. It shouldn’t be that hard to improve upon the raging dumpster fire of 2020, but – hey – people thought the... Continue Reading →
This Sunday [Dec. 6] at 9:00pm EST, I'll be appearing on Reelz when the channel premieres Metallica: The Story of the Songs. Reelz is available via most cable providers, streaming and satellite services. The show will be repeating over the next few days too, so be sure to check your local listings if you forget to... Continue Reading →
Back in February Afghan Whigs leader Greg Dulli released Random Desire, his eagerly anticipated first official solo album. Reviews were off the charts and a tour from one of the most enigmatic frontmen to break out of the grunge era with a unique spin on rock and soul next lined up a tour which was... Continue Reading →
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 