The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
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 →
One year ago, Oasis announced they would be reuniting after breaking up a decade and a half prior in spectacular fashion. And while news that the Britpop titans, namely brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, had settled their differences enough to perform together once again created a major stir in the UK, there was some question... Continue Reading →
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 →
“Nostalgia” is always a big buzzword, looking in the rearview when things were supposedly simpler – like right now with the ‘90s. It could manifest as a movie evocative of the decade or one that’s straight-up banking on the legacy of a franchise. Maybe it’s a Britpop band singlehandedly thrusting the genre back into the spotlight. Sometimes, albeit rarely, it’s... Continue Reading →
As a music journalist, I’ve been lucky enough over the years to meet and interview some of my all-time favorite artists. Members of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Van Halen, The Cult, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Glenn Danzig, Liam Gallagher – the list is endless. And one of the questions I get asked most is, “Don’t... Continue Reading →
Earlier this month, and for the first time since 2023, I headed north of the border to Canada for the Montréal Jazz Festival, which saw this year’s edition – the 45th – run from June 26 through July 5. As always, it proved itself to be the premier destination event of its kind in North... Continue Reading →
Two of the most original and tortured talents passed away this week in Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, who died this past Monday and Wednesday, respectively. Both were unrivaled geniuses in their corresponding genres: Stone in funk and psychedelic soul as the figurehead of Sly and the Family Stone, and Wilson in the realm of... Continue Reading →
Apologies to the stick swinging readers, but drummers are an odd bunch. Back in college, my roommate was a drummer, and he was a strange cat – still is. It’s not very surprising as these are people whose chosen career in life is to hit things – typically very hard – with pieces of wood... Continue Reading →
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 