For the ECONOMIST: PETRA HADEN, an American musician, has earned attention for her sweet and somewhat cheeky a cappella covers of classic pop songs by The Who and Michael Jackson. By layering tracks of her vocal recordings, she is able to recreate the instrumentation on hits such as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”. In 2005 she [...]
For the ECONOMIST: THE sadness I first felt upon hearing the news of Ray Bradbury’s death soon gave way to a grin as I recalled how lucky I was to have met him in person. Bradbury died on Tuesday in Los Angeles after a lengthy illness. He was 91. He is credited with bringing science [...]
In London, you can take classes on how to make graffiti. On weekends, street artist Andy Seize gives graffiti lessons to children and adults who pay between £35 and £150 per session. Since he works in pre-approved spaces, Seize doesn’t have to worry about London’s active graffiti clean-up crews. “[Graffiti] will always have people who [...]
Juliette Lewis was covered in sweat by the time she finished her first song at East London’s Hoxton Bar and Grill, and dove off-stage half-way through the second. Her band (drums, two guitars and bass) is super-tight, but almost too tight. The group is a well-oiled machine that sticks to the script and plays polished [...]
After moving to Los Angeles, the band’s sound continued to ferment at The Smell, downtown L.A.’s much-hyped noise and experimental music venue. “We just played the shit out of it,” Velazquez says. “It’s where we met our friends, how we learned to book a tour, and how to be in a band.” Rolling snare hits, [...]
Los Angeles was a haven for punk rock in the early 80s. The city is at it again. HERE is my blog post from motherjones.com.
