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At the heart of the respective careers of Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers (both solo and, um, brolo) is one man who never went to college — instead he went on tour with Britney Spears, then moved to L.A. to build a small empire. Read Phil McIntyre’s story. Photo by Yu Tsai.
I was joined by the estimable Nic Harcourt for the latest installment of Tuesday Reviewsday, which is now a podcast on iTunes. My picks for this week? An EP, The Catcher of the Fade, from the L.A.-centric squad anchored by Open Mike Eagle, Busdriver, and Milo. And an album, Poison Season, by Destroyer. Listen up over at NPR member station KPCC, or right the heck here:
READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)
Have you heard “Here” yet? Go ahead, we’ll wait. It’s been a while since an introvert’s anthem became a genuine hit, and this one’s author, Alessia Cara, couldn’t be more perfect for the role. She’s deeply talented and yet to her, fame is “the coolest fluke ever.” Photo by Meredith Jenks.
READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)
To interview alt-pop riser Halsey is to stand in the eye of a tornado and watch as the words fly by. She’s a fast-talker, yes, and a thorough one. In our hour and change together, I probably got off about four questions. But one of those stopped her in her tracks. Photo by Lucy Hewett.
Back to blow more public radio eardrums with glorious noise (HEALTH’s Death Magic) and, well, really chill indie rock (Mac DeMarco’s Another One). Listen at NPR affiliate KPCC, or below.
READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)
For the first time in my life, I found myself with a cheese budget. It was glorious. Sadly, the results of that painstaking research appear in print only: the crowning of Cheesemongers of Sherman Oaks as the best (duh) cheesemongers in the city. On the L.A. Mag site, though, you can find my entries on carrot cake, gin joints, Filipino food, bone broth, dinner and a gig, bird-watching, outdoor gun ranges, and build-a-bot classes for kids. How’s that for range?
If the title of this SPIN cover story, Miguel’s F—ing Music, doesn’t set this one up well enough, be warned: This effort to unpack the significance of Los Angeles’ unlikely R&B/rock/pop lothario is chock full of innuendo. His music isn’t subtle, and neither is this. Sweat it out with me.
READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)
Some folks have so much going on that a Day in the Life simply isn’t enough. I sat down with L.A. producer-on-the-rise Ricky Reed (Jason Derulo, Lunchmoney Lewis, Robin Thicke, Icona Pop) to trace an entire week’s worth of studio sessions, release parties, and — yep — grade-school plays.
READ IT IN LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (print only)
It sucks that you can’t read this online, but if you’re headed to the wilderness soon, you’ll want a hard copy of Los Angeles Mag’s Camping issue. I’ve got several contributions: the Coffee Snob’s Guide above (click the pic for a bigger image); a breakdown of the Channel Islands’ offerings; select sites in the big list (Joshua Tree, Sequoia); and a few additions to the camping etiquette ticker. Remember, if a bear is a’wanderin’, you should get to hollerin’: Comin’ yer way!
Honor though it may be, it’s hard to call a phone interview with Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch a “pleasure.” The man is as unassuming as they come. Words like “icon” and “elder statesman” roll off of the Idahoan without causing so much as a ripple, and one gets the feeling he can’t figure out why what he does for a living is any more fascinating than whatever the next man does. In fact, the dude is so chill, he took a piss while we were talking. Really. It’s in the story.
Chris Writes Things 