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.
READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)
I went to the gym with Jason Derulo and all I got was… oh, right, a delightfully silly Billboard cover story about fitness fanaticism, fake romance, and pop fandom. Also, the quotes from the Game might be my favorite part of the entire article. Shout out lava cakes everywhere.
READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)
I also spoke with Meghan Trainor in honor of the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. She passes on advice from Ariana Grande, and recalls her first brush with Bey. Photo by Smallz + Raskind.
I went big for this, taking on 30 of the 300 albums. Click through this hulking document for my posts on (in alphabetical order, no spoilers): Arcade Fire, At the Drive-In, Beastie Boys, Beck, Belle & Sebastian, Björk, Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene, Clipse, Cloud Nothings, Dirty Projectors, the Flaming Lips, the Fugees, Frank Ocean, GZA, Interpol, Jimmy Eat World, Justin Timberlake, the Microphones, My Bloody Valentine, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pixies, Portishead, the Postal Service, Radiohead, TV on the Radio, the Unicorns, Vampire Weekend, the xx, and Wilco. So many of my all-time favorites in here, and so many I’d never had the chance to write about.
Chris Writes Things 