Category: specifics

The Beak-to-Claw Movement Takes Flight

slate-chicken.png

READ IT AT SLATE

Call it beak-to-claw, nü-poultry, or alt-bird for all I care, just don’t call me late to dinner. Hardy har har. Bad jokes aside, I interviewed a handful of chefs known for doing very good things with fowl—either reinventing the role of the chicken in fine dining and fast-casual, introducing birds of a different feather (sorry, I can’t stop) to their well-curated cuisine. The goal, specifically, was to trace this trend from its U.K. roots to its (in-progress) U.S. expansion as part of a three-part series very noticeably underwritten by Jaguar. Sadly, I got no cars or meals out of the gig. :|

Billboard Cover: The Chainsmokers’ Brotacular Rise

billboard-chainsmokers-article.jpg

READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)

Someone get National Lampoon on the line—it’s time to reboot Animal House with a fraternity full of tech-savvy DJs. I want points on the deal, not just for the concept, but for this pitch-in-cover-story-form for the movie’s leading men: Drew Taggart (left) and Alex Pall (right) of the Chainsmokers, a pair of (mostly) lovable self-described “frat bro dudes” who are dominating music right now. Their song with Halsey, “Closer,” is breaking chart records, but who are these guys and where did they come from? The answer to that question may reveal a new artist archetype. Read on to learn more, and also to see what Steve Aoki has to say about it.

Young Thug Will Wear a Wedding Gown

billboard-young-thug-martins

READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)

If we’re friends, ask me to tell you the entire story of my night with Young Thug, when I became an accidental member of his entourage, which involved a Ferrari, lots of lean, lots of weed, an unexpected festival performance, a mysteriously missing Beats Pill, creepy foot massages, dead-eyed stares, pizza, and me being mistaken for Chinese. After all that, this little story might be a bore, but the guy is a very fascinating character study, and the gown he wears on the cover of his new mixtape is gorgeous. We talked in honor of that fab frock, and New York Fashion Week.

Is Lil Yachty Rap’s Next Big Thing?

billboard-lil-yachty-martins

READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)

In which I interview a mumbling ATLien who couldn’t name five songs by 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., or Nas. But the thing about Lil Yachty is how hard he rides for the Weirdo Youth of the World. That’s not the name of a group (it should be); just seemed like the kind of thing that should exist in formal terms, capitalized. Anyway, get a glimpse into the artful oddness of this 19-year-old.

Best of Los Angeles 2016: Poke Edition

augustcover

READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)

It’s the year of the tuna — ahi, specifically, and in poke form (that’s “poh-kay”) in case you haven’t noticed, which, if you live in Los Angeles, would require never leaving your home or reading about food trends on the internet. So yours truly mustered up the nerve to eat five bowls of delicious fish and various thrilling toppings at five different L.A.-area poke purveyors, all for the sake of journalism and sparing you, dear reader, the terrible inconvenience of doing such a thing yourself. You can read about my best poke pick at Los Angeles Magazine, and then plan the rest of your day around the best falafel in the city, and the best late-night happy hour too.

Billboard Cover: Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato, BFFs

01-Nick-Jonas-and-Demi-Lovato-56-bb19-fea-billboard-6-1548

READ IT AT BILLBOARD (in print too)

It’s not what you think. Those two up there? They might be music’s greatest power couple that isn’t actually a couple. Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato have been best friends since they were tiny tots entering the Disneysphere together, through several tours with the Jonas Brothers, and up to this exact moment in time, which finds them not only slaying arenas, but running a business together. Plus sharing advice about relationships (her to him: “Go get laid,” essentially) and looking out for each other (him on her: “I’m never ever drunk around Demi”). Also, peep the related standalone interviews with Joe Jonas, Island CEO David Massey, and Brad Paisley.