In February 2014, I tuned in to the BRIT Awards to watch my newly minted friends Rudimental’s performance. I didn’t expect to get knocked out by Ella Eyre, the featured vocalist on their chart-topping, BRIT-winning single “Waiting All Night.” In a painted-on catsuit, with enviable tresses, and a commanding presence, she owned that stage. Like […]
Luke Spiller has had a year of “achievements.” He mentions the term twice during our conversation. Once in connection with his group the Struts, who celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their debut album, Everybody Wants, with a major tour. And once when speaking about his debut solo album, Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes […]
You know your band’s legacy is secure when the sold-out crowd at your show can sing two full verses of your song before you even play a single note. Not that the U.K. Oi! punk originators Cock Sparrer were remotely worried about how they’ll be remembered during their two recent sold-out shows at the Hollywood […]
Stepping onto Azam Ali’s property in Glendale, located in northeast Los Angeles County, is like entering the titular space in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel, The Secret Garden. Despite cars rushing by faster than the speed limit, the foliage surrounding Azam’s home acts as a sound barrier that makes me want to be ultra-quiet. The […]
Laidback Luke is in the midst of a personal renaissance. From his recent James Brown remix to the countless collaborations with Daft Punk, Madonna, Lil Jon and others, Luke is helping build a new movement for the dance community. “My current sound is blog house. I was going through an old hard drive from 2007/2008 […]
Visual artist and puppeteer Wayne White doesn’t claim to be a good musician, at least not in the traditional sense. But then again, nothing is traditional when it comes to White. And he prefers it that way. White is a man you may not be familiar with, but his work you’ve most definitely seen. As […]
Why is nothing new happening in film? You’ve noticed. Sequel after sequel, unmemorable plots, films you don’t care about discussing the next day. Yeah, it didn’t use to be like this. Filmgoers in the 20th century had a bonanza of new genres or styles of film. Every decade birthed two or more. Film started in […]
Bartees Strange performs on August 9, 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Credit: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images) Arsenio Orteza, Senior Editor Everything’s Better, The 1910 Chainsaw Company The band’s name is a riff on the 1910 Fruitgum Company, a late-’60s bubblegum act that scored three Top Fives, none of which are as catchy or diverse as any of […]
“You guys are so happy right now, I feel bad for what’s about to happen,” Noah Kahan jokes from the center of Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway’s stage. It’s a running joke for the musician, but although he plays music that makes people want to cry, his New England-inspired poetry is more powerful than […]
“Oh, I get to know somebody in the first five minutes,” says Lynn Goldsmith, the creator of some of the most memorable portraits from the ‘70s and for decades after, shooting major artists from Bob Dylan to Bob Marley, Blondie to KISS. “If you want them to stay longer than planned,” she adds of her […]