Voices

Rolling With It: Oasis capture elusive American ‘Glory’

Michael Christopher — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:50:54 +0000

A single live show on American soil is all it took for the hyperbole surrounding the reunion of a certain Britpop outfit to reach its apex. “Oasis finally conquer America,” screamed one headline following the gig last Thursday at Chicago’s Soldier Field. “Oasis rewrite history,” went another. Even CNN got involved with their quasi-thinkpiece, “Oasis never really cared about America. Is America ready to care about them?” Ok, let’s everyone slow their roll with it. Like any other act that […]

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RIP Ozzy: How The Prince of Darkness lit a path forward

Michael Christopher — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:13:33 +0000

As a music journalist, I’ve been lucky enough over the years to meet and interview some of my all-time favorite artists. Members of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Van Halen, The Cult, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Glenn Danzig, Liam Gallagher – the list is endless. And one of the questions I get asked most is, “Don’t you get nervous when you talk to them?” It’s a fair query, and I always have the same answer: Never. And it’s because […]

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Let’s talk about that scene at the end of ‘The Batman’

Nick Johnston — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 16:03:28 +0000

This article contains SPOILERS for ‘The Batman.’ If you haven’t seen the movie yet and you’re curious about it, go read our spoiler-free review. Otherwise, get out of here. Hey! We’re serious… *** Batman’s got a Joker problem. No, I don’t mean that he has a “Joker problem” in the sense that the Clown Prince of Crime is pulling boners or killing his sidekicks or whatever, but rather that every piece of media related to this particular superhero is almost […]

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Eddie Van Halen’s eruption of guitar innovation was impossible to contain

Michael Christopher — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 00:25:39 +0000

The passing of Eddie Van Halen is bound to reignite the always tempestuous argument as to who is the greatest guitarist to ever strap on the instrument. It’s also one of the more hackneyed debates to get into as there will never be a clear winner because, like anything else, it’s all subjective and ultimately dependent on individual taste. There are more proficient guitarists than Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, who today (October 6) lost his battle with a return bout […]

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Lil Nas X is ‘goofy, not dumb’ — and that’s why he’s dominating the music industry

Victoria Wasylak — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 14:59:52 +0000

It happened again yesterday. Lil Nas X released another “Old Town Road” video — an animated “Area 51 video”, to be specific — promoting his newest remix with Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey, and Young Thug. No one could have predicted the craze would get this far, but here it is: A multimedia work of art that capitalizes on a yodeling boy in Walmart, rousing cries of “horses in the back,” and America’s newfound interest in raiding the highly classified […]

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This is America: Why ‘The Purge’ series stands out

Brad Avery — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 11:49:28 +0000

In the opening scene of James DeMonaco’s 2013 horror hit The Purge, home security systems salesman James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) is driving home on the eve of the titular holiday where all crime will be legal for 12 hours, allowing the citizens of the United States to quote unquote expel their hateful feelings in a nationwide orgy of murder and mayhem. As Sandin casually makes his way to his newly renovated home, he listens to a talk radio show where […]

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‘Look at those legs’: Hockey legend gets creepy with Needham’s Aly Raisman at NHL Awards

Michael O'Connor Marotta — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 16:57:56 +0000

There were a lot of cringe-worthy moments at last night’s NHL Awards in Las Vegas — from poor attempts at comedy by host Joe Manganiello to an opening and out-of-place live performance by Arkells to mix-ups by Golden Knights brass during the announcing of the expansion draft. But nothing can top the ridiculous comment made by hockey legend and Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne, who, while on stage presenting the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship — of all things — […]

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Voices: Preserving the innocence and importance of a young girl’s concert experience

Victoria Wasylak — Wed, 24 May 2017 14:46:23 +0000

When I was 14, I had one thing on my mind — and it wasn’t the forbidden “one thing” that everyone else had on theirs. In May of my eighth-grade year, I rushed to the parking lot after school, whipped my backpack into the trunk of my mother’s car, and grabbed onto her arms with urgency. “Did we get Aerosmith tickets?” Liking — though in reality, fawning over — Aerosmith while every other girl in my class had eyes for […]

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Remembering Chris Cornell, who was larger than life and louder than love

Michael Christopher — Thu, 18 May 2017 21:19:07 +0000

I once found myself three feet from Chris Cornell. It was March 7, 2003, backstage at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, where Audioslave had just played the eleventh show of their inaugural North American tour. The only thing standing between meeting the legendary frontman was a towering personal bodyguard who was well north of my six foot height and outweighed me by at least 150 pounds. “That’s not the right pass,” he growled, eyeing the sticker on my chest. “I’m […]

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In one image, here is why Porchfest is important

Michael O'Connor Marotta — Mon, 15 May 2017 16:12:04 +0000

If you live in Somerville, you are most certainly are aware that Porchfest 2017 went down this past Saturday (May 13). Few things are as community-minded as this annual tradition, where musicians take to their porches, decks, patios, driveways, and residence entranceways to play music for anyone who may wander on by. The participation seems to have risen to a new level in 2017, as countless stages sprang up across the city and our social media feeds were dominated all […]

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