When a college fraternity brother of mine got married about 10 years ago, he gave his groomsmen, me included, giant mugs as part of the grooms’ gift. “Yeah, dude! Huge ass beers!” is something that hopefully no one said out loud. But the implication was clear: throw that sucker in the freezer, go get yerself […]
Just seconds into my conversation with Todd Snider, he’s telling me about some LSD that was “going around the neighborhood” a few months back. The next moment, he’s on to a story about dodging fruit hurled by Jimmy Buffett. He then deadpans that if young musicians come to him asking for career advice, “they’ve already […]
Dan Croll could be on the verge of something big. And he knows it. The 23-year-old British singer-songwriter touched down in California at the start of April for his first U.S. headlining tour, and the crowds are growing by the show. By the time Croll hits The Southern Café and Music Hall on April 23, […]
It’s called the Grills. Then, below that highly nondescript moniker on The White Spot’s menu, it says “with ice cream.” It’s not clear whether you have a choice between with or without. Regardless, you want it with. I’ve only been to The White Spot a couple of times, and I know that. For fans, it’s […]
Larry Keel, Virginia bluegrass legend, has lost it. Fortunately, he thinks he can find the old magic anytime he wants. “My beard and I have recently become separated,” Keel said. “But it will be back.” Over the years, Keel has sported a number of facial hairstyles, perhaps none more recognizable than the salt and pepper […]
Rosser Wayland couldn’t be sure the crying child he saw on the D.C. subway was lost. The boy seemed alone. But were his parents nearby, waiting out a temper tantrum? Were they administering a timeout? Wayland watched the eyes of the other passengers […]
Bandmates come and go. It’s just a fact of the music business, according to Justin Ringle, who’s been fronting the Portland, Oregon-based indie folk outfit Horse Feathers since 2004. Most break-ups are under the radar—just musicians going about their professional lives, rather than the splashy teeth-gnashing feuds the media eats up. “I used to hate […]
Why do crabs have shells? I’m no scientist, but I’m guessing it’s because their flesh is so effing delicious. If there were nothing hard and spiny to protect that sweet, briny, creamy white meat, crabs surely would have been eaten into extinction long ago. Which is not to say we humans haven’t come up with […]
Erica Arvold is seated in a D.C. auditorium awaiting the start of the first episode of AMC’s new show “Turn,” a suspenseful drama chronicling the movements of America’s first spy ring during the Revolutionary War. It’s a suspenseful moment in itself for Arvold—this is the first time viewers will lay eyes on the cinematic serial […]
Catchiness. It’s the pop song writer’s holy grail. But what is it about a song that gets it lodged in hipsters’ heads? Is it a combination of the perfect melody and a poetic hook? The right balance of whistling and “woo-woos”? Perhaps a horn-driven chorus? Cowbell anyone? Whatever the formula, Detroit-based Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. […]