Just got back from a family trip to Yosemite. I'm not going to pretend to be a real outdoorsman, rock climber, or even a camper. We stayed at the Wawona Hotel, which looks more like something from a Wes Anderson movie than Harry and the Hendersons. But it was still a huge change of scenery...
A few weeks ago, I shared a little bit about Jessica Hopper's reading, conversation, and book signing at Skylight Books in Los Feliz. Her book, The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic, provides rare and cutting insight into popular culture and DIY subculture but also shows Hopper's own journey from punk...
Last year I went to Wirtz Elementary School in Paramount, where my friend Erik Caruso teaches, to see world-class skate- and surf-influenced contemporary artists from around the U.S. and Japan paint murals on campus, inspire fifth graders to make their own art, provide personal commentary on selected works, share a piece of artwork with those...
Last Thursday, Ja Tecson and Sophia Chang teamed up to create a Pop-Up Gallery Space at Kicks LA in Los Angeles. The store, curated by Sophia Chang, included brands; Big Bad Wolf, Pow Wow Hawaii, Staple and Jason Markk to name a few. The other half of the store, had Ja's photo's up on the...
On Sunday, my wife and I threw our sixth DIY benefit matinee to raise money for music education at the public elementary school our daughter Eloise attends, and I think it's cool that everyone I've talked to seems to have a different favorite band at the show. Cyrano and Lotus from KXLU's Molotov Cocktail Hour...
A$AP Rocky’s sophomore studio album, At. Long. Last. A$AP was set to release June 2, but after the album was leaked online, he decided to release it a week earlier than scheduled. Earlier in the year, his mentor and business partner, A$AP Yams, passed away at a young age of 26 from an accidental...
I sort of remember how I met Jessica Hopper. In the mid 2000s, she was doing PR for a bunch of cool bands while I was editing a magazine. We corresponded and collaborated, and during a trip to Chicago I even visited the compound run by her and her friend Joan and had lunch with...
The concept was to have a series of all-ages benefit matinees for my daughter's school in Chinatown that referenced the neighborhood's punk rock past. In the '70s, bands like X, The Dils, The Weirdos, and Black Flag would play there. I was a little too young to be there, so it's been cool to have...
ShopTalkRadio sat down with Jeff Staple, who is the founder of Staple brand, Staple Design and Reed Space in NYC. Jeff talks about his passion for design, his early work in New York as a publisher and being stuck in the Andes mountains on a snowboarding trip. His near death experiences and appetite...
After decades of going to shows, even the raddest ones can become a blur. But a few stand out for any number of reasons, and one of them is seeing The Clash at the US Festival in 1983. My twin brother and I were able to convince our our dad to take us because he...