Music = Life
From Bowie to Baez, Cash to The Cult, music that touches you stays with you. When my parents asked me as a child if I wanted to take dance lessons or join the school band, the choice was clear. I learned to read and write music, documenting every tremble and every tear worth remembering. Finding myself in songs and then losing myself again, I strummed my Gibson Epiphone, sang and played flute. Originally a music critic from Ohio, I soon graduated with a master’s degree from Ball State University in journalism. Having interviewed hundreds of national and regional bands, I’ve left no music genre behind. I’ve experienced both sides of the fence—as a performer, a reporter, a promoter, and as an audience member. I am a musician but am a music fan first. My music journalism has been published in Nuvo Newsweekly (for which I was previously the Music Editor), ReGen magazine, Echo Immortalis magazine, the Ball State University Alumnus magazine, the Indiana Daily Student Weekend, CultureWeek, the Dayton City Paper, Impact Weekly, and The Guardian newspaper. The following articles are some of the many interviews and reviews I’ve had published as a music reporter.
Alternative/Indie Rock/Other:
Cover Story: “Alternate Routes – Nine Local Women Talk Songs and Success,” Nuvo
Cover Story: “Where are They Now? Highlights of Indy’s Rich Musical Past… and Future,” Nuvo
Profile: “New York Doll: Debbie Harry Returns with First Solo Album in 14 years,” Nuvo
Concert Review: “Tori Amos,” Nuvo
Concert Review: “David Bowie’s ‘Reality’ tour,” IDS Weekend
CD Review: “‘The Cure’ by The Cure,” IDS Weekend
CD review: “Avril Lavigne – ‘Under My Skin,'” IDS Weekend
Electronic/Industrial/EDM:
Profile: “Shiny Toy Guns,” Nuvo
Profile: “The Crüxshadows,” Nuvo
Profile: “Assemblage 23,” Nuvo
Concert Review: “End: The DJ,” Nuvo
Concert Review: “Paul van Dyk,” Nuvo
Profile: “DJ Scott Matelic,” Nuvo
Echo Immortalis magazine – Ball State University
Graduate Studies Project:
Folk/World/Classical:
Profile: “Grammy Award-Winning Bill Miller,” Nuvo
Profile: “Over the Rhine: Back Porch Roots Folk,” Nuvo
Profile: “Branches Breath,” Nuvo
Profile: “Emily Pinkerton,” Nuvo
“Mapping with Melody: Music from the Human Genome Project,” Ball State Alumnus
Concert Preview: “Snake Oil Medicine Show,” IDS Weekend
Alt-Country/Country/Rockabilly:
Cover Story: “Rockabilly Rebel Weekend (Wanda Jackson and Deke Dickerson),” IDS Weekend
Profile: “Brandi Carlile, A Fine Frenzy,” Nuvo
Web Exclusive: “Cracker at 8 Seconds Saloon,” Nuvo
Hip Hop / R&B / Soul:
Profile: “Audio Reconnaissance,” Nuvo
Profile: “Vocalist Bashiri Asad Evolves through Story and Song,” Nuvo
Cover Story: “Waking Up ‘Naptown’ (The Mudkids),” Nuvo
The Art of Storytelling by Leslie I. Benson 