by Marisa Torrieri Bloom Bohemian Rhapsody — the biopic about Freddie Mercury, which celebrates Queen’s music — was not what I expected it to be. It was better. But I almost didn’t see it. With so much Oscar buzz around Lady Gaga and A Star is Born,...
by Marisa Torrieri Bloom From the moment I set foot on my first airplane at age 4, I've always loved traveling — from exploring Disney World as a little girl to setting foot in Amsterdam, Rome, London, Paris, Belize and countless other places as an adult. I've...
by Marisa Torrieri Bloom Camp Crush, the Portland, Ore.-based wife-husband duo of Jennifer Deale (synths, keys, vocals) and Chris Spicer (drums, vocals), is known for embedding important social messages into sonically luscious New Wave pop. [caption id="attachment_2242" align="alignright" width="300"] Camp Crush: Parents and partners Chris Spicer and...
By Randy Kaplan My wife and kid have been slowly but surely muscling their way into my not-JUST-for-kids music racket. And it’s been great! [caption id="attachment_2204" align="alignright" width="300"] Musician and dad Randy Kaplan [/caption] Julie May has an incredible voice and has been writing and performing for decades. Since...
by Jennie Helman & Sarah Shannon “Just one more bedtime story, then I’ve got to get to practice.” Good night family, hello "band family." That’s what we tell our kids on the one night a week we hang out for the purpose of working on old and new tunes...
by Ben Rudnick As a songwriter, I aim to be like my good friend Jeff, who plays harmonica and mandolin in an internationally famous Canadian rock band. The band had a big hit in the late 1980s and my pal is now a “micro celebrity.” Inspired by...
by Marisa Torrieri Bloom I've been in bands easily half my life. Much of the time, they're formed out of friendships, work/school connections or circumstance, plus being in the right place at the right time. That's how Grandma's Mini, my longest-running Washington, D.C., rock band with my...