A fire so devastating, the firefighters wouldn’t move in to put it out. Sounds outrageous. Sounds horrifying. But that’s the move an alcoholic fire chief made — or rather, didn’t make — at the Ashtabula …
April 10, 2025
Andrew Hamlin likes to photograph shoes and write about dog shit. He was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, where he resides today. He attended the Evergreen State College, where he wrote and edited arts coverage for the Cooper Point Journal. He is the film critic for the Northwest Asian Weekly, and he’s published arts coverage and criticism in the San Diego Reader, Village Voice, Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, Goldmine, and other publications. He misses Helen Wiggin. Hamlin’s website is andrewhamlin.org.
Articles by Andrew Hamlin
Gayle Skidmore's ode to her hymnist ancestor
Fenix TX bids farewell to bassist Adam Lewis
Fenix TX’s new song “Engines” unfolds much like most Fenix TX songs, with the familiar push of power-punk pop, the snap of crisp snare, and fulminating cry of burnished guitar. Listen closely to the lyrics, …
February 27, 2025
Evil cats and cyborg fish populate Dog Man The Musical
A stage musical about a hybrid crimefighter with the head of a dog and the body of a policeman? Did I mention he fights cyborg fish and cloned evil cats? This might sound like a …
January 23, 2025
Brian Ellis says no to sampling for Campus Christy collab
“If you’ve never seen a band of four guys and one girl all wearing bikinis in solidarity, performing the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ before telling you if you don’t call your mom tonight that you can ‘go …
December 26, 2024
Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years
Aaron Stewart grew up mostly in South Florida, then moved to San Diego back in 2011. Since then, he’s figured out where the primo ice cream lies. “I love heading over to Oceanside on Mission …
December 19, 2024
Rapper Wax wishes his name looked like an email password
Wax, whose “government name” is Michael Jones, knows his way around the local music scene. “I have played empty open mic nights in San Diego, and I have performed in front of a sold out …
December 12, 2024
Aaron Bleiweiss: has guitar, has traveled
A certain singer for a certain world-famous group spent his childhood in San Diego before flying 1263.5 miles north to fame and fortune in Seattle. Aaron Bleiweiss, late of the funky group On The One, …
November 28, 2024
Tigers In Cairo owes its existence to Craigslist
Asked about the weirdest or wildest gig they ever played, many folks understandably invoke chaos, mayhem, fire, floods, and/or smoke coming out the guitar player’s ears. But David Martin from Tigers In Cairo — which …
November 14, 2024
Music helped bring Michael Gilas up from a dark hole
Moved by the music: When the horse tripped, it threw Michael Gilas to the ground, breaking his neck, along with one wrist. Recovery has been long and tough, but it has been bolstered by music …
October 18, 2024