Spin Hot Pursuit Judges
BUTCH WALKER
It is said that "the Bio" was an extended paragraph of information that was once used to describe a little bit about someone, before it was run into a dirt-filled pile of obscurity by more interesting things like Wrestling, In Touch Magazine, and Kim Kardashian. Some say the Bio was an easy way to inject favorable opinion and fancy wordplay about the subject, in order to make said subject seem more interesting than they probably are/were (i.e. using a phrase like "_________ plays with the intensity of a thousand semen-filled bulls, unleashed on the night" or "_________ formed in the fall of '97 and the music industry hasn't ever been the same since"). Most Bios were useful back when radio stations still mattered in breaking an artist, where the DJ would pull up the current Bio on an artist that would be dropping by the station for an interview. [More]
PETER MOREN
Peter Morén was born and raised in a little village named Vika in a region of Sweden called Dalarna. At the time, Dalarna was a landscape full of horses, mopeds, ski slopes and ice hockey, but not much music. What little music there was consisted of heavy metal or traditional fiddle–based folk music, both of which had strong followings. Guided by his grandfather’s tastes, Peter took to the latter — until he picked up his mother’s out–of–tune guitar at the age of 10 to learn a few basic chords with the express aim of writing pop songs in English.Although his English was fairly rudimentary, he quickly progressed, taking cues from influences such as The Beatles, Byrds, Beach Boys, Kinks, and, for the sake of modernity, The Housemartins and A-Ha (this was 1986 after all).Leonard Cohen, Brian Eno, John Cale, Caetano Veloso, Robyn The lyrics are reminiscent of past efforts, although more. [More]
AMANDA PALMER
Amanda Palmer is a performer, director, composer and musician who is best known for her role as front woman and keyboardist for internationally–acclaimed punk–cabaret band The Dresden Dolls. Her recent work includes a residency at the Famous Spiegeltent at Edinburgh, for which she garnered two five–star fringe reviews, and a nearly–sold–out American Repertory Theatre run of The Onion Cellar, an original workshop piece spearheaded by Amanda and featuring The Dresden Dolls. In September, Amanda will release Who Killed Amanda Palmer, her debut solo album, which was produced by esteemed musician Ben Folds. She is currently busy creating two songbooks and a fine art photo book as well as directing the May launch of Post-War Trade, her brainchild of innovative merchandising. [More]
MICHAEL SHOWALTER
When I was in 4th grade I saw “Animal House” and it changed my life. I wanted to be John Belushi. In fact, after I graduated from college I overdosed on cocaine and heroin and died. I grew up in Princeton, NJ. My parents were both college professors. My Father’s name is English; he teaches French. My Mother’s name is Elaine; she teaches English. Growing up I wanted to be a cartoonist; to draw pictures of ferns and lamp shades in the margins of The New Yorker. I hated middle school. I had a second life changing experience in high school when I visited my sister at Yale and she took me to see their improv group, Purple Crayon. I was blown away. That night I said to myself, “When I grow up I wanna do comedy.” Foreshadowing. I had my first comedy group in high school. We were a hip–hop/improv troupe called The Disposable Rappers. [More]
DOUG BROD
Doug Brod leads the editorial team having worked in magazines for more than two decades. He was appointed Editor of Spin in January 2007 after serving as Executive Editor since May 2003. Prior to joining Spin, Brod spent 11 years as an editor at Entertainment Weekly. He has written for The Village Voice, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Trouser Press Record Guide, among other publications, and has appeared on, New York 1, VH1, and Charlie Rose. Brod also served as a segment producer on the 1997 MTV comedy/music series Oddville, MTV and can be seen walking across a street in the video for Billy Joel’s “A Matter of Trust.” He is quoted in The 776 Nastiest Things Ever Said (HarperCollins, 1995), but he’s a lot nicer now. A graduate of NYU, Brod lives in his native Brooklyn with his wife Rachel, daughter Sasha, and their French Bulldogs, Barkin. [More]