Andrew Chow

Bio

Andrew is a New York City journalist. He is a Harvard '14 graduate, was the Music Editor for the Harvard Crimson, and has been published in The New York Times, TV Guide Magazine, The Writer, and the Santiago Times. Things he likes: A Tribe Called Quest, Louie, Carmelo Anthony, all other things New York. @andrewRchow
The Defining Hip-Hop Album of 2014 Is Finally Here
By Andrew Chow
"I knew that when I set out to make this record id lose some people with the concept but i didn't do this shit to be crowd pleasing," Flying Lotus tweeted Tuesday. This was shortly after he released an amazing, totally alienating album that, with…
2014 Is the Year That Rock Came Back to Life
By Andrew Chow
Earlier this month, Gene Simmons took it upon himself to kill rock 'n' roll once and for all. "For performers who are also songwriters — the creators — for rock music, for soul, for the blues — it's finally dead. Rock is finally dead," the KISS…
One Festival Is Shattering Assumptions About 'Black Music'
By Andrew Chow
At first glance, the term "Afro-punk"” may seem like an oxymoron, a historical inaccuracy. The most famous bands in punk history, from the Ramones to the Sex Pistols to Black Flag, were made up of a particular subset of white culture, driven by…
Meet the Brilliant Young Man Bringing a New Kind of Blues to Life
By Andrew Chow
The first few seconds of Benjamin Booker's self-titled debut album sound like old-school blues guitar. "Violent Shiver" opens with bright, jagged strumming, slides down the neck, powerful if inelegant technique. You can hear Muddy Waters and B.B.…
Meet the Man Who's About to Save EDM From Itself
By Andrew Chow
One look at EDM festivals like Ultra or Tomorrowland and it's pretty easy to realize the scene is not exactly highbrow. Bros with tanks guzzling beers, women in pasties, flags, flowers, drugs, sweat, sex, overdoses — this is pure party music,…
This Is the Year That Jazz Reconquers the World
By Andrew Chow
The very first Newport Jazz Festival took place in 1954 and featured legends like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and Billie Holiday. These artists, combined with slightly later icons like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and John…
Why Robyn Is Still the Undisputed Queen of the New Pop Music
By Andrew Chow
In 2011, Robyn became a meme. Although she'd been singing and performing since 1995, the Swedish pixie girl's biggest introduction to American audiences came by way of Saturday Night Live’s Taran Killam, who writhed and panted his way through…
The Worst Part of Robin Thicke's Controversial New Album: It's Not Just Creepy
By Andrew Chow
Robin Thicke has been in the news lately for being creepy, sexist and unfaithful. A little more than a week ago, he appeared bloodied and battered in the video for the single "Get Her Back," a plea for his estranged wife to return that featured a…
Incredible Footage of Michael Jackson's First TV Performance Reveals How His Career Began
By Andrew Chow
Five years ago, the King of Pop passed away in his Los Angeles home, causing such a massive outpouring of grief that it nearly broke the Internet. Since then, Michael Jackson has been prolific. He's had a Cirque de Soleil show, a video game and two…
14 Iconic Solos That Showcase Jazz Music's Incredible History
By Andrew Chow
In a recent study at Johns Hopkins, jazz musicians improvised with each other while sitting in MRI machines. No doubt many of them were used to playing in tight spaces, but this was, all the same, odd. What the study found, though, was even odder:…