Vivascene: Forgiving Metallica

One of my favourite stories I've ever written: Forgiving Metallica.

http://www.vivascene.com/featured-articles/forgiving-metallica/

Business Class: Lili Xu cover story

I wrote the cover story for the spring/summer 2013 issue of Business Class, the University of Victoria's school of business magazine. This one profiled Lili Xu, a UVic grad with a very unique tale. Head to page 14 on the PDF link below to read my story.

http://www.uvic.ca/gustavson/assets/docs/BClass%20SprSum2013.pdf

Douglas: Victoria's harbour

Hands down, one of the most confusing stories I've ever written. I remember having pages and pages of maps, historical info, and for-my-eyes-only government documents spread out in front of me trying to piece together exactly who owns what pieces of land in Victoria's harbour. Since the story was published, there has been some movement in a positive direction but I suspect it'll be a while before anyone really has a firm grasp on who owns what in the harbour. For now, hope this story helps.

The link is to the whole issue's PDF; my story is on page 26.

http://pageonepublishing.ca/publications/DJJ13/index.html

Douglas: The Great Amalgamation Debate

Few things get Victoria residents as riled up as talk about amalgamation (although the words "blue" and "bridge" work wonders, too). I caught up with one of the big pro-amalgamation voices and one of the big anti-amalgamation voices and let them speak their minds in this fun and interesting Q&A-style piece from Douglas magazine's August/September 2013 issue.

The link is for the full PDF; my story is on page 18.

http://pageonepublishing.ca/publications/DAS13/index.html

Alternative Press: The Lawrence Arms "Metropole" album review

I started writing for Alternative Press in 2013 and one of my earlier assignment was reviewing the new album from pop-punkers the Lawrence Arms. I fell in love with the album, and my only complaint was the outrageous amount of swearing on it. Humorously, I was interviewing someone from the band not long after this ran and he brought up this review not knowing I wrote it. What could have been horribly awkward turned into a great conversation and just made me love the band, and the album, even more.

http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/the_lawrence_arms_metropole

Nexus: Paul Stanley

Oh, boy. This one was written as a slightly tongue-in-cheek letter to KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley. I forgot what KISS fans are like. I was torn apart over this one. It also became the #1 most-read story in the history of Nexus' website. I still think it's kinda funny, and I still want to interview Stanley. Next time, Paul?

http://www.nexusnewspaper.com/2013/07/06/kiss-hit-victoria-journalist-eyes-paul-stanley-from-audience/

Island Parent - The Deafening Silence of an Empty House

With a headline that chirpy, how could you not want to read it? This opinion piece for Island Parent magazine talks about how the noise that kids make can drive you to the edge of sanity but, really, you should just sit back and enjoy it. And, clearly, this is written as a reminder to myself more than anything.

This link takes you to the whole issue; my story is on page 52.

http://issuu.com/islandparent/docs/april2014

Revolver - Gridlink "Longhena" album review

I love the thought of something this extreme getting in a magazine that's so widely read. Some person goes into the convenience store in the middle of the night to buy some Aspirin or something, and next thing you know, they're reading about extreme grindcore in a glossy magazine. I really like this review and am proud that I got to write about Gridlink's last album: "If this is goodbye, let our lives be filled with parting."

http://www.revolvermag.com/news/review-gridlink-longhena.html

BraveWords: Sam Dunn

Filmmaker Sam Dunn has made a handful of excellent documentaries about heavy metal, plus he's from the same town as me, so it's always fun to catch up and talk shop. This time around, we talked about extreme metal, as he was in the midst of putting together a documentary on death metal and grindcore. This was for BraveWords in September of 2013.

http://www.bravewords.com/features/1001497

Exclaim!: Phil Anselmo - Flying the Metal Flag High

In August of 2013 I got on the phone with Phil Anselmo to talk with the famous metal vocalist about his new tunes. What ended up transpiring was a fun back-and-forth between two serious heavy metal fans. It worked great as a Q&A-style piece.

http://exclaim.ca/Interviews/WebExclusive/phil_anselmo-flying_metal_flag_high

BraveWords: Gridlink - "I Need To Get Out Of This"

When grindcore legend Jon Chang announced that it was time for him to retire from grindcore with one last album, I knew I had to get him on the phone to talk about it. When it was announced that Paul Pavlovich (ex-Assuck) was doing some guest vocals on the album, I knew I had to get him on the phone to talk as well. Two grindcore heroes in one story, this one was really an honour to put together. This was for BraveWords in February of 2014.

http://www.bravewords.com/news/218351

Exclaim!: Against Me! - This Room Feels Like It's Going to Explode

This is a story I wrote detailing the history of punk band Against Me! for Exclaim! magazine's March 2014 issue. Not only is that a lot of exclamation points, it's a fascinating story, one that took a ton of time to research and put together but was worth every minute (I'm a big fan of the band).

http://exclaim.ca/Features/Timeline/against_me-this_room_feels_like_its_going_to_explode