Email Author Karla Starr

Awards

• 2008 - Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Awards/Society of Professional Journalists Region 10, published July 11, 2007

  "Leveled"

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2008 Stories by Karla Starr

• Why MySpace Music Won’t Succeed

  published September 17, 2008

  In the future, one Web site will serve all our music-purchasing needs, including digital rights management--free... More >>

• Can Indie Acts Give It Away?

  published August 13, 2008

  Earlier this year, Radiohead released its new album, In Rainbows, on its Web site using a pay-what-you-wish model. A... More >>

• Flight of the Conchords at SP20

  published July 9, 2008

  Remember SNL's Chris Parnell rapping about The Chronicles of Narnia? Or when Justin Timberlake put his dick in a box? It seemed like the world... More >>

• Ratatat

  published July 2, 2008

  If Ratatat was any cooler, my boyfriend would be in big trouble. The third album from Brooklyn-based electronic music duo– that's guitarist... More >>

• BOAT

  published July 2, 2008

  Do you ever wish the perky days of early '60s bubblegum sunshine pop could be transported into the bodies of hipster indie rocker kids? And then... More >>

• Were Kanye and Beck Separated at Birth?

  published April 16, 2008

  While certain creatures, like the Brazilian three-banded armadillo, are born fully formed and can walk immediately... More >>

• Gnarls Barkley’s Switch from ADD Workouts to Xanax Meditations

  published April 16, 2008

  Call it the double-edged sword of an initial smash single: Being acknowledged and assured coverage comes with the caveat of... More >>

• Music Biz’s Latest Villain: the Price of Gas

  published April 9, 2008

  Like truckers, salmon-jerky vendors, and drive-through liquor stores, musicians live and die by the road. As album... More >>

• Tim Fite

  published April 2, 2008

  After attending a Tim Fite/the Constantines show a few years ago and arriving a few minutes late, I was befuddled to see Tim Fite on stage.... More >>

• Lisa Lutz

  published March 26, 2008

  Last year when she published her comedy-mystery The Spellman Files, I interviewed Lisa Lutz at Peet’s Coffee in Wallingford.... More >>

• Eric Alterman

  published March 26, 2008

  Why is the word liberal so denounced, even rejected, by those on the left, while the right flaunts the word “conservative” like a... More >>

• Nada Surf, the Builders & the Butchers

  published March 26, 2008

  There aren’t many bands whose music makes a perfect accompaniment to brooding, long solo car rides, and making out. But then there’s... More >>

• Joshua Ferris

  published March 19, 2008

  There are many reasons to hate Joshua Ferris: his debut novel, Then We Came to the End, was one of the... More >>

• This Charming Man

  published March 19, 2008

  Swedish-born troubadour du jour Jens Lekman has a way with theatrics, as evidenced from the “am I getting a haircut or experiencing... More >>

• Love to Hate Him

  published March 19, 2008

  There are many reasons to hate Joshua Ferris: his debut novel, Then We Came to the End, was one of The New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2007.... More >>

• Justice

  published March 19, 2008

  If you have the phrase "Do the dance . . . do the dance!" stuck in your head, it's probably the fault of French dance duo Justice, who are... More >>

• David & Nic Sheff

  published March 12, 2008

  Armageddon and Deep Impact; There Will Be Blood and Hillary Clinton’s wins in Texas and Ohio. Why do things with the... More >>

• What's So Weird About Madonna in the Rock Hall of Fame?

  published March 5, 2008

  Like other animals, humans have a funny need to keep a pecking order within their species. The need for competition and... More >>

• Pinback

  published February 13, 2008

  Since the San Diego duo of Armistead B. Smith IV and Rob Crow released This Is Pinback in 1999, they’ve been on a mix of The O.C. and... More >>

• Icebreaker IV: The American Future

  published January 23, 2008

  Aside from being indispensable, what do Björk, The Economist, and our own Gavin Borchert have in common? They’re all fans of... More >>

• 22,000 Songs and Nothing to Listen To

  published January 23, 2008

  There was a time in my life when I knew what I wanted to listen to, when I was poor but bought CDs anyway. I had... More >>

• The Bravery

  published January 23, 2008

  Playing smooth post-punk with electronica influences, the Bravery are best known for a few things: a highly publicized feud with the Killers; the... More >>

• Eric Weiner

  published January 16, 2008

  Long-time NPR correspondent and self-described grouch Eric Weiner spent a year traveling to ten places—Switzerland, Iceland, India,... More >>

• IPod Backlash

  published January 16, 2008

  "Tell me your iPod is not the best security blanket you've ever had. . . . With Jack at my... More >>

• Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

  published January 9, 2008

  When I was 8, my mom bought me a Casiotone. After two months, my teacher informed my cheap mother that I needed a bigger keyboard, killing my... More >>