Grayson Haver Currin

Patrick Shiroishi — pictured here in Los Angeles — released 19 albums in 2022; at least three were standouts in their respective fields, in part because of the questions of identity they examine.

Patrick Shiroishi's music moves a Japanese American saga forward

The saxophonist and composer resisted his Japanese American heritage for decades. He now funnels that painful and triumphant personal history into a string of vital records.

Kurt Wagner performs with Lambchop in September at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

Lambchop's long and winding road

Grayson Haver Currin

Kurt Wagner's Nashville collective has always been an expression of absolute possibility. The Bible, his best album in a decade, points that instinct at life's most inescapable truth.

In the metal bands Sleep and High on Fire, Matt Pike has always looked to esoteric sources. Over the last decade, however, he's found inspiration in the conspiracy theories of David Icke.

Can Matt Pike face the music?

Grayson Haver Currin

Matt Pike overcame long odds to find success in metal bands Sleep and High on Fire. But his deepening obsession with conspiracy theories has created a dissonant riff.

Meric Long of the Bay Area band The Dodos found his voice in a distinctive guitar style. While writing the new album <em>Grizzly Peak</em>, he watched that ability begin to slip away.

National & World News

When Making Music Breaks Your Body

Grayson Haver Currin

An arthritis diagnosis means the latest album by the Bay Area band The Dodos is likely its last. It is a striking reminder of the oft-overlooked physical strains of music careers.