Kay Hanley, the former frontwoman of Letters to Cleo (of "Here & Now" fame), has written a new song for Phoenix contributer Brett Milano. The catchy single is titled "Cellars by Starlight," which also happens to be the name of the Phoenix music column that Milano wrote for several years. On her Web site, Hanley said of Milano, "Sure, it could be perceived as pandering, but I adore him and he's a freak and he deserves to have a song written for him." The hand-clapping tune is available in MP3 format on the Phoenix Web site.

Continue ReadingPop Star’s Musical Tribute to Boston Phoenix Columnist

Greg Mitchell's Thursday column on EditorandPublisher.com describes Louis Black's role in financing and producing Be Here to Love Me, a new documentary about the late singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Black was personally acquainted with Van Zandt, and describes him as "usually pretty fucked up but very friendly." The Chronicle also printed a cover story about the film; Black says that "if the staff felt it was a conflict of interest, believe me, I would have heard about it." Be Here to Love Me has been well-reviewed for its warts-and-all portrayal of Van Zandt. Black is now working on a book about the films of Jonathan Demme.

Continue ReadingAustin Chronicle Editor Produces Documentary