Malcolm X Abram
Malcolm X Abram is an entertainment and music reporter for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, focused on rock, alternative and other guitar‑driven music. His coverage centres on the Rock Hall, major rock and pop artists, and the live events and institutional debates that surround them. He brings long experience as a music writer and guitarist to both news pieces and features.
Rock Hall coverage and institution focus
Abram devotes a significant share of his reporting to the Rock Hall and its role in the broader music ecosystem. He covers programming such as documentary screenings, fan days and author talks, including events built around The Beatles and long‑form documentary series about their career.
He reports on questions of where Rock Hall induction ceremonies belong, contrasting cities and venues and writing from first‑hand experience inside the theater. His work also extends to the annual crop of nominees and inductees, where he produces researched artist profiles tied to Rock Hall seasons.
Those essays span acts from classic rock to heavy metal, including bands such as Iron Maiden, and are collected on his author page.
Concert reviews and legacy bands
Abram regularly reviews and reports on live shows by prominent and influential bands, including a detailed account of The Strokes playing a long, hits‑heavy set at Blossom Music Center. He conducts interviews with artists from long‑running alternative and ska‑punk groups, such as his conversation with Chris Dowd of Fishbone about new work and a return to the band’s roots. His coverage of a popular punk ska band’s first album in three decades combines news of the release with reflection on how the band’s music soundtracked many listeners’ coming‑of‑age years. Across these pieces he tends to frame tours, reunions and new records against the history of the bands involved rather than treating them as isolated events.
Artist profiles and genre crossovers
Beyond event coverage, Abram writes artist‑focused features that trace careers and genre movements over time. His profile of Tracy Chapman examines how a song from a Cleveland‑raised singer became central to a major moment in contemporary country music, positioning Chapman as a “time‑traveling” Black superstar within that scene. In his Rock Hall‑related essays he profiles nominees and inductees across eras and styles, from classic rock outfits to heavier bands, giving readers background on how these artists reached that stage of recognition.
This strand of his work highlights crossovers between rock, metal, pop and country, and the ways older catalogues find new life through awards shows, covers and viral performances.
Gear writing and guitar perspective
Abram also contributes regularly to EarthQuaker Devices’ editorial projects, where he writes from a guitarist’s point of view.
He conducts Q&A interviews with players and content creators, such as Andy Martin, that focus on pedals, tone and how musicians use gear in practice. His “Talk About Your Junk” pieces with figures including Jonathan Pearce, Rob Schnapf and Aaron Espinoza centre on studio tools and the equipment that shapes their sound. In features like “Tone Twin: Tony Iommi” and coverage of limited‑edition pedals such as the Ghost Echo collaboration, he links specific products to the guitar tones of influential artists.
Across these articles he describes himself as a recovering reporter, long‑time music writer and four‑decade guitar player, which reinforces the musician’s perspective that runs through his gear coverage.
Beat definition and typical formats
On his primary beat Abram works as a music reporter handling a mix of news, features and criticism for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. His recent work is concentrated in entertainment, with an emphasis on Rock Hall programming, major band tours and artist profiles that connect local stories to national music narratives. Typical formats include advance and recap pieces on museum and concert events, reported opinion on institutional questions such as induction locations, and longer artist essays published during award and induction cycles.
4 more music journalists.
Andrea Dresdale
Andrea Dresdale manages entertainment content at ABC Audio and covers music-driven pop culture for news and audio platforms. Her beat centers on chart-friendly pop, new releases, mainstream artists, awards, residencies and industry milestones. She also reports on legacy acts, anniversaries, nostalgia, remixes, live performances and music’s links to film, television, streaming and social media. Her notable coverage includes Taylor Swift, BTS, The Weeknd, Madonna, The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, Patty Smyth and Miley Cyrus. Her work has appeared through syndicated ABC Audio coverage on outlets such as WRMF, KS95 and Hot 96.7. Dresdale writes concise, timely pieces for radio audiences. She frames songs, tours, specials and career moments through cultural impact, fan appeal, commercial momentum and lasting relevance. Her stories connect current hits with music history and show how artists maintain attention through new releases, collaborations and reinterpretations.
Andrew Weber
Andrew Weber uses accountability reporting to examine who benefits from decisions shaping Austin’s music ecosystem. He reports for KUT as a government accountability reporter and works as a freelance reporter and associate editor for KUT News across the public radio network. His music coverage focuses on musicians’ pay at festivals, health care, mental health services, venue relief and working conditions. He treats SXSW as a workplace and economic system, reporting on low fees, sponsorships, boycotts and the political choices behind the festival. He also covers government and institutional issues, including KUT’s relationship with the University of Texas and the firing of general manager Debbie Hiott. His reporting ranges from nonprofit support systems to experimental sound art. He plays music on the side and brings digital storytelling experience, including an Edward R. Murrow award for social media work.
Andy Greene
Andy Greene is a senior writer at Rolling Stone who stands out for long-form interviews and narrative features that follow artists across entire careers. He focuses on music, especially classic rock performers, live shows, tours, and band dynamics. He runs the interview series Unknown Legends and King For a Day, which center on veteran musicians, sidemen, collaborators, and singers who replace legendary frontmen. He also writes cover stories and major features on high-profile figures, including Radiohead, Howard Stern, Bill Withers, Nathan Fielder, Steve Perry, Pete Townshend, and Stephen King. His reporting relies on access, detailed questioning, and a deep command of rock history. He also writes about film and television when they connect to music and culture.
Anna Grace Lee
Anna Grace Lee is a Vogue reporter who covers pop musicians and celebrities through fashion, weddings, and lifestyle culture, focusing on dresses, events, pets, and subcultures rather than industry news. She writes scene-driven features that place entertainers in vivid settings, from villas to underground food markets, and treats music-adjacent stories as fashion and craftsmanship narratives. Her Dua Lipa Sicily wedding coverage shows how she frames a wedding dress as a haute couture moment and a pop-cultural milestone, emphasizing design, making, and handwork. Her Millie Bobby Brown miniature poodle piece reflects a consistent interest in celebrity pets, fandom, and off-stage persona. She also reports lifestyle features like Brooklyn’s buzziest underground cheese sale, embedding in niche food scenes. At Vogue she contributes to weddings, celebrity, living, and Met Gala coverage, and maintains a portfolio of culture and lifestyle work built around entertainment-adjacent storytelling.