Nov 19, 2014 By Melody Lau Mia Maestro

Mia Maestro began acting in 1998 in the dance drama Tango and she hasn’t stopped since, continuing with a recurring role on Alias and a part in the final two Twilight movies, among others. The actress, whose latest role is the vampire slaying Centers for Disease Control worker Dr. Nora Martinez in the FX series, The Strain, has another passion, though: singing.

Nov 19, 2014 By Austin Trunick Dinner

“When I was 14, I just wanted to play stuff like AC/DC,” Dinner says. “I even wrote AC/DC with an ink marker on my cheap guitar and it rubbed off on my arm. I just imagined that when I started playing guitar I would wind up in a scenario pretty close to the ‘Thunderstruck’ video … You have scaffolding in an arena, and kids are hanging out there being cool and headbanging, with AC/DC playing in the middle. I imagined that six months after picking up my guitar, that’s what my life would be like. But I’m not at that point yet, unfortunately. I just need to keep at it.”

Nov 18, 2014 By Laura Studarus Karin Park

As a child, Swedish singer-songwriter Karin Park made herself a promise — to never take a “normal” job. Having used music as a way to cope while adjusting to a move back home after living in Japan for three years, Park says the idea of doing anything else with her life never occurred to her.

Nov 17, 2014 By Lily Moayeri Web Exclusive

It is after midnight and Johnny Marr has come off the stage at De La Warr in Bexhill, U.K. This is the third date of the legendary guitarist’s tour in support of his second solo album, Playland, the rapid follow-up to 2013’sThe Messenger.

Nov 17, 2014 By Austin Trunick Chris Moukarbel

In October 2013, the anonymous British street artist known as Banksy announced a month-long New York residency named “Better Out Than In.” For 31 days, Banksy unveiled one new work per day spread out across the city’s five boroughs. Little advance notice was given about any individual piece; instead, Banksy offered hints at each work’s location through social media outlets. This resulted in a month-long, city-spanning scavenger hunt, where fans and followers rushed madly to see the pieces before they were defaced by rival graffiti taggers, painted over by unhappy business owners, or outright stolen by thieves looking to cash in for a big payday.

Nov 14, 2014 By Shawn Hazelett Web Exclusive

Rosewater might surprise fans of Jon Stewart, who probably won’t expect a film of such serious tones to mark his directorial debut. The Daily Show host has been long cemented as one of America’s great satirists, and a film that tackles politics through humor—like Dr. Strangelove or Wag the Dog—might seem more likely. For Stewart, he doesn’t retain a sense of humor despite all the wrongs in the world, but because of it. As he puts it, “[Comedy] is the enzyme that I use to process these events.”

Nov 14, 2014 By Chris Tinkham Alex Essoe

Alex Essoe uses the word ravenous to describe how much she wanted the part of Sarah Walker, the lead character of Starry Eyes, a horror film from co-writers/directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer that magnifies the dark side of the movie industry. Essoe knew that the role would allow her to employ a wide array of tools learned while training to be an actor.

Nov 12, 2014 By Mark Redfern Dean Wareham

For this My Firsts we talk to Dean Wareham. Born in New Zealand in 1963, his family relocated to Australia before settling in New York City in 1977 (when the punk scene was still going strong).

Nov 12, 2014 By Austin Trunick Web Exclusive

According to the bio on Springtime Carnivore’s Facebook page, Greta Morgan once joined a traveling circus as an acrobat and tightrope walker, where she suffered a fall which broke her leg. While rehabbing from the injury, she rediscovered the old family piano and began writing music.