Chris Becker
Writer and Editor
Writer and editor, with more than a decade's experience covering music, arts and culture.
PROJECTS
houstoncitybook.com
Welcome Homes
A brief history of Magnificat Houses, Inc., a faith-based nonprofit that serves the needs of Houston's homeless community. My story begins with a look inside Magnificat's soup kitchen Loaves and Fishes.
houstoncitybook.com
Staying Strong: Vivalda Dula’s Inspiring New Album
For a few seconds, there is only the sound of a falling rain, and a chord played on classical guitar. Then suddenly, a crash of thunder, and the mood is set for “Monandengue,” the first track on singer Vivalda Dula’s ambitious new album Dula, which drops Friday. The song describes the plight of children subjected to human trafficking and forced labor, and Dula’s voice is filled with strength and defiance, qualities she no doubt inherited from her mother, Marcelina, who passed away in May 2017...
houstoncitybook.com
Painting From Memory
My profile of 2018 Texas Artist of the Year Francesca Fuchs.
Acoustic Guitar Magazine
Austin Electric-Guitar Phenom Eric Johnson Unplugs for a Journey to Self-Realization on New Album ‘EJ’
Cover story for the February issue of Acoustic Guitar. My profile of guitarist Eric Johnson.
houstoncitybook.com
In Praise of Young Poets
A behind-the-scenes look at Meta-Four, Houston's premier poetry slam competition team.
glasstire.com
#9 with David McGee: The Eastman Effect
I recorded, edited, mixed, scored and co-scripted this podcast, a profile of the late composer Julius Eastman. The host is Houston artist David McGee.
houstoncitybook.com
Derby Days
When Nakita Campbell arrived for Houston Roller Derby’s Beginners Boot Camp two and a half years ago, she was completely new to the sport. “I had never worn roller skates in my life,” says Campbell. “I fell every two feet!” She was surprised when the more experienced skaters told her without a trace of irony: “You’re really good at falling!”
houstoncitybook.com
Big Man on Campus
The new Glassell School of Art is set to open May 2018. This is a brief history of the school and a profile of its director, sculptor Joseph Havel.
houstoncitybook.com
Heart of the Matter
Methodist Hospital. Houston, Texas. 1963. 23-year-old heart surgeon-in-training O.H. “Bud” Frazier, a former football star from small town Stephenville, is attempting to save the life of a teenage boy whose heart, despite what appeared to be a successful operation to replace a damaged aortic valve, has stopped beating. Frazier reaches into the chest cavity, wraps his hands around the young patient’s heart and begins squeezing steadily . . .
houstoncitybook.com
LOUD & PROUD | Houston CityBook | Reinventing the city magazine for the people who are reinventing the city
My profile of Oceans of Slumber lead singer Cammie Gilbert.
houstoncitybook.com
Subcontinental Colors
In its FotoFest nod and a concurrent artifacts exhibition, the MFAH highlights the quirkiness of mid-century India, and the unique majesty of its distant past. By Chris Becker
houstoniamag.com
Christopher Knowles: In a Word
Containing works from 1974 to the present day shown only once before coming to the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Christopher Knowles: In a Word is a rare opportunity for visitors to enter what theater director Robert Wilson describes as Knowles’s “private kingdom.”
From within that kingdom, one views the world from several perspectives at once.
houstoniamag.com
A New Sculpture Exhibition at MFAH Gets (Hyper) Real
My preview of sculptor Ron Mueck's exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
houstoncitybook.com
A Day in the Life of the Arts
I co-produced this photo essay of a day of the life in the arts in Houston.