LA Times adds another pop music writer

The newest music writer on the LAT staff is Mikael Wood, most recently a freelancer for the paper and elsewhere. Here's the memo:

To: The Staff
From: John Corrigan, Assistant Managing Editor
I’m pleased to announce that Mikael Wood, a keen observer of pop music, will be joining our Arts and Entertainment team as a staff writer. Mikael has great range, as demonstrated by recent pieces on Jennifer Lopez, Neil Diamond and Rick Ross. He’s as comfortable dissecting and assessing the world of hip-hop and R&B as he is country, gospel and bubblegum pop – with an ability to put whatever the subject matter in a wider context for our readers. Mikael will be a key contributor to our Pop & Hiss music blog, providing smart takes on news and trends. He joins a strong team, one that excels at spotting the most interesting new artists, breaking pop music news and in covering Coachella, Rock the Bells and other festivals. A graduate of Northwestern University, Mikael’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, SPIN, the Village Voice and other publications. He’s also been a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times. Mikael grew up in Little Rock, Ark., the son of a classic-rock radio program director. He began his concert going at an early age – with a 1988 (or was it ’89?) show by Bon Jovi the first he can remember. Mikael starts next week and will report to Pop Music Editor Lorraine Ali. Please join me in welcoming him to The Times.

Here are his clips at Rolling Stone and the LA Weekly.