Americana

She’s been poor, homeless and a ‘doormat.’ Now she’s a four-time Grammy nominee bound for Toronto

Nick Krewen Special to the Star January 8, 2020 Fear is either a paralyzer or a galvanizer, and no one knows that situation better than four-time Grammy nominee Yola, the current purveyor of big-voiced country soul. After wrestling with self-doubt for decades – and finally winning the battle with the release of her critically acclaimed debut solo offering Walk Through Fire, the Bristol, U.K.-based singer and songwriter refers to it…

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U2, Dylan, Hip Producer Talks Melanoma, Breakthrough Immunotherapy, and A-List Benefit

Aug 17, 2018 Nick Krewen Mark Howard, the Grammy-winning and Juno-nominated producer and engineer who has worked with everyone from Bob Dylan and U2 to The Tragically Hip and Willie Nelson, has organized a benefit concert featuring Sarah McLachlan, Randy Bachman, Sass Jordan, Sam Roberts and Ian Thornley, and more,  to be held at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall on Oct. 6. The Mark Howard & Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Grand…


On the second floor of a Shoppers Drug Mart, there’s a shrine to Yonge Street’s musical history

July 4, 2018 Nick Krewen Special to The Star It’s not often that you have the opportunity to shop for acne ointments and body lotion before stepping into a museum that spotlights a bygone era of Toronto’s fabled musical history. But there The Friar’s Music Museum sits – on the second floor of Shoppers Drug Mart’s brand-new Yonge and Dundas location opposite the Eaton Centre – offering a time capsule…


Lee Ann Womack wants to remind us what country music is about

51-year-old Grammy winner and 2001 Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year is at the Horseshoe Jan. 24. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Jan 20, 2018 After spending the better part of a few decades building her country music career as part of Nashville’s Music Row label machinery, Texas traditionalist Lee Ann Womack is calling her own shots these days. It’s the reason why her latest project,  the exceptional…


Blackie & The Rodeo Kings see TV ties pay off on album and in concert

Long-running roots supergroup gets royal reward of guest stars, on new album and at Massey Hall on Saturday. Nick Krewen Music, Thu. Feb 23, 2017 Those Nashville connections continue to pay sweet dividends for Toronto-born Colin Linden and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, who kick off a 14-date cross-Canada tour at Massey Hall Saturday. Linden, 56, who also resides in the town that the country-music business TV soap opera is…