Americana

Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant hypnotizes, mesmerizes fans at Massey Hall

The musically adventurous Plant shows he is not afraid to revisit the past as long as he has something new to add to the conversation.   Nick Krewen Music, Published on Wed Oct 01 2014 Robert Plant At Massey Hall, Sept. 30 If mother is the necessity of invention, Robert Plant is its charming uncle you never really tire of visiting. The former Led Zeppelin frontman has never been one…


Mumford & Sons at the Molson Amphitheatre: concert review

When was the last time you attended a big-venue concert where the drum kit was almost an afterthought? By: Nick Krewen Music, Published on Tue Aug 27 2013   Mumford & Sons At the Molson Amphitheatre, Aug. 26 3 stars When was the last time you attended a big-venue concert where the drum kit was almost an afterthought? If you’re a Mumford & Sons fan, the answer was Monday night…


Iris DeMent wants songs to be worth the wait

By NICK KREWEN Special to the Star Fri., Oct. 19, 2012 The last time Grammy-nominated, Americana music siren Iris DeMent released an album of original songs, Lisa Marie Presley had divorced Michael Jackson; Diana, Princess of Wales was still among the living and social media was restricted to email. Not that it matters to the DeMent faithful who will pack Hugh’s Room to the rafters this weekend for a pair of…


The Other Side of a Folk Legend

Folk Artist Digs Through Woody Guthrie Archives  Nick Krewen Music, The Toronto Star July 27, 1998 Mention the name Woody Guthrie and visions of a serious, poker-faced dust bowl balladeer spring to mind. Whether it’s such socially and politically charged anthems as “Vigilante Man,” “Do-Re-Mi,” or his most famous classic “This Land Is Your Land,” the Oklahoma-born Guthrie is indelibly etched in American folklore as the premier musical biographer of…


A Keen Observer

Published in The Kitchener Waterloo Record, July 24 1997, to advance a performance at Friday, July 25 at the Hillside Festival in Guelph, Ontario   A KEEN OBSERVER   By Nick Krewen We don’t have a picture of folk singer and songwriter Dan Bern to show you, and perhaps it’s just as well. The 31-year-old Iowa native, who headlines tomorrow (Friday) night at Guelph’s Hillside Festival, is concerned about retaining…