Rock

A Sip of The Refreshments

  NICK KREWEN Hamilton Spectator August 22, 1996   You’ve gotta admire a band that can rhyme the word “guard” with the name Captain Jean-Luc Picard,  whom Trekkers know as the captain of the most powerful Starship in the United Federation Of Planets, the Enterprise. And you’ve gotta admire a band who tried to contact Patrick Stewart, the classy actor who immortalized the role of Picard in the classic cult…


Van Halen’s Hip Factor

PUBLISHED IN THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR Thursday, August 17, 1996  NICK KREWEN There’s good news in the Van Halen camp: Namesake guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen won’t be wailing — in pain, that is — because his bad hip is giving him minimal trouble. “He’s jumping around again, and playing better than ever,” reports bassist Michael Anthony, 41, from a recent sound check in Boston, where the band played last week…


Ian Anderson: Life With and Without Jethro

  NICK KREWEN Hamilton Spectator May 25, 1996   For almost 26 years, Ian Anderson has sung loudly and carried a big flute as frontman for British progressive rock group Jethro Tull. A few years ago, however, the 47-year-old made a shocking discovery: after playing the wind instrument on 28 Jethro Tull albums, he’d been using the wrong technique. “I’d say 80 percent of my fingering was incorrect,” says the…


Cracker: Misunderstood?

PUBLISHED IN THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR ON THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1996 to advance shows at Toronto’s Opera House (April 14) and Kitchener’s Volcano (April 15)   BY NICK KREWEN   Is David Lowery the most misunderstood writer in American pop? He thinks it’s possible. “I’ve developed a little bit of a reputation for being a very cynical, sarcastic person,” says the lead singer for Cracker, his deep baritone resonating over the…


The Burdens of Being Tracy Bonham

PUBLISHED IN THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR ON Thursday, March 28 1996 to promote a Tracy Bonham performance at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern   THE BURDENS OF BEING TRACY BONHAM   NICK KREWEN The Hamilton Spectator March 28, 1996 Tracy Bonham is standing inside a phone booth somewhere in the Southwestern United States, talking about her first album, The Burdens Of Being Upright, and thankful that she didn’t opt for a career in…