Sparks talks Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins NICK KREWEN Hamilton Spectator March 30, 1995 Credited as the inspiration for British electronic dance pop combos Depeche Mode, Erasure and Pet Shop Boys, Sparks is a modern music anomaly: a California duo that is revered in Europe, but ignored in their own backyard. With the release tomorrow of their 16 th album, Gratuitous Sax And Senseless Violins, Sparks linchpins Ron and…
NICK KREWEN Hamilton Spectator Thursday, March 2, 1995 “Secret Heart What are you made of? What are you afraid of?” — from “Secret Heart”, written by Ron Sexsmith, © 1995 Ronboy Rhymes Inc./Interscope Pearl Music/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI. French fries. When I first met Ron Sexsmith, his two favorite foods were French fries and Yorkshire pudding — mainly because they were British. At the time,…
PUBLISHED IN THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR ON Thursday, February 9, 1995 Only in Canada could being so famous be so ordinary NICK KREWEN TORONTO — Anonymity has its rewards. Gord Sinclair and Paul Langlois — respectively bassist and guitarist for Canada’s coolest band of the moment, The Tragically Hip, are crossing a busy strip of Toronto’s Queen Street West en route to a Mexican restaurant. There are no glass-shattering screams of instant…
BY NICK KREWEN Hamilton Spectator January 26, 1995 First there was Izzy Stradlin’s Ju Ju Hounds. Then Duff McKagan released his punk ‘n’ roll album, Believe In Me, followed by Gilby Clarke‘s Pawnshop Guitars. Now, add guitarist Saul Hudson — better known to the world as Slash — and drummer Matt Sorum to the list of Guns N’ Roses members past and present who have taken time to pursue…
NICK KREWEN Eric Clapton calls him “by far and without a doubt the best guitar player alive.” Late virtuosos Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan idolized him, and he used to trade licks with Chicago blues legends Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Willie Dixon. Yet it’s the fans that dictate Buddy Guy‘s agenda — even if it means entertaining them in sub-zero degree weather. “I played for people outside last…
