“NY80: A Celebration of Neil Young and His Music,” hosted by CBC’s Tom Power, will take place Nov. 12. Nov. 9, 2025 By Nick Krewen Special to the Star On the cusp of 80, few performers have remained as relevant as Toronto’s own Neil Young. He’s been steadily rockin’ in the free world since forming The Squires in Winnipeg in 1965 — and in a career that has seen him thrive…
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By Nick Krewen Special to the Star It was initially a Prince of an idea. Toronto’s Donna Grantis, the ace guitarist who was a member of the Minnesota wunderkind’s 3rdEyeGirl before his tragic death in 2016, said it was a question that the iconic singer-songwriter posed to the band while they were in a Paisley Park studio that set her on the path to becoming a climate change activist. “Prince…
By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Sometimes no plans are the best plans. According to British pop superstar Sir Elton John, his star-studded, upcoming 32nd studio album, The Lockdown Sessions, out October 22, wouldn’t have happened without an invitation from Charlie Puth, the L.A.-based singer and songwriter of the hits “Marvin Gaye,” “Attention” and “How Long,” to write in his studio. “I had no plans to make any music at all,…
Entertainment / Music Backspacer, the new album out today from Seattle rock icons Pearl Jam, finds the band in a dramatically different headspace. Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Sun Sep 20 2009 Backspacer, the new album out today from Seattle rock icons Pearl Jam, finds the band in a dramatically different headspace. Oh, the aggressive energy crackling of the speakers from such fist-pumping sonic blasters as “The…
Britrock Veterans Keep On Keepin’ On Despite Relegation To The Nostalgia Zone Nick Krewen The Toronto Star March 20, 1997 Francis Rossi loves to ramble. The first half-hour of a 60-minute conversation with Status Quo‘s co-founding guitarist produces a barrage of opinions on everything from The Royal Family to squiring eight children: all before a reporter has an opportunity to pose a single question. “Ah, you’ve…
