JUNO

Adult Contemporary, Alberta, Canada, Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame, Canadian Music Hall Of Fame, Country, Grammy, JUNO, k.d. lang, Leonard Cohen, LGBTQ, Nashville Sound, Pop, Producer, Punk, Songwriter, Voice August 30, 2024

As ‘90s icon k.d. lang enters the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, she reflects on her extraordinary career

The singer said she doesn’t miss the stage but still feels the creative impulse. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star In 1988, k.d. lang arrived at what she called “an emotional destination:” she recorded an album called Shadowland with the legendary Owen Bradley, who decades earlier had produced country icon Patsy Cline. At the time, the perennially lowercased lang was still something of an unknown quantity in the U.S….

Bass, Beatles, Canada, Drums, Glam Rock, Guitar, JUNO, Pop, Rock, Songwriter, Toronto, Voice August 1, 2024

They — and their hair — were massive in the ‘80s. On a new tour opening for Billy Idol, can these Toronto rockers make a comeback?

Four decades after touring Canada with Billy Idol, Platinum Blonde will open for him at Scotiabank Arena on Aug. 9.By Nick Krewen Special to the Star You have your Halley’s Comet. You have your solar eclipses. But an even rarer phenomenon — a national tour pairing two rock acts who played together 40 years ago — will be visible in Toronto when Billy Idol and Platinum Blonde perform at Scotiabank Arena on…

Alt. Rock, Art Rock, Canada, Concert reviews, Events, Grammy, Harp, Indie pop, JUNO, Pop, Rock, Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame, Toronto, Uncategorized, Voice July 14, 2024

Iconic singers Alanis Morissette and Joan Jett rock Budweiser Stage with nostalgia-filled sets

Although there’s no doubt that Morissette gave it her all, there was a problem that dampened proceedings: a bad sound mix, writes Nick Krewen By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Alanis Morissette and Joan Jett Three stars (out of four)  Budweiser Stage on Saturday, July 13, 2024  Isn’t she iconic? True that the term “iconic” has been employed to the point of nausea by every well-meaning publicist grasping for…

Bob Dylan, Business, Canada, Country, Country Music Hall Of Fame, Emmylou Harris, Gordon Lightfoot, In Memoriam, JUNO, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Leonard Cohen, Los Angeles, Music Industry (Trade), Music Publishing, Nashville, New York, Producer, Record Labels, Robbie Robertson, The Band, Toronto, United States July 10, 2024

Remembering the Toronto music exec who helped shape the careers of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen

Artists as diverse as Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy and the Marshall Tucker Band were touched by Mary Martin’s expertise. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star If the only thing Toronto’s Mary Martin had achieved during her extraordinary career was introducing Bob Dylan to the Hawks, it would have been enough to enshrine her place in music history. But Martin, who died July 4 in Nashville at the age of…

Adult Contemporary, Alt. Rock, Americana, Arranger, Blues, Bruce Cockburn, Canada, Canadian Music Hall Of Fame, Festivals, Folk, Gordon Lightfoot, Guitar, JUNO, Neil Young, Rock, San Francisco, Songwriter, Toronto, Voice July 3, 2024

As he gets inducted into the Mariposa Hall of Fame, Bruce Cockburn looks back on the highs and lows of summer festivals

The 79-year-old musician will play the Lightfoot Stage at the Mariposa Folk Festival in Orillia on July 7.  By Nick Krewen Special to the Star The second time he played the Mariposa Folk Festival, in 1969, Bruce Cockburn wasn’t supposed to headline. That honour belonged to Neil Young, fresh from his split with Buffalo Springfield, until a last-minute health issue forced the Ottawa-born folksinger and songwriter — who, until that point, had…