ACTS FORGE AHEAD WITH NEW VOCALISTS AND ENJOY NEW SUCCESSES October 08, 2009 — 12:00 am PDT Nick Krewen / GRAMMY.com At the apex of Styx‘s popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, many of the Chicago rockers’ Top 10 hits came from a single songwriting source. Not only did cofounder Dennis DeYoung pen such Styx hits as “Lady,” “Babe,” “Come Sail Away,” and “Mr. Roboto,” but his signature vocals played…
Companies generate big business with upscale artist tour buses GRAMMY.com Nick Krewen August 20, 2009 Talk about a sweet ride. If you happen to see a top-level entertainer’s coach rolling down the highway, you can be certain the star hurrying to their next gig within it — be it Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift or a member of the rock band Rush — is traveling in style and comfort. “We use high-end…
Companies use algorithms, math and even colors to chart a song’s potential for success GRAMMY.com Nick Krewen March 20, 2008 When Gnarls Barkley‘s “Crazy” enjoyed its chart-topping run in 2006, its blockbuster stature may have sounded like a foregone conclusion to some. After all, the song had a whimsical feel, an easily digestible melody and a can’t-miss chorus that had no problem lodging itself in your memory’s instant recall. But…
May 24, 2007 Soothing interpretations of rock songs provide an alternative to typical lullabies GRAMMY.com Nick Krewen Songs like Metallica‘s “Master Of Puppets,” Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Tool‘s “Opiate” don’t exactly conjure visions of cribs, prams and diapers, but one Los Angeles-based record label is working to change that perception. With such sonic pacifiers as the glockenspiel, vibraphone and harp subbing for wailing guitars and hammering drums, Baby…
Video games provide the latest medium for exposing artists to new audiences GRAMMY.com Nick Krewen April 16, 2007 When Green Day was on the verge of recording their epic American Idiot in the spring of 2004 and facing any number of deadlines, one of the first people they called was Steve Schnur. “The guys in Green Day had asked us to come to the studio,” recalls Schnur, worldwide executive of…
