Business

Cooking Up New Themes

Nick Krewen GRAMMY.COM August 2005   Ate any good music lately? Starving for new challenges outside their proven abilities, recording artists are increasingly entering the kitchen to chase their next meal ticket: food and drink product lines. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, notably established pop, country, rock and R&B stars are offering edible commodities geared to any taste. You can start the day off with some links of George…


A Trip Down Memorabilia Lane

Collecting Collectibles The Hard Rock Way… Nick Krewen GRAMMY.COM March 2005 At the recent Ft. Lauderdale kick-off for Mötley Crüe‘s Carnival Of Sins reunion tour, a man sat with Jeff Varner and other associates of the band’s 10th Street Entertainment management firm and witnessed bass player Nikki Sixx demolish his instrument. He smashed his weather-beaten bass repeatedly against the stage canvas before throwing it into the air, pausing only to…


Customized Instruments

CUSTOM DESIGNED  Nick Krewen GRAMMY.COM January 2005 Wish you could play the electric guitar like Angus Young or pound the drums like Mike Bordin? While they may not be able to guarantee you a spot in the AC/DC or Ozzy Osbourne camps, major music instrument manufacturers like Gibson and Yamaha are striving to bring you one step closer to realizing your dreams with their exclusive lines of signature, custom-made instruments….


Blocking Writer’s Block

  Nick Krewen GRAMMY.com September 2004   Marshall Crenshaw feels the pain. Nineteen years ago, the New York-based singer-and-songwriter was in a state of panic when he vainly searched for inspiration to create the tunes that would eventually become his third album. The root of his anguish: writer’s block. “My confidence was shot and I felt kind of beset by circumstances beyond my control,” recalls Crenshaw of the agonizing days,…


Golden Globe or Golden Throat?

Actor Musicians Nick Krewen Grammy.com October 2003 Golden Globe or Golden Throat? There may be a sizeable increase in the number of actors pursuing their muse as recording artists these days, but trying to earn respect from the masses, the music industry and critics is still an uphill battle. Some, such as Hilary Duff or Jennifer Lopez, are talented television and movie multi-taskers who seem to have no trouble climbing…