Country

Junior Brown invents his place in Sleepwalk Guitar Festival

Musician’s creation, the guit-steel, lets him stand out amid sea of talent at Toronto fest. Junior Brown and his guit-steel are guests of the Sleepwalk festival     By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Wed Oct 31 2012 When the second annual Sleepwalk Guitar Festival convenes at the Great Hall from Nov. 2 to 4, there will be plenty of six-string pioneers but only one inventor in…


Iris DeMent wants songs to be worth the wait

By NICK KREWEN Special to the Star Fri., Oct. 19, 2012 The last time Grammy-nominated, Americana music siren Iris DeMent released an album of original songs, Lisa Marie Presley had divorced Michael Jackson; Diana, Princess of Wales was still among the living and social media was restricted to email. Not that it matters to the DeMent faithful who will pack Hugh’s Room to the rafters this weekend for a pair of…


Toronto’s Lindi Ortega a rising alt-country star in Nashville

Lindi Ortega brings her blues-infused songs opening for Social Distortion at Toronto’s Sound Academy. “I like evolving and learning and exploring what I’m interested in, and I wanted to show that musically,” says Lindi Ortega of her new disc, Cigarettes & Truckstops.   By: Nick Krewen Published on Wed Oct 17 2012 If Lindi Ortega’s star is rising so rapidly, then why is she singing the blues? The answer can…


Avett Brothers work at great concerts

Like the title of its latest album The Carpenter — released the day before they entertain Wednesday’s City And Colour crowd at the Molson Amphitheatre — North Carolina’s Avett Brothers are in the midst of constructing an enduring legacy modelled after the career of a good friend of theirs, Dave Matthews. Bob Crawford, Seth Avett and Scott Avett are the Americana act The Avett Brothers, opening for City and Colour…


Norah Jones musically solid but lacking in charisma

The Grammy Winner got in 12 songs from her new album Little Broken Hearts but seemed most at home playing country standards.   Norah Jones performs at Massey Hall in Toronto on Friday evening.   Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Sat Jul 07 2012 Ever since she exploded onto the mainstream pop scene with her jazzy multiple Grammy-winning album Come Away With Me, Norah Jones has been…