Indigenous (Native)

Why the Juno Awards matter to artists: Just ask William Prince, Caity Gyorgy or Loud Luxury

Being nominated, winning or just being on the televised awards show can have tangible benefits, but even off-camera moments can have an impact. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Have you ever wondered about the impact of being nominated for – or winning – a Juno Award has on an artist’s career? Well, wonder no more: it turns out it can be quite substantial. For example, when Caity Gyorgy…

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On the second floor of a Shoppers Drug Mart, there’s a shrine to Yonge Street’s musical history

July 4, 2018 Nick Krewen Special to The Star It’s not often that you have the opportunity to shop for acne ointments and body lotion before stepping into a museum that spotlights a bygone era of Toronto’s fabled musical history. But there The Friar’s Music Museum sits – on the second floor of Shoppers Drug Mart’s brand-new Yonge and Dundas location opposite the Eaton Centre – offering a time capsule…


Xavier Rudd savours that healing energy

Aussie multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd plays the Phoenix on Nov. 28. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Fri Nov 23 2012 Environmentally topical singer and songwriter Xavier Rudd has been entertaining global audiences for over a decade with his one-man set-up, an intriguing skeletal hybrid of guitar, pedals, percussion and didgeridoos, the guttural-sounding instrument of aboriginal origin native to Australia. But about 18 months ago, his life —…


Clairvoyant peek inside Robbie Robertson

Clairvoyant peek inside Robbie Robertson | Toronto Star It took a while — a long while — before Robbie Robertson was ready to address the topics in songs on How to Become Clairvoyant.       Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Mon Mar 28 2011 Thirteen years between albums may seem like ages, but it’s not as though Robbie Robertson has been idle. Prior to this Tuesday’s…


Native Musicians’ Influence Dates To Early Jazz

Native Musicians’ Influence Dates To Early Jazz August 7, 2006 Encyclopedia Of Native Music contains 1,800 entries on Native American musicians   GRAMMY.com Nick Krewen She discovered Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, mentored jazz legend Billie Holiday, influenced Tony Bennett and was one of the first female singers to professionally perform with an orchestra. But one of the truly obscure facts about jazz singer Mildred Bailey — known as “Mrs….