Instruments

Sarah McLachlan with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra: review

Nick Krewen reviews the show as Sarah McLachlan kicks off her 13-date Symphony Tour Friday night at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Sat Jun 23 2012 Whenever you play with an orchestra, it’s good to remember that there are strings attached. It was a notion that seemed lost for the first half of Sarah McLachlan’s hit-and-miss two-hour concert with the Toronto Symphony…


Dan Kanter on mad life at Bieber’s side

Toronto guitarist and pop megastar’s right-hand man has had best seat to watch his rise. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Fri Jun 15 2012 Life with Justin Bieber is never boring. Just ask Dan Kanter, the Toronto guitarist, producer and musical tour director who has been the Stratford pop phenom’s right-hand man since The Bieb’s meteoric rise to the top began three years ago. “It’s been quite…


Drumming up a career in garage rock

Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Mon Jun 11 2012 If you want something done right, do it yourself. John Barrett‘s realization of that credo resulted in the formation of combustive garage-rock combo Bass Drum Of Death. “In high school, I was always in bands, but I started doing (stuff) by myself because I was the one managing it and still wanting to do something,” explains Barrett, whose…


M83 synthesizes some stardom

Gonzalez puts keyboards front and centre, and the result is a sold-out Sound Academy. Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Fri May 04 2012 When Anthony Gonzalez was seven years old, he took a hit of Oxygene that changed his life forever. Gathered around their living room with the rest of his family in Antibes, France, the future principal of M83 watched fellow Frenchman, electronic music synthesis and…


Ed Sheeran makes most of an opening

Entertainment / Music Supporting Snow Patrol a career stepping-stone for red-hot Brit singer. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Fri Apr 13 2012 Ed Sheeran, opening a pair of shows for Snow Patrol at Massey Hall next week in what’s destined to be a contemporary role as a warmup act, isn’t afraid to apply a little elbow grease in working his way to the top. In a seemingly short period…