Instruments

Jay-Z: King of the No. 1 album

Judged solely on his string of No. 1 albums, Jay-Z has accomplished the unexpected: he’s become bigger than Elvis.        Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Fri Oct 30 2009 Judged solely on his string of No. 1 albums, Jay-Z has accomplished the unexpected: he’s become bigger than Elvis. With the Sept. 11 arrival of The Blueprint 3, Brooklyn-born rapper Shawn Carter scored his 11th straight chart-topper…


Music That Puts You To Sleep

Music That Puts You To Sleep July 20, 2006 For “therapeutic” music, boring’s a good thing GRAMMY.com Nick Krewen If David Bradstreet isn’t lulling you to sleep with his music, he isn’t doing his job. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, more than 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders ranging from sleep apnea to hypertension. Bradstreet, a Toronto-based, Juno award-winning folk singer, instrumentalist and composer, is…


Suzie Katayama – Cellist and Arranger to the Stars

Suzie Katayama…Cellist and Arranger to the Stars Nick Krewen GRAMMY.com October/November  2003 As with most five-year-olds enamored with Saturday morning television, Suzie Katayama was dazzled by the animated images dancing in front of her eyes, fuelling her imagination and making her laugh. But unlike most youngsters, she was equally taken with the variety of sonics bombarding her ears, ranging from the wild sound effects punctuating the action to the music…


The Russians have landed!

  Nick Krewen GRAMMY.COM March 2003 Roll over Beethoven and tell Tchiakovsky the news: The Russians have landed! While recent breakthroughs of controversial Moscow pop duo t.A.T.u. and Grammy nominated country sextet Bering Strait may not be as prevalent as the British invasion that first introduced The Beatles, the message that North America is finally open for business is resonating throughout the former U.S.S.R.. And that gives new hope for…


Stacey Earle is the Gearle

 Nick Krewen For the KW Record November 4, 1999   Stacey Earle is making up for lost time. The younger sister of country renegade Steve waited until she was 38 to release this year’s Simple Gearle  album, a stunning collection of roots-driven folk, blues and alternative country. “I always tinkered around with music and played it, by ear, around the house when we were younger,” Earle said from her Nashville…