Piano

Nellie McKay embraces music, keeps public at bay

Wide-ranging chanteuse ends boycott of Canada with Horseshoe gig. Nellie McKay plays the Horseshoe Tavern on June 30.     Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Wed Jun 27 2012   It’s hard to know where to start with Nellie McKay. Over eight years and five albums, the enormously talented British-born New Yorker has immersed herself in disciplines both visual and musical, ranging from acting in major motion…


Thomas Dolby, past, present and especially future

Entertainment / Music Eighties pop star, tech entrepreneur, now game designer — and through it all, a science obsessive.   Musician Thomas Dolby in his travelling “time capsule.” By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Sun Apr 01 2012 Ever the inventive sort, Thomas Dolby is bringing a special guest to Monday night’s gig at the Mod Club: his own time machine. “It’s a 1930s Teardrop trailer that looks like Jules Verne customized…


Herbie Hancock gives it all a try

Herbie Hancock gives it all a try | Toronto Star Longtime Gershwin fan’s Massey Hall show just latest outlet for broad-minded creator.   Herbie Hancock at home with keyboards both acoustic and electronic … thanks to Miles Davis. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Thu Oct 20 2011 Legendary jazz innovator Herbie Hancock might be considered something of a prodigy, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking his upcoming…


Versatile Groban keeps the ACC audience guessing

Entertainment / Music With a big voice, and a big venue, Josh Groban did his best to make those intimate connections with fans. Nick Krewen Special to The Star, Published on Mon Jul 18 2011 Josh Groban is all about breaking down barriers. Returning Monday night with a considerably different show than his extremely intimate “Before We Begin” two-accompanist affair, which stopped off at the Queen Elizabeth Centre earlier this year, Groban…


Brian Wilson: Talking about ‘Plenty O’ Nuttin’

Entertainment / Music Pop visionary chats, just a bit, about Gershwin before Toronto show.     Pop legend Brian Wilson got a chance to complete two unfinished George Gershwin songs for his recent album. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Fri Jun 17 2011 Has pop music ever had a more tortured soul than visionary Brian Wilson? From the physical and psychological abuse inflicted by an intimidating father, to his…