Synthesizer

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…


Red Bull knocks down doors for AWOLNation

Entertainment / Music Aaron Bruno and his band come to Sound Academy after rescue from career limbo.     Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Tue Oct 04 2011 Red Bull gave him wings. AWOLNation principal Aaron Bruno admits he was at the end of his professional tether when Red Bull Records — a subsidiary of the Austrian manufacturer that markets the popular high-energy drink — threw him a lifeline….


Ryuichi Sakamoto works with giants and with glaciers

Composer found music even in the frigid waters of the Arctic Sea.  Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Mon Oct 25 2010 Over 80 albums and 32 years, revered Japanese cultural icon Ryuichi Sakamoto — who made a rare Toronto concert appearance Sunday at the Queen Elizabeth Centre — has dabbled in a lot of genres. Since he graduated from his electronic music studies at Tokyo’s University of Art, Sakamoto,…


Nashville Pussy Gets Politically Correct….Not!

PUBLISHED IN THE KITCHENER-WATERLOO RECORD, AUGUST 09, 1998 By Nick Krewen Ready for some raunch and roll? Think bands are too politically correct? Then check out Nashville Pussy, the fearless foursome from Lexington, Kentucky who have been setting stages ablaze with their no-holds-barred approach to punk ‘n roll. They’re a 90’s band with ’70s values. “It’s never a dull moment. Never,” assures Corey Parks, the gorgeous, 6’3 fire-breathing North Carolinan…


Numan Gets His Feet Back Down To Earth

  Nick Krewen, May 6, 1998, The Toronto Star After all these years, Gary Numan may be the one who is getting the last laugh. Ever since the self-proclaimed alien of electro-pop and his Tubeway Army blasted their way to the top of the British charts in 1979 with the robotic “Are `Friends’ Electric?,” accidentally launching post-punk’s new romantic era, music critics have never forgiven him. They’ve ridiculed his unearthly,…