Pop

With Jann Arden, the jokes are as good as the songs

Entertainment / Music Celebrity bitch-fight, eh Jann? Jann Arden performs at Massey Hall on Jan. 27, 2010. Nick Krewen  Special to the Star, Published on Thu Jan 28 2010 Celebrity bitch-fight, eh Jann? It was during the Q&A portion of her opening four-night residency at Massey Hall when someone in the audience asked Alberta songbird Jann Arden if she would be appearing on this year’s revival of Lilith Fair, the all-female concert…


John Mayer wages a shock and awe battle

John Mayer stepped on the Sound Academy stage last night secure in the knowledge that Battle Studies , his first full-fledged studio album since 2006’s Continuum , will be the No.1 when the Billboard charts are updated on Thursday on the strength of over 300,000 copies sold in the U.S. Nick Krewen  Special To The Star, Wed Nov 25 2009 John Mayer stepped on the Sound Academy stage last night…


Diane Warren, Hitmaker

      California Dynamo Writes The Songs That Sell Millions   Nick Krewen Toronto Star Special to the Star December 28, 1998   Wynonna Judd, Mark Chesnutt and a gaggle of country and non-country music celebrities paid $125 U.S. a head a few weeks ago to stuff themselves into Nashville’s renowned Bluebird Cafe and witness a historic event:the first ever full-length concert by Diane Warren. Diane who? Unless you peruse the Billboard…


Willie Nelson Fears for Farm Aid Future

Exclusive!!! Nick Krewen September 29, 2008 Even though he’s raised over $14 million to help the plight of the American farmer with his annual Farm Aid concerts, country music legend Willie Nelson fears his efforts may be futile. “I think it’s a losing battle,” says Nelson, who headlines Farm Aid ’98 with co-founders Neil Young and John Mellencamp this Saturday (October 3) at the New World Music Theatre at Tinley…


Rufus Wainwright – Flamboyant Performer Keeps Up the Family Tradition

Versions of this article ran in Southam newspapers after May 13, including the Hamilton Spectator Nick Krewen If your parents were a pair of famous folk icons, you might just be a little intimidated about embarking on your own recording career. Not Rufus Wainwright. Already hailed by hip lifestyle magazine Details as “one to watch in ’98,” the Montreal-born piano-playing son of Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III (remember “Dead…