Canada

Burning For Buddy

Neil Peart launches solo album tribute to iconic drummer Buddy Rich NICK KREWEN The Hamilton Spectator October 20, 1996 Neil Peart admits he’s been in no rush to release a solo album. One of Canada’s foremost drummers and lyricists who has built his worldwide reputation exclusively with Canadian power rock trio Rush over 22 years and almost as many million-selling albums, Peart launched the band’s first outside project earlier this…


The Woman in Shania

  NICK KREWEN The Hamilton Spectator March 7, 1996   How full is Shania Twain‘s calendar these days? It seems that every time country music’s current chart queen turns around, another awards show beckons with a fistful of nominations and a live appearance offer. Just last week, the Academy Of Country Music announced the 30-year-old Timmins native was a candidate in four categories — including Album Of The Year for…


Bryan Adams: 15-Year Love Affair

This expanded version was to have been published by Toronto on-line magazine Magnet, which sadly folded after one issue.     BRYAN ADAMS: 15-YEAR LOVE AFFAIR   NICK KREWEN   Before we get started, there are four things you should know about Canadian rock superstar Bryan Adams. First, he’s a strict vegetarian. “Eight years!” shouts Adams, as his voice voraciously leaps off the long-distance line from his home in London,…


Shania: From Pain to Fame

    NEED TO KNOW: Shania Twain at the Canadian Country Music Awards, at Hamilton Place, 9 p.m. Tonight. Sold out. Tune into CTV at 9 p.m.   BY NICK KREWEN Special To The Spectator September 18, 1995   Don’t let her dazzling beauty fool you. Beneath the glamorous exterior of Shania Twain beats the heart of a survivor. The 29-year-old Windsor-born singing and songwriting sensation, who leads the pack…


Roadside Hip

PUBLISHED IN THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR Thursday, July 13, 1995   NICK KREWEN   Gord Downie really likes Hamilton. In fact, when the 31-year-old singer of The Tragically Hip and his wife were looking for a new locale to live a few years back, they almost moved here. “I know a lot of good people there,” said Downie Monday during a rare phone interview from outside The Hip’s Kingston rehearsal space….