Alt. Rock

David Bowie lives up to the hype on The Next Day: album review

Entertainment / Music Bowie proves age is nothing but a number on first studio album in a decade. Published on Tue Mar 12 2013   Rock David Bowie The Next Day (ISO/Columbia/Sony) 3.5 stars       The secret’s out. After a major health scare and a decade of silence, many had assumed that influential and iconic rocker David Bowie had ridden off into the sunset. Instead, the man known…


Soundgarden rocks it out at the Sound Academy

Soundgarden rocks it out at Sound Academy With tundra-tough riffs and pounding rhythms, Soundgarden rocks it out at the Sound Academy at Polson Pier Friday night. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Sat Jan 26 2013 It wasn’t without a small amount of irony that Soundgarden’s opening salvo at the Sound Academy Friday night happened to be “Been Away Too Long.” It’s only been a couple of…


Mother Mother takes a trip to dark side – and to Kool Haus

B.C. band comes up with the accidental concept album, a testimonial to an outcast. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Fri Nov 30 2012 Well, Mother Mother certainly didn’t waste any time. A mere 18 months after the quirky Vancouver alt rock band issued its third album Eureka and relentlessly toured North America to support it, leader Ryan Guldemond led his troops back into the studio and…


My Morning Jacket blows Toronto crowd away with their picks

Entertainment / Music Jim James and company build fan-selected set list into exhausting, cathartic Echo Beach show. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Thu Aug 16 2012 Jim James is a man possessed. Not that the My Morning Jacket front man and songwriter wants to be exorcized of his musical demons anytime soon, but he clearly relishes the opportunity to get in front of a crowd and…


Gomez goes for variety

Easygoing Brit band plays Mod Club, after a break for health. Gomez called off last year’s tour when Ben Ottewell, centre, lost his singing voice. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Fri Jul 20 2012   Gomez likes to mix it up. Part of the charm of the five-piece experimental rock band from Southport, England is that it’s hard to pinpoint their sound. When they first broke…