Alt. Rock

Big in Europe, dance band tries to get Sparks flying at home

Sparks talks Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins   NICK KREWEN Hamilton Spectator March 30, 1995 Credited as the inspiration for British electronic dance pop combos Depeche Mode, Erasure and Pet Shop Boys, Sparks is a modern music anomaly: a California duo that is revered in Europe, but ignored in their own backyard. With the release tomorrow of their 16 th album, Gratuitous Sax And Senseless Violins, Sparks linchpins Ron and…


Robert Plant Gets the Led Out

  Nick Krewen Hamilton Spectator December 12, 1988 Robert Plant loves his music. Already elevated to the status of rock immortal for his contribution as vocalist for Led Zeppelin – arguably the mightiest and most influential of the crunch-chord dinosaur rockbands – Plant is enjoying an enormously successful career as a solo artist. His fourth and most recent album, Now And Zen , has gone platinum twice-over in this country,…