Progressive rock

Remembering Neil Peart, whose jaw-dropping talent inspired a generation of musicians and wannabes

Nick Krewen Special to the Star January 11, 2020 He was closer to our hearts than we even realized. Make no mistake, the depth of anguish with which the music world  – especially Canadians – regards the unexpected passing of Neil Peart, 67,  on January 7 from glioblastoma, is immeasurable. Arguably the greatest and most influential drummer of his generation,  the Hamilton-born Peart – one third of progressive power trio…

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Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason delighted by his ‘sort of throwback’ band bound for Toronto

Nick Krewen Special to the Star April 12, 2019 Waiting for that Pink Floyd 55th anniversary reunion? Don’t hold your breath – founding drummer and percussionist Nick Mason isn’t. “There doesn’t seem to be any plan at the moment to put anything together,” Mason, 75, admits, referring to fellow Floyd members Roger Waters and David Gilmour. “Part of that is the reason for putting together the Saucerful of Secrets project. I…


Commentary: Rock of Ages…

We’re barely six weeks into 2018 and this year is already shaping up to be a cold, hard truth for music lovers: mortality is rearing its ugly head. The ailment avalanche, affecting some of our greatest pop and rock performers, began in mid-January and seemingly hasn’t let up since. The first shocking admission occurred during a Globe and Mail interview published on January 16 with Rush guitarist extraordinaire Alex Lifeson,…


Roger Waters offers the hits and his hatred for Donald Trump in concert: review

Pink Floyd was resurrected as closely as it will ever be at the Air Canada Centre on Monday, with a lot of commentary along the way. Nick Krewen Music, Special to the Star, Tues., Oct. 3, 2017 Roger Waters  At the Air Canada Centre on Monday, Oct. 2. Also performs Oct. 13. Boy, does Roger Waters know how to push your buttons. In a two-and-a-half-hour Air Canada Centre concert that…


The Zombies live on – thanks to a 50-year-old cult classic album

Chamber-pop album Odessey and Oracle, meant to be band’s last, to be performed at Danforth Music Hall on April 2. Nick Krewen, Thu., March 30, 2017 What an “Odessey” for the Zombies. Fifty years after the U.K. pop quintet’s influential signature album Odessey and Oracle was declared a commercial flop that forced the band’s breakup, Rod Argent finds himself recreating the project with most of the original lineup on a…