Producer

Music insiders on the extraordinary legacy of Garth Hudson and the Band: ‘It was unlike any other music I’d ever heard’

Colin Linden, Rob Fraboni and John Simon, all of whom worked with the Band, offer remembrances. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star In 1968, when Colin Linden was eight years old, he heard a song on the radio that boggled his young mind. He was at Alexander’s department store in White Plains, N.Y., when rock radio station WNEW-FM played “The Weight” by a Canadian-American band simply called The Band….

Read More

Keith Urban brings his big show to Toronto’s tiny Horseshoe Tavern for a four-star concert

The country-music superstar also announced a major Canada tour, which will begin at Budweiser Stage on June 21. by Nick Krewen Special to the Star Country music superstar Keith Urban had the right idea. If you’re going to announce a major Canadian tour, do it in style: generate a buzz with a surprise show that turns out to be a glorious party at one of Toronto’s most storied and intimate venues. The…


Former ‘Degrassi’ producer on becoming a recording artist at 76 and what Drake’s really like

Stephen Stohn will release The Orange Sessions with his group, GTA Rhythm Section. by Nick Krewen Special to the Star He’s the chancellor of Trent University, an Order of Canada member, a former top entertainment attorney to the stars and has served as executive producer for most of the run of the “Degrassi” TV franchise. And at 76, Stephen Stohn just added a new accomplishment to his impressive résumé: recording artist. As…


Revisiting his brother’s death for a Tragically Hip docuseries was the hardest but also most fulfilling thing Mike Downie has ever done

“It wasn’t uncommon for me to have a good cry,” says Mike Downie about making a documentary about brother Gord Downie and his band. The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal debuts at TIFF on Sept. 5. by Nick Krewen Special to the Star Mike Downie’s labour of love was also his toughest assignment. As the director and producer of the superb four-hour-plus documentary The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal that…


Sidebar: Canada had a love affair with the Tragically Hip. These 10 songs remind us why

By Nick Krewen Special to the Star They’re Canadian to the core. As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Kingston, Ontario’s the Tragically Hip with a number of projects, ranging from the devastatingly good docuseries The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal to  oral history coffee table book “This Is Our Life” (out Oct. 1) and the boxed set of the band’s first album, Up to Here (Nov. 8), here’s a…