Chicago, Comedy, Perspective, Spoken Word, Television, United States May 3, 2023

Nick Offerman — actor, humorist, woodworker and musician –brings his multiple skills to Casino Rama

The former “Parks and Recreation” star talks By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Hey, Parks And Recreation fans: Ron Swanson is headlining  at Casino Rama this Saturday. Actually, it’s not the deadpan Swanson who is appearing, but the comedic actor who portrayed him for seven memorable seasons on NBC, Nick Offerman. Curiously, do fans of the show ever confuse him with his character? “It’s interesting,” said Offerman, 52, late last week…

Garage Rock, Grammy, Grunge, Guitar, Guns N' Roses, Hard Rock/Heavy Metal, Los Angeles, Metallica, Rock, Songwriter, United States April 13, 2023

Metallica’s Kirk Hammett loves Toronto – but he won’t be playing here anytime soon

Hammett and his metal band mates are limiting their time on the road but not the music itself. New album 72 Seasons is out Friday. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Metallica fans, there is some good news and some bad news. First, the positive stuff: to support 72 Seasons, the San Francisco heavy rock band’s 11th studio album and first since 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, the tandem of singer…

Alt. Rock, Arranger, Beach Boys, Composer, Depeche Mode, Electronic, Engineer, Experimental, Mixer, Producer, Songwriter, Synthesizer, United Kingdom, Voice March 24, 2023

Depeche Mode’s death-tinged Memento Mori isn’t about the passing of Andrew Fletcher, Martin Gore says.

The Depeche Mode songwriter talks about the loss of Fletcher, hit song “Ghosts Again” and how it felt to turn 60 By Nick Krewen Special to the Star If the Depeche Mode video for their current hit song “Ghosts Again” offers  you a sense of déjà vu, you’re not alone. Directed by noted photographer and director Anton Corbijn,  the music video reflects the theme of the British electronic outfit’s 15th album Memento…

Business, Canada, JUNO, Music Industry (Trade) March 10, 2023

TikTok and the Junos: how app supports for artists like Dax turns into award nominations

Popularity of TikTok and other social media platforms means artists can bypass more traditional mediums of music discovery. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Initially, Canadian rapper and singer/songwriter Daniel Nwosu Jr. – known in the music world as Dax – wasn’t thrilled about the app known as TikTok. The 28-year-old native of St. John’s and Labrador, Newfoundland, nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year on Monday’s Juno Awards…

Award Winners, Canada, Dance, EDM, Folk, Indigenous (Native), Jazz, JUNO March 3, 2023

Why the Juno Awards matter to artists: Just ask William Prince, Caity Gyorgy or Loud Luxury

Being nominated, winning or just being on the televised awards show can have tangible benefits, but even off-camera moments can have an impact. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Have you ever wondered about the impact of being nominated for – or winning – a Juno Award has on an artist’s career? Well, wonder no more: it turns out it can be quite substantial. For example, when Caity Gyorgy…