Blackie & The Rodeo Kings see TV ties pay off on album and in concert

Long-running roots supergroup gets royal reward of guest stars, on new album and at Massey Hall on Saturday. Nick Krewen Music, Thu. Feb 23, 2017 Those Nashville connections continue to pay sweet dividends for Toronto-born Colin Linden and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, who kick off a 14-date cross-Canada tour at Massey Hall Saturday. Linden, 56, who also resides in the town that the country-music business TV soap opera is…


Soul stardom surprises Sampha

Collaborations with the likes of Drake, plus a warmly received album, put singer of fast track leading to Mod Club shows. Nick Krewen Music, Thurs. Feb 9, 2017 Sampha, the introspective, London-based electronic soul crooner who has two sold-out dates coming up at the Mod Club Feb. 12 and 13, is as surprised as anyone by his upward career trajectory. “I never would have predicted that this would be how…


Rockin’ the suburbs with Los Lobos

New venues help bring Grammy winners — and many others — to Southern Ontarians’ backyards. Just don’t get them started about Donald Trump. Nick Krewen Music, Tues., Jan 31, 2017 Suburbanites: now you don’t necessarily have to go to Toronto to see the big shows — more than ever, they’re coming to you. This week, for example, four-time Grammy winners Los Lobos perform at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre on…


Kid Koala draws upon the winter for new album

Icelandic vocalist completes wintry vibe on Montréal DJ’s ambient new album, which spurs creative Rivoli shows this week. Nick Krewen Music, Jan. 26, 2017 Eric San, a.k.a. Kid Koala, is a seasonal guy. For example, the Montréal-based DJ, musician, turntablist and graphic novelist says that he sees music to draw to: satellite, his new ambient Arts & Crafts album featuring Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini, as a “winter” record. San, who is…


Lukas Graham works to bring substance to its pop

Grammy-nominated Danish band takes ‘7 Years’ — an ‘old-style country ballad’ — and other meaty numbers into show at Rebel on Wednesday. Nick Krewen  Music, Tues. Jan 24, 2017 It’s sold more than four million copies in the U.S. alone, is nominated for three Grammy Awards and is a poignant synopsis of one person’s life from past to present. But for all the lifetime of experience chronicled within its four-minute…