Iris DeMent wants songs to be worth the wait

By NICK KREWEN Special to the Star Fri., Oct. 19, 2012 The last time Grammy-nominated, Americana music siren Iris DeMent released an album of original songs, Lisa Marie Presley had divorced Michael Jackson; Diana, Princess of Wales was still among the living and social media was restricted to email. Not that it matters to the DeMent faithful who will pack Hugh’s Room to the rafters this weekend for a pair of…


Toronto’s Lindi Ortega a rising alt-country star in Nashville

Lindi Ortega brings her blues-infused songs opening for Social Distortion at Toronto’s Sound Academy. “I like evolving and learning and exploring what I’m interested in, and I wanted to show that musically,” says Lindi Ortega of her new disc, Cigarettes & Truckstops.   By: Nick Krewen Published on Wed Oct 17 2012 If Lindi Ortega’s star is rising so rapidly, then why is she singing the blues? The answer can…


Ellie Goulding just passing through pop

New hit album for star playing Sound Academy is just a diversion, she says, from dance music. Ellie Goulding plays Sound Academy on Sunday, Oct. 14. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Thu Oct 11 2012   You can take the girl out of EDM, but you can’t take EDM out of the girl — at least if Ellie Goulding has her way. The 25-year-old British singer…


Geddy Lee on the sustained Rush

Fabled Toronto rock trio, doing two dates Oct. 14 and Oct. 16 at the ACC, still learning things on new album. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Wed Oct 10 2012   Twenty albums and nearly 40 years in, Toronto hometown heroes Rush are continuing to defy the odds. Despite creating a musical niche that courts intellectualism, prides itself in technical proficiency and continues to influence the…


Regina Spektor’s music a mystery even to the creator

Regina Spektor’s music a mystery even to the creator Arty, gifted popster coming to Sony Centre has no clue how her songs arrive. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Wed Oct 10 2012 Words like “eccentric” and “quirky” don’t really define the peculiar pop compositions of Regina Spektor, but they’re a decent starting point. The 32-year-old Moscow-born, Bronx-based singer and songwriter — a classically trained pianist with…