Collecting Collectibles The Hard Rock Way… Nick Krewen GRAMMY.COM March 2005 At the recent Ft. Lauderdale kick-off for Mötley Crüe‘s Carnival Of Sins reunion tour, a man sat with Jeff Varner and other associates of the band’s 10th Street Entertainment management firm and witnessed bass player Nikki Sixx demolish his instrument. He smashed his weather-beaten bass repeatedly against the stage canvas before throwing it into the air, pausing only to…
CUSTOM DESIGNED Nick Krewen GRAMMY.COM January 2005 Wish you could play the electric guitar like Angus Young or pound the drums like Mike Bordin? While they may not be able to guarantee you a spot in the AC/DC or Ozzy Osbourne camps, major music instrument manufacturers like Gibson and Yamaha are striving to bring you one step closer to realizing your dreams with their exclusive lines of signature, custom-made instruments….
Studying Pop Music 101 Nick Krewen GRAMMY.com September 2004 Universities often feature artists in residence, but Andy Hollinden is more interested in featuring the artistry of The Residents. Hollinden, an assistant professor of music at The Indiana University School Of Music, is offering a three-credit course that binds the eccentric music of San Francisco’s most famous enigmatic eyeballs with the absurdist cacophony of Don “Captain Beefheart” Van Vliet and…
Nick Krewen GRAMMY.com September 2004 Marshall Crenshaw feels the pain. Nineteen years ago, the New York-based singer-and-songwriter was in a state of panic when he vainly searched for inspiration to create the tunes that would eventually become his third album. The root of his anguish: writer’s block. “My confidence was shot and I felt kind of beset by circumstances beyond my control,” recalls Crenshaw of the agonizing days,…
THE RETURN OF REDNECK COUNTRY Nick Krewen GRAMMY.com August 2004 Country music is getting rowdy again. As newcomers Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich suddenly race up the charts with attitude-brandishing anthems like “Redneck Woman” and “Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)” and outspoken veterans Toby Keith and Montgomery Gentry watch their fan base increase by leaps and bounds, country audiences have returned to embracing the genre’s ornery streak….
