They’ve Got Game

Video Gaming and Music in the ’00s Nick Krewen GRAMMY.COM Nov 2002   When you hear the expression “He’s Got Game” in the future, it could mean more than just the competitive spirit. Veteran music stars such as Busta Rhymes, Barenaked Ladies and Bon Jovi — and their respective record labels — are tapping into multi-billion dollar interactive entertainment software companies to explore new promotional opportunities. By placing songs in…


Preserving Electronic Avant-Garde Culture

Electronic Music Foundation   Nick Krewen GRAMMY.com Sept 2002 Pierre Schaeffer, Luc Ferrari and Iannis Xenakis aren’t exactly household names in the world of commercial popular music, and the services the Electronic Music Foundation provides is unlikely to offer them any change in stature. But they’re superstars in the world of avant-garde electronic compositions, and if you’re seeking out historical information or looking to hear and buy CDs of their…


Survival of the Fittest

Survival Of The Fittest Nick Krewen Grammy.com July 2002   It’s one thing if you’re an established artist like Prince, who sold 40 million records during his Warner years and wants to forego the major label route in favor of his own Internet venture www.npgmusicclub.com. It’s another, however, if you’re an artist that was perfectly happy to be nestled in the bosom of a major record company, only to have…


Mike Wanchic strums for Mellencamp

NICK KREWEN Hamilton Spectator Thursday, August 18, 1994 Dance Naked, John Mellencamp‘s latest album that contains his hit remake of Van Morrison‘s ‘Wild Night’, didn’t only surprise the public — it also shocked his co-producer. Mike Wanchic, guitarist and co-producer in the Indiana singer and composer’s band since 1978, said he was astonished he received a phone call from his boss to head back into the studio within months of…


Rock ‘N Wrestling

A VERSION OF THIS APPEARED IN THE KW RECORD NOVEMBER 23, 1999     By Nick Krewen   Jim Johnston may not be a household name, but he’s ready to rumble. Last week, he bodyslammed Mariah Carey‘s Rainbow to the mat and placed Foo Fighters‘ There’s Nothing Left To Lose in a Tongan Death Grip. He drop-kicked Counting Crows‘ This Desert Life out of the ring and bulldogged Choclair‘s Ice Cold…