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Neil Young is forever Canadian
Every time Neil Young plays Winnipeg — he’s playing there tonight — it’s a big deal. While the legendary artist was born in Toronto and lived in Omemee, Ont., as kid, it was in the Peg where he spent his teenage years.
The city’s residents loves to claim Young as their own, and you can’t blame them — he played Winnipeg’s clubs, started his first band The Squires here, was friends...
Last chance for Death Row Records
It won’t come as a surprise for you to know that I’ve never been to a Death Row Records party, but I can imagine what it would have been like. The venerable rap label, started by endlessly incarcerated Suge Knight and hip-hop legend Dr. Dre, played a major role, if not the biggest part, in gangsta rap’s popularity. It’s no secret that guns, drugs and dubious characters played a big role...
Olympic anthem doesn’t represent Canadian music
Three days before the Olympics began I had already lost count of how many times I heard I Believe.
The song, sung by 16-year-old Montreal phenom Nikki Yanofsky, must have been on three or four times a night, so you can understand, after 11 days of speed skating, hockey and skiing, just how deeply lodged that track (and its equally epic variations) is in my head.
We can debate whether or not the...
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Joel Plaskett tops list of Canada’s finest of 2009
With just a couple weeks left in the year, every music fan is likely busy compiling a list of the decade’s best records. But we can’t forget how good 2009 has been. There was Sonic Youth’s infectious The Eternal, La Roux’s electro pop debut, Grizzly Bear’s harmony laden folk on Veckatimst and the list goes on. But five Canadian records really stood out. Not only are these better than many...
Melissa Auf der Maur is back
It’s been five years since Melissa Auf der Maur — the Montreal-raised Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist — released any solo music.
It wasn’t supposed to take this long, there was some music ready to go, but the faltering music industry held her back. “I have literally been busy fighting lawyers and record companies,” she says on the phone from a small town in upstate New York.
Basically,...
Adam Lambert: Centre of the storm
Before last Sunday, Adam Lambert was famous for two things: being the first openly gay American Idol contestant and losing the Idol title he clearly should have won.
But after an over-the-top American Music Awards performance — he kissed his male keyboardist and participated in simulated sex act — he’s suddenly become the most controversial artist in the music biz.
“I figured it would have...
Tags: Adam Lambert
Jonas bros. ready to take on T.O.
If there’s any doubt whether or not the Jonas Brothers are still one of the most sought after bands in the world, just look at their travel schedule.
“We’re en route to the New York airport, then going to Madrid, then London and then to Texas,” says Kevin Jonas, the oldest member of the musical family.
“And then we’re with you guys.”
It’s that last stop that thousands of Toronto teens...
Bryan Borzykowski is a Toronto-based writer and editor working mainly for business publications. He writes for the New York Times, Canadian Business magazine, Globe and Mail, Bloomberg Businessweek Custom Publishing, Toronto Star, MoneySense and more. Bryan's the editor of Review magazine and is a senior editor with Connected for Business magazine. He's also a contributing writer with Hello! Canada and was once a weekly music columnist for Metro News. He's been nominated for several National Magazine Awards and he's co-authored