By Joseph PopiolkowskiNEWS CONTRIBUTING REVIEWER
Updated: 08/28/08 8:20 AM
LEWISTON — Canadian songstress Sass Jordan capped off Artpark’s “Wednesday at the Gorge” summer concert series with a night of straight-ahead rock tunes that would be equally at home in a (preban) smoky, brick-walled club or venue perched high above the Niagara Gorge.
By Jeff Miers
NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC
Updated: 08/28/08 6:56 AM
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — It’s been three years, thousands of tabloid stories, a few public humiliations, and a handful of busted love relationships since Jessica Simpson was last on the concert trail.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf on Tuesday presented the 2008 Polar Music Prize to American soprano Renee Fleming and Pink Floyd band members Nick Mason and Roger Waters for their contributions to popular music and opera.
By Garaud MacTaggart
NEWS CONTRIBUTING REVIEWER
Updated: 08/26/08 6:56 AM
Saturday night, Buffalo became a stop on the “Chitlin Circuit,” and an enthusiastic audience at Shea’s witnessed the kind of musical package tour that seldom shows up in this area. It was billed as the Buffalo Blues Festival, took to the road under the banner of “The Blues Is Alright Tour” and featured some of the top artists in the “Southern Soul” movement.
By Mark Beech
- BLOOMBERG NEWS Updated: 08/26/08 6:56 AM
The Queen moved her conquering army of 250 courtiers from England to Wales, where she appeared on a throne and flaunted the $2 million crown jewels she had bought for the occasion.
By Garaud MacTaggart NEWS CONTRIBUTING REVIEWER
Updated: 08/26/08 7:09 AM
When the Three Tenors (aka Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras) became international sensations, they inadvertently spawned a host of imitators who strove to jump into the niche that had appeared.
By Joe Sweeney
NEWS CONTRIBUTING REVIEWER
Updated: 08/25/08 6:54 AM
Whether he deserves it or not, Toby Keith has a big “love me or hate me” sticker plastered on his well-worn flannel shirt. The country music superstar has been equally successful and controversial over the last five years — so much so that an opinion on Keith’s music is practically akin to a statement of political belief.
By Anne Neville NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 08/24/08 8:23 AM
The young woman on the phone sounds thoughtful, introspective, with a slight twang in her pleasant alto voice that becomes more noticeable when she mentions her roots as “just a normal girl from Texas.”
• On going out in public: “I’m very good at being aloof, very good at not watching everything around me and just focusing in on the people that I’m with. I’ve trained myself not to look around or feel people stare at me.”
By Ben Edmonds
- McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS Updated: 08/23/08 6:58 AM
Keith Anderson is coming on strong. The Oklahoma native’s 2005 debut album “Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll” earned a gold record, and “I Still Miss You,” the first single from his new album, “C’MON!,” is nestled near the top of the country music charts.
By Garaud MacTaggart
NEWS CONTRIBUTING REVIEWER
Updated: 08/23/08 6:58 AM
Joan Jett’s career has been built around short tunes with catchy melodies and “crunchy” guitars played at high volumes. It’s a methodology that has, along with a strong onstage work ethic, paid dividends for Jett and helped her maintain an impressive presence on concert tours.
By Joe Sweeney NEWS CONTRIBUTING REVIEWER
Updated: 08/23/08 7:26 AM
Say what you want about John Mayer, but of all the artists to grace the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center stage this summer, he’s the only one who seriously appeals to drastically different age groups.
