First Aid Kit plays Malkin Bowl By Steve Newton TUESDAY: Swedish indie-folk duo First Aid Kit plays Malkin Bowl, with guests Hurray For the Riff Raff. TUESDAY: the Invisible Orange presents Italian symphonic power-metal band Rhapsody of Fire at the Rickshaw Theatre, with guests Wind Rose and Seven Kingdoms. WEDNESDAY: From Milltown to Metropolis: Vancouver Experimental Film … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Metro Vancouver this week, May 22 to 26
That time I asked Alex Van Halen how much longer he expected Van Halen to keep on rocking
By Steve Newton Back in August of 1995 I interviewed Alex Van Halen, legendary skin-basher for Van Halen, while the band was touring behind its Bruce Fairbairn-produced Balance album. That tour had been dubbed "The Ambulance Tour" by Eddie, due to his hip problems and Alex rupturing three vertebrae in his neck. So as the … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen how much longer he expected Van Halen to keep on rocking
Vancouver’s mid-’80s metal scene thrives with bands like Kradle, Nitevigil, and Harlots Webb
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 15, 1986 By Steve Newton Vancouver hard-rock fans who've been thirsting for a taste of homegrown metal should consider visiting the New York Theatre this Saturday (August 16). That's when Burnaby's Kradle will be doing their best to prove that raunchy and original sounds are still alive and well in Expo … Continue reading Vancouver’s mid-’80s metal scene thrives with bands like Kradle, Nitevigil, and Harlots Webb
That time I asked Magic Slim if Magic Sam was okay with him having some of the magic
By Steve Newton Back in the summer of 1999 I interviewed blues guitarist and vocalist Magic Slim (real name Morris Holt), who'd been a major contributor to the Chicago blues scene with his band Magic Slim and the Teardrops. I called him up at his then-home in Lincoln, Nebraska, before he headed out to Vancouver … Continue reading That time I asked Magic Slim if Magic Sam was okay with him having some of the magic
Newt’s top 10 things to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend, May 19-21
The Schizophonics play the Biltmore By Steve Newton FRIDAY: screening at the Rio Theatre of director Lisa Cortés’s new music documentary, Little Richard: I Am Everything. “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bop-bop!” The Supersuckers play the Rickshaw FRIDAY: American raunch-rockers the Supersuckers, featuring bassist-vocalist Eddie Spaghetti, play the WISE Hall, with guests the Hangmen and La Chinga. SOLD OUT. Ya snooze, ya lose. FRIDAY: Comedy Here Often? presents Asian Takeover, a night … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend, May 19-21
I freakin’ love Uriah Heep’s live version of “Circus” with Ian Anderson on flute
By Steve Newton I was just searching around on YouTube for Uriah Heep's "Magician's Birthday", 'cause I needed a music-from-high-school fix, when I came across a concert video I'd never seen before, posted on the UriahHeepNetwork channel. It shows the band performing what is probably my favourite Heep song, the beautiful "Circus", off the Sweet … Continue reading I freakin’ love Uriah Heep’s live version of “Circus” with Ian Anderson on flute
Matrex goes over big in Chilliwack with a little help from Deep Purple
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 12, 1985 By Steve Newton On Saturday night, in the wilds (well, not quite) of Chilliwack, Matrex were doing their best to make the natives restless. Their set at the Fiddler II Cabaret included about eight originals (some of which they're currently putting on a 24-track demo at Pr0file Studio), as … Continue reading Matrex goes over big in Chilliwack with a little help from Deep Purple
That time I suggested to guitar great Steve Stevens that he might want to cover Deep Purple’s “Highway Star”
By Steve Newton Back in September of 1989 I interviewed American guitar great Steve Stevens, who was touring behind his debut solo album, Atomic Playboys. That LP included a cover of the 1975 Sweet song "Action", which Stevens said he thought was a Queen song at first. At one point in the conversation I asked … Continue reading That time I suggested to guitar great Steve Stevens that he might want to cover Deep Purple’s “Highway Star”
Newt’s top 10 Vancouver concerts to see in the second half of 2023
Nita Strauss plays the Rickshaw By Steve Newton There were some darn fine concerts to see in Vancouver during the first half of 2023--including gigs by Jason Isbell, Larkin Poe, John Mellencamp, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Now here's my top 10 picks for the second half of the year. Rock on, people! Nita … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 Vancouver concerts to see in the second half of 2023
Album review: Teenage Head, Endless Party (1984)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 25, 1984 By Steve Newton Endless party indeed! With blistering versions of "Lucy Potato", "Picture My Face" and "Let's Go to Hawaii", this record is almost as essential as the New York Dolls' first album when it comes to wild party sounds. Recorded live on New Year's Eve 1983 at Rockland … Continue reading Album review: Teenage Head, Endless Party (1984)
That time I told Tom Cochrane that I didn’t think his new “Life is a Highway” song sounded like him
By Steve Newton Tom Cochrane turned 70 the other day--on May 14, 2023--so to celebrate I digitized my third interview with him, from October 17, 1991. That was less than a month after he released the single "Life Is a Highway", which became a massive hit. But as I pointed out to Tom about a … Continue reading That time I told Tom Cochrane that I didn’t think his new “Life is a Highway” song sounded like him
That time Geddy Lee called me up and I asked if he had fond recollections of Rush’s early days
By Steve Newton Back in the spring of '97 I did my first interview with Geddy Lee of Rush. He called me up from the band's office in Toronto and I congratulated him on the birth of his new daughter. Then I mentioned that the band was re-releasing its seventies catalog, and asked him if … Continue reading That time Geddy Lee called me up and I asked if he had fond recollections of Rush’s early days
Lorraine Segato hopes Parachute Club fans will rise up all over the world
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 1985 By Steve Newton Today Lorraine Segato is lead singer for Toronto's fast-rising Parachute Club, but before joining the Club she worked in Toronto as a film editor and programming assistant. So it's hardly surprising that she's been taking an active part in the writing, designing--and now directing--of her band's … Continue reading Lorraine Segato hopes Parachute Club fans will rise up all over the world