That time I asked Doyle Bramhall II if he was excited about playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section in Arc Angels

By Steve Newton Back in May of 1992 I sat down at a Vancouver restaurant with Doyle Bramhall II and Charlie Sexton of Arc Angels. They were both 23 at the time. One month earlier the band had released its self-titled debut album, which I thought was pretty freakin’ cool–partly because it featured Stevie Ray … Continue reading That time I asked Doyle Bramhall II if he was excited about playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section in Arc Angels

That time Doyle Bramhall II told me that being in Arc Angels was both a good time and a bad time for him

By Steve Newton Long before he started getting known in guitar circles for his extremely tasty playing both onstage and in the studio with Eric Clapton, Doyle Bramhall II was a member of Arc Angels. He and Charlie Sexton shared the singer-songwriter-guitarist duties in the band, with a rhythm section comprised of bassist Tommy Shannon … Continue reading That time Doyle Bramhall II told me that being in Arc Angels was both a good time and a bad time for him

That time Doyle Bramhall II told me what it was like touring with the “brilliant” Eric Clapton

By Steve Newton Over the years I’ve asked various famous guitarists who they’d most like to play with, if they could choose anyone in the world, and more often than not the answer is Eric Clapton. Doyle Bramhall II is one of the lucky ones who’ve swapped solos with Slowhand. When I interviewed him back … Continue reading That time Doyle Bramhall II told me what it was like touring with the “brilliant” Eric Clapton

That time Doyle Bramhall II told me that he was “all over” B.B. King and Eric Clapton’s Riding With the King

By Steve Newton I absolutely loved the B.B. King and Eric Clapton album Riding With the King when it came out in 2000. It was a shoo-in for my Top 10 Albums of the Year list, alongside other guitar-centic offerings like Joe Satriani‘s Engines of Creation and Steve Vai‘s The 7th Song. But with such … Continue reading That time Doyle Bramhall II told me that he was “all over” B.B. King and Eric Clapton’s Riding With the King

Andy Powell on the awesomeness of Wishbone Ash’s Argus, up-and-comer Doyle Bramhall II, and “old friend” the Flying V

brian ferguson photo By Steve Newton I loved Wishbone Ash in the seventies. The dual lead-guitar stylings on albums like Argus and There’s The Rub really turned my crank. So it was cool to finally do a little interview with founding member Andy Powell back in 2003, before the band played a gig at Vancouver’s … Continue reading Andy Powell on the awesomeness of Wishbone Ash’s Argus, up-and-comer Doyle Bramhall II, and “old friend” the Flying V

That time Doyle Bramhall II told me about his dad’s connections to Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan

By Steve Newton If you’re a Stevie Ray Vaughan fan who also likes reading liner notes you’ve no doubt noticed the name Doyle Bramhall on a number of Stevie Ray Vaughan albums. Bramhall is credited with cowriting such SRV tunes as “Dirty Pool” (from Texas Flood) and In Step‘s “The House is Rockin’”, “Tightrope”, “Wall … Continue reading That time Doyle Bramhall II told me about his dad’s connections to Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan

That time Doyle Bramhall II called from Chicago and told me how he came to work with Eric Clapton

todd v. wolfson photo By Steve Newton Unless you’re a hardcore fan of bluesy music or a devoted follower of Eric Clapton you may not recognize the name Doyle Bramhall II, but he’s been one of the most in-demand guitarists in the blues-rock world for many years. I did my first interview with him back … Continue reading That time Doyle Bramhall II called from Chicago and told me how he came to work with Eric Clapton

That time Geddy Lee told me that Rush had 4,000 albums

By Steve Newton Back in April of 1997 I did my first interview with Rush bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee. At the time the group was touring behind its Test for Echo album, and that tour marked the first time Rush had taken the “An Evening With” approach, where there is no opening act and it’s just … Continue reading That time Geddy Lee told me that Rush had 4,000 albums

That time back in ’84 when Judas Priest’s Rob Halford told me that metal was a young musical force

bev davies photo By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford back in May of 1984, when Judas Priest was touring behind its Defenders of the Faith album. At one point in the conversation I mentioned how one of Priest’s songs from two years earlier, “You’ve Got Another Thing … Continue reading That time back in ’84 when Judas Priest’s Rob Halford told me that metal was a young musical force

That time Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars told me that the music he loves most is blues-based stuff like Edgar and Johnny Winter

By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed Mick Mars a couple of times. The first time was way back in 1985 when Mötley Crüe was touring behind its Theatre of Pain album. The following excerpt is from my second interview with Mars, which happened in March of 1999, when the original lineup had reunited after recording one … Continue reading That time Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars told me that the music he loves most is blues-based stuff like Edgar and Johnny Winter

That time I asked Neil Finn what inspired him to write one of my all-time favourite tunes, Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over”

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Crowded House frontman Neil Finn back in August of 1998, when he was touring behind his debut solo album, Try Whistling This. I’d been a fan of Crowded House since the 1986 release of its first album, which featured one of the most beautiful pop songs … Continue reading That time I asked Neil Finn what inspired him to write one of my all-time favourite tunes, Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over”

That time I asked Bruce Dickinson what the backwards message was on Maiden’s new Piece of Mind LP

By Steve Newton Way back in June of 1983 I did my second Iron Maiden interview, following up the previous year’s chat with the soon-to-be-replaced drummer Clive Burr with a conversation featuring 24-year-old frontman Bruce Dickinson. At one point in the interview I asked Dickinson about the backwards message that could be heard between the … Continue reading That time I asked Bruce Dickinson what the backwards message was on Maiden’s new Piece of Mind LP

That time the Headstones’ Hugh Dillon told me about his fascination with the characters in “Tweeter and the Monkey Man”

By Steve Newton Back in January of 1994 I did my first interview with Headstones vocalist Hugh Dillon. At the time his group was touring behind its debut album, Picture of Health, the one with that supercool version of the Traveling Wilburys’ “Tweeter and the Monkey Man”. At one point in the conversation I asked … Continue reading That time the Headstones’ Hugh Dillon told me about his fascination with the characters in “Tweeter and the Monkey Man”