ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 20, 2009 By Steve Newton George Thorogood has made a good living covering crusty old gems by blues legends, but is that something we should hold against him? I think not. Every rock-loving kid that Thorogood turns on to someone like John Lee Hooker via his hellraising rendition … Continue reading Album review: George Thorogood and the Destroyers, The Dirty Dozen (2009)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 18, 1999 By Steve Newton One of my favourite things about the new Rockin’ Highliners CD, Oh My!, is the rip-roaring interplay between guitarists Clayton Sample and Alex Herriot. So when vocalist Robert Tycholis calls from Toronto and explains that Herriot quit the band recently, my enthusiasm drops … Continue reading The Rockin’ Highliners get a big boost from Duke Robillard on Oh My!
Matt Andersen plays the Hollywood By Steve Newton Matt Andersen: blues-roots singer-songwriter and guitarist from the Maritimes plays two shows with his band the Big Bottle of Joy, with guests the Hello Darlins. April 5 and 6 at the Hollywood Theatre. Big Sugar: Toronto blues-rock band led by singer-guitarist Gordie Johnson. April 15 at the … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 Metro Vancouver concerts in April
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 14, 1991 By Steve Newton The scene is the roughly furnished, graffiti-blasted band room in the basement of the Town Pump. The characters are several members of local blues-rockers the Last Wild Sons and sundry friends and relatives who saunter in and out, taking care not to bump … Continue reading The seriously rockin’ Last Wild Sons can’t compete with the Beat Farmers’ comical escapades
By Steve Newton Every year when I’m putting up the Christmas lights a certain Chuck Berry tune comes to mind. Can you guess which one it is? No, it’s not “Run Rudolph Run”. “House of Blue Lights” was actually first recorded in 1946 by Ella Mae Morse and Freddie Slack. Did the groovy lingo from … Continue reading A certain Chuck Berry tune comes to mind every Christmas in Newtville
By Steve Newton Back in May of 1989 I did my second interview with Lars Ulrich, who called me up from Nagoya, Japan, while Metallica was touring behind its ….And Justice For All album. A year earlier the band had taken part in the Monsters of Rock ’88 Tour, which saw them sharing the stage … Continue reading That time Lars Ulrich told me that he was surprised by how down-to-earth Van Halen were on the Monsters of Rock Tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 26, 1988 By Steve Newton When it comes to party-time, rockin’ blues, few people deliver with the same kind of no-frills, honest urgency as George Thorogood. Well, the bad-ass guitar ace from Wilmington, Delaware has come through with another sturdy collection of originals and classic blues covers that … Continue reading Album review: George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Born to Be Bad (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 29, 1985 By Steve Newton George Thorogood hasn’t changed much since his first album was released in 1978. On that LP he recorded an eight-minute version of John Lee Hooker’s homage to alcohol, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”. On his new record, Maverick, he begins side two with Carl … Continue reading Album review: George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Maverick (1985)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 19, 1985 By Steve Newton Now this is more like it–heavy metal with class. But then any album that features the playing of metal martyr Randy Rhoads can’t lose. Rhoads is included via Ozzy Osbourne’s first solo hit “Crazy Train”. And he’s in good company. “Axe masters” K.K Downing … Continue reading Album review: Various Artists, Axe Masters–Legends of Rock Guitar
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 18, 1984 By Steve Newton “Occasionally you get booked into a room that’s just the pits,” points out Dave Chisholm of the Fins, a local blues-rock outfit that’s currently paying dues and honing licks on steady road trips to the interior of B.C. and Yukon Territories. In a spare room above … Continue reading Vancouver blues-rock party band the Fins just wants chicks, coke, Cadillacs–and money
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 3, 1995 By Steve Newton They say that life begins at 40, but for 30-year-old Colin James the Big Three-O might well be the milestone signifying delivery to the good life. With Bad Habits, the fresh-faced rocker has turned into a goatee-sporting practitioner of funky, soulful, seasoned-sounding … Continue reading Album review: Colin James, Bad Habits (1995)
Sora: Desire and Truth (2009) Rob Zombie: Hellbilly Deluxe 2 (2009) Rod Stewart, Soulbook (2009) Joe Perry: Have Guitar, Will Travel (2009) Damon Fowler, Sugar Shack (2009) Lynyrd Skynyrd: God & Guns (2009) John Fogerty: The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again (2009) The Bottle Rockets: Lean Forward (2009) Various Artists: True Blood, Music from the … Continue reading album reviews
john scully photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 5, 1986 By Steve Newton George Thorogood likes to claim that he’s “Bad to the Bone”, and last Monday (September 1) at Expo Theatre the rockin’ bluesman from Delaware delighted a sold-out crowd with his don’t-mess-with-me style and down ‘n’ dirty boogie tunes. Like Chuck … Continue reading George Thorogood resembles Chuck Berry on speed at Vancouver’s Expo 86
