ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 15, 1994 By Steve Newton Talk about cutting out the fat. John Mellencamp just keeps making his instrumentation leaner as the years go by; now he’s gotten to the point where he’ll pass up bass and go with drums and guitars only, and the effect–on bare-bones tunes like … Continue reading Album review: John Mellencamp, Dance Naked (1994)
By Steve Newton In May of 1983 I did my first interview with John Mellencamp, or at least that’s who he wanted to be. Back then the heartland rocker was still known as John Cougar, and was riding high on the breakthrough success of his latest album, American Fool, which spent nine weeks at the … Continue reading That time John Cougar told me that he’d much rather be known as John Mellencamp
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 15, 2007 By Steve Newton The release of John Mellencamp’s latest CD, Freedom’s Road, caused quite the media frenzy in the States. He showed up on all the TV talk shows, plugging the disc on hip programs like The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and unhip ones like … Continue reading Album review: John Mellencamp, Freedom’s Road (2007)
John Mellencamp plays the Orpheum By Steve Newton MONDAY AND TUESDAY: Indiana rock legend John Mellencamp performs two shows at the Orpheum Theatre. TUESDAY: the Vancouver Canucks take on the high-flying Dallas Stars in National Hockey League action at Rogers Arena. TUESDAY: Vancouver rockabilly band the Party Timers–featuring guitarists Jody Peck, Noah Walker, and Steve Charles, with … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Metro Vancouver this week, March 13 to 17
By Steve Newton I interviewed John Mellencamp for the first time back in May of 1983, when he was still called John Cougar. He was touring behind his latest album, American Fool, but for some reason the Vancouver show got cancelled and the interview I did with him in advance never ran. At one point … Continue reading That time John Cougar told me that the high he gets from writing good songs is better than sex–and heroin
Jason Isbell plays the Queen E By Steve Newton Bowie Ball: the eighth annual tribute to David Bowie and fundraiser for the BC Cancer Foundation, featuring performances by local acts the Bad Beats, Rebel Valentine, Ophelia Falling, China Syndrome, Ford Pier, Cherry Maraschino, Mime, Left Spine Down, and Rat Silo. January 7 at the Rickshaw … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 Vancouver concerts to see in the first half of 2023
By Steve Newton I interviewed John Mellencamp for the first time in May of 1983, when he was still known as John Cougar. At the time he was touring behind his blockbuster American Fool album, and at one point in the conversation I asked him about his upcoming album, Uh-huh, which would hit record stores … Continue reading That time John Cougar told me that he was really influenced by the ballsiness of Prince
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit plays the Queen E By Steve Newton White Denim: Austin, Texas indie-rock band, with guests Cascading Moms. March 4 at the Rickshaw Theatre. Sloan: guitar-rock quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. March 4 at the Commodore Ballroom. SOLD OUT. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: Americana singer, songwriter, and guitarist, … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 (or 11) Metro Vancouver concerts in March
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
By Steve Newton The first time I interviewed John Mellencamp was way the funk back in the spring of 1983, after he’d released his multiplatinum breakthrough album American Fool (the one with “Hurts So Good” and “Jack and Diane” on it) and before he’d released his multiplatinum followup Uh-Huh (the one with “Pink Houses” and “Authority … Continue reading That time I asked John Mellencamp what a heart attack feels like and he said “they don’t feel good!”
Mellencamp middle, Aronoff far right By Steve Newton For many years the resounding thwump of Kenny Aronoff’s drumwork could be heard worldwide on the heartland-rock hits of John Mellencamp. People first came to notice Aronoff’s skin-bashing abilities big time on the massive 1982 blockbuster “Hurts So Good”, but his percussive powers would continue to meld perfectly … Continue reading John Mellencamp and Kenny Aronoff on the amicable demise of their singer-drummer dream team
By Steve Newton I’ve just been watching the TV news, and apparently there’s quite an uproar among Celine Dion fans because she wasn’t included in Rolling Stone‘s new list of “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Well, here’s another uproar for ya: why the hell isn’t Phil Lynott’s name on the list? You know, … Continue reading Rolling Stone shockingly omits Phil Lynott from its Top 200 singers list. And Paul Rodgers too!
By Steve Newton I interviewed John Mellencamp for the first time when he was still called John Cougar. Back in May of 1983 he was touring behind his latest album, American Fool, but for some reason the Vancouver show got canceled and the interview I did with him never ran. At one point in the … Continue reading That time John Cougar told me that he was looking forward to the US Festival (but then he didn’t go)
