That time Tom Cochrane told me that all the Tragically Hip needed to break through in the U.S. was one accessible pop song

By Steve Newton Back in November of 1995 I did the fifth of my seven interviews with Canadian rock great Tom Cochrane. At the time he was promoting his new album, Ragged Ass Road, the followup to 1991’s Mad Mad World, which featured the smash hit that broke him in the States, “Life is a … Continue reading That time Tom Cochrane told me that all the Tragically Hip needed to break through in the U.S. was one accessible pop song

Red Rider’s Symphony Sessions let Tom Cochrane retrace Procol Harum’s footsteps

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 8, 1989 By Steve Newton “Brand new from K-Tel, it’s the chart-topping, ever popular ****-tones, captured live and in concert with the acclaimed, 65-piece !!!!-orchestra. A once-in-a-lifetime performance! It’s music history in the making!” Whenever a rock band decides to record an album with an orchestra, you can bet that all … Continue reading Red Rider’s Symphony Sessions let Tom Cochrane retrace Procol Harum’s footsteps

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

Newt’s top 10 (or 15) things to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend, August 11 to 13

Me ‘n Tom Cochrane, who plays Rock Maple Ridge By Steve Newton FRIDAY: B.C. rockers Chilliwack perform with Trooper and Harlequin at day one of the Rock Maple Ridge classic-rock festival at Albion Fairgrounds. “Fly at Night” baby! FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: the Fashion Fictions exhibition, running until October 9 at the Vancouver Art Gallery, explores … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 (or 15) things to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend, August 11 to 13

That time I asked Ugly Kid Joe guitarist Klaus Eichstadt how the band’s recent hit, “Everything About You”, came together

By Steve Newton Way back in June of 1993 I interviewed 25-year-old Ugly Kid Joe guitarist Klaus Eichstadt on the phone from his parents’ house in San Francisco. Three weeks later his band was set to play Foxfest at Seabird Island near Agassiz, B.C., with Def Leppard, Tom Cochrane, Rockhead, April Wine, and Sven Gali. The … Continue reading That time I asked Ugly Kid Joe guitarist Klaus Eichstadt how the band’s recent hit, “Everything About You”, came together

Newt’s top 10 (or 12) things to do in Vancouver this week, Dec. 12 to 16

Just a Season plays Guilt & Co. By Steve Newton MONDAY: screening at the Rio Theatre of Chunky Shrapnel, a feature-length live music documentary from the Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Love that name. MONDAY TO FRIDAY: the City of Vancouver’s annual Festival of Lights is a winter wonderland featuring more than one million lights decorating 15 … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 (or 12) things to do in Vancouver this week, Dec. 12 to 16

Newt’s top 10 (or 11) Metro Vancouver concerts in August

Steve Vai plays the Rickshaw By Steve Newton AVENGED SEVENFOLD: hard-rock/metal band from Huntingdon Beach, California, with guests Alexisonfire and Kim Dracula. August 7 at Rogers Arena. ROCK MAPLE RIDGE: three-day classic-rock festival features headlining performances by Tom Cochrane, Kim Mitchell, and Trooper. August 11 to 13 at Albion Fairgrounds. Canuck rock rules. Jeff Goldblum … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 (or 11) Metro Vancouver concerts in August

That time Tom Cochrane railed against the “trendy bullshit” in pop music after Red Rider released Neruda

By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed Canadian rocker Tom Cochrane half a dozen times over the years. I was a fan long before he hit it big with “Life is a Highway” in 1991. The first time we talked was in April of 1983, three months after the release of Red Rider’s fine Neruda album, the … Continue reading That time Tom Cochrane railed against the “trendy bullshit” in pop music after Red Rider released Neruda

10 minutes on the phone with David Lee Roth in 1994

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Diamond Dave while he was promoting one of his lesser-appreciated solo albums, the Nile Rodgers-produced Your Filthy Little Mouth. He was in L.A., where 10 days earlier O.J. Simpson had committed double-murder, so we chatted about that whole media circus, among other things. Dave’s an outgoing, … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with David Lee Roth in 1994

That time I asked Duke Robillard if there were big shoes to fill replacing Jimmie Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds

By Steve Newton I interviewed Rhode Island blues guitarist and vocalist Duke Robillard back in February of 1995, when he was touring behind his eighth album, Temptation, and about to play a show at the famed Antone’s in Austin, Texas. A few years earlier he’d been playing with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, having taken over the … Continue reading That time I asked Duke Robillard if there were big shoes to fill replacing Jimmie Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds

10 minutes on the phone with Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers in 1991

By Steve Newton Back in July of 1991 I did the second of my four interviews with American guitar legend Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band. Two weeks earlier the band had released its tenth studio album, Shades of Two Worlds, which Dickey had written most of the material for. Here’s the first ten minutes … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers in 1991

That time Nigel Mogg of the Quireboys told me about being the nephew of Phil Mogg from UFO

By Steve Newton Back in November of 1990 I did an interview with Nigel Mogg, bassist for the Quireboys (who were known in North America as the London Quireboys.) At the time the band was touring behind its debut album, A Bit of What You Fancy, which was a rollicking platter full of Faces-style boogie … Continue reading That time Nigel Mogg of the Quireboys told me about being the nephew of Phil Mogg from UFO

That time Leslie Knauer of Precious Metal told me how Donald Trump screwed her band over

By Steve Newton I interviewed Precious Metal vocalist Leslie Knauer in March of 1991, when the L.A. based glam-metal band was touring behind its third and final album. That self-titled release featured a remake of Jean Knight’s 1971 hit “Mr. Big Stuff”, and the group had shot a video for it featuring former (and possibly, … Continue reading That time Leslie Knauer of Precious Metal told me how Donald Trump screwed her band over