Singers from Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Free connect for a rock-god vocal summit in Oxford
By Steve Newton What do you get when you gather the lead singers from Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Free on stage at the same time? A pretty rockin’ version of […]
Search Results for: ac/dc
Malcolm Young talks AC/DC videos: “If we started looking a little bit ‘cabaret’ I don’t think we’d be around much longer”
By Steve Newton When I interviewed some of the guys from AC/DC back in ’83, on the eve of the Flick of the Switch tour, I asked them which groups […]
Malcolm Young recalls the heavy inspiration for AC/DC’s “Bedlam in Belgium”
By Steve Newton When I interviewed Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson at their Vancouver hotel room in 1983 it was less than two months since the release of AC/DC’s eighth internationally released […]
Malcolm Young talks synth-pop, influences, and AC/DC’s live show on the eve of the Flick of the Switch Tour
By Steve Newton I love listening to these old soundbites of me hangin’ out with AC/DC‘s Angus Young and Brian Johnson at a Vancouver hotel room, sippin’ tea and chattin’ […]
AC/DC’s Malcolm Young just “tinkles” on lead guitar: “You can’t outdo Angus”
By Steve Newton When I interviewed AC/DC‘s Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson back in 1983 I asked Malcolm if he ever had a hankering to step out and play a […]
Hangin’ with AC/DC while Brian Johnson and Malcolm Young talk Bon Scott
By Steve Newton I guess one of the cooler in-person interviews I’ve ever done was that time back in October of ’83 when I hung out with three members of […]
AC/DC’s Malcolm Young on the origin of Angus’s schoolboy outfit
By Steve Newton Back in ’83 when I interviewed AC/DC at a Vancouver hotel before the start of the Flick of the Switch tour I asked Malcolm Young whether Angus, […]
AC/DC’s Brian Johnson joked about hearing loss back in 1983
By Steve Newton The biggest news in the rock world recently has revolved around AC/DC having to hire Axl Rose to take the place of Brian Johnson for the remainder of […]
Slash bassist Todd Kerns thinks it’s “surreal” that Axl Rose is in AC/DC
By Steve Newton I was interviewing Todd Kerns a few days ago in advance of his gig with the Age of Electric in Vancouver next weekend, and naturally–since he’s the […]
AC/DC fans unimpressed with Axl Rose hiring suggest Angry Anderson, Marc Storace, and the guy from Airbourne
By Steve Newton Yesterday I posted a blog claiming that AC/DC had “f***ed up” by making Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose their singer instead of Aussie rock legend (and […]
AC/DC f***ed up: they shoulda hired Jimmy Barnes instead of Axl Rose
By Steve Newton By now the rock world is fully abuzz with the official announcement from AC/DC that Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses will be the new singer for […]
Backstage at AC/DC with Angus Young, Scotty Bad, and my autographed copy of Powerage
By Steve Newton Holy fvck is Angus Young tiny! Hey, sorry about that outburst. It’s just that whenever I spy this backstage snap from 2001 I can’t help but […]
Motley Crue plays Vancouver on the Theatre of Pain tour, Nikki Sixx cranks AC/DC backstage
mila geran photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 22, 1985 By Steve Newton “Excuse me women…I mean ladies,” said Nikki Sixx as he pushed through the hordes of […]
Rob Halford says that Priest, Maiden, AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, and Slayer have all stood the test of time
By Steve Newton A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Rob Halford in advance of Judas Priest‘s doubleheader at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver October 27 and 28. When I […]
W.P.A.’s Mick Thomas recalls seeing AC/DC, Cold Chisel, and Midnight Oil play a pub in Geelong
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 21, 1990 By Steve Newton Halifax, Nova Scotia: Could those three words possibly conjure up images of a city full of alluring possibilities […]
The Newt’s top 10 albums of 2014: yep, AC/DC’s on there
AC/DC Rock or Bust With the help of Langley’s Mike Fraser as engineer and mixer, the Australian hard-rock icons create a fitting follow-up to 2008’s hugely successful Black Ice album. Its first-ever […]
Mike Fraser helps AC/DC get back on top, sets his sights on Sabbath
The first time he ever saw AC/DC, Mike Fraser had no idea what band he was seeing. He’d gone to an Aerosmith show at the Pacific Coliseum back in ’78 […]
AC/DC studio ace Mike Fraser is happy Phil Rudd doesn’t tickle the drums
Today is the big day for AC/DC fans, when the Aussie blues-metal legends release their new album Rock or Bust. The band has been making a lot of headlines in the […]
Malcolm Young calls Powerage his favourite AC/DC album backstage in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 26, 2001 By Steve Newton There are three things that are inevitable in this world: death, taxes, and a ringing in your ears […]
Rock or Bust mixer Mike Fraser picks his all-time favourite AC/DC song, and it’s a Bon Scott tune!
The new AC/DC album, Rock or Bust, hits stores tomorrow, boasting 11 songs crammed into 35 minutes. Maybe your all-time favourite AC/DC tune will be among them. Maybe not. It’s pretty […]
Ear of Newt exclusive: Mike Fraser says AC/DC was “all business” on Rock or Bust
The anticipation surrounding the impending release of the new AC/DC album, Rock or Bust, has been building for months. The fact that it’s the legendary Aussie hard-rockers’ first release without […]
World exclusive: Rock or Bust engineer/mixer Mike Fraser gives Newt the scoop on new AC/DC
Today I got a call from Langley’s own Mike Fraser, who engineered and mixed the new AC/DC album, Rock or Bust, which is currently streaming on iTunes and hits stores this Tuesday […]
Talkin’ AC/DC with Devin Townsend, Matt Good, and Michael Slade
ORIGINALLY POSTED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 19, 2001 By Steve Newton The members of AC/DC aren’t doing any interviews in advance of their two shows at the Pacific Coliseum […]
AC/DC’s new album will ROCK! It says so right in the song titles!
Yesterday AC/DC released the song titles for its highly anticipated new album, and by all accounts the Aussie blues-metal legends will continue to rock. It’s right there in the titles: […]
Will the new AC/DC album rock, or will it be a bust without Malcolm Young?
Blues-metal legends AC/DC announced today that they will release a new album, titled Rock or Bust, on December 2. The 11-track disc was recorded right here in Vancouver last spring, with […]
Bonfire box a godsend for fans of AC/DC’s ear-bustin’ boogie blues
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 11, 1997 My reviewer’s copy of the long-overdue AC/DC box set was labelled with a warning that it was not for sale and […]
Shitty sound in Vancouver puts a damper on AC/DC’s noise pollution
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 15, 1996 By Steve Newton I’ve been going to AC/DC concerts for almost 20 years now—which either gives me bragging rights or is […]
The world’s not ready for AC/DC to stop busting ears
photo by Rebecca Blissett There’s been a lot of rumour and speculation flying around the music world in the last few days regarding the status of legendary Aussie earbusters AC/DC. […]
In the metal realm, it doesn’t get any better than AC/DC live
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 17, 1991 So what’s a devoted rock critic to do when one of the genre’s most potent acts hits town for two back-to-back, […]
Iron Man 2 compiles some of AC/DC’s best, if not biggest
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, APRIL 16, 2010 In advance of the May 7 release of the superhero action sequel Iron Man 2 comes a collection that’s sure to please anyone […]
Ballsy blues-metal of AC/DC’s Family Jewels riles the budgie
By Steve Newton ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MAY 26, 2005 Some AC/DC fans feel that the band never recovered from the death of original vocalist Bon Scott; others argue that […]
AC/DC concert film Live at River Plate released on DVD & Blu-ray
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MAY 10, 2011 Local AC/DC fans whose hearing has finally returned after the Aussie earbusters’ November 2008 show at GM Place might want to check out a […]
Cheap Trick plays AC/DC with Motley Crue in Vancouver
Twenty-five years ago tomorrow–on February 24, 1989–Cheap Trick played Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum on a bill with Eddie Money, so, obviously, I went. Even with Eddie Money on the bill. Here’s […]
AC/DC in Vancouver, sipping tea at the Four Seasons
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 11, 2013 By Steve Newton Thirty years ago today–on October 11, 1983–AC/DC played Vancouver on its Flick of the Switch Tour. A couple of weeks later the Georgia Straight published a […]
AC/DC gives Vancouver a brain-numbing ride
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 29, 2008 Three seconds after I picked up my AC/DC tickets at GM Place on Friday (November 28), some dude waving a huge wad of […]
29 minutes of shootin’ the shit with Age of Electric’s Todd Kerns, the most rockin’ Canadian bass player of the 21st century
By Steve Newton One of my alltime fave Canadian bands, the Age of Electric, is playing Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom tomorrow (March 24). They played the Commodore 11 months ago as […]
Teenage girls battle for Mike Reno’s sweaty headband when Loverboy plays Vancouver
chris cameron photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 4, 1986 By Steve Newton Local rock heroes Loverboy played to a near-capacity Expo Theatre last Monday (June 30), the […]
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2014
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 10, 2014 By Steve Newton One of the biggest music stories of 2014 concerned the trials and tribulations of AC/DC, which had one original member […]
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 1992
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 1992 By Steve Newton I was really hoping that I’d be able to praise 1992 as the year that rap “music” finally dried […]
The Hoodoo Gurus’ Dave Faulkner on junk culture, Aussie rockers, and Mars Needs Guitars!
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 29, 1985 By Steve Newton One of the wildest rock and roll sounds to come up from Down Under recently is that of […]
Motley Crue plays Vancouver at the height of its popularity on the Dr. Feelgood tour
By Steve Newton A quarter-century ago today—on June 9, 1990—Motley Crue played the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. That was the exact same night Janet Jackson played B.C. Place Stadium. I […]
Def Leppard’s Rick Savage on new guitarist Phil Collen, producer Mutt Lange, and the stunning success of Pyromania
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 18, 1983 By Steve Newton While it is true that Def Leppard’s lyrical messages most often deal with the time-worn teenage pastimes of […]
Sloan goes to town, ’70s guitar-rock style, on Action Pact
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 16, 2003 By Steve Newton When Sloan headed into an L.A. studio with producer Tom Rothrock earlier this year, diehard fans of the […]
Backstage with Scott Gorham (and Gary Moore) on Thin Lizzy’s Bad Reputation Tour in 1978
By Steve Newton See that Thin Lizzy mirror pin I’m holding? That’s not just any old Thin Lizzy mirror pin. That’s the one Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham gave me […]
Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” chosen as the top heavy-metal song of all time
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 4, 2003 Toronto-based music writer Martin Popoff is Canada’s top expert on heavy metal. Senior editor of metal mag Brave Words & Bloody […]
The Newt’s 300 Best Rock Albums of the 1970s
By Steve Newton You had to be there. Abraxas: Santana (“Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen”, “Oye Coma Va”, “Samba Pa Ti”) 1970 A Day at the Races: Queen (“Tie Your Mother Down”, “Somebody […]
Patterson Hood on the Drive-By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera and the true meaning of Skynyrd
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 30, 2003 By Steve Newton It doesn’t seem likely in today’s musical climate that any band would record a 90-minute concept album about […]
Reviewing Nickelback in honour of pot-lovin’, hard-rock musicians from Alberta
photo by Luke Seagrave ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 31, 2002 By Steve Newton For more than 10 years I rented a dumpy old house near 58th and […]
The Donnas love horror, wish Freddie Krueger would Spend the Night
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 24, 2002 By Steve Newton When yours truly hooks up via cell with Donnas vocalist Brett Anderson, she’s in the band’s bus as […]
Major concert news: Newt’s buddy’s band will play the Chilliwack Senior High class of ’75 reunion
By Steve Newton It probably won’t garner as much attention as the announcement of the upcoming AC/DC world tour, but I just found out that my old buddy’s cover band […]
