ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 30, 1989 By Steve Newton Diehard Led Zeppelin fans were either impressed or outraged when Kingdom Come’s debut album came out two years ago. The LP–made here in Vancouver at Little Mountain Sound and produced by Bob Rock–sounded an awful lot like a tribute to (or cloning of) Messrs. Page and … Continue reading Kingdom Come hopes to avoid Zeppelin comparisons with new In Your Face LP
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 27, 2001 By Steve Newton The cover of the new Big Sugar CD, Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready?, features a classic hard-rock image of a skinny, longhaired fellow flailing away on a doubleneck Gibson guitar. If you didn’t know the guy was Big Sugar singer-guitarist Gordie Johnson, … Continue reading Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson picks Black Sabbath over Led Zeppelin
By Steve Newton I realize millions of Zep fans might complain about “Stairway to Heaven” not being Number One, but they’ll get over it. 20. “Ten Years Gone” (Physical Graffiti, 1975) 19. “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” (Led Zeppelin, 1969) 18. “Celebration Day” (Led Zeppelin III, 1970) 17. “Achilles Last Stand” (Presence, 1976) 16. “In … Continue reading Led Zeppelin’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
By Steve Newton I did my first interview with hugely successful hard-rock producer Bob Rock in December of 1991. I went to meet him at Vancouver Studios, where he was working on albums by the London Choirboys and his own band, Rockhead. Four months earlier the massively popular album Rock made with Metallica, The Black … Continue reading 10 minutes in a studio with producer Bob Rock in 1991
The Black Crowes play the Orpheum By Steve Newton Shaun Verreault: Vancouver blues-rock guitarist-vocalist and Wide Mouth Mason member. April 1 at the Roxy. Schryer, Dobres & Hillhouse Trio: Canadian Celtic supergroup composed of fiddler Pierre Schryer and guitarists Adam Dobres and Andy Hillhouse. April 5 at the ACT Arts Centre. Alestorm: pirate-metal quintet from … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 Vancouver concerts in April
tedeschi trucks photo by susan weiand By Steve Newton Melissa Etheridge: confessional folk-rock singer-songwriter from Kansas performs with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as part of her I’m Not Broken Tour. March 23 at the Orpheum Theatre. Reverend Horton Heat: psychobilly band from Dallas, Texas, featuring guitarist-vocalist Jim Heath, with guests Dale Watson and Jason D. Williams. March 26 at the Rickshaw Theatre. … Continue reading Newt’s top 20 Vancouver concert picks for 2024
By Steve Newton If you’re a hardcore Led Zeppelin fan and you’ve been wondering what to do with that extra 50 grand you’ve had lying around the house, here’s an idea. Gibson Brands Inc. has just announced the release of the Collector’s Edition Jimmy Page 1969 EDS-1275. It’s a custom-made copy of the red SG-style … Continue reading For only $50,000 (U.S.) you can pretend you’re Jimmy Page and really get the Led out
By Steve Newton Oh man, was 1975 ever a great year for rock. Maybe the greatest. Of course, it helped if you turned 18 in ’75. I mean, just to name a few, the LPs released that year included Led Zeppelin‘s Physical Graffiti, Thin Lizzy‘s Fighting, Queen‘s A Night at the Opera, Aerosmith‘s Toys in … Continue reading Gordon Lightfoot’s Gord’s Gold was the only folk album I ever bought as a teen
Geez, even Jimi knew Johnny ruled. By Steve Newton Back in September of 2010 Gibson.com posted what it felt were the 50 greatest guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it. Most conspicuous by his absence is Texas blues-rock legend Johnny Winter. I for one am getting sick and tired of … Continue reading Gibson picked the top 50 guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it
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
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!
The Killer screens at VIFF Centre By Steve Newton FRIDAY: screening at the Cinematheque of director Ryszard Bugajski’s uncompromising 1991 thriller Clearcut, starring Graham Greene as militant Indigenous activist Arthur. FRIDAY: screening at the VIFF Centre of Italian writer-director Dario Argento‘s 1987 giallo slasher film Opera, about a young soprano who becomes involved in a … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 (or 20) things to do in Vancouver this weekend, November 3 to 5
By Steve Newton When I did my first interview with Jason Bonham back in 1989, I asked him what it was like growing up with a father who was world-famous for being the drummer in Led Zeppelin. Turns out it wasn’t that big of a deal to him. Have a listen: To hear the full … Continue reading That time Jason Bonham told me that his famous father in Led Zeppelin was “just dad to me”
