By Steve Newton Legendary rock guitarist Martin Barre of Jethro Tull fame was touring B.C. in July with a crack band, performing the Aqualung album in its entirety. He called me from a friend's house near Nanaimo and filled me in on the tour. SN: First off I wanted to ask a little bit about Aqualung, … Continue reading Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre on the legacy of Aqualung
Category: guitar heroes
Jimmie Vaughan’s supertasty live licks tell the story of brother Stevie’s final flight
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 12, 1994 By Steve Newton I count myself among the lucky few who got to see Jimmie Vaughan's little brother, Stevie Ray, play the Commodore in the mid-'80s. Back then, when you went to an SRV show you knew what to expect: bass, drums, and the wildest blues-rock guitar this side … Continue reading Jimmie Vaughan’s supertasty live licks tell the story of brother Stevie’s final flight
Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre says it’s “outrageous” that Johnny Winter isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
go Johnny, go! By Steve Newton A couple months ago I interviewed legendary rock guitarist Martin Barre, best known for his work on all of Jethro Tull's top albums and hits. At one point in the conversation we got to talking about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which has famously refused to induct … Continue reading Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre says it’s “outrageous” that Johnny Winter isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Jesse Cook puts a captivating nouveau-flamenco spin on Sting’s beautiful “Fragile”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 10, 1998 By Steve Newton During my formative years as a rock-obsessed reader of Circus magazine, my teenage world revolved around heavy ’70s bands like Aerosmith, Montrose, Alice Cooper, and Blue Öyster Cult. I’ve adored riff-driven guitar-rock ever since, but lately I’ve been opening myself up to mellower sounds. Maybe it … Continue reading Jesse Cook puts a captivating nouveau-flamenco spin on Sting’s beautiful “Fragile”
Gibson picked the top 50 guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it
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
Frank Steffen Mueller releases original instrumental for Irish guitar legend Gary Moore
By Steve Newton Woke up today to find that German guitarist, session musician, composer, and teacher Frank Steffen Mueller had shared a link to my Facebook group, Newt's Flaming Colossal Rockatorium. The link is for a YouTube video Mueller just posted of himself playing a '69 Les Paul goldtop, performing an original song in the … Continue reading Frank Steffen Mueller releases original instrumental for Irish guitar legend Gary Moore
Guitar wizard David Gogo on his new debut LP and the undeniable influence of Stevie Ray Vaughan
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 14, 1994 By Steve Newton If there’s a rock ’n’ roll heaven, you know they’ve got a helluva band...and I like to think that there are at least three guitarists in the lineup: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, and Randy Rhoads. And when I picture Vaughan, I see him doing his … Continue reading Guitar wizard David Gogo on his new debut LP and the undeniable influence of Stevie Ray Vaughan
That time I asked “Fast” Eddie Clarke what he thought of Motörhead’s new guitarist Brian Robertson
Robertson (left) in Motörhead By Steve Newton Back in June of 1983 I interviewed guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke when his band, Fastway, opened for Iron Maiden in Vancouver, along with Saxon. Clarke had quit his previous group, Motörhead, the year before, so I asked him what he thought of his replacement, former Thin Lizzy guitarist … Continue reading That time I asked “Fast” Eddie Clarke what he thought of Motörhead’s new guitarist Brian Robertson
That time I asked Alain Caron how he felt about UZEB being called “the Van Halen of jazz”
By Steve Newton Way back in May of 1985 I interviewed Alain Caron, the phenomenal bassist for Quebec jazz-fusion band UZEB. His group was touring behind its second studio album, You, Be Easy, and headed to Vancouver for a two-night stand at the Commodore Ballroom. At one point in the conversation I asked Caron about … Continue reading That time I asked Alain Caron how he felt about UZEB being called “the Van Halen of jazz”
Manny Charlton, original Nazareth guitarist, dies at the age of 80
By Steve Newton Just heard the sad news, that Manny Charlton passed away yesterday (July 5) in Dallas. Charlton was the guitarist for Nazareth from its inception in 1968 until 1990. Like millions of others, I was a huge fan of Nazareth in the '70s. So much so that--realizing they'd been snubbed by the Rock … Continue reading Manny Charlton, original Nazareth guitarist, dies at the age of 80
That time King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor told me that he wasn’t into chops for chops’ sake
By Steve Newton I interviewed King's X guitarist Ty Tabor back in June of 2001, when his funky prog-rock trio was touring behind its ninth studio album, Manic Moonlight, and headed to Vancouver for a club gig. Tabor's solo career had recently seen him putting on several guitar clinics in Southeast Asia, where he was … Continue reading That time King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor told me that he wasn’t into chops for chops’ sake
That time I asked B.B. King what advice he had for young guitar players trying to learn the blues
bev davies photo By Steve Newton Back in January of 1984 I did my first interview with B.B. King. Man, was that a thrill. He was playing a string of shows at the Plazazz Showroom in North Vancouver, and I hung out with him in his hotel room before one of the gigs. As the … Continue reading That time I asked B.B. King what advice he had for young guitar players trying to learn the blues
That time Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse thanked me for bringing up the topic of Hendrix
By Steve Newton The vast majority of my music interviews over the last 40 years were originally published in the Vancouver weekly, Georgia Straight, but I've also done some writing for other publications. Back in 1998 I interviewed guitar god Steve Morse--who'd been with Deep Purple for four years at that point--for Experience Hendrix, a … Continue reading That time Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse thanked me for bringing up the topic of Hendrix