By Steve Newton Metro Vancouver has spawned quite a few wicked guitar players, and I've been lucky to have interviewed a bunch. Some of my faves include Shaun Verreault, Dave Martone, Scott Smith, Don Alder, Russell Marsland, Lindsay Mitchell, Todd Taylor, Erol Sora, Devin Townsend, Harris Van Berkel, the late Scotty Hall, and the ever-lovin' … Continue reading That time primo Vancouver picker Paul Pigat told me about getting turned on to Danny Gatton
Category: guitar heroes
Roger Fisher moves on from Heart-break with new band 10 Bulls and hopes for a record deal
roger fisher with 10 Bulls ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 20, 1985 By Steve Newton Former Heart guitarist Roger Fisher, and his new band 10 Bulls, had their Vancouver debut at Club Soda this summer. The most surprising thing about their performance was the fact that nearly all their songs--with the exception of maybe five--were covers! … Continue reading Roger Fisher moves on from Heart-break with new band 10 Bulls and hopes for a record deal
That time I called up Stevie Ray Vaughan and he said he had to leave for soundcheck in five minutes
By Steve Newton Back in August of 1985 I did my first interview with Stevie Ray Vaughan, just before the release of his third studio album, Soul to Soul. He was on a tour that would bring him to Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom for two shows, on August 29 and 31. When he picked up the … Continue reading That time I called up Stevie Ray Vaughan and he said he had to leave for soundcheck in five minutes
That time original Heart guitarist Roger Fisher told me how he really felt about the Wilson sisters
By Steve Newton I interviewed former Heart lead-guitarist Roger Fisher in September of 1985, when he was promoting his new Seattle-based band 10 Bulls. As you may already know, Fisher was an original Heart member whose fiery guitarwork lit up tunes like "Barracuda" and "Magic Man". He was also guitarist-vocalist Nancy Wilson's boyfriend before getting … Continue reading That time original Heart guitarist Roger Fisher told me how he really felt about the Wilson sisters
That time I asked Steve Clark what the guys in Def Leppard liked to do to pass time on the road
By Steve Newton When I interviewed Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark back in June of 1988 his band was flying about as high as it would ever get, touring behind its most popular album, Hysteria. As a group of fun-loving rock 'n' rollers in their twenties, selling millions of albums and packing arenas, Clark and … Continue reading That time I asked Steve Clark what the guys in Def Leppard liked to do to pass time on the road
That time I asked Gary Moore if he’d ever write a song about “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland
By Steve Newton I did my one and only interview with Irish guitar legend Gary Moore on May 11, 1984. Five months earlier the Provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army had exploded a car bomb outside Harrods department store in central London, killing three police officers and three civilians, and injuring 90 people. (The … Continue reading That time I asked Gary Moore if he’d ever write a song about “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland
That time Sean Costello told me about recording with Susan Tedeschi at 17 and playing with Derek Trucks at 12
anthony pepitone photo By Steve Newton Sean Costello is one of those guitarists who blows you away with his amazing talent and then you look around and he's gone. The fast-rising blues guitarist and singer-songwriter --who suffered from bipolar disorder--died of an overdose 16 months after I interviewed him in December of 2006. He was … Continue reading That time Sean Costello told me about recording with Susan Tedeschi at 17 and playing with Derek Trucks at 12
Anthony Gomes get chills thinking about Stevie Ray Vaughan
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 28, 2007 By Steve Newton Anthony Gomes was born and raised in Toronto, but in his early 20s he pulled a Muddy Waters and moved to Chicago, where he found a sweet home for four years before heading off to his current base of Nashville. As he explains … Continue reading Anthony Gomes get chills thinking about Stevie Ray Vaughan
That time COC’s Pepper Keenan told me that Warren Haynes “nailed it” with his slide playing on “Stare Too Long”
a closeup shot of Haynes nailing it By Steve Newton Back in January of 2001 I did my first interview with Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity, whose band was touring behind its America's Volume Dealer album. At one point in the conversation I asked Keenan how he had hooked up with Warren Haynes, who … Continue reading That time COC’s Pepper Keenan told me that Warren Haynes “nailed it” with his slide playing on “Stare Too Long”
That time Derek Trucks told me that Duane Allman’s slide was one of the first sounds he ever heard
By Steve Newton I've interviewed Derek Trucks three times so far, including back in 1998 when he was 18 years old. Our second conversation happened 14 years later, when he was touring with his wife Susan and their 11-piece band, Tedeschi Trucks. Four months before that the group had been awarded the Grammy for Best … Continue reading That time Derek Trucks told me that Duane Allman’s slide was one of the first sounds he ever heard
That time B.B. King told me how playing guitar was like telling the truth
bev davies photo By Steve Newton I've been very fortunate to have interviewed several legendary bluesmen over the last 40 years, guys like Albert King, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Roy Buchanan, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. But the very first legendary bluesman I ever interviewed was B.B. King. In January of 1984 he was playing a … Continue reading That time B.B. King told me how playing guitar was like telling the truth
That time Mick Ronson told me that he could live anywhere in the world
By Steve Newton I did the second of my two interviews with Mick Ronson in September of 1988, before he and Ian Hunter kicked off a tour in Vancouver. I called Mick up in New York, and at one point in the conversation I asked him whether he liked living there. He said that he … Continue reading That time Mick Ronson told me that he could live anywhere in the world
Brian Robertson’s wicked solo from Thin Lizzy’s “Don’t Believe a Word” played on harmonica
By Steve Newton The wicked guitar solos cranked out over the years by the various Thin Lizzy guitarists--Eric Bell, Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson, Gary Moore, Snowy White, and John Sykes--are many. But I've got a few faves. Definitely in my Top 10 is Robertson's 30-second solo from "Don't Believe a Word", the best track on … Continue reading Brian Robertson’s wicked solo from Thin Lizzy’s “Don’t Believe a Word” played on harmonica