By Steve Newton Back in the late '70s/early '80s I spent way too much time working at a Canada Packers food-processing plant near Chilliwack called York Farms. It was not a great job--unless frantically stacking heavy boxes of juice on wooden pallets for eight hours is your idea of a good time. It was a … Continue reading Hearing Dan Baird sing “Van Halen wailin’ on a stereo eight-track” brings back ancient memories
Category: rock legends
Tracing David Bowie’s live evolution from Ziggy Stardust to the Glass Spider Tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 14, 1987 By Steve Newton When David Bowie's Glass Spider Tour hits Vancouver this Saturday (August 15), it will be the latest in a succession of immense theatrical spectacles that Bowie has been bringing to the world for the last decade and a half. North American audiences first became aware of … Continue reading Tracing David Bowie’s live evolution from Ziggy Stardust to the Glass Spider Tour
36 years later I finally got turned on to the rockin’ glory of Warren Zevon’s “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands”
By Steve Newton I'm a little show on the uptake sometimes. For example, just yesterday I was typing up my old interview from 1987 with Rick Richards of the Georgia Satellites, giving the article new life on the internet after being trapped on yellowing newspaper and stashed in a banker's box for decades. In the … Continue reading 36 years later I finally got turned on to the rockin’ glory of Warren Zevon’s “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands”
Hey old farts like me: the American Association of Retired Persons is bringing the Rolling Stones to Vancouver
By Steve Newton Oh man, it sure pays to be an old fart these days. Especially if you want to see the Rolling Stones in concert. The legendary British rock group--currently composed of 80-year-old singer Mick Jagger and guitarists Keith Richards (79) and Ronnie Wood (76)--announced today that it will undertake a 16-city North American … Continue reading Hey old farts like me: the American Association of Retired Persons is bringing the Rolling Stones to Vancouver
Dan McCafferty explains the story behind Nazareth’s controversial “Vancouver Shakedown”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOVEMBER 23, 1984 By Steve Newton Back about ten years ago, one of the coolest things for a Chilliwack high school student to do was cruise up and down the town's main drag--preferably in a Dodge Dart--and play eight-track tapes as close to the distortion level as possible. And as I recall, … Continue reading Dan McCafferty explains the story behind Nazareth’s controversial “Vancouver Shakedown”
The Beatles’ “Now and Then” music video is better than the song itself
By Steve Newton I just watched the Peter Jackson-directed music video for the "new" Beatles song, "Now and Then", and it nearly chocked me up. The 4 1/2-minute clip is a beautiful, heart-wrenching glimpse into what made the Fab Four so freakin' fabulous, and it makes you miss the murdered John Lennon and cancer-killed George … Continue reading The Beatles’ “Now and Then” music video is better than the song itself
“Now and Then” is a pretty little ditty, but “Get Back” will always be “the last Beatles song” to me
collage by the newts By Steve Newton By now you may have already heard "Now and Then", the much-publicized song released today that is being billed as "the last Beatles song". In case you aren't aware of the tune's backstory, here's how it is described on the Beatles' YouTube channel, which--at the time of this … Continue reading “Now and Then” is a pretty little ditty, but “Get Back” will always be “the last Beatles song” to me
10 minutes on the phone with Aerosmith’s Joe Perry in 1988
By Steve Newton Aerosmith released their first five albums while I was teenager, so I freakin' loved Aerosmith. I played a lotta air guitar to Joe Perry's licks back in the day, so it was a kick to interview him for the first time in January of 1988, after the Permanent Vacation LP came out. … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with Aerosmith’s Joe Perry in 1988
All Right Now! Paul Rodgers takes it to the streets with the Doobie Brothers in Kelowna
jeff sutherland photos By Steve Newton Now here's a seventies-rock match-up made in heaven. My nephew Jeff just texted me from Kelowna where he saw Paul Rodgers perform two songs with the Doobie Brothers at their Prospera Place show tonight. The legendary rocker of Free and Bad Company fame has a home in the Okanagan, … Continue reading All Right Now! Paul Rodgers takes it to the streets with the Doobie Brothers in Kelowna
The Beatles will release their “last song” next week, but what if it sucks?
collage by the newts By Steve Newton I've been a hardcore Beatles fan since the age of six. That's how old I was when they made their North American TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, but I remember it like it was yesterday. And right around that time I purchased my very first record. … Continue reading The Beatles will release their “last song” next week, but what if it sucks?
God bless Ian Paice’s drumming on Deep Purple’s “Burn”
By Steve Newton I really appreciate rock music, and I'm very thankful to the musicians whose talent has given me such joy over the years. Sometimes, when I hear something that really turns my crank--like a particularly awesome guitar solo--I even ask God to bless it. In previous blogs I’ve asked Him to bless exquisite … Continue reading God bless Ian Paice’s drumming on Deep Purple’s “Burn”
Kiss’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
By Steve Newton I always felt that Kiss released the vast majority of its best material in the mid-'70s. Maybe that's 'cause I turned 17--the prime age for enlistment into the Kiss Army--back in '74. But don't get me started on "Beth". Never could stand that song. 20. "Psycho Circus" (Psycho Circus, 1998) 19. "Comin' … Continue reading Kiss’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
That time AC/DC’s Bon Scott couldn’t remember the name of the bass player from Kiss
By Steve Newton I've met Gene Simmons from Kiss a couple of times, but he didn't come off as particularly charming. Both times--once in person and once on the phone--he seemed pretty full of himself, which I suppose is kind of his trademark. He is the "God of Thunder", after all. But today I came … Continue reading That time AC/DC’s Bon Scott couldn’t remember the name of the bass player from Kiss