The DDs in Montreal last Wednesday By Steve Newton Any Vancouverites up for a rowdy evening of '80-style hard-rock tonight? The Dead Daisies, a guitar-rock collective originally formed in 2012 by Australian businessman-turned-rocker David Lowy, plays the Hollywood Theatre in Kits tonight (Saturday, September 2). In previous incarnations the group has included such old-school rock … Continue reading The Dead Daisies–featuring ex-members of Whitesnake, Mötley Crüe, Dio, and Pride & Glory–play Vancouver tonight
Category: rock legends
Ear of Newt and the Tapes Archive present the Alex Van Halen 1995 interview
By Steve Newton Here's a special treat for all you Van Halen freaks out there--even the ones who liked the Sammy years. For the first time ever the entire audio of my 1995 interview with Alex Van Halen is being offered to the public for free, thanks to a partnership between Ear of Newt and … Continue reading Ear of Newt and the Tapes Archive present the Alex Van Halen 1995 interview
Zappa fans prepare to freak out! 50th anniversary edition of Over-Nite Sensation to include 57 unreleased and rare tracks
By Steve Newton Dedicated followers of much-missed musical maestro Frank Zappa have just been given a reason to get a little jiggy. Universal Music announced today that an 88-track, five-disc "Super Deluxe Edition" of Zappa's 1973 Mothers of Invention album, Over-Nite Sensation, will be released on November 3. It will include four CDs and a … Continue reading Zappa fans prepare to freak out! 50th anniversary edition of Over-Nite Sensation to include 57 unreleased and rare tracks
Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan celebrates 40 years at the mike with the star-studded Gillan’s Inn
By Steve Newton Deep Purple was one of my favourite bands in the seventies, so it was a real kick to finally interview Ian Gillan in 2006, when he called me up from a tour stop in Buffalo, en route to a gig in Vancouver. He was promoting his star-studded Gillan's Inn album, a celebration … Continue reading Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan celebrates 40 years at the mike with the star-studded Gillan’s Inn
Steven Adler still yearns to be part of a Guns N’ Roses reunion
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 17 2011 By Steve Newton In 1987, when he was 22 years old, Steven Adler had the world by the balls. He was the drummer in Guns N’ Roses, the most popular rock band at the time, whose album of that year, Appetite for Destruction, has sold more than 28 million … Continue reading Steven Adler still yearns to be part of a Guns N’ Roses reunion
Joe Perry credits Bruce Fairbairn and Little Mountain Sound with aiding Aerosmith’s rebirth
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 13, 1993 By Steve Newton Vancouverites may wonder what it is about this town that makes a big-time Yankee rock band like Aerosmith want to come all the way from Boston to make records here. It is the scenery? The night-life? The days when it doesn't rain? When Joe Perry calls … Continue reading Joe Perry credits Bruce Fairbairn and Little Mountain Sound with aiding Aerosmith’s rebirth
Eddie Van Halen’s favourite AC/DC album was Powerage
By Steve Newton I've long held the opinion that AC/DC's Powerage is their best album. Keith Richards agrees, and he knows a thing or two about rockin'. And more importantly, Malcolm Young himself has named Powerage as Number One. When I met Young backstage after an AC/DC show in Vancouver back in 2001 I mentioned that … Continue reading Eddie Van Halen’s favourite AC/DC album was Powerage
22 minutes on the phone with Brit Floyd’s Damian Darlington, talking Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, prog rock, and lasers
By Steve Newton I called up Brit Floyd guitarist, vocalist, and musical director Damian Darlington at his home in the county of Cheshire, England, a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to get the scoop on his group, which is regarded as the world's best Pink Floyd tribute band, in advance of its Vancouver show … Continue reading 22 minutes on the phone with Brit Floyd’s Damian Darlington, talking Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, prog rock, and lasers
Looks like my old buddy Ferg made a rubbing of Jimi Hendrix’s gravestone
By Steve Newton As I mentioned in a post last month, my longtime friend and concert-going buddy Ferg, aka Brian Ferguson, passed away in March of this year in Vernon, B.C., after developing a rare form of dementia called primary progressive aphasia. After his death at the too-young age of 63, I inherited some of … Continue reading Looks like my old buddy Ferg made a rubbing of Jimi Hendrix’s gravestone
That time I asked Alex Van Halen how he thought Van Halen had evolved musically since Sammy Hagar joined
By Steve Newton When I interviewed Alex Van Halen back in 1995 his band was touring behind Balance, its fourth and final studio album with Sammy Hagar at the mike. At one point in the conversation I asked Alex how he would say the band had evolved musically since Sammy joined for 5150. Have a … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen how he thought Van Halen had evolved musically since Sammy Hagar joined
That time Geddy Lee told me that he was proud of Alex Lifeson for making his solo album
By Steve Newton Back in April of 1997 I did my first interview with Geddy Lee of Rush, while the band was touring behind its Test for Echo album. The year before Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson had released his debut solo album, Victor, so at one point in the conversation I asked Geddy what he … Continue reading That time Geddy Lee told me that he was proud of Alex Lifeson for making his solo album
10 minutes on the phone with Alex Van Halen in 1995
By Steve Newton I haven't interviewed that many drummers over the years, mainly because when I cover a band I shoot for the guitarist, since that's the instrument I'm most drawn to. But after interviewing Alex Van Halen in advance of a Van Hagar show on the 1995 Balance Tour, I should probably chat with … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with Alex Van Halen in 1995
That time I asked Supertramp’s Bob Siebenberg what the band was like without Roger Hodgson
By Steve Newton Back in May of 1985 I interviewed Supertramp drummer Bob Siebenberg. The conversation took place nine days before the official release of Brother Where You Bound, Supertramp's first album without Roger Hodgson. This was an unusual interview for me, because most of them are done over the phone with musicians while they're … Continue reading That time I asked Supertramp’s Bob Siebenberg what the band was like without Roger Hodgson