ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 10, 1994 By Steve Newton Having already embarrassed himself to the utmost degree with the ultra-lame, supersucky, unforgivably bogus "Stuck With You", all-American apple-pie rocker Huey Lewis turns his vacuous eye on a slew of soul and R&B covers from the '50s and '60s. The painful result--thanks to … Continue reading Album review: Huey Lewis & the News, Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994)
Album review: Mick Ronson, Heaven and Hull (1994)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 27, 1994 By Steve Newton From his early-'70s glory-and-glitter days as the muscular, platinum-haired axeman in David Bowie's Spiders from Mars to his workmanlike late-'80s club gigs with Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson always proved himself a rock guitarist of the highest order. When Ronson succumbed to cancer on April 29 of … Continue reading Album review: Mick Ronson, Heaven and Hull (1994)
Ray Bonneville was fine with Sue Foley beating him out for the best blues Juno
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 18, 2002 By Steve Newton Rough Luck, the latest CD from Montreal-based blues artist Ray Bonneville, is about as solo as you can get. It’s just him, his guitar, an occasional harmonica, and his trusty footboard—a piece of plywood with four rubber stoppers to get it up off the floor. As … Continue reading Ray Bonneville was fine with Sue Foley beating him out for the best blues Juno
Kelly Joe Phelps puts the slide away to focus on his songwriting
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 13, 2001 By Steve Newton After releasing three albums that showcased his superior skill on slide guitar, Kelly Joe Phelps did a complete about-face. His new CD, Sky Like a Broken Clock, contains no slide at all. Nada. Not even a little tweak. It makes you wonder if … Continue reading Kelly Joe Phelps puts the slide away to focus on his songwriting
Sista Monica says the blues can’t help but support a healing process for people
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 4, 2001 By Steve Newton Some music writers are quite skilled at describing certain artists by pointing to the attributes of others. Take Mac MacDonald of the Monterey Herald, for instance, who penned this stylistic sketch of California blues vocalist Monica Parker, aka Sista Monica: “She has the soul of Aretha … Continue reading Sista Monica says the blues can’t help but support a healing process for people
Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson picks Black Sabbath over Led Zeppelin
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON 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, you’d probably think … Continue reading Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson picks Black Sabbath over Led Zeppelin
That time me ‘n’ Ferg went backstage to meet Warren Haynes but he was too tuckered to smile
By Steve Newton I'm a huge fan of Warren Haynes. I love everything he's done, whether with Gov't Mule, the Allman Brothers, or as a solo artist. Hey, I wouldn't have interviewed him six times if I didn't think he was the shit. So one time when he brought Gov't Mule to Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom--I … Continue reading That time me ‘n’ Ferg went backstage to meet Warren Haynes but he was too tuckered to smile
That time “Mess” Messal of Flies on Fire told me that the Tragically Hip were the best band in the world
By Steve Newton Back in July of 1991 the Tragically Hip played five straight sold-out nights at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on its Road Apples Tour. The band was smokin' hot--at least on the night that I saw them--but also impressive was the opening act, Flies on Fire, a little-known guitar-rock band from L.A. … Continue reading That time “Mess” Messal of Flies on Fire told me that the Tragically Hip were the best band in the world
The Lowest of the Low’s Ron Hawkins thinks the Weakerthans’ John Samson is the best lyricist in Canada
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 10, 2001 By Steve Newton After releasing just two albums—1991’s Shakespeare My Butt… and ’94’s Hallucigenia—Toronto guitar-rockers the Lowest of the Low called it quits on a career that was fast making them one of Canada’s most popular club acts. The breakup was sudden and acrimonious, and partially … Continue reading The Lowest of the Low’s Ron Hawkins thinks the Weakerthans’ John Samson is the best lyricist in Canada
Jesse Cook thinks the best of Crowded House is right up there with the best of the Beatles
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 16, 2000 By Steve Newton Jesse Cook is the first to admit that Celtic music isn’t his forte, but that doesn’t mean he won’t give it a shot. The Toronto flamenco-pop guitarist got the opportunity to sit in with one of the genre’s legendary groups recently when he … Continue reading Jesse Cook thinks the best of Crowded House is right up there with the best of the Beatles
Bill Priddle says Treble Charger had a mandate to rock with Wide Awake Bored
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 12, 2000 By Steve Newton Treble Charger’s current record-company bio states that for its latest CD, Wide Awake Bored, the Toronto power-pop quartet was “united with a singular vision: to follow in the footsteps of the old masters of the true rock song—bands like Cheap Trick, Steve Miller, Todd Rundgren”. But … Continue reading Bill Priddle says Treble Charger had a mandate to rock with Wide Awake Bored
The Carson Downey Band proves that the blues are alive and kickin’ in the Maritimes
The band has been plugging away on the Maritime blues scene for more than a decade, but things are starting to pay off for the group.
David Wilcox lauds the atmosphere Colin Linden created on Rhythm of Love
"Colin [Linden]’s such a wonderful artist in terms of understanding how mikes and equipment work—and being able to bring that to the artist."