ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 8, 1996 By Steve Newton The name Dan Baird might not be familiar to the average music fan, but to hardcore devotees of southern boogie, Baird is a hero. Former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for underrated ’80s swamp-rockers the Georgia Satellites, the gap-toothed, goofy-grinning … Continue reading Album review: Dan Baird, Buffalo Nickel (1996)
Roger Waters brings the best of Pink Floyd to Vancouver
crappy iPhone photos by the Newt By Steve Newton I've seen Roger Waters in concert a few times--although never with Pink Floyd, I hate to say. The first time was in June of 2007 at Vancouver's GM Place on his Dark Side of the Moon Tour. Then I saw him in December of 2010 at the … Continue reading Roger Waters brings the best of Pink Floyd to Vancouver
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers slay Vancouver with smokin’ guitarists Montoya and Trout
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 6, 1987 By Steve Newton John Mayall knows blues guitarists. And it's no wonder since he's played with the best of them--guys like Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor. But the two lead players he brought with him to the Commodore last Thursday (October 29) were so hot that they literally stole … Continue reading John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers slay Vancouver with smokin’ guitarists Montoya and Trout
Jigsaw’s killer twist takes torture porn up a notch
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 27, 2017 By Steve Newton Back in October of 2010, after six straight years of hugely successful Saw films coming out on the Friday before Halloween, the seventh and "final" entry in the series, Saw 3D, was released. It made money--eventually raking in $136-million worldwide on a $17-million budget--but also garnered the worst … Continue reading Jigsaw’s killer twist takes torture porn up a notch
“Saw Six is the sixth Saw I’ve seen”: my original reviews of every Saw movie, 2004-2010 & 2017
By Steve Newton As most in-the-know horror-movie freaks are no doubt aware, the latest entry in the Saw franchise, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, opens this Friday (May 14). As the designated horror reviewer for Vancouver weekly the Georgia Straight since the early '80s, it was my journalistic duty to cover all the Saw … Continue reading “Saw Six is the sixth Saw I’ve seen”: my original reviews of every Saw movie, 2004-2010 & 2017
That time Gord Downie wanted to meet in person and I turned him down, feeling like a bit of a knob
By Steve Newton Regrets? I've had a few. Like that time Gord Downie called me up for a phone interview in January of '95 and the first thing he asked was whether I'd rather wait and talk to him in person when he arrived in Vancouver the next day. He sounded like he wanted to … Continue reading That time Gord Downie wanted to meet in person and I turned him down, feeling like a bit of a knob
“Nautical Disaster” is the greatest Tragically Hip song ever, says Newt
By Steve Newton I love a lot of Tragically Hip songs, but if you asked me which one was my all-time favourite, I'd have to say "Nautical Disaster", off the 1994 Day for Night album. I adore every second of that tune, like the way it calmly opens up before Rob Baker and Paul Langlois' guitars fabulously … Continue reading “Nautical Disaster” is the greatest Tragically Hip song ever, says Newt
15 minutes on the phone with 25-year-old Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip
By Steve Newton Back in 1989 I did the first of my five interviews with Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip. I know a lot of my fellow Hip fans are hurting right now with the news of his passing, so here's something I hope brings a bit of comfort: 15 minutes of Gord being Gord. … Continue reading 15 minutes on the phone with 25-year-old Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip
Willie Nelson bares his down-home soul on Revolutions of Time box
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 14, 1995 By Steve Newton I’ve gotta admit that I’m not a real huge country-music fan. I actually view what’s known as “new country”—that lightweight, vacuous, fabricated piffle churned out by the Nashville music mill these days—with the same jaundiced eye reserved for lowly “gangsta rap”. But there’s … Continue reading Willie Nelson bares his down-home soul on Revolutions of Time box
Dance of the Rainbow Serpent features some of Carlos Santana’s finest moments on guitar
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 14, 1995 By Steve Newton Unlike the recent Tom Petty box, this three-CD package doesn’t contain enough previously unreleased material to make it a must-have, but it does feature some of Carlos Santana’s finest moments on guitar, and you know that can’t be bad. Dance of the Rainbow … Continue reading Dance of the Rainbow Serpent features some of Carlos Santana’s finest moments on guitar
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers box set is a must-have for Pettyphiles
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 14, 1995 By Steve Newton Some boxed sets are basically just glorified greatest-hits collections, with maybe a handful of remixed or previously unreleased tracks tossed in to lure die-hard fans with bulging pockets, but the 92-track Playback isn’t one of those. While it does contain all the big … Continue reading Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers box set is a must-have for Pettyphiles
Album review: Green Day, Insomniac (1995)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 9, 1995 By Steve Newton On the follow-up to Green Day’s multiplatinum Dookie CD, lead vocalist-guitarist-lyricist Billie Joe tries just a little too hard to be a punk-rock Everyman. Out of Insomniac’s 14 tracks, no fewer than nine include lines that start with I’m. “I’m a snot-nosed … Continue reading Album review: Green Day, Insomniac (1995)
Album review: Deep Purple, Come Hell or High Water (1995)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 24, 1995 By Steve Newton They’ve had plenty of time to rehearse, but Deep Purple still can’t improve on Made in Japan, the live double album that captured the hearts and minds of hard-rock hooligans back in ’73. Still, you won’t hear me complain when the band rips … Continue reading Album review: Deep Purple, Come Hell or High Water (1995)