ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 27, 2004 By Steve Newton Blues-rock fans who yearn for the down 'n' dirty rock ZZ Top plied during its mid-'70s heyday should check out the eighth release from this Seattle-based trio. Led by singer, songwriter, and primo guitarist Tim "Too Slim" Langford, these veteran boogiemen go hog-wild … Continue reading Album review: Too Slim and the Taildraggers, Tales of Sin & Redemption (2004)
Album review: Harlequin, One False Move (1982)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 11, 1982 By Steve Newton When I first heard One False Move, I was about to write it off as just another pop schlock compilation in the Foreigner/Loverboy mold, but after a few listens songs like "Hard Road" and "It's A Woman You Need" started to grow on me. The bluesiness … Continue reading Album review: Harlequin, One False Move (1982)
Album review: Saga, In Transit (1982)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 20, 1982 By Steve Newton This is a live, completely digital recording of songs performed earlier this year in Munich and Copenhagen. Though not a particular fan of keyboard-dominated, pompish rock, I must admit that Saga quite impresses on this latest effort. The band is very tight, the … Continue reading Album review: Saga, In Transit (1982)
Album review: Kiss, Creatures of the Night (1982)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 21, 1983 By Steve Newton Gather round kiddies, it's time to listen to another album from your favourite cartoon characters, Kiss. Hey kiddies, where are you going? I've got Kiss Army patches and splotches of real Gene Simmons blood! What? The music's lousy? Who cares about the music? … Continue reading Album review: Kiss, Creatures of the Night (1982)
That time I photobombed Armored Saint backstage when they were opening for Metallica on the Ride the Lightning Tour
bev davies photo By Steve Newton Legendary Vancouver punk and metal photographer Bev Davies just sent me a photo from 1985 that I never knew existed. It's a backstage shot of American metal band Armored Saint getting all wild 'n' crazy, but if you look close you can see me in the background, chuckling at … Continue reading That time I photobombed Armored Saint backstage when they were opening for Metallica on the Ride the Lightning Tour
That time Lee Rocker told me that the Stray Cats instantly connected with people, even in the early days
By Steve Newton Lee Rocker is best known as the bassist for the Stray Cats, but he also made some great music with a band called Phantom, Rocker & Slick, which included guitar great Earl Slick and Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom. When I interviewed Rocker in March of 2007 he was touring behind … Continue reading That time Lee Rocker told me that the Stray Cats instantly connected with people, even in the early days
Coney Hatch’s Andy Curran on the benefits of working with Kim Mitchell and the challenges of opening for Judas Priest
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 19, 1982 By Steve Newton Things were a little tense backstage in the Coney Hatch dressing room after last week's Pacific Coliseum gig with Judas Priest. A relatively mild crowd response coupled with technical problems and the fact of no soundcheck had the boys from Toronto "bummed out", as bassist and … Continue reading Coney Hatch’s Andy Curran on the benefits of working with Kim Mitchell and the challenges of opening for Judas Priest
That time Rob Thomas told me that what sets Matchbox 20 apart from all the other rock bands with debut albums is “penis size”
By Steve Newton I'm not the biggest Matchbox 20 fan in the world, but when I interviewed 25-year-old frontman Rob Thomas in June of 1997 the band was touring behinds its debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, which would go on to sell over nine-million copies in the U.S. alone. So what do I … Continue reading That time Rob Thomas told me that what sets Matchbox 20 apart from all the other rock bands with debut albums is “penis size”
That time Jason Newsted told me that Black Sabbath were “the inventors” and they could do anything they want
I interviewed Newsted when he was fronting his own group, Newsted, three weeks before it released its debut album, Heavy Metal Music.
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 Rob Halford called me up from the Defenders of the Faith tour and said that Judas Priest had been playing “lethal” shows
By Steve Newton I've interviewed Rob Halford five times between 1984 and 2015--four times when he was in Judas Priest and once when he was in the industrial-metal project Two. This was the first time, on May 14, 1984, four months after Priest had released its platinum Defenders of the Faith album (the one with … Continue reading That time Rob Halford called me up from the Defenders of the Faith tour and said that Judas Priest had been playing “lethal” shows
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 I asked Long John Baldry who his favourite blues people were these days and he went with Stevie Ray Vaughan
By Steve Newton I did my one and only interview with blues legend Long John Baldry on September 8, 1985, shortly after he'd moved to Vancouver, where he would remain until his death 20 years later. Ten days earlier I'd gone to an incredible Vancouver concert by another blues legend, Stevie Ray Vaughan, whose third … Continue reading That time I asked Long John Baldry who his favourite blues people were these days and he went with Stevie Ray Vaughan