By Steve Newton I interviewed INXS vocalist J.D. Fortune in January of 2006, two weeks before the band kicked off a North American Tour in Vancouver. The Canadian singer had earned the frontman position with the Aussie group the year before by winning the 11-week reality-TV competition Rock Star: INXS. So at one point in … Continue reading That time J.D. Fortune told me about the pressure of competing in the reality show Rock Star: INXS
John Kay says he couldn’t hope to leave a Steppenwolf concert alive without playing “Born to Be Wild”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 27, 1984 By Steve Newton Back in the summer of 1968 you could hardly turn on the radio without hearing the surging power chords and menacing vocals of "Born to Be Wild", a song that became an anthem for the carefree life and a harbinger of seventies hard-rock. But in 1972, … Continue reading John Kay says he couldn’t hope to leave a Steppenwolf concert alive without playing “Born to Be Wild”
Shaun Verreault plays Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” Tri-Slide style just ’cause I asked
By Steve Newton When I interviewed Shaun Verreault back in January of 2021 my article wound up focusing on how the Vancouver guitar great had developed his "Tri-Slide" style of playing, where he uses three slides at once on a lap steel guitar. I was blown away by his short, Tri-Slide reimaginings of bits of … Continue reading Shaun Verreault plays Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” Tri-Slide style just ’cause I asked
Skynyrd’s Live at Knebworth ’76 makes me pine for Ronnie and the shitkicker days of southern-rock
By Steve Newton There's quite a few bands that I really wish I'd seen perform live in their prime, but Lynyrd Skynyrd is right up there at the top. On August 21, 1976--the day Skynyrd played the Knebworth Festival along with the likes of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, 10cc, and the Rolling Stones--I was still a … Continue reading Skynyrd’s Live at Knebworth ’76 makes me pine for Ronnie and the shitkicker days of southern-rock
That time Fernando von Arb called and told me that Krokus was kicking Sammy Hagar’s ass on tour
By Steve Newton If you're old like me you may remember Swiss metal band Krokus for that early-'80s tune "Long Stick Goes Boom" and for the fact that they sounded a lot like AC/DC. I interviewed guitarist Fernando von Arb on November 12, 1984, three months after the release of the group's Vancouver-made, Bruce Fairbairn-produced … Continue reading That time Fernando von Arb called and told me that Krokus was kicking Sammy Hagar’s ass on tour
Sylvia Tyson and her Great Speckled Bird hit Chilliwack for a three-night stand at Huggy’s Cabaret
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, APRIL 8, 1981 By Steve Newton Famous Canadian singer-songwriter Sylvia Tyson visited Chilliwack last Thursday for the first of three nightly performances at Huggy's nightclub. Five years ago Tyson stepped out of ex-husband Ian's considerable shadow, and since then has earned the reputation as a crowd-pleasing performer in her … Continue reading Sylvia Tyson and her Great Speckled Bird hit Chilliwack for a three-night stand at Huggy’s Cabaret
That time I told Gary Moore it was the shits that he wasn’t coming to Vancouver with Rush
By Steve Newton I figure it's time to post another audio excerpt from my one and only interview with Irish guitar legend Gary Moore, one of the finest players to ever pick up the instrument. It was May 11, 1984, and Moore was opening for Rush on their Grace Under Pressure Tour. He had a … Continue reading That time I told Gary Moore it was the shits that he wasn’t coming to Vancouver with Rush
That time Steve Clark told me why it took Def Leppard so long to follow up Pyromania with Hysteria
By Steve Newton Back in the '80s, most successful recording bands liked to put an album out every year. Sometimes they’d skip a year, to vacation in the Bahamas or release a live or best-of LP. After three years their fans would start to get a bit worried, and so would their record label–especially if … Continue reading That time Steve Clark told me why it took Def Leppard so long to follow up Pyromania with Hysteria
That time Long John Baldry told me that he inspired Eric Clapton to take up guitar
By Steve Newton Long John Baldry had a huge influence on the British blues scene in the sixties. In fact, when I interviewed Baldry back in 1985, he confirmed that none other than Slowhand himself was urged to take up the guitar after seeing him perform. Have a listen: To hear the full audio of … Continue reading That time Long John Baldry told me that he inspired Eric Clapton to take up guitar
That time Robin Gibb told me that the Bee Gees had never been a disco group
By Steve Newton Back in the '70s when rock music was having a huge impact on me I was rabidly anti-disco. I didn't go so far as to wear a "Disco Sucks" t-shirt like one of my high school buddies, but I was with him in spirit. But in 1977, when the blockbuster Saturday Night … Continue reading That time Robin Gibb told me that the Bee Gees had never been a disco group
That time I told “Gatemouth” Brown that he played pretty good boogie for a 73-year-old
By Steve Newton Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was one of those old blues guys who didn't talk much--especially during interviews. When I chatted with him back in 1997 he was 73, and touring behind an album called Long Way Home that featured guest spots by Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, and Sonny Landreth. At one … Continue reading That time I told “Gatemouth” Brown that he played pretty good boogie for a 73-year-old
That time I asked Danny Gatton, the world’s greatest unknown guitarist, if he wished he were better known
By Steve Newton Danny Gatton has long been described as "the world's greatest unknown guitarist." Some have argued that that title is more suited to Roy Buchanan, but I think it's safe to say that Gatton is the lesser known of the two relatively unheralded Telecaster masters. At least it seemed that way to me … Continue reading That time I asked Danny Gatton, the world’s greatest unknown guitarist, if he wished he were better known
That time 21-year-old Exodus guitarist Gary Holt told me that he couldn’t say enough bad things about Mötley Crüe
By Steve Newton Way back on July 24 of 1985 I interviewed the guitarists from three fast-rising (but still kinda underground) thrash metal bands: Gary Holt of Exodus, Kurdt Vanderhoof of Metal Church, and John Ricci of Exciter. All three groups were headed to Vancouver for a three-night "Metal Massacre" at the New York Theatre, … Continue reading That time 21-year-old Exodus guitarist Gary Holt told me that he couldn’t say enough bad things about Mötley Crüe