That time Roy Buchanan told me that Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour was just a bluesman at heart

By Steve Newton I've been getting quite a few hits lately for a blog I posted about Danny Gatton, which included an audio excerpt from the interview I did with the underrated guitar genius back in 1993. So I figured maybe it was time to treat that particular group of Ear of Newt readers--the ones … Continue reading That time Roy Buchanan told me that Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour was just a bluesman at heart

Newt rocks out at 60th birthday bash with members of Chilliwack bands Cold Chain, Horsepower, and Concrete Jungle

jet sutherland photo By Steve Newton After 35-plus years of writing about other people rockin' out on guitar, I finally got off my butt, hopped on stage, and did some half-assed riffing myself. Last night at the Coast Hotel, in the heart of beautiful downtown Chilliwack, B.C., a bunch of old guys who were born … Continue reading Newt rocks out at 60th birthday bash with members of Chilliwack bands Cold Chain, Horsepower, and Concrete Jungle

Get Out sets the bar shockingly high for 21st century horror

By Steve Newton If you only see one horror movie this year, let it be Get Out. And if you only see one movie of any kind this year, same thing. It's about as entertaining as celluloid gets. The film opens with a young black man wandering an upscale suburban neighbourhood at night, talking on … Continue reading Get Out sets the bar shockingly high for 21st century horror

The Girl With All the Gifts takes a tender turn with zombies

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, FEB. 22, 2017 By Steve Newton If you’re not a fan of flesh-eater flicks by now, you surely won’t be after seeing The Girl With All the Gifts. Following one of those pesky zombie holocausts, a group of undead/human-hybrid kids is kept in a grungy military prison/school in rural England, where … Continue reading The Girl With All the Gifts takes a tender turn with zombies

That time I told Ronnie Montrose that I really liked Speed of Sound, and he said that he liked Music From Here more

By Steve Newton Like most hard-rock freaks in the seventies, I went nuts when I heard the debut Montrose album in '73, and the fierce glory of Ronnie Montrose's cranked guitar unleashed. I continued to love the music he made with singer Davey Pattison in the more prog-oriented rock band Gamma. And when Ronnie went … Continue reading That time I told Ronnie Montrose that I really liked Speed of Sound, and he said that he liked Music From Here more

That time Dickey Betts told me about Gregg Allman’s writer’s block

By Steve Newton When I interviewed Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts back in July of 1991, the band had just released its Shades of Two Worlds album, its second to feature the amazing Warren Haynes as a fully-fledged member. As on the previous year's Seven Turns album, Betts and Haynes had written or cowritten the vast majority … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts told me about Gregg Allman’s writer’s block

Guitar stars Jimmie Vaughan, Neil Schon, Kim Mitchell, and Colin James shine at CFOX birthday bash

charles campbell photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 20, 1987 By Steve Newton "The Fox rocks" is the motto that local FM station CFOX likes to use whenever possible. And whether you agree with that claim or not, one thing you've go to admit is that The Fox knows how to throw a … Continue reading Guitar stars Jimmie Vaughan, Neil Schon, Kim Mitchell, and Colin James shine at CFOX birthday bash

That time I asked J.J. Cale why it took him seven years to get an album out

By Steve Newton I feel extremely fortunate to have interviewed J.J. Cale a couple of times during the legendary songwriter's lifetime. The first time was back in 1990, when he was touring behind his first album on the Silvertone label, Travel-Log, which featured the incredible James Burton on guitar. It was Cale's first album in seven … Continue reading That time I asked J.J. Cale why it took him seven years to get an album out

That time Johnny Ramone told me why the Ramones covered the Doors’ “Take It as It Comes”

By Steve Newton I got to interview legendary punk-rock guitarist Johnny Ramone a couple of times, once way back in 1983 and again in '92, when the Ramones were touring Brazil in support of their Mondo Bizarro album. That album featured a pretty nifty cover of the Doors' 1967 tune "Take It As it Comes", with … Continue reading That time Johnny Ramone told me why the Ramones covered the Doors’ “Take It as It Comes”

That time I asked Warren Zevon if it was more difficult to compose film scores than to make albums

By Steve Newton As I'm sure I've mentioned before, one of the coolest dudes I've ever interviewed was Warren Zevon. He was just so damn nice. And smart. And Warren freakin' Zevon. I talked to him back in '92 when he was touring with the Odds as his backup band, promoting a fine album called … Continue reading That time I asked Warren Zevon if it was more difficult to compose film scores than to make albums

That time Gord Downie told me his original lyrics for the Tragically Hip’s “Ahead By a Century”

By Steve Newton In October of 1996 I did my fifth and final interview with the Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, which became a main source for my 2018 coffee-table book on him. At one point during the lengthy conversation I brought up "Ahead By a Century", the band's highest-charting single, off their '96 Trouble … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me his original lyrics for the Tragically Hip’s “Ahead By a Century”

That time I called Link Wray up in Texas and he raved about his “fantastic gig” the night before

By Steve Newton Few guitar players in history are more deserving of recognition than Link Wray, the inventor of the raunchy riff, but you wouldn't know it from the actions of those dingbats down at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even though they nominated him back in 2013, he still hasn't been inducted. … Continue reading That time I called Link Wray up in Texas and he raved about his “fantastic gig” the night before