By Steve Newton Deep Purple is one of my all-time favourite bands. As a teenager in the seventies I grew up on albums like Fireball, Made in Japan, and Burn. Forget Clapton: Ritchie Blackmore was God in my books. So it was cool when, while still in my 20s, I got to interview Purple bassist … Continue reading That time Roger Glover told me that he felt very bitter towards Deep Purple’s Mark III lineup, didn’t like Burn much
Hendrix’s 1970 Hawaiian happening captured in new film and previously unreleased Live in Maui album
By Steve Newton Hardcore Jimi Hendrix freaks with a hankering for some previously unreleased music by the master have something to look forward to. On November 20, Experience Hendrix L.L.C. and Sony Music's Legacy Recordings will release a brand new feature-length documentary titled Music, Money, Madness...Jimi Hendrix in Maui, along with the previously unheard album … Continue reading Hendrix’s 1970 Hawaiian happening captured in new film and previously unreleased Live in Maui album
That time I asked Taj Mahal which blues artists were making him smile lately
By Steve Newton I've interviewed American blues great Taj Mahal (real name Henry Saint Clair Fredericks) a couple of times. The first time was back in November of 2001, before he headed to Vancouver for a solo acoustic show at the historic Commodore Ballroom. At one point in the conversation I asked the 59-year-old Grammy-winner … Continue reading That time I asked Taj Mahal which blues artists were making him smile lately
That time I asked Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready what he thought was so great about Neil Young
By Steve Newton I like Pearl Jam a lot. And I really love Neil Young. So when those two got together for the Mirror Ball album back in 1995 I was in hog heaven. I would listen to my favourite track, "I'm the Ocean", over and over again. When I interviewed Pearl Jam guitarist Mike … Continue reading That time I asked Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready what he thought was so great about Neil Young
That time Steve Vai told me that his body language changes a lot when he’s playing rock ‘n’ roll
By Steve Newton When I did my first interview with Steve Vai, back in May of 1990, he had just released his sophomore solo album, Passion and Warfare, a technically dazzling instrumental guitar opus. At the same time, he was also touring with Whitesnake, whose straightforward, radio-friendly rock tunes were not nearly as challenging to … Continue reading That time Steve Vai told me that his body language changes a lot when he’s playing rock ‘n’ roll
That time I asked veteran studio ace David Lindley what his favourite recording session had been
By Steve Newton David Lindley is widely hailed as one of the finest players of stringed instruments in the world. As well as acoustic and electric guitar, he's been known to handle upright and electric bass, banjo, lap steel guitar, mandolin, hardingfele, bouzouki, cittern, bağlama, gumbus, charango, cümbüş, and zither. When I interviewed him back … Continue reading That time I asked veteran studio ace David Lindley what his favourite recording session had been
That time Megadeth’s Marty Friedman told me about the satanic bonfires in Dallas on the Clash of the Titans tour
By Steve Newton Megadeth has featured some wicked guitar players over the years, but arguably non wickeder than Marty Friedman, who did his thing on killer albums like Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia. When I called Friedman up in May of 1991 he was in El Paso, Texas, where Megadeth was playing as part of … Continue reading That time Megadeth’s Marty Friedman told me about the satanic bonfires in Dallas on the Clash of the Titans tour
The Climax Blues Band had a song about living together and free that Americans should take to heart right now
By Steve Newton It was clean-the-freakin'-basement day today, so I searched around for an album that might put me in the mood for getting some crap moved from one area to another. I settled on the Climax Blues Band's 1976 LP, Gold Plated, and the opening track on SIde One got me thinkin' that, man, … Continue reading The Climax Blues Band had a song about living together and free that Americans should take to heart right now
That time Joe Satriani told me that Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow was just the kind of music his generation wanted to hear
By Steve Newton Man, was 1975 the best year for guitar-based rock or what? That's the year I graduated high school, and spent countless hours cramming my head with riffs from LPs like Thin Lizzy's Fighting, Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, Bad Company's Straight Shooter, Heart's Dreamboat Annie, and the self-titled debuts by Ian Hunter, the … Continue reading That time Joe Satriani told me that Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow was just the kind of music his generation wanted to hear
That time I asked legendary tunesmith John Hiatt if writing songs came easy for him or if it’s always been hard
ron baker photo/wikipedia By Steve Newton John Hiatt has written some of my favourite tunes. Sometimes he records them himself ("Paper Thin", "Tennessee Plates", "Perfectly Good Guitar"), sometimes people like Jeff Healey ("Confidence Man") and Bonnie Raitt ("Thing Called Love") cover them. It was a real honour to chat with a legendary songwriter of John … Continue reading That time I asked legendary tunesmith John Hiatt if writing songs came easy for him or if it’s always been hard
AC/DC’s undying influence on Vancouver rockers, record-store owners, and radio personalities
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 19, 2001 By Steve Newton The members of AC/DC aren’t doing any interviews in advance of their two shows at the Pacific Coliseum on Sunday and Monday (April 22 and 23), but that’s okay, because if they were, they’d probably just want to talk about their latest album, Stiff Upper Lip. And quite frankly, … Continue reading AC/DC’s undying influence on Vancouver rockers, record-store owners, and radio personalities
That time Justin Townes Earle told me that it was Jason Isbell’s songs that made him a big Drive-By Truckers fan
By Steve Newton Very sad to hear the news tonight of the passing of Americana artist Justin Townes Earle. He was a helluva singer-songwriter. I only got to interview him once, back in May of 2009, when he was touring behind his third album, Midnight Movies. Having interviewed his father Steve Earle numerous times, I … Continue reading That time Justin Townes Earle told me that it was Jason Isbell’s songs that made him a big Drive-By Truckers fan
That time Alex Van Halen told me which drummer first blew him away with style and feel
By Steve Newton Everybody has their favourite all-time rock drummer. Mine, for example, was the Who's Keith Moon, who won me over forever with his frenzied work on Quadrophenia. Many others point to the precise timekeeping of Led Zeppelin skinbasher John Bonham. When I interviewed Alex Van Halen back in 1995 he told me that Moon … Continue reading That time Alex Van Halen told me which drummer first blew him away with style and feel