By Steve Newton Back in 2016 I interviewed bass-guitar superstar Tal Wilkenfeld on the phone before going to see her gig at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver--which was wicked, by the way. What a band she's got! At one point in the conversation I asked Tal--realizing that she'd already accomplished a helluva lot for someone … Continue reading That time I asked bass goddess Tal Wilkenfeld what her career highlight was and she thought about it really…really…hard
That time I asked Metallica’s 23-year-old James Hetfield who his fave metal bands were
By Steve Newton Back in 1986 I met James Hetfield in his hotel room in Vancouver, and we talked for a bit about heavy metal, the death of Cliff Burton, new bassist Jason Newsted, and Metallica's latest album, Master of Puppets. I'm not sure which day in '86 the interview happened, but it was sometime … Continue reading That time I asked Metallica’s 23-year-old James Hetfield who his fave metal bands were
Loved me some Leon
By Steve Newton Just when it seems like 2016 couldn't get much worse--what with the recent death of Leonard Cohen and the election of Donald Trump--here comes some more sad news. Music legend Leon Russell, best known for writing and/or recording songs like "Delta Lady", "This Masquerade", and "Tight Rope"--and for performing with virtually everybody--passed … Continue reading Loved me some Leon
That time I asked 18-year-old guitar star Derek Trucks who he’d most like to jam with
his wish to jam with B.B. came true By Steve Newton The first time I interviewed Derek Trucks--back in March of 1998, when he was just 18--I mentioned that he'd already played with famous folks like Bob Dylan and Buddy Guy, but wondered who else he'd most like to jam with. He mentioned a couple … Continue reading That time I asked 18-year-old guitar star Derek Trucks who he’d most like to jam with
Shut In delivers one big twist and a storm of horror clichés
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 11, 2016 By Steve Newton Naomi Watts has won some and lost some as far as her lead roles in horror flicks go. She hit a home run in Gore Verbinski's 2002 remake of the Japanese spooker The Ring, but didn't fare so well amidst Daniel Craig and the ghostly goings-on … Continue reading Shut In delivers one big twist and a storm of horror clichés
Tosin Abasi says that Animals as Leaders’ “rhythmically terrifying” music is not for tapping toes to
By Steve Newton Animals as Leaders is not your typical rock band. For one thing, it doesn’t even have a bass player. And the lineup of guitarists Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes and drummer Matt Garstka makes progressive, metal-edged instrumental music that is adventurous and involved and worlds away from anything you’d ever hear on commercial … Continue reading Tosin Abasi says that Animals as Leaders’ “rhythmically terrifying” music is not for tapping toes to
That time Jeff Beck told me that Jan Hammer was “too good to sit around”
By Steve Newton The first time I ever saw Jeff Beck in concert, Jan Hammer was all over the place. It was at the Seattle Kingdome on Aerosmith's Rocks tour in 1976, and Beck was one of the warmup acts--the other being the highly underrated New Jersey hard-rock band Starz. Four months earlier Beck had released … Continue reading That time Jeff Beck told me that Jan Hammer was “too good to sit around”
That time 18-year-old Derek Trucks told me that Jimi Hendrix was beyond comparison to anybody
By Steve Newton The vast majority of stories posted on Ear of Newt are taken from my 38 years (and counting!) as a freelance writer for the Georgia Straight newspaper in Vancouver, but every now and again I've landed articles in other publications. Back in 1998 an interview I did with 18-year-old slide-guitar wunderkind Derek Trucks … Continue reading That time 18-year-old Derek Trucks told me that Jimi Hendrix was beyond comparison to anybody
That time I asked Mick Ronson what he thought of Great White’s version of “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”
@shotbykevin By Steve Newton I graduated from high school in 1975, and, holy crap, was that ever a great year for rock music! Lizzy's Fighting, Floyd's Wish You Were Here, Zep's Physical Graffiti, Neil's Zuma, Beck's Blow By Blow, Seger's Beautiful Loser--the list of killer albums went on and on. But none of them thrilled me … Continue reading That time I asked Mick Ronson what he thought of Great White’s version of “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”
Tosin Abasi recalls Generation Axe: “I was privy to stories that fans would kill to hear”
By Steve Newton A coupla days ago I called guitar hero Tosin Abasi up at his home in L.A. to chat about the upcoming album by his prog-metal trio, Animals as Leaders, which plays Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom on November 16. The first time I'd ever seen Abasi in the flesh was back in April when … Continue reading Tosin Abasi recalls Generation Axe: “I was privy to stories that fans would kill to hear”
That time I asked 18-year-old Derek Trucks if he got tired of the Duane Allman comparisons
By Steve Newton When slide-guitar master Derek Trucks was only 18 I called him up at his place in Jacksonville, Florida, and we chatted for a while. This was five months after the release of the Derek Trucks Band's self-titled debut album, and already his playing style was being compared a lot to that of … Continue reading That time I asked 18-year-old Derek Trucks if he got tired of the Duane Allman comparisons
That time Jeff Beck told me that John McLaughlin was “the greatest player around”
me 'n Jeff By Steve Newton In my 35 years of writing about rock musicians I've never been as psyched as I was back in January 2001 when I got the chance to interview Jeff Beck. He was heading to Vancouver for a rare club appearance at the historic Commodore Ballroom, and I contacted him in … Continue reading That time Jeff Beck told me that John McLaughlin was “the greatest player around”
Alice Cooper fan offers eye-witness account of the Coop’s famous rib-busting wipeout in Vancouver
By Steve Newton Yesterday I posted my first-ever interview with shock-rock king Alice Cooper, which I'd conducted 30 years ago, after Cooper had released his Constrictor album. During our conversation the Coop mentioned the infamous onstage wipeout that occured during the opening song on his Welcome to My Nightmare Tour at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum on June 23, … Continue reading Alice Cooper fan offers eye-witness account of the Coop’s famous rib-busting wipeout in Vancouver