ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, MAY 6, 1981 By Steve Newton (In the seventh of a series of stories on local bands, The Progress presents a profile on Midnight Smoke. Next: Homegrown) Midnight Smoke is a longtime Chilliwack band that is currently composed of Peter Priebe on bass and lead vocals, Ed Porter on … Continue reading Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 7: Midnight Smoke says Chilliwack is a “gold mine” for a versatile band
That time David Gilmour told me that he didn’t miss Pink Floyd and didn’t have a fave Floyd album
By Steve Newton Back in May of 1984 I did my first (and so far, only) interview with legendary Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. Gilmour wasn't in Floyd at the time, though--he was doing press to promote his second solo album, About Face. But that didn't stop me from asking him if he missed Pink … Continue reading That time David Gilmour told me that he didn’t miss Pink Floyd and didn’t have a fave Floyd album
Pink Floyd to rerelease entire catalogue on vinyl; it’s time to replace that dog-eared Dark Side LP
By Steve Newton Sony Music has announced that this summer Pink Floyd will start rereleasing its entire catalogue on vinyl for the first time in over 20 years. Pink Floyd Records--manufactured and distributed by Warner Music in the UK and Europe and by Sony everywhere else--has set June 3 as the release date for the … Continue reading Pink Floyd to rerelease entire catalogue on vinyl; it’s time to replace that dog-eared Dark Side LP
That time Danny Gatton told me that he thought Lenny Breau was the biggest “Humbler” of all time
By Steve Newton Back in April of 1993 I called Danny Gatton up at his home in Washington, D.C., to interview him in advance of a show in Vancouver as part of Music West. When he picked up the phone he'd been busy cleaning out his garage, and told me that he'd come across a huge … Continue reading That time Danny Gatton told me that he thought Lenny Breau was the biggest “Humbler” of all time
Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 6: The Postcards say “school gets in the way of jamming”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, APRIL 29, 1981 By Steve Newton (In the sixth of a series of stories on local bands The Progress presents a profile of The Postcards. Next: Midnight Smoke.) The Postcards is a young rock and roll band made up of students from the Chilliwack and Sardis areas. Members of … Continue reading Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 6: The Postcards say “school gets in the way of jamming”
Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 5: Citizen’s Band are “too old” for stardom
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, APRIL 22, 1981 By Steve Newton (In the fifth of a series of stories on local bands, The Progress presents a profile of The Citizen's Band. Next: The Postcards) The Citizen's Band is a Chilliwack group composed of Brian Loewen on guitar and vocals, Phil Derksen on bass and … Continue reading Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 5: Citizen’s Band are “too old” for stardom
Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 4: Loose Change “breaks in” new singer Lori Paul
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, APRIL 15, 1981 By Steve Newton (In the fourth of a series of stories on local bands The Progress presents a profile of the group Loose Change. Next: Midnight Smoke.) Loose Change, described by bass player Richard Todd as "an uptempo blues-rock" band, is a Chilliwack group composed of … Continue reading Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 4: Loose Change “breaks in” new singer Lori Paul
Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 3: The Vacationers enjoy “doing a couple of Jeff Beck tunes”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, APRIL 8, 1981 By Steve Newton (In the third of a series of stories on local bands, The Progress presents a profile of The Vacationers. Next: Loose Change.) The Vacationers, specialists in hard driving rock and roll, are a Chilliwack group composed of Mike Evans on lead guitar and … Continue reading Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 3: The Vacationers enjoy “doing a couple of Jeff Beck tunes”
My one and only interview with guitar legend Tommy Tedesco
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 9, 1986 By Steve Newton When word gets around in the recording industry that so-and-so is a hot session player, the demand for his talent grows considerably. For Tommy Tedesco, who hosts a guitar clinic at the Hotel Georgia May 17, it's been growing for 30 years. Today he's the most … Continue reading My one and only interview with guitar legend Tommy Tedesco
Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 2: The Lakers say “booking agents are parasites”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, APRIL 1, 1981 By Steve Newton (In the second of a series of stories on local bands The Progress presents a profile on The Lakers. Next Week: The New Vacationers.) The Lakers are a rhythm and blues-based band composed of Ernie Britton on keyboards and vocals, John Moran on … Continue reading Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 2: The Lakers say “booking agents are parasites”
Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 1: Joker, featuring my old buddy Scott Vye
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, MARCH 18, 1981 By Steve Newton (In the first of a series of stories on local bands The Progress presents a profile on the group, Joker. Next week: The Lakers. ) Joker is a Chilliwack-based performing band composed of leader and MC Gary McNab on rhythm guitar, wife Gail … Continue reading Back in the ‘Wack Vol. 1: Joker, featuring my old buddy Scott Vye
The Age of Electric reunites in a blaze of guitar-rock glory and brotherly love
adrian o'brien photo By Steve Newton Let's face it: straight-up, melodic, guitar-driven rock 'n' roll has been taking a shit-kicking of late. In the age of evil EDM and the dreaded DJ it's hard to find a guitar-bass-drums combo that'll knock you out with a show that's electrifying from beginning to end. It happened at the … Continue reading The Age of Electric reunites in a blaze of guitar-rock glory and brotherly love
Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan needn’t fear a Tonya Harding from Slash bassist Todd Kerns
By Steve Newton I was interviewing Todd Kerns a couple weeks ago in advance of the Age of Electric show at the Commodore tonight (April 30), and had an evil thought. Since Kerns is well known as the bassist for Slash, just how far would he go to steal the coveted bass gig in Guns N' Roses … Continue reading Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan needn’t fear a Tonya Harding from Slash bassist Todd Kerns