By Steve Newton Masterful rock guitarist Uli Jon Roth made his Vancouver debut last night (March 19), and for local fret freaks, it was well worth the wait. Scrape Records and the Invisible Orange brought Uli Jon Roth's Ultimate Guitar Experience to Venue, and the German axeman displayed his stunning virtuosity on a bill that also … Continue reading Uli Jon Roth makes Vancouver debut, local guitar geeks eat it up
Koontz on King: Dean Koontz on his fave Stephen King film and the Maine-man’s contribution to horror
By Steve Newton Way back in 1988 I did a phone interview with Dean Koontz for a story I was writing on the film adaptation of his novel Watchers for Fangoria magazine. Watchers was an awesome book--especially if you like golden retrievers--but the movie, starring Corey Haim, turned out to be a piece of doggie … Continue reading Koontz on King: Dean Koontz on his fave Stephen King film and the Maine-man’s contribution to horror
Uli Jon Roth is psyched about his first visit to Vancouver and the city’s “Jimi Hendrix connection”
By Steve Newton When I was wrapping up my interview with Uli Jon Roth last week--in advance of his Ultimate Guitar Experience show in Vancouver tomorrow--I asked him when he last played here. Turns out that, even though the 61-year-old guitar legend has spent a large part of his life traveling all over the world … Continue reading Uli Jon Roth is psyched about his first visit to Vancouver and the city’s “Jimi Hendrix connection”
Stephen King compares Donald Trump to his demagogue villain from The Dead Zone
By Steve Newton Stephen King is not only one of my fave alltime writers--right up there with Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, and Joe R. Lansdale--he's also a fun guy to follow on Twitter. And lately he's been cleverly putting the boots to Republican frontrunner Donald Trump--who King currently refers to as He Who Must Not Be … Continue reading Stephen King compares Donald Trump to his demagogue villain from The Dead Zone
Uli Jon Roth offers fret freaks the Ultimate Guitar Experience
By Steve Newton Uli Jon Roth is a visionary guitarist. That became abundantly clear when he conceived of a guitar with 30 frets, the Sky Guitar, because, hey--24 frets just weren’t doin’ it for him. Roth takes it to the next level when it comes to touring as well. As if his legendary six-string (and … Continue reading Uli Jon Roth offers fret freaks the Ultimate Guitar Experience
Uli Jon Roth talks guitars and amps, why he’s forsaken his idol’s Strat/Marshall plan
By Steve Newton When Uli Jon Roth first came to prominence as a member of the Scorpions, he was strictly a Strats and Marshalls kinda guy. It was no wonder, since his main influence and greatest inspiration has always been Jimi Hendrix. But nowadays you won't find Strats and Marshalls in Roth's onstage arsenal, because … Continue reading Uli Jon Roth talks guitars and amps, why he’s forsaken his idol’s Strat/Marshall plan
Uli Jon Roth invented the Sky guitar because 24 frets weren’t enough
By Steve Newton German guitar legend Uli Jon Roth plays Vancouver this Saturday (March 19) on a bill with fellow six-string sensations Jennifer Batten and Andy Timmons. The show is part of Uli Jon Roth's Ultimate Guitar Experience, a tour that promises to be a perfect warmup for the Generation Axe show in April, which … Continue reading Uli Jon Roth invented the Sky guitar because 24 frets weren’t enough
That time Uli Jon Roth told me that Yngwie Malmsteen was “one of the alltime greats”, but that he wasn’t impressed by speed
By Steve Newton When Uli Jon Roth called me up in 2016 to promote his Ultimate Guitar Experience show in Vancouver, we ended up chatting about some of the other guitar tours he's been on, like the G3 European Tour back in 1998, when he shared the stage with Joe Satriani and Michael Schenker, who … Continue reading That time Uli Jon Roth told me that Yngwie Malmsteen was “one of the alltime greats”, but that he wasn’t impressed by speed
Uli Jon Roth recalls the friction between Joe Satriani and Michael Schenker on the 1998 G3 European tour
By Steve Newton Back in 2016 I had a nice chat with German guitar maestro Uli Jon Roth. As we were talking about Uli Jon Roth's Ultimate Guitar Experience--the tour he was on with Jennifer Batten and Andy Timmons--I mentioned a previous guitar tour he was part of, the G3 European Tour of 1998. That … Continue reading Uli Jon Roth recalls the friction between Joe Satriani and Michael Schenker on the 1998 G3 European tour
That time Uli Jon Roth told me that he’d most like to jam with David Gilmour, Ritchie Blackmore, and Jeff Beck
By Steve Newton Back in 2016 I interviewed Uli Jon Roth for the first time ever, and made sure to ask him one of the more burning questions guitar-freaks might have for the legendary picker. I knew he'd played with some of the world's greatest guitarists over the years--heck, at the time he was touring … Continue reading That time Uli Jon Roth told me that he’d most like to jam with David Gilmour, Ritchie Blackmore, and Jeff Beck
Prog-rock legend Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer dies at 71
By Steve Newton It's a very sad day for fans of progressive rock. Keith Emerson, founding member and keyboardist for British trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer, died last night at his home in Santa Monica at the age of 71. According to the Santa Monica police, Emerson suffered a self-inficted gunshot wound to the … Continue reading Prog-rock legend Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer dies at 71
10 Cloverfield Lane is the best scary movie of 2016 (so far)
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 10, 2016 By Steve Newton I've reviewed five horror flicks this year, and not one of them--including the much ballyhooed The Witch--has blown me away. So I'm very happy to report that 10 Cloverfield Lane did exactly that. It's the best scary movie of 2016 (so far). The good stuff starts when Michelle … Continue reading 10 Cloverfield Lane is the best scary movie of 2016 (so far)
Black Sabbath gets all Paranoid at final Vancouver gig
By Steve Newton Every Black Sabbath freak has his fave Sabbath album. I for one have long trumpeted the supreme awesomeness of 1975's Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. Others point to the band's spooky self-titled debut of 1970 as its pinnacle achievement. But most of the Sabbath fans I've encountered tend to regard Paranoid--also released in 1970--as the heavy-metal … Continue reading Black Sabbath gets all Paranoid at final Vancouver gig