all photos by Jeff Sutherland By Steve Newton Your first concert is a big deal--or that's what my nephew Jeff says, anyway. Thirty-five years ago I took him to his very first rock show, at the Pacific Coliseum. It was Iron Maiden on the Powerslave tour. He was 14. It ruled. Last night (Sept. 3) … Continue reading Iron Maiden was the world’s best metal band in Vancouver last night
That time I asked Doc Neeson if the Angels/Angel City were inspired by their longtime friends AC/DC
By Steve Newton Way the funk back in 1985 I did my one and only interview with Doc Neeson, frontman for Angel City, who were known as the Angels in their native Australia. I thought Angel City were an awesome band. They put out an album called Face to Face that--with killer tracks like "Take … Continue reading That time I asked Doc Neeson if the Angels/Angel City were inspired by their longtime friends AC/DC
Sonny Landreth pays tribute to old friend Johnny Winter in Vancouver
photo by the Newt By Steve Newton Louisiana slide-guitar ace Sonny Landreth played Vancouver last night, and if you're a fan of bluesy, southern-style bottleneck, I hope you didn't miss it. The player Eric Clapton calls first when he needs world-class slide did not disappoint--especially when he dedicated a tune to his old friend Johnny … Continue reading Sonny Landreth pays tribute to old friend Johnny Winter in Vancouver
Album review: Aerosmith, Permanent Vacation (1987)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 18, 1987 By Steve Newton "If you grew up in the '70s you liked Aerosmith." That's what Peter Buck of R.E.M. wrote in the liner notes to his band's version of Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic," and Buck knows of which he speaks. With albums like Get Your … Continue reading Album review: Aerosmith, Permanent Vacation (1987)
God bless Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser’s guitar solo on Blue Öyster Cult’s “Burnin’ For You”
By Steve Newton Back in June of 1981 Blue Öyster Cult released it's eight studio album, Fire of Unknown Origin, and I immediately snapped it up, just like I'd done with their previous nine discs (including the two live albums). I'd been absolutely crazy about B.O.C. ever since I'd bought Tyranny and Mutation because of … Continue reading God bless Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser’s guitar solo on Blue Öyster Cult’s “Burnin’ For You”
That time Peter Frampton told me that he and David Bowie used to jam at school as kids
Back in August of '87 I interviewed Peter Frampton, who at the time was playing guitar with David Bowie on the Glass Spider tour.
That time Poison Ivy of the Cramps told me that she liked violent-sounding guitar
If you look up "badass female guitarist" in the dictionary, you might see a picture of Poison Ivy from the Cramps.
Ear of Newt takes the Patreon route
By Steve Newton Since launching Ear of Newt on Halloween night of 2013, it's been a labour of love bringing my lifelong passion for rock music to you, Gentle Reader (as Stephen King might say). The main thing my website always had going for it, I reckon, was the hundreds of interviews that I've done … Continue reading Ear of Newt takes the Patreon route
That time I asked Telecaster master Danny Gatton if he liked playing slide with beer bottles
By Steve Newton I did my one and only interview with Danny Gatton, "the world's greatest unknown guitarist", back in 1993, just before the release of his Cruisin' Deuces album. Tragically, he took his own life the following year. A close friend said he thought Gatton had suffered from depression for over two decades. He … Continue reading That time I asked Telecaster master Danny Gatton if he liked playing slide with beer bottles
That time I asked Warren Haynes how long he thought the Allman Brothers might stay together
By Steve Newton I wouldn't say that the Allman Brothers were as great, back in 1994, as they were when Duane was in the band, but holy crap were they still a smokin' hot band! A lot of that smoke was conjured up by Warren Haynes, who Dickey Betts brought with him when the band … Continue reading That time I asked Warren Haynes how long he thought the Allman Brothers might stay together
Crawl puts gators ahead of sharks on the waterborne terror chart
By Steve Newton When it comes to waterborne terrors with teeth, there have always been three on my scariest list. The first, thanks to the traumatizing opening scene of Jaws, is the great white shark. Coming in a close second is the piranha, 'cause I heard as a kid that if you fell in the Amazon … Continue reading Crawl puts gators ahead of sharks on the waterborne terror chart
10 wicked horror flicks streaming on Netflix Canada right now
By Steve Newton Hey horror freaks: there's only 116 chopping days until Halloween, so why not get in the mood with some of the finest scary movies available on Netflix at the moment. Here's 10 that I've reviewed in my role as the Georgia Straight newspaper's "horror guy" in Vancouver. A Quiet Place (2018) "...ultimately … Continue reading 10 wicked horror flicks streaming on Netflix Canada right now
That time I asked Warren Haynes if the spirit of southern rock was alive and well in 1994
kirk west photo By Steve Newton The spirit of southern rock was alive and well when I was a music-crazed teenager in the seventies. Skynyrd, Hatchet, Blackfoot, Outlaws, Allmans: I ate it up. Then the eighties came along and the sound of the south took a nosedive, popularity-wise. But back in the early '90s the … Continue reading That time I asked Warren Haynes if the spirit of southern rock was alive and well in 1994