ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 1990 By Steve Newton As far as musical integrity and depth go, Mötley Crüe is not in the same hard-rock league as bands like Aerosmith, Van Halen, or Scorpions. But when it comes to putting on a rowdy, consistently exciting show, these four L.A. dudes do have what it takes. … Continue reading Mötley Crüe spring up like leather-clad trap-door spiders to wow Vancouver on the Dr. Feelgood tour
Joe Satriani recalls birthday boy Les Paul making fun of his whammy bar
By Steve Newton Tomorrow is a big day for fans of electric guitar: that's the day that legendary guitarist, inventor, and innovator Les Paul would have turned 100. The celebration of Paul's legacy includes a big event at the Hard Rock Café in New York’s Times Square, featuring performances by Joe Bonamassa, Steve Vai, Warren Haynes, Steve Miller, Joan … Continue reading Joe Satriani recalls birthday boy Les Paul making fun of his whammy bar
NRBQ tars and feathers a Cabbage Patch Kid just for kicks in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 1985 By Steve Newton "Are you having a good time?" asked Terry Adams. And the capacity crowd at Club Soda--who obviously were--answered with a resounding 'Yes!". "Yes what?!" countered bassist Joey Spampinato. And that's the way it was last Thursday--with the New Rhythm & Blues Quartet (NRBQ) making fun of … Continue reading NRBQ tars and feathers a Cabbage Patch Kid just for kicks in Vancouver
NRBQ likes to go by the way it feels at the time
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 7, 1985 By Steve Newton NRBQ stands for the New Rhythm & Blues Quartet, but NRBQ isn't a rhythm and blues band. A bit misleading, wouldn't you say? "It might be to some people, " says bassist Joey Spampinato, over the phone from somewhere in Maryland. "Actually, the … Continue reading NRBQ likes to go by the way it feels at the time
Insidious: Chapter 3 gets the horror franchise back on track
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JUNE 5, 2015 By Steve Newton The first Insidious movie was quite impressive, boasting plenty of genuinely creepy scares before slipping into silliness in its final act. Two years later its 2013 followup, Insidious: Chapter 2, proved a major disappointment, flawed from the get-go. The new Insidious: Chapter 3, a prequel set "a … Continue reading Insidious: Chapter 3 gets the horror franchise back on track
Whitesnake brings the power of Deep Purple to Vancouver
kevin statham photo By Steve Newton I never got to see David Coverdale sing “Burn” with Deep Purple–I wasn’t old enough to travel down to the Ontario Motor Speedway to see them coheadline California Jam with Emerson, Lake & Palmer back in ’74–so it was pretty cool to see him do it with Whitesnake at … Continue reading Whitesnake brings the power of Deep Purple to Vancouver
Squeeze carries on undeterred after Jools Holland opts for his “Mr. Showbiz caper”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 25, 1990 By Steve Newton The liner notes to Squeeze's new live album, A Round and a Bout, contain a precise itinerary of the 892 concerts that the band has performed around the world since forming in '74. There are early shows at the Camden Girls School and … Continue reading Squeeze carries on undeterred after Jools Holland opts for his “Mr. Showbiz caper”
Whitesnake’s Purple Tour offers equal servings of Burn and Stormbringer, one bite of Come Taste the Band
By Steve Newton I was never that crazy about Whitesnake during it's mid-'80s heyday, when it went the power-ballad route with hits like "Is This Love". Sure, I enjoyed ogling Tawny Kitaen on the hood of a car as much as the next guy, but I much preferred Whitesnake in the late '70s/early '80s, when … Continue reading Whitesnake’s Purple Tour offers equal servings of Burn and Stormbringer, one bite of Come Taste the Band
Jesse Cook collects three “amazing” takes from Tommy Emmanuel’s creativity tap for “Tommy and Me”
By Steve Newton Last week I scored a copy of the new CD from Canadian nuevo-flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook, One World, and before even cracking it open I got a nice surprise. The track listing on the back cover revealed the inclusion of one featuring Tommy Emmanuel, the Australian fingerstyle guitarist who just four days earlier … Continue reading Jesse Cook collects three “amazing” takes from Tommy Emmanuel’s creativity tap for “Tommy and Me”
Krokus warms up with Tom Allom and finds blood and guts on Headhunter
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 17, 1983 By Steve Newton Swiss rockers Krokus recently released a new album of scorching heavy metal, Headhunter, and they play Vancouver sometime this summer. I spoke to the group's vocalist Marc Storace recently, and gained a few insights into the new LP and the Swiss music scene … Continue reading Krokus warms up with Tom Allom and finds blood and guts on Headhunter
Don’t call Vancouver’s Skywalk jazz or fusion, it’s just “a music band”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 8, 1983 By Steve Newton "When it comes to Skywalk," says the group's drummer and veteran session player Kat Hendrikse, "the word jazz is inappropriate. It's got a lot of jazz influences, but basically it's a modern concept. It's modern music in that it's very composition-oriented as opposed … Continue reading Don’t call Vancouver’s Skywalk jazz or fusion, it’s just “a music band”
Canadian flamenco-jazz ace Jesse Cook says the future of guitar playing is in good hands
By Steve Newton Jesse Cook called me up last week in advance of his June 4 show at the Queen E. Theatre in Vancouver, and we chatted about a few things, including the fact that Aussie fingerstyle great Tommy Emmanuel performs on a track on his new album, One World. In the course of our conversation … Continue reading Canadian flamenco-jazz ace Jesse Cook says the future of guitar playing is in good hands
Poltergeist is scary loud, not scary good
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MAY 22, 2015 By Steve Newton The first clue that Poltergeist might suck is the toothy skull presented at the start to signify that it's from Ghost House Pictures. That's the company that gave us such questionable crap as 2004's The Grudge and 2007's The Messengers. Mind you, Ghost House did shape up and deliver 2009's … Continue reading Poltergeist is scary loud, not scary good