By Steve Newton The Omen was a great horror flick. You remember it, right? It starred Gregory Peck as am ambitious American diplomat on the way up with a young son named Damien who was the devil's spawn. That 1976 movie was jam-packed with shocking scenes: the rottweiler attack in the graveyard, the nanny hanging herself … Continue reading Omen IV set visit for Fangoria leads to Satanic 666 sighting in Vancouver
Danny Michel sticks with the DIY route on Tales From the Invisible Man
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 16, 2003 By Steve Newton Danny Michel is a DIY kinda guy. For the most part, the Ontario tunesmith wrote, produced, recorded, engineered, edited, programmed, and mixed his new CD, Tales From the Invisible Man. He did it at his home studio and played guitar, bass, drums, and … Continue reading Danny Michel sticks with the DIY route on Tales From the Invisible Man
B’z guitarist Tak Matsumoto speaks little English, lets his signature Les Paul to the talkin’
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 16, 2003 By Steve Newton Up until a few weeks ago, my knowledge of popular music in Japan was pretty slim. About all I knew for sure was that Cheap Trick used to cause a big stir over there in the ’70s when they played a place called … Continue reading B’z guitarist Tak Matsumoto speaks little English, lets his signature Les Paul to the talkin’
The Cramps’ Poison Ivy says that what passes for rock ‘n’ roll isn’t
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 6, 1990 By Steve Newton Legend has it that B-movie mogul Samuel Z. Arkoff took an ass-backwards (but ultimately effective) approach to producing his low-budget films. First off he'd come up with a catchy title; then he'd build an advertising campaign around that title; and only then would he start shooting … Continue reading The Cramps’ Poison Ivy says that what passes for rock ‘n’ roll isn’t
How Black Was Our Sabbath lacks firsthand accounts of the metal masters’ early days
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 9, 2004 By Steve Newton How Black Was Our Sabbath By Graham Wright and David Tangye. Sidgwick & Jackson, 237 pp, $34.95, hardcover. The subtitle of this new book on British heavy-metal legends Black Sabbath is An Unauthorized View From the Crew, as it was penned by Dave Tangye … Continue reading How Black Was Our Sabbath lacks firsthand accounts of the metal masters’ early days
Sloan goes to town, ’70s guitar-rock style, on Action Pact
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 16, 2003 By Steve Newton When Sloan headed into an L.A. studio with producer Tom Rothrock earlier this year, diehard fans of the Halifax-bred power-pop quartet might have had cause for concern. The last two projects Rothrock had helmed at that point were Badly Drawn Boy’s Have You … Continue reading Sloan goes to town, ’70s guitar-rock style, on Action Pact
Steve Vai on cocky G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen and tormented “genius” Devin Townsend
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 9, 2003 By Steve Newton I was a tad taken aback when the press release came in announcing the lineup for Joe Satriani’s 2003 G3 Tour. It wasn’t a surprise to see long-time G3er (and former Satch student) Steve Vai’s name on the bill. But I didn’t expect … Continue reading Steve Vai on cocky G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen and tormented “genius” Devin Townsend
Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover on the Mark II reunion and the “uncompromising” Ritchie Blackmore
By Steve Newton On April 6, 1985, A.D.--Deep Purple played Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum on its Perfect Strangers tour. Obviously I went, because the year before Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover had reunited with Ian Gillan, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice to get the Mark II lineup back in action. "Highway Star", motherfvckers! Anyway, in advance … Continue reading Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover on the Mark II reunion and the “uncompromising” Ritchie Blackmore
Fleetwood Mac brings one helluva drum sound to Vancouver
By Steve Newton Fleetwood Mac must really love Vancouver. The Anglo-American pop greats played Rogers Arena less than five months ago, on November 18, before returning for last night's gig at the same venue. Apparently the feeling is mutual, because hordes of Vancouverites were willing to drop $199 (plus service charges and fees) for the … Continue reading Fleetwood Mac brings one helluva drum sound to Vancouver
Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member Bob Burns dies in car crash at 64
By Steve Newton Sad news for Southern-rock fans--and Lynyrd Skynyrd freaks, in particular. Original Skynyrd drummer Bob Burns--who played drums on the band's first two albums--died last night after a single-car accident near Catersville, Georgia, when his car went off the road and hit a tree. Hardcore fans of the tragedy-prone band know too well that … Continue reading Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member Bob Burns dies in car crash at 64
Interviewing Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon just before they took the throne
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 25, 2003 By Steve Newton There’s a real buzz happening right now about Kings of Leon, a scruffy Tennessee quartet consisting of three brothers and a cousin who are winning praise for their garage-y brand of Southern-flavoured guitar rock. England’s prestigious NME put the band on the cover of its July … Continue reading Interviewing Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon just before they took the throne
Koko Taylor, Queen of the Blues, says Willie Dixon was her right arm
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 25, 2003 By Steve Newton When Koko Taylor was a youngster, living with her poverty-stricken family on a sharecropper’s farm in Tennessee, she used to find joy in her meagre existence through the music B.B. King liked to play. It wasn’t King’s own soulful blues that caught her ear, though; it … Continue reading Koko Taylor, Queen of the Blues, says Willie Dixon was her right arm
Jonny Lang has always wanted to be a singer, and his dream came true a long time ago
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 23, 2003 By Steve Newton In the bio that came with Jonny Lang’s new CD, Long Time Coming, the singer-guitarist describes the album as “a journal of my life for the past two years”. Since one of the song titles is “Happiness and Misery”, you might assume that most of his … Continue reading Jonny Lang has always wanted to be a singer, and his dream came true a long time ago