ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 17, 2015 By Steve Newton Fifty years is a long time. It sounds even longer when you call it half a century. But that’s how long Kim Simmonds has been carrying on the Savoy Brown name. It’s not like he’s been keeping close track, though. “I know it’s been a while,” … Continue reading Savoy Brown’s Kim Simmonds was meant to play guitar
My first Metallica interview, back when they were too heavy for me
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 15, 1985 By Steve Newton Metallica are the type of band that puts the "heavy" in heavy metal. Actually, drummer Lars Ulrich--who called me from L.A. last week--prefers to call his band's music "speed metal" or "thrash metal". Their sound crew are known as "The Sonic Decapitation Team", and local metal … Continue reading My first Metallica interview, back when they were too heavy for me
Steven Tyler screeches like a budgie from hell as Aerosmith rocks Vancouver on the Pump tour
By Steve Newton On March 17, 1990, Aerosmith played the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. At the time the band was still putting out pretty decent albums; six months earlier it had released Pump, which boasted rockin' numbers like "Monkey on My Back", "Young Lust", and "The Other Side". This was before it sold out for … Continue reading Steven Tyler screeches like a budgie from hell as Aerosmith rocks Vancouver on the Pump tour
Savoy Brown guitarist Kim Simmonds always comes back to the Les Paul
photo by Markus Hagner ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 16, 2015 By Steve Newton Savoy Brown was one of the top British blues-rock acts of the early seventies, making a mark with such albums as Raw Sienna (1970), Looking In ('70), Street Corner Talking ('71), and Hellbound Train ('72). For some reason the band was off my … Continue reading Savoy Brown guitarist Kim Simmonds always comes back to the Les Paul
Beppe Gambetta has been a Zeppelin guy and a Doc Watson guy
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 28, 2003 Beppe Gambetta has been opening new doors for American traditional music in Europe since 1977, when he founded the acclaimed Italian bluegrass group Red Wine. In recent years his output has included Serenata, a 1997 CD of works by turn-of-the-century Italian string virtuosi, which he recorded … Continue reading Beppe Gambetta has been a Zeppelin guy and a Doc Watson guy
Jack Johnson doesn’t mind being called “the Jimmy Buffett of the millennium”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 21, 2003 By Steve Newton Jack Johnson has spent a large part of his life riding the waves in his native Hawaii. He was only 12 when he started surfing the universally revered stretch of beach known as the Pipeline, and before he was out of high school he scored a … Continue reading Jack Johnson doesn’t mind being called “the Jimmy Buffett of the millennium”
Vancouver guitar ace Todd Taylor shows off his New Vehicle
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 21, 2003 By Steve Newton On the sidewalk outside the Fairview Pub, dreadlocked hippies and shaggy snowboarder types gather in small groups as the familiar odour of B.C. bud wafts sweetly through the air. North Vancouver–based promoter Upstream Entertainment has drawn its typical jam-band crowd, portions of which … Continue reading Vancouver guitar ace Todd Taylor shows off his New Vehicle
Joe Jackson thinks about 10 percent of music is really good stuff
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 21, 2003 By Steve Newton If you liked catchy, hook-infested pop-rock back in 1979, there’s a good chance you tapped a toe or two to Joe Jackson’s debut album, Look Sharp!. From the cynical hit single “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” to the postpunk rave-up “Got the Time”, the … Continue reading Joe Jackson thinks about 10 percent of music is really good stuff
George Thorogood, no longer a dick, says you gotta have songs about the women
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 14, 2003 The last time I interviewed George Thorogood over the phone, back in 1993, he acted like a real dick. I realize the guy’s “Bad to the Bone”, but I wasn’t expecting him to be quite so surly and defensive. In retrospect, I suppose I shouldn’t have … Continue reading George Thorogood, no longer a dick, says you gotta have songs about the women
Nirvana plays the Town Pump in Vancouver (two days after the Beat Farmers)
Twenty-five years ago today—on March 12, 1990—Nirvana played Vancouver's Town Pump on a double-bill with fellow Seattle grunge-rockers Tad. Remember that amazing gig? I don't. For some strange reason I didn't go, although a year later I'd return to the fabled Gastown venue to review Tad, and then six months after that, the mighty Pearl Jam. I've been … Continue reading Nirvana plays the Town Pump in Vancouver (two days after the Beat Farmers)
Robin Trower talks Procol Harum, Hendrix, and blues, says “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
photo courtesy the newt ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 11, 1990 By Steve Newton You know how some recording artists make you think of old times, and help you crystallize visions from the past? Well, when I think of Robin Trower, I picture a mid-'70s high-schooler cruising the main drag of Chilliwack in a wood-grained Monaco … Continue reading Robin Trower talks Procol Harum, Hendrix, and blues, says “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
Bob Seger’s killer band helps the rock legend shine in Vancouver
photos by Jet Sutherland By Steve Newton Bob Seger's choice of walk-on music for his current tour is "The Old Man Down the Road", which could be Seger's way of acknowledging that he'll turn 70 in two months. Or it could be that he just loves John Fogerty's swamp-rock classic from '84. Either way, it was … Continue reading Bob Seger’s killer band helps the rock legend shine in Vancouver
Nebula’s Eddie Glass doubts that Hendrix’s acid would still be good
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 14, 2003 By Steve Newton While preparing to interview Nebula guitarist-vocalist Eddie Glass, I honed in on his band’s Web site and came across a 1998 write-up from a concert at the Tattoo Bar in Forth Worth, Texas. In it, a reviewer named Jeff Downing raved that “Eddie … Continue reading Nebula’s Eddie Glass doubts that Hendrix’s acid would still be good