ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 5, 2002 By Steve Newton To get a good idea of how admired Delbert McClinton is by today’s top country and roots artists, one need only check out the centre spread in the booklet for his new CD, Room to Breathe. It’s a black-and-white shot of McClinton in the studio, surrounded … Continue reading Delbert McClinton once taught John Lennon a few harmonica tricks
The Headstones’ Hugh Dillon on great Canadian rock bands and having a gun to his head
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 28, 2002 By Steve Newton There are a ton of rowdy, punk-edged rock tunes on the latest Headstones CD, The Oracle of Hi-Fi, but the one that really stands out on first listen is “Tiny Teddy”. A rollicking, three-minute tale of shady characters, cocaine, and revenge, it’s reminiscent in style of … Continue reading The Headstones’ Hugh Dillon on great Canadian rock bands and having a gun to his head
Joe Satriani explains how he overcame pain and suffering to fulfill his new Blue Dream
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 19, 1990 By Steve Newton Just as almost everyone can recall where they were when news broke of John F. Kennedy's assassination, a lot of rock fans can vividly remember that day in 1970 when the news of Jimi Hendrix's death came down. Joe Satriani was in high school at the … Continue reading Joe Satriani explains how he overcame pain and suffering to fulfill his new Blue Dream
The Tragically Hip’s frontman goes Fully Completely bonkers in Vancouver
By Steve Newton Gordon Downie is famous for his wacky stage moves and bizarre gestures, but last night (February 6) at Rogers Arena he ramped up the oddness big-time. I've seen the Tragically Hip numerous times over the years, but never witnessed him being quite so wonderfully nutzoid. The fact that it was his 51st … Continue reading The Tragically Hip’s frontman goes Fully Completely bonkers in Vancouver
Joe Satriani’s Strange Beautiful Music grew from a cathartic Hendrix experience
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 21, 2002 By Steve Newton Joe Satriani named his latest CD Strange Beautiful Music, although the music on it isn’t much stranger or more beautiful than what the Bay Area guitar wizard has been conjuring over the past few years. The story behind the title has more to … Continue reading Joe Satriani’s Strange Beautiful Music grew from a cathartic Hendrix experience
If Barbra Streisand gets a heavy-metal T-shirt, why not Michael Bublé?
By Steve Newton A few months ago I was watching the Comedy Network and one of those heavily rotated ads for the network's awful @midnight show came on. What caught my eye was the T-shirt that one of the program's guests was wearing. It was black with the type of scary, devil-skull design you often … Continue reading If Barbra Streisand gets a heavy-metal T-shirt, why not Michael Bublé?
Metallica must kick ass at Super Bowl 50
By Steve Newton Okay, by now we should all be over the disappointment (yeah, right) of the Seahawks handing the Super Bowl over to the "Boston" Patriots at the last minute and proving once and for all that Nirvana is not in the same league as Aerosmith. Now it's time to ponder which musical act would … Continue reading Metallica must kick ass at Super Bowl 50
Metal legend Devin Townsend tweets about his fave guitar heroes
By Steve Newton Devin Townsend is always fun to follow on Twitter. You never know what the Vancouver metal maestro will come up with in his daily musings. But you can always rely on a serious lack of bullshit. Yesterday Townsend caught my eye with a few tweets about some of his favourite guitarists-who also … Continue reading Metal legend Devin Townsend tweets about his fave guitar heroes
Gene Odom’s Lynyrd Skynyrd book lacks literary grace and gory details
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 21, 2002 By Steve Newton On their latest CD, Southern Rock Opera, alt-country reprobates the Drive-By Truckers combine sociology, history, and musicology to deliver a concept album about southern rock, and the band they focus on to get their ideas across is Lynyrd Skynyrd. For the uninitiated, … Continue reading Gene Odom’s Lynyrd Skynyrd book lacks literary grace and gory details
Reviewing Nickelback in honour of pot-lovin’, hard-rock musicians from Alberta
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 31, 2002 By Steve Newton For more than 10 years I rented a dumpy old house near 58th and Main that was known as the Rock Palace because of the all-night rock-’n’-roll parties held there. The best thing about those cop-attended bashes was when these pot-lovin’, hard-rock musicians … Continue reading Reviewing Nickelback in honour of pot-lovin’, hard-rock musicians from Alberta
B.B. King says that Eric Clapton was like his girlfriend on Riding With the King
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 31, 2002 By Steve Newton Trying to reach blues legend B.B. King at his Arkansas hotel takes some doing. Even when you have the phone number of the hotel, the room he’s in, and a predetermined time to call, you can’t argue with a busy signal. After … Continue reading B.B. King says that Eric Clapton was like his girlfriend on Riding With the King
Patriots vs. Seahawks = Aerosmith vs. Nirvana, Cars vs. Pearl Jam, J. Geils vs. Soundgarden
By Steve Newton Today I just realized that the New England Patriots--who play some big football game with fancy TV commercials tomorrow--are from the greater Boston area. I didn't know that. In my blissful ignorance of American geography--which may be unconscious payback for the Yanks' legendary cluelessness about all things Canada--I always thought New England was a … Continue reading Patriots vs. Seahawks = Aerosmith vs. Nirvana, Cars vs. Pearl Jam, J. Geils vs. Soundgarden
Attending Kits High in 1993 to study the wicked ways of The Substitute
By Steve Newton If somebody asked you what Mark Wahlberg's first film was, I bet you wouldn't know it's The Substitute. I doubt many folks have seen The Substitute. Heck, I haven't even seen it--and I spent hours on a Vancouver set doing interviews for a Fangoria story when it was shot here back in 1993. It was a … Continue reading Attending Kits High in 1993 to study the wicked ways of The Substitute