ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 29, 2002 By Steve Newton The Cherry Valence guitarist Cheetie Kumar is napping in the band’s van when the Straight catches up with her. The riff-based guitar-rock quintet is en route to a show in Brooklyn; the night before, it played the first date of a North American … Continue reading Cherry Valence guitarist Cheetie Kumar is big on Thin Lizzy
Corb Lund trades in raunchy riffs for down-home country roots on Five Dollar Bill
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 22, 2002 By Steve Newton The last time I talked to Corb Lund, two years back, he regaled me with stories of his then-group the smalls’ adventures while touring in Bosnia, of all places. The rifle-toting border guards over there weren’t always thrilled to have the Alberta rockers … Continue reading Corb Lund trades in raunchy riffs for down-home country roots on Five Dollar Bill
Little Feat goes DIY and still comes up with twists and turns
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 15, 2002 By Steve Newton Bill Payne has been singing and playing keyboards in Little Feat since the band’s inception in 1969, but he’s still learning new things about the music biz—like how to do the business yourself. Recently the group launched its own label out of North … Continue reading Little Feat goes DIY and still comes up with twists and turns
Leftover Salmon’s The Nashville Sessions should have won a Grammy
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 15, 2002 By Steve Newton I’d never actually heard Leftover Salmon until two weeks ago, when a copy of The Nashville Sessions came across my desk. That’s when I knew I’d really been missing something. On that 1999 disc, the self-styled “polyrhythmic Cajun slamgrass” group from Colorado is … Continue reading Leftover Salmon’s The Nashville Sessions should have won a Grammy
David Lindley says its serious time for the oud
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 8, 2002 By Steve Newton A while back I made one of my regular visits to Zulu Records and noticed that they were giving stuff away. Not great stuff—there were no limited-edition Hellecasters CDs or Jeff Beck bootlegs—but in the box of vinyl castoffs and local cassettes was Win This Record, … Continue reading David Lindley says its serious time for the oud
Leslie West recalls Woodstock and his band Mountain’s old warmup act, Black Sabbath
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 1, 2002 By Steve Newton Seventies hard-rockers Mountain didn’t waste any time in getting famous. The band—best known for the lineup of guitarist and vocalist Leslie West, drummer Corky Laing, keyboardist Steve Knight, and bassist-vocalist Felix Pappalardi (who was shot dead by his wife in ’83)—played its first gig at L.A.’s … Continue reading Leslie West recalls Woodstock and his band Mountain’s old warmup act, Black Sabbath
The Boy Next Door is no Boys Next Door
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JAN. 24, 2015 By Steve Newton The Boys Next Door is an awesome movie. Maxwell Caulfield and Charlie Sheen were perfect as angst-ridden teens on a murderous rampage in Penelope Spheeris’s jarring study of the underside of the American… …what's that? This is supposed to be a review of The Boy Next Door? Singular? … Continue reading The Boy Next Door is no Boys Next Door
Deborah Coleman switched from bass to guitar after hearing Jimi Hendrix
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 4, 2002 By Steve Newton Deborah Coleman is a captivating soloist in her own right, but on her latest CD, Livin’ on Love, she did fans of impassioned blues guitar a big favour by letting her buddy Jimmy Thackery get his licks in as well. Actually, she might … Continue reading Deborah Coleman switched from bass to guitar after hearing Jimi Hendrix
Fuzz-pedal ripoff leads Fu Manchu to stack guitar tones on California Crossing
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 4, 2002 By Steve Newton On their latest CD, California Crossing, SoCal guitar-rockers Fu Manchu took a slightly different musical approach than they had before, toning down the fuzz to produce a cleaner, sharper guitar sound. Part of the change had to do with the band’s willingness to … Continue reading Fuzz-pedal ripoff leads Fu Manchu to stack guitar tones on California Crossing
Neil Finn got passion from his dad and ability from his mom
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 4, 2002 By Steve Newton I might not be the most sensitive guy in the world—what Skynyrd-loving bozo ever could be?—but there are certain heart-rending pop songs that can get even my old throat aclenchin’. Neil Finn’s “Lullaby Requiem” is one such pensive tune. It’s included on the … Continue reading Neil Finn got passion from his dad and ability from his mom
The Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik fears the day the Canadian army attacks Buffalo
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 27, 2002 By Steve Newton It’s usually pretty easy to think of questions to ask famous rock stars, but sometimes they do things that make it a snap. Like when the Goo Goo Dolls decided to title their 2001 remix compilation What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art … Continue reading The Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik fears the day the Canadian army attacks Buffalo
Vancouver’s rough ‘n’ tumble Twisters take the Long Hard Road
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 29, 2002 By Steve Newton When the time comes to track down Brandon Isaak and get the scoop on his local blues band, the Twisters, the red-haired guitarist with the monster tone is not around. He’s up in the Yukon, where his parents own the only blues bar … Continue reading Vancouver’s rough ‘n’ tumble Twisters take the Long Hard Road
David Gogo gives Depeche Mode a bluesy makeover on Skeleton Key
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 25, 2002 By Steve Newton David Gogo is a festive kinda guy. When he calls the Straight from his home in Nanaimo, he’s just returned from playing the Ottawa Blues Festival, where he got to see one of his guitar idols, Otis Rush, and shared the event’s acoustic … Continue reading David Gogo gives Depeche Mode a bluesy makeover on Skeleton Key