ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 25, 2002 By Steve Newton What could possibly cause any sane person to willingly abandon the balmy paradise of Hawaii for the frigid climes of Vancouver in January? Well, if you’re record producer Bob Rock, your last name is reason enough. Good old riff-riddled rock is what draws … Continue reading Bob Rock says Metallica “never have and never will sell out”
Paul Kelly wonders if “Every Fucking City” will go over in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 21, 2002 By Steve Newton There are a couple of favourite things that come to mind when I recall my five-week holiday in Australia in ’86. One is what they called the “drive-in bottleshops”. You could just pull in off the street and have some guy hand you … Continue reading Paul Kelly wonders if “Every Fucking City” will go over in Vancouver
Charlie Musselwhite knew that playing the blues in Chicago was better than doing factory work
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 14, 2002 By Steve Newton Charlie Musselwhite was just 13 years old when he started playing harmonica, the instrument that he’d wield so well while staking out his place in the blues world. He was living in Memphis at the time, which was a good location to be for any youngster … Continue reading Charlie Musselwhite knew that playing the blues in Chicago was better than doing factory work
James Cotton on blowing harp for Muddy Waters at Newport Jazz Festival
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 7, 2002 By Steve Newton Throughout the classic 1960 blues album Muddy Waters at Newport—which fans of the late legend should note was recently released on CD in remastered form, with bonus studio tracks—a young James Cotton can be heard blowing some serious harp at the Newport Jazz Festival. At one … Continue reading James Cotton on blowing harp for Muddy Waters at Newport Jazz Festival
Lester Quitzau was a Zeppelin-loving wheelie king as a kid
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 14, 2002 On his latest CD, So Here We Are, Edmonton’s Lester Quitzau makes a strong case for his being touted as among this country’s finest blues-roots pickers. But a close look at the disc’s video portion reveals that Quitzau’s talents are more than just musical. In one … Continue reading Lester Quitzau was a Zeppelin-loving wheelie king as a kid
Led Zeppelin’s best album, Physical Graffiti, to get deluxe box-set treatment
By Steve Newton Led Zeppelin announced the other day that it will release a super-deluxe boxed-set edition of its best album, 1975's Physical Graffiti. Fvckin-AAA! The package--newly remastered by Jimmy Page and featuring previously unreleased tracks--will hit stores on February 24, 40 years to the day after the release of the original. In case you forgot what … Continue reading Led Zeppelin’s best album, Physical Graffiti, to get deluxe box-set treatment
Kim Simmonds keeps the spirit of Savoy Brown alive for ’70s-rock holdouts
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 14, 2002 By Steve Newton It’s been 36 years since guitarist-vocalist Kim Simmonds founded British boogie-blues band Savoy Brown, and he’s kept the name alive through constant touring and steady CD releases. But the undying outfit might have been wiped out for good in a torrent of jet … Continue reading Kim Simmonds keeps the spirit of Savoy Brown alive for ’70s-rock holdouts
Blue Öyster Cult’s Buck Dharma likes making people strain to hear
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 24, 2002 By Steve Newton As a metal-crazed teen in the ’70s, I was obsessed with Long Island hard-rockers Blue Öyster Cult. I used to blow all my lawn-mowing money on their albums and play them at ear-busting volume for hours on end, even though I had trouble … Continue reading Blue Öyster Cult’s Buck Dharma likes making people strain to hear
The Word gets the Newt off his ass and down to the Commodore to hear “Joyful Sounds” and Hendrix
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 24, 2002 By Steve Newton A few hours before the Word took the stage at the Commodore last Saturday (January 19), I was reclining in my cozy New West living room, barely awake. The idea of driving downtown in the pissing rain to see a band that wasn’t … Continue reading The Word gets the Newt off his ass and down to the Commodore to hear “Joyful Sounds” and Hendrix
Smash Mouth’s Greg Camp thinks Steely Dan is “pretty snobby”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 17, 2002 The first time I saw Shrek, on DVD at home, some friends of ours had come over with their six-year-old boy. When the opening credits rolled the kid started getting hyper, bouncing around like it was Christmas morning. It could have been the sight of the … Continue reading Smash Mouth’s Greg Camp thinks Steely Dan is “pretty snobby”
Nikki Sixx says he’d turn down Rock Hall: awesome, more room for Rory
By Steve Newton Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx declared on his Facebook page yesterday that he'd "probably" turn down induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fvckin-AAA! That just leaves more room for more deserving types like Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, and Link Wray. Here's Sixx's post, complete with grammatical errors: The only … Continue reading Nikki Sixx says he’d turn down Rock Hall: awesome, more room for Rory
The Newt’s top 10 albums of 2014: yep, AC/DC’s on there
AC/DC Rock or Bust With the help of Langley’s Mike Fraser as engineer and mixer, the Australian hard-rock icons create a fitting follow-up to 2008’s hugely successful Black Ice album. Its first-ever album without stalwart rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young shows the band in fine, swaggering form. Pink Floyd The Endless River The prog-rock legends’ first album in … Continue reading The Newt’s top 10 albums of 2014: yep, AC/DC’s on there
Scorpions alumni will infest Seattle, sting no one in Van
Old-school hard-rock freaks in Vancouver—the ones who remember when The Tokyo Tapes was released, anyway—might want to consider a couple of road trips to Washington State this winter. Two concerts featuring former members of the Scorpions are scheduled to take place in Seattle, but no local dates have been announced. Pity. First up is the XG Extreme Guitar … Continue reading Scorpions alumni will infest Seattle, sting no one in Van