ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 5, 2001 When I hear the name Jay Geils nowadays, I remember how I used to whip over to an old Chilliwack High School buddy’s house at lunch hour for a quick fix of tuna on toast and the latest ’70s rock sounds. Sometimes it was Foghat’s Energized … Continue reading Debbie Davies holds her own with the big boys of blues
Pink Floyd’s The Wall gets a redneck makeover by Luther Wright & the Wrongs
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 5, 2001 Luther Wright was 12 or so years old when he first heard Pink Floyd’s The Wall, but it wasn’t until a couple of years ago, while touring with his band Weeping Tile, that he realized the 1979 classic-rock staple was actually a country-bluegrass album in disguise. … Continue reading Pink Floyd’s The Wall gets a redneck makeover by Luther Wright & the Wrongs
Kansas to release deluxe CD/DVD, so you can bet “Dust in the Wind” is on there
By Steve Newton One of my earliest arena-concert memories was of seeing Bad Company on the Run with the Pack Tour at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum back in the spring of '76, I think it was. The opening act was a prog-leaning rock band from Kansas called Kansas, who I remember most because they had a … Continue reading Kansas to release deluxe CD/DVD, so you can bet “Dust in the Wind” is on there
Dan McCafferty reveals the story behind Nazareth’s “Vancouver Shakedown”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 23, 1984 By Steve Newton Back about ten years ago, one of the coolest things for a Chilliwack high school student to do was cruise up and down the town's main drag--preferably in a Dodge Dart--and play eight-track tapes as close to the distortion level as possible. And as I recall, … Continue reading Dan McCafferty reveals the story behind Nazareth’s “Vancouver Shakedown”
Alice Cooper’s sheer awesomeness steals Mötley Crüe’s thunder in Vancouver
By Steve Newton Mötley Crüe performed its final show in Vancouver last night (November 21). Or so the story goes. Before embarking on its current tour the L.A. sleaze-rock kings got some lawyers to write up a contract wherein they declared that they would never go on the road again after this. That allowed them to charge … Continue reading Alice Cooper’s sheer awesomeness steals Mötley Crüe’s thunder in Vancouver
Some dude who followed me on Twitter plays a pretty mean goldtop
So I was checking out my Twitter account on the commute home last night and I noticed that my number of followers had blasted up from 1435 to an impressive fourteen-hundred and thirty-six. My new follower was a guy named Niro Knox, who looked like a pretty rockin' dude. So I took a gander at some of his … Continue reading Some dude who followed me on Twitter plays a pretty mean goldtop
Rock Hall proves itself slag-worthy again snubbing Johnny Winter, Link Wray, and Rory
charles campbell photo By Steve Newton I finally got around to checking out the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2015 and, lemme tell ya, that institution has developed its most severe case of HUA (Head Up Ass) Syndrome yet. Okay, firstly, let's rattle off the nominees: Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, … Continue reading Rock Hall proves itself slag-worthy again snubbing Johnny Winter, Link Wray, and Rory
Will Alice Cööper show Motley Crue how it’s done in Vancouver?
There's no denying that the vast majority of rock 'n' roll animals heading to the sold-out Rogers Arena this Friday night will be huge fans of Mötley Crüe, which is performing on its heavily publicized "Final Tour". But I doubt I'll be the only one going there to revel in the killer tunes and theatrical shock-rock shenanigans … Continue reading Will Alice Cööper show Motley Crue how it’s done in Vancouver?
Jeff Beck at the Commodore: the world’s greatest rock guitarist plays the world’s best bar
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 22, 2001 By Steve Newton Jeff Beck is my favourite rock guitarist of all time, so I didn’t think twice about doing the necessary groveling to secure a couple of backstage passes for his sold-out show at the Commodore. Because my Beck-loving buddy Bones was celebrating a birthday … Continue reading Jeff Beck at the Commodore: the world’s greatest rock guitarist plays the world’s best bar
Michael Jackson moonwalks into Vancouver on the Jacksons’ Victory Tour of 1984
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 23, 1984 By Steve Newton The biggest show in the history of pop music came to Vancouver last week (November 16), in the form of the Jacksons' Victory Tour. It was a dazzling display of lights and lasers, mechanized staging and slick choreography, available to anyone who wanted … Continue reading Michael Jackson moonwalks into Vancouver on the Jacksons’ Victory Tour of 1984
Interviewing Jeff Beck, the world’s greatest living rock guitarist
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 15, 2001 By Steve Newton Like most teenage guitar-rock freaks in the ’70s, I was big on Aerosmith. I made every effort to see them if they got within driving range of Chilliwack; I even hauled my skinny hick ass out to Seattle when they played the cavernous Kingdome on the … Continue reading Interviewing Jeff Beck, the world’s greatest living rock guitarist
Southern Culture on the Skids’ Rick Miller loves Link Wray and Danelectros
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 8, 2001 By Steve Newton True to its name, Southern Culture on the Skids has always endeavoured to promote the stereotypical lifestyles of the culturally challenged dwellers in the former Confederate states. On previous CDs like Dirt Track Date and Plastic Seat Sweat, the North Carolina roots-rockers told … Continue reading Southern Culture on the Skids’ Rick Miller loves Link Wray and Danelectros
Joe R. Lansdale’s Hap Collins and Leonard Pine headed to TV
Just heard some great news in a tweet from one of my fave authors, hardboiled Texas mystery/suspense ace Joe R. Lansdale. He's the guy who wrote the story that became one of my fave all-time horror flicks, Bubba Ho-Tep. Turns out two of my fave characters of his--Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, from the Hap and Leonard … Continue reading Joe R. Lansdale’s Hap Collins and Leonard Pine headed to TV