@shotbykevin ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 8, 1989 By Steve Newton Meat Loaf was one of the most unusual rock personalities of the '70s. First off, unlike most rock frontmen, Meat Loaf was fat--and I don't mean just chubby--yet he'd spend a good part of his time on stage mauling sexy female vocalists … Continue reading Meat Loaf plays Vancouver, threatens to kick 900 asses
Rory Gallagher and Stevie Ray Vaughan box-set announcements make the Newt holler “fuckin-AAA!”
photo by Bob Geldof. Yes, that Bob Geldof By Steve Newton It's been a wonderful week for fans of blues-rockin' Strat masters Rory Gallagher and Stevie Ray Vaughan. First off came the announcement on Tuesday that on October 20 Sony Music/Legacy Recordings will release the 40th-anniversary expanded deluxe-edition of Gallagher's Irish Tour '74 album. That … Continue reading Rory Gallagher and Stevie Ray Vaughan box-set announcements make the Newt holler “fuckin-AAA!”
All the Oscar-winners in the world can’t make The Calling memorable
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 29, 2014 With its pitch-black humour, quirky characters, and desolate small-town vibe—not to mention those furry-earmuff cop hats—The Calling seems like it might be trying to be a horror flick for the Fargo set. Unfortunately, even with a cast that includes Oscar winners Susan Sarandon and Ellen Burstyn and the scene-stealing Donald Sutherland, The … Continue reading All the Oscar-winners in the world can’t make The Calling memorable
13 Engines are runaway locomotives at the Town Pump in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 15, 1991 By Steve Newton 13 Engines once played a gig in Memphis to a total of two people, which is less of a crowd than most bands get at rehearsals. But the Toronto foursome did a heckuva lot better than that at the Town Pump last week (August 7), pulling … Continue reading 13 Engines are runaway locomotives at the Town Pump in Vancouver
Rowdy metal fans bleed for Savatage in Vancouver on the Gutter Ballet Tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 6, 1990 By Steve Newton It was supposed to be a triple-bill of American recording acts, featuring Atlantic’s Savatage, Def American’s Trouble, and MCA’s Spread Eagle, and that combination could well have resulted in the year’s top metal triple-bill. But as bad luck would have it, Trouble and … Continue reading Rowdy metal fans bleed for Savatage in Vancouver on the Gutter Ballet Tour
The Northern Pikes’ Bryan Potvin still plays air-guitar to the Tragically Hip
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 23, 1990 By Steve Newton “Never judge lovers by good-looking covers,” warned Phil Lynott on “Romeo and the Lonely Girl”, a track from Thin Lizzy’s classic ’76 album, Jailbreak. Bryan Potvin of the Northern Pikes didn’t heed Lynott’s advice and paid the price, as evidenced by “She Ain't … Continue reading The Northern Pikes’ Bryan Potvin still plays air-guitar to the Tragically Hip
John Doe goes solo on some “basic roots shit” but that doesn’t mean X is dead
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 2, 1990 By Steve Newton Some rock musicians, when you ask them about their music, go to great lengths to describe the sounds they create. Not John Doe. "It's your basic roots shit," says the recently-gone-solo former bassist/vocalist for California's X. "But we try to keep twisting it … Continue reading John Doe goes solo on some “basic roots shit” but that doesn’t mean X is dead
Stevie Ray Vaughan says “it’s good to be alive with you” at his final Vancouver show, five weeks before the crash
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 26, 1990 By Steve Newton As far as arena spectacles go, Sunday's (July 22) Stevie Ray Vaughan/Joe Cocker double-bill was pretty lame. No huge banks of lights, fancy lasers, or explosions. But there didn't need to be. Those who laid down bucks for the Coliseum show got their money back in … Continue reading Stevie Ray Vaughan says “it’s good to be alive with you” at his final Vancouver show, five weeks before the crash
Gun violence and AIDS misery inspire Concrete Blonde’s dark Bloodletting
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 14, 1990 By Steve Newton If you listened to rock radio at all last year, most likely you came across Concrete Blonde’s hit tune, “God Is a Bullet”, a fuel-injected tirade against the proliferation of guns, particularly in the drug- and gang-infested core of urban L.A. Over a … Continue reading Gun violence and AIDS misery inspire Concrete Blonde’s dark Bloodletting
Interviewing kickass screen legend Pam Grier for the Snoop Dogg horror flick Bones
By Steve Newton One of the many fine memories from my 13-year stint as Vancouver correspondent for New York horror mag Fangoria involved interviewing screen legend Pam Grier when I was covering the Snoop Dogg flick Bones. I was expecting good things from Bones because I loved director Ernest Dickerson's previous fright flick, Demon Knight, but … Continue reading Interviewing kickass screen legend Pam Grier for the Snoop Dogg horror flick Bones
John Mayall recruits slide wizard Sonny Landreth for A Sense of Place, okays Eric Clapton sitting in
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 7, 1990 By Steve Newton When legendary bluesman John Mayall gets rolling on stage, he cuts right down to the roots of the blues. There’s nothing fancy about his approach to the music; with the help of his Bluesbreakers, he delivers it in all its raw and primitive … Continue reading John Mayall recruits slide wizard Sonny Landreth for A Sense of Place, okays Eric Clapton sitting in
Michael Stipe can’t stop calling Being John Malkovich audacious
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 28, 1999 By Steve Newton NEW YORK—Michael Stipe is best-known as the singer for Athens, Georgia, guitar-rock greats R.E.M., the band he’s fronted since 1980. But he’s got another life as a film producer that only industry insiders and dedicated movie buffs are aware of. His mostly overlooked … Continue reading Michael Stipe can’t stop calling Being John Malkovich audacious
Blackie member Colin Linden loves the rigours of the road and the confines of the console
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 21, 1999 By Steve Newton Canadian guitar great and singer-songwriter Colin Linden has spent a large part of his life travelling this country’s highways and byways in pursuit of gigs. He’s also spent a huge portion of time holed away in recording studios, making his own records, producing … Continue reading Blackie member Colin Linden loves the rigours of the road and the confines of the console