Lars Ulrich cuddles firstborn, doubts fatherhood will make Metallica wimp out

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 27, 1998 By Steve Newton If there’s one thing you can bet on about a Metallica concert, it’s that Lars Ulrich will not pussyfoot around behind his drum kit. The diminutive Dane always plays like a man possessed, fiercely punishing the skins while his face contorts in a tortured grimace. He’s … Continue reading Lars Ulrich cuddles firstborn, doubts fatherhood will make Metallica wimp out

Big-hearted blues god B.B. King offers guitar picks and hugs backstage in Vancouver

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 13, 1998 By Steve Newton “Come on in!” urged B.B. King to the gaggle of well-wishers and autograph hounds gathered outside his dressing room in the bowels of GM Place. It was 12:30 a.m., about 45 minutes after King had finished his set on the first night of the 44-date B.B. … Continue reading Big-hearted blues god B.B. King offers guitar picks and hugs backstage in Vancouver

Bass legend Tommy Shannon has jammed with all the greats–except Hendrix

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 6, 1998 By Steve Newton Blues-rock bassist Tommy Shannon is best-known for playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan in Double Trouble, but his résumé hardly stops there. The veteran musician has performed with so many other guitar legends that you’d be hard-pressed to find one he hasn’t accompanied somewhere … Continue reading Bass legend Tommy Shannon has jammed with all the greats–except Hendrix

Two years after saying goodbye to Crowded House, Neil Finn returns with solo debut

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 9, 1998 By Steve Newton After making the agonizing decision in 1996 to break up his world-famous Kiwi pop combo Crowded House, Neil Finn wasn’t exactly sure what to do next. An Aussie artist-musician friend of his suggested Finn try painting, so he spent two weeks at a beachside location doing … Continue reading Two years after saying goodbye to Crowded House, Neil Finn returns with solo debut

Patty Griffin learns how to live on Flaming Red

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 16, 1998 By Steve Newton For her first album, 1996’s Living With Ghosts, Patty Griffin appeared alone, accompanied only by her acoustic guitar. On her new CD, Flaming Red, the 34-year-old singer-songwriter from Maine is in the company of more than a dozen musicians, including such stellar types … Continue reading Patty Griffin learns how to live on Flaming Red

Creed’s Mark Tremonti says My Own Prison is about trying to find hope

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 9, 1998 By Steve Newton When Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti called from Toronto on Canada Day, his band was 90 minutes away from taking the stage at Edgefest, the touring rock show that visits UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium on Saturday (July 11). The fast-rising Florida quartet is on a bill that includes … Continue reading Creed’s Mark Tremonti says My Own Prison is about trying to find hope

An inspired Yes makes up for a flaccid Alan Parsons Project in Vancouver

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 23, 1998 By Steve Newton There are some bands I used to like in the ’70s that make me embarrassed by that fact in the ’90s. Back in high school, I figured Uriah Heep Live was the cat’s ass, but now, it’s like, “What was I thinking!” And I still recall … Continue reading An inspired Yes makes up for a flaccid Alan Parsons Project in Vancouver

Status Quo box set brings ’70s guitar-boogie in spades

  By Steve Newton One of my favourite things to do as a music-crazed teen in the '70s was to go to record stores and buy albums based solely on how rockin' they looked. I can still remember checking out the record bins and laying my eyes on a 1972 album by a group that … Continue reading Status Quo box set brings ’70s guitar-boogie in spades

Shocking photo: Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys offered joint by Snoop Dogg!

  BREAKING: through sources that will remain nameless, the Newt has managed to aquire a photo of evil L.A. gangsta rapper Snoop Dogg trying to corrupt innocent Canadian TV character "Bubbles" with what looks like a marijuana cigarette, or "joint" as the Yankee drug fiends like to call it. The shocking incident apparently occured at … Continue reading Shocking photo: Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys offered joint by Snoop Dogg!

Who knew Jerry Seinfeld was a fan of bad horror?

I was just watching an old Seinfeld rerun--a 1996 episode called "The Showerhead" where Jerry and his buddies are forced to purchase "black market" showerheads through Newman because they can't get enough water pressure to decently rinse their hair--and noticed something interesting. At the part in the show where Elaine corners Jerry's mom on the … Continue reading Who knew Jerry Seinfeld was a fan of bad horror?

Johnny Winter’s absence from the Rock Hall is a bloody outrage

charles campbell photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 17, 2014 By Steve Newton Devoted Johnny Winter fans are still mourning the passing of the Texas guitar legend, who died last  Wednesday (July 16) at the age of 70. They've no doubt been playing the hell out of his vast array of awesome albums, or reminiscing about … Continue reading Johnny Winter’s absence from the Rock Hall is a bloody outrage

Steve Howe says sheer determination keeps the core of Yes intact

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 6, 1998 By Steve Newton Guitar legend Steve Howe first hooked up with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire back in 1971, just in time to help steer the British prog-rock outfit to glory with best-selling albums such as Fragile and Close to the Edge. While … Continue reading Steve Howe says sheer determination keeps the core of Yes intact