ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 27, 1982 By Steve Newton In contrast to the denim and T-shirt crowd [for Blue Oyster Cult] at the Coliseum Sunday, miniskirts and Hawaiian patterns were the popular thing the night before (August 21) when the Go-Go’s brought their catchy brand of fun-time music up from the California … Continue reading The Go-Go’s bring the sunny sounds of Vacation to Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 4, 1986 By Steve Newton Until the release of the album Power Lines, Jim Foster had not been heard from for many years. It makes one wonder whether the Alberta-raised singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist is on somewhat of a comeback. “Well gosh,” says Foster. “How can you make a comeback when … Continue reading Jim Foster gets his “Steely Dan opportunity” at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 27, 2003 By Steve Newton At one point during the exceptional Blackie & the Rodeo Kings show at Sonar a couple of weeks back, guitarist-vocalist and former Junkhouse member Tom Wilson casually leaned into the mike and said: “Roll out red carpet, here come China boys.” His group didn’t follow up … Continue reading Bob Rock on the Payola$ reunion and the influence of Mick Ronson as a producer
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 16, 2000 Former Vancouverite Bob Rock is one of the most in-demand rock producers in the world today. The man who helped platinum acts like Metallica, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, and the Cult move mountains of CDs now lives and works on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where … Continue reading Bob Rock brings his golden ears and guitars to Paul Hyde’s Living Off the Radar
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”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 20, 1994 By Steve Newton Ya gotta like that Bob Rock guy. When he gets tired of producing platinum-plus CDs for bands like Metallica and Mötley Crüe, he forms his own group, Rockhead, and gets back to his ’70s-rock roots with melodic, radio-friendly sing-along tunes such as “Bed of Roses” and … Continue reading Bob Rock gets the Payola$ back together for a Mick Ronson-inspired raveup in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 26, 1984 By Steve Newton Ten years ago a New York band called Stories hit it big on North American singles charts with “Brother Louie”. The song—a cover of Hot Chocolate’s UK hit—made it to No. 1 on Billboard, but despite some fine pop-oriented music on albums like About Us and Travelling Underground, the band … Continue reading Ian Lloyd, the “Brother Louie” guy, says he’s proud of his claim to fame
photos by the Newt ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 20, 2015 By Steve Newton When I interviewed blues-rock legend Kim Simmonds last week from his home outside Syracuse, New York, he revealed that there had been a time when, during his thirties, personal problems had cost him his ability to really play guitar. Lucky for him–and … Continue reading Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown tear it up old-school in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 17, 1984 By Steve Newton On the strength of their third album, Hammer on a Drum, Vancouver’s Payola$ have been nominated in nine categories of 1984’s CARAS -sponsored Tribute to West Coast Music. As well as Group of the Year and Album of the Year, the group has two tunes in … Continue reading The Payola$’ Paul Hyde talks coproducer Mick Ronson and rock idols Ian Hunter and Alex Harvey
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 12, 1991 By Steve Newton Vancouver’s Bob Rock is one of the most in-demand rock producers in the world today. The albums he’s worked on in the last few years have sold millions of copies and—in the case of Motley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood—made it to number one in Billboard. Recently, he … Continue reading Star producer Bob Rock just wants to play guitar in a band
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 28, 2002 Awesome vampire flicks are hard to find. The last one that really blew me away was Near Dark, and that was way back in ’87. In the case of contemporary big-budget efforts, Bram Stoker’s Dracula was too grandiose for my tastes, and the pretty-boy adaptation of … Continue reading Horror review: Queen of the Damned
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 15, 1993 By Steve Newton The first time I interviewed veteran Vancouver musician and producer extraordinaire Bob Rock, he was in the middle of helming Bitter Sweet & Twisted, the new release by British blues-rockers the Quireboys. The last time we chatted, he was heavily involved in the much-anticipated release by … Continue reading Bob Rock plays every lick he knows on Rockhead’s “dumb old hard-rock album”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 10, 1991 By Steve Newton After producing hit records by the likes of Motley Crue, the Cult, and Metallica, Vancouver’s Bob Rock is tying on the gloves and stepping into the ring with Rockhead, his new hard-rock four-piece. The band’s been playing at various local top-40 bars, and if Saturday’s (October … Continue reading Bob Rock gets his guitar jollies at the Rock Cellar with riff-based Rockhead
