Before he morphed into Reignwolf I asked teenaged guitarist Jordan Cook how he got into the blues

By Steve Newton Back in November of 2001 I interviewed an 18-year-old guitarist from Saskatoon named Jordan Cook. Nowadays Cook is making sizeable waves in the blues-rock world as rowdy, sweat-soaked performer Reignwolf, but back in ’01 he was just touring around Canada with two teenage bandmates trying to make a name for himself. Near … Continue reading Before he morphed into Reignwolf I asked teenaged guitarist Jordan Cook how he got into the blues

That time Rick Wartell told me that Trouble was going over really well with the thrash-loving Pantera fans

By Steve Newton Back in October of 1992 I interviewed Trouble founder and guitarist Rick Wartell when the Chicago hard-rock quintet was touring with Pantera and heading to Vancouver for a show at the Commodore Ballroom. At the start of the conversation I mentioned how much I liked his band’s current album, Manic Frustration, and … Continue reading That time Rick Wartell told me that Trouble was going over really well with the thrash-loving Pantera fans

That time I called up 18-year-old Derek Trucks just before he headed out on tour with Joe Satriani

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with slide-guitar legend Derek Trucks in March of 1998, when he was still just 18 years old. I called him up at his home in Jacksonville, Florida, the day before he was due in Texas to kick off a tour with Joe Satriani. He mentioned the possibility … Continue reading That time I called up 18-year-old Derek Trucks just before he headed out on tour with Joe Satriani

That time I asked Canadian fingerstyle-guitar virtuoso Don Ross how he got so good

By Steve Newton I interviewed Canadian guitar virtuoso Don Ross for the first time back in 2001, when he was touring behind his Huron Street album. Ross is the only person to win the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship twice (1988 and 1996), so yeah, he’s shit-hot. At one point in the conversation I asked him … Continue reading That time I asked Canadian fingerstyle-guitar virtuoso Don Ross how he got so good

That time I asked Rickey Medlocke if he and Hughie Thomasson might get to sneak a Blackfoot or Outlaws tune into Skynyrd’s set

By Steve Newton I interviewed Rickey Medlocke in 1997, the year after he’d joined Gary Rossington and Hughie Thomasson in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s three-guitar lineup. While Rossington was a founding Skynyrd guitarist, and Medlocke had played drums for them in their early days, Medlocke and Thomasson had made their names in two of my other fave … Continue reading That time I asked Rickey Medlocke if he and Hughie Thomasson might get to sneak a Blackfoot or Outlaws tune into Skynyrd’s set

That time David Lee Roth told me that Van Halen’s Fair Warning album had been crucified and buried

By Steve Newton Back in 1994 I did my first interview with David Lee Roth, when he was touring behind his Nile Rodgers-produced Your Dirty Little Mouth album. At one point in the conversation I asked Dave if he was happy with how his career was going, which led him to chat about the ups … Continue reading That time David Lee Roth told me that Van Halen’s Fair Warning album had been crucified and buried

That time Wang Chung’s Nick Feldman told me about recording the soundtrack for William Friedkin’s latest film, To Live and Die in L.A.

By Steve Newton I interviewed Nick Feldman of Wang Chung in March of 1987, the day after the British pop band played the 86 Street Music Hall in Vancouver. I mainly wanted to chat with him because I loved the soundtrack Wang Chung did for the 1985 William Friedkin thriller, To Live and Die in … Continue reading That time Wang Chung’s Nick Feldman told me about recording the soundtrack for William Friedkin’s latest film, To Live and Die in L.A.

That time heavy-metal god Tony Iommi told me that he wasn’t into new-wave, but he liked the music from Flashdance

By Steve Newton Way back in January of 1984 I did my first interview with heavy-metal master Tony Iommi, famous for creating the most powerful hard-rock riffs known to man. At the time Iommi was touring behind Black Sabbath’s much-maligned Born Again, which is quite possibly the raunchiest Sabbath album ever recorded. At one point … Continue reading That time heavy-metal god Tony Iommi told me that he wasn’t into new-wave, but he liked the music from Flashdance

That time Alex Van Halen told me how ideas for Van Halen songs sprang from Eddie just noodling around

By Steve Newton When I interviewed Alex Van Halen on August 9, 1995, Van Halen was in the midst of a North American tour in support of its tenth album, the Bruce Fairbairn-produced Balance. As on all Van Halen albums, the songwriting credits on Balance were shared between all four members. At one point in … Continue reading That time Alex Van Halen told me how ideas for Van Halen songs sprang from Eddie just noodling around

That time I asked John Fogerty if “Fortunate Son” was a favourite tune of his

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with American rock legend John Fogerty back in August of 1997, when he was touring behind his fifth solo studio album, Blue Moon Swamp. Two nights earlier he’d performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, so at one point in the conversation I asked him if … Continue reading That time I asked John Fogerty if “Fortunate Son” was a favourite tune of his

Toronto’s Kill Cheerleader earns praise from Lemmy and Nikki Sixx

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 21, 2007 By Steve Newton The band photo inside last year’s Kill Cheerleader CD, All Hail, shows four sweaty, straggly-haired, apparently shit-faced dudes holding each other up. But a photo sent to the Straight by Spinerazor Records last week includes a fifth member in the group. No biggie, according to … Continue reading Toronto’s Kill Cheerleader earns praise from Lemmy and Nikki Sixx

Ten years after Van Halen’s 1984, David Lee Roth ponders how condom use changes lyrical content

By Steve Newton Back in 1994 I did my first interview with David Lee Roth while he was promoting his Nile Rodgers-produced Your Filthy Little Mouth album. At one point in the conversation Roth started discussing how the changing times over the past decade–since his last album with Van Halen, 1984–had affected his life and, … Continue reading Ten years after Van Halen’s 1984, David Lee Roth ponders how condom use changes lyrical content

That time I asked Alex Van Halen how much longer he expected Van Halen to keep on rocking

By Steve Newton Back in August of 1995 I interviewed Alex Van Halen, legendary skin-basher for Van Halen, while the band was touring behind its Bruce Fairbairn-produced Balance album. That tour had been dubbed “The Ambulance Tour” by Eddie, due to his hip problems and Alex rupturing three vertebrae in his neck. So as the … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen how much longer he expected Van Halen to keep on rocking