ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 5, 1997 The night before Ron Sexsmith calls from Norway, I’m giving the TV clicker a workout when some tabloid-style show appears, updating the lives of TV child actors who played roles such as the pointy-eared werewolf kid on The Munsters and the six-year-old twins on Family Affair. … Continue reading Ron Sexsmith’s conversational pop wins over Elvis Costello and Interscope
ZZ Top snoozes through its Rhythmeen tour stop in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 5, 1997 By Steve Newton Strolling over the Georgia Viaduct en route to GM Place last Sunday (June 1), I gazed down at the arena’s parking lot to see what kind of fancy tour buses ZZ Top is travelling in these days. I expected to see an outline … Continue reading ZZ Top snoozes through its Rhythmeen tour stop in Vancouver
Alejandro Escovedo says Buick MacKane just wants to rock
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 5, 1997 BY STEVE NEWTON It ain’t easy being an old-fashioned guitar-rock fan in the twilight of the 20th century. Techno and dance music are all the rage, DJs are the new music stars, and even the once-mighty Aerosmith has been reduced to formulaic power ballads. It’s getting … Continue reading Alejandro Escovedo says Buick MacKane just wants to rock
Malmsteen then and now: interviewing Yngwie in 1985 and 2014
By Steve Newton Swedish guitar hero Yngwie Malmsteen turns 51 on Monday, two days after his appearance in Vancouver tomorrow (June 28) as part of the Guitar Gods show at the River Rock Show Theatre. He's caused quite a commotion in the hard-rock world in the last half-century or so. Why, just last week he … Continue reading Malmsteen then and now: interviewing Yngwie in 1985 and 2014
Nomadic tendencies and Jimmy Page colour Chris Whitley’s creative outlook
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 29, 1997 By Steve Newton Chris Whitley sure gets around. Born in Texas 37 years ago, the singer-songwriter-guitarist has so far taken up residence in such disparate locales as Mexico, Belgium, Vermont, and New York, to name a few. When his harried road manager calls the Georgia Straight … Continue reading Nomadic tendencies and Jimmy Page colour Chris Whitley’s creative outlook
Yngwie Malmsteen puts Ritchie Blackmore rumours to rest, praises Nicolo Paganini and Uli Jon Roth
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 25, 2014 By Steve Newton Yngwie Malmsteen likes to wear all black on-stage and play fast as hell on a Fender Strat through a wall of cranked Marshall amps, so you might think that Ritchie Blackmore is his hero. “Okay, let’s correct that,” says Malmsteen when I mention … Continue reading Yngwie Malmsteen puts Ritchie Blackmore rumours to rest, praises Nicolo Paganini and Uli Jon Roth
Pink Floyd plays Vancouver on the Division Bell tour, David Gilmour’s state-of-the-art guitars shine
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 30, 1994 By Steve Newton As streams of perked-up Pink Floyd fans strolled north across the Cambie Street bridge en route to the big white marshmallow of B.C. Place last Saturday (June 25), a lot of them were eyeing the sky. It was a fine time to revel … Continue reading Pink Floyd plays Vancouver on the Division Bell tour, David Gilmour’s state-of-the-art guitars shine
That time my buddy Stick ticked off Lars Ulrich in Vancouver by asking him to jam
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 22, 1997 By Steve Newton Back when the Starfish Room was still a headbanger’s haven known as Club Soda, a rock-crazed pal of mine named Stick bumped into Lars Ulrich there. The Metallica drummer was hangin’ out with his entourage after one of the band’s intense Vancouver gigs … Continue reading That time my buddy Stick ticked off Lars Ulrich in Vancouver by asking him to jam
Rush refuses to give John Rutsey his due on Test for Echo tour in Vancouver
@shotbykevin ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 22, 1997 By Steve Newton Although they’ve sold more than 35 million records and been a major force on the hard-rock world for 23 years, it appears as though Rush’s status as an arena-packing concert draw—at least in Vancouver—has slipped a few notches. There were scads of … Continue reading Rush refuses to give John Rutsey his due on Test for Echo tour in Vancouver
Geddy Lee on the music of the ’70s, the Order of Canada, and the full-time job of Rush
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 15, 1997 By Steve Newton Although I’m usually too lazy to bother fiddling with LPs these days, those old black beauties sure do come in handy when I’m preparing to interview a band that’s been around as long as Rush. Shuffling through my prized rows of plastic-enclosed 12-inchers, I come across … Continue reading Geddy Lee on the music of the ’70s, the Order of Canada, and the full-time job of Rush
John Lee Hooker helps Big Head Todd make a Beautiful World
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 8, 1997 By Steve Newton Big Head Todd & the Monsters’ Beautiful World is one of my most-played CDs these days; I can’t get enough of the Denver trio’s stimulating brand of funky, soulful roots-rock. Strangely enough, some of the disc’s most memorable moments occur in songs that … Continue reading John Lee Hooker helps Big Head Todd make a Beautiful World
Age of Electric blasts pure pop on Make a Pest a Pet
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 8, 1997 By Steve Newton Age of Electric is a unique band, in more ways than one. First off, it’s comprised of two sets of brothers: you’ve got your Kernses (singer Todd and bassist John) and your Dahles (guitarist Ryan and drummer Kurt). The only other band with … Continue reading Age of Electric blasts pure pop on Make a Pest a Pet
Toronto’s Rusty made Vancouver home for its Sophomoric CD
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 24, 1997 I’m usually a pretty patient guy, but sitting at a table in the Web Café, waiting for Rusty singer Ken MacNeil to show up, I’m losing it. He’s only 10 minutes late for our scheduled 6 p.m. interview, but it seems like an hour, because every … Continue reading Toronto’s Rusty made Vancouver home for its Sophomoric CD