@shotbykevin ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 4, 1996 By Steve Newton I went to see the 9:15 showing of Dead Man Walking at the Park last Saturday night (March 30), and because of that I missed the 11:15 showing of Naked Man Running at the Commodore. According to sources at the scene, the … Continue reading Everclear’s Art Alexakis channels Angus Young in Vancouver, plays AC/DC’s “Sin City” flat on his back
Mollys Reach scores free beer after signing with BMG
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 4, 1996 Any new bands wondering how to approach the writing of their bios—those pesky but crucial info sheets sent out to music journalists in the hope of scoring some ink—could take a tip from Edmonton’s Mollys Reach. The secret to winning a rock scribe’s heart, or at … Continue reading Mollys Reach scores free beer after signing with BMG
Ruth Ruth’s free tapes and gratis gigs led to American Recordings debut
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 4, 1996 If you’re a musician, working a day job at a record shop certainly has its perks. First off, you get to listen to music all day. Then maybe you get a discount on CDs. For New York City pop-punks Ruth Ruth, guitarist Mike Lustig’s record-store employment … Continue reading Ruth Ruth’s free tapes and gratis gigs led to American Recordings debut
Scooter’s gutbucket brings a hillbilly vibe to the Deadcats’ surf-punk
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 28, 1996 There’s a warning label on the back cover of the new Deadcats CD, Bucket O’ Love, but it’s not there to caution potential buyers about any explicit lyrics or backwards satanic messages. It’s more just a declaration of the kind of music the local quartet proudly … Continue reading Scooter’s gutbucket brings a hillbilly vibe to the Deadcats’ surf-punk
No Use For a Name has no use for a 10-foot Bio-man monster on stage
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 28, 1996 It seems as if you can hardly get through a TV beer commercial these days without being bombarded by images of speed-crazed snowboarders charging recklessly down the slopes. I feel sorta left out when I see the type of thrill-seekers the Canadian breweries are targeting in … Continue reading No Use For a Name has no use for a 10-foot Bio-man monster on stage
That time I interviewed Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys when he was still just 23-year-old Mike Smith of Sandbox
By Steve Newton Holy snappin' arseholes, as my buddy Scotty Bad used to say back in Chilliwack. While searching through my old Georgia Straight interviews from 1996 just now I came across one that I did with Mike Smith of Sandbox. If the name Mike Smith rings a bell, it could be because he's the … Continue reading That time I interviewed Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys when he was still just 23-year-old Mike Smith of Sandbox
Tom Cochrane gets his Canuck on at the Commodore in Vancouver on the Ragged Ass Road tour
@shotbykevin ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 22, 1996 By Steve Newton Last July a band calling itself Red Rider—but without Tom Cochrane in the lineup—played the Commodore. Not surprisingly, the turnout was small, and not surprisingly, I wasn’t there. I’ve been a Red Rider fan since day one, but the notion of seeing … Continue reading Tom Cochrane gets his Canuck on at the Commodore in Vancouver on the Ragged Ass Road tour
Jeff Beck freak and knowledge junkie Mark Fitchett leads Cult of the Wrong Note
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 21, 1996 By Steve Newton Everyone’s heard the stories of starry-eyed youths who journey to Tinseltown with visions of glory and not much else, but they might not have heard about the kid from Richmond who hopped a bus for Hollywood with the dream of becoming a professional guitar player. Mark … Continue reading Jeff Beck freak and knowledge junkie Mark Fitchett leads Cult of the Wrong Note
Yee-haw! Allman Brothers to release southern-rock masterpiece At Fillmore East as box set
By Steve Newton Southern-rock fans saddened by word that the Allman Brothers will perform their final concerts this year should brighten at the news that an historic deluxe-edition box set is on its way. Yesterday the band announced on its website that a six-disc package titled The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings will be released by … Continue reading Yee-haw! Allman Brothers to release southern-rock masterpiece At Fillmore East as box set
Bittersweet Gin Blossoms encounter UFOs and Alice Cooper in their ‘hood
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 29, 1996 By Steve Newton If there were such a thing as a Webster’s Dictionary of Pop Music, you could probably look up the word bittersweet and find a picture of Arizona’s Gin Blossoms nearby. Like fellow southerner Matthew Sweet and local buddies the Odds—who will tour with the Gin Blossoms … Continue reading Bittersweet Gin Blossoms encounter UFOs and Alice Cooper in their ‘hood
AC/DC ain’t noise pollution, but the sound in Vancouver sure stinks
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 15, 1996 By Steve Newton I’ve been going to AC/DC concerts for almost 20 years now—which either gives me bragging rights or is a severe embarrassment, depending on your musical tastes. Actually, at the very first AC/DC gig I went to, I missed the group’s performance—it was opening for Aerosmith and … Continue reading AC/DC ain’t noise pollution, but the sound in Vancouver sure stinks
Tom Cochrane takes the honest route on Ragged Ass Road
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 1, 1996 By Steve Newton Tom Cochrane’s “Life Is a Highway” was one of the three most-played songs in North America in 1993, which means that a whole whack of folks heard it, whether they wanted to or not. Cochrane admits that, by way of airplay royalties, the … Continue reading Tom Cochrane takes the honest route on Ragged Ass Road
Robert Cray gets the thing happening on Some Rainy Morning
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 18, 1996 By Steve Newton You wouldn’t think bluesman Robert Cray would be musically indebted to the Beatles, but they were the band that drove him to pick up a guitar. By the age of 10 Cray had already been soaking up the gospel, jazz, soul, and blues in his parents’ … Continue reading Robert Cray gets the thing happening on Some Rainy Morning