ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 27, 1992 By Steve Newton MONTREAL—The only band I liked in the ’70s that didn’t have a rockin’ electric guitarist was Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Over the years, I’ve wondered what it was that attracted me to the British progressive band’s unique keyboards/bass/drums format and made me happy to slide its … Continue reading Emerson, Lake and Palmer pine for the days of vinyl and art-led music
Drive-By Truckers tell of trophy tail wives taking boner-pill rides in Vancouver
photos by the newt By Steve Newton The Drive-By Truckers didn't play all of my fave DBT tunes at the Vogue last night. For example, there was no "A Ghost to Most", singer-guitarist Mike Cooley's jangley indictment of George Bush's macho posturing from the sprawling 2008 Brighter than Creation's Dark album. And neither did I get to hear my … Continue reading Drive-By Truckers tell of trophy tail wives taking boner-pill rides in Vancouver
Now that he’s in Guns N’ Roses Dizzy Reed can buy drinks for all his freennz
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 13, 1992 By Steve Newton Some hard-rock bands like to boast about not using keyboards; they take pride in sticking with the trusty old guitar-bass-drums ideal. Guns N’ Roses might have been such a band in its early days, but when it came time to record its ground-breaking Use Your Illusion … Continue reading Now that he’s in Guns N’ Roses Dizzy Reed can buy drinks for all his freennz
Fourth Estate guitar wizard Dave Beegle is nuts about Max Webster
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 6, 1992 By Steve Newton Once in a blue moon, I’ll come across an album by a band that I’d never heard of before and be blown right away. Such was the case when local promoter Brock Armstrong turned me on to Fourth Estate, an instrumental rock band … Continue reading Fourth Estate guitar wizard Dave Beegle is nuts about Max Webster
Kim Mitchell hits 40 and just keeps getting wet with life
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 6, 1992 By Steve Newton Used to be that whenever you saw Kim Mitchell’s name on an album’s liner notes the name of his lyricist, Pye Dubois, would be right there beside it. But Dubois’ moniker is nowhere to be found on Mitchell’s latest release, Aural Fixations. Seems the long-time songwriting … Continue reading Kim Mitchell hits 40 and just keeps getting wet with life
Dickey Betts figures the Allman Brothers transcend generations
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 23, 1992 By Steve Newton Every long-time Allman Brothers fan has a favourite tune by the influential Southern rock band. Some folks tend towards the bluesy slide-guitar riff of “One Way Out”, some go hog-wild when they hear the cascading guitar intro to the band’s biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man”, and still … Continue reading Dickey Betts figures the Allman Brothers transcend generations
Doyle Bramhall II’s dad wants his Lightnin’ Hopkins guitar back
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 16, 1992 By Steve Newton Anyone fortunate enough to have seen the late Stevie Ray Vaughan play knows the gifted Texas blues-rocker had that special something of which guitar legends are made. But good as he was, Vaughan would never have been able to soar to the heights he did on … Continue reading Doyle Bramhall II’s dad wants his Lightnin’ Hopkins guitar back
Spinal Tap crashes the Great Canadian Party to teach “Bitch School”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 9, 1992 By Steve Newton Any idea how many rock-hungry holidayers you can squeeze into UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium? Well, probably not one single body more than the 30,000 who packed the venue for last Wednesday’s (July 1) Great Canadian Party. There were massive line-ups for food and drink, and painfully long … Continue reading Spinal Tap crashes the Great Canadian Party to teach “Bitch School”
Robert Gordon saves his Vancouver show after Chris Spedding nearly wrecks it
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 5, 1992 By Steve Newton It’s a good thing Robert Gordon has plenty of charisma—enough, in fact, to make up for Chris Spedding’s total lack of charm. For their show at the Town Pump on Saturday (May 30), Gordon was the picture of suave coolness, while guitarist Spedding—who … Continue reading Robert Gordon saves his Vancouver show after Chris Spedding nearly wrecks it
Metallica delivers on Lars Ulrich’s promise to “kick f***in’ ass” while touring behind The Black Album
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 28, 1992 By Steve Newton You don’t have to be a big fan of Metallica’s furiously thrashy—albeit recently refined—sound to give the band credit for blazing a formidable trail since its inception in ’81. The group has always gone against the grain and done things its own way, riding the precarious … Continue reading Metallica delivers on Lars Ulrich’s promise to “kick f***in’ ass” while touring behind The Black Album
Marc Bonilla inspired by the intensity and melodies of Ronnie Montrose
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 30, 1992 BY STEVE NEWTON Kids wanna rock for all kinds of reasons. Seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show is a common driving force; hearing Hendrix for the first time another. Then there are the old adages about getting into music “to get chicks” or because … Continue reading Marc Bonilla inspired by the intensity and melodies of Ronnie Montrose
Lindsay Mitchell recalls the Summer of Love with the cocky Seeds of Time
photo by Roger Stomperud ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 16, 1992 “This ain’t the Garden of Eden There ain’t no angels above And things ain’t what they used to be And this ain’t the summer of love.” —Blue Oyster Cult There never will be another summer of love, at least not the … Continue reading Lindsay Mitchell recalls the Summer of Love with the cocky Seeds of Time
Stateside guitar frenzy: Pat Travers, Jeff Beck, Slash, Jake E. Lee & Yngwie-fucking-Malmsteen!
For some reason a lotta old-school rock-guitar heroes don't play in Vancouver. They head on up for gigs in Washington State, but then turn around and cruise back down to keep on feeding those riff-starved Americans. Are the border guards at Canada Customs really that daunting? Take Pat Travers, for instance. He's half Canadian, but … Continue reading Stateside guitar frenzy: Pat Travers, Jeff Beck, Slash, Jake E. Lee & Yngwie-fucking-Malmsteen!