ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 18, 1991 By Steve Newton The first time I heard Bruce Allen’s late-night talk show on CFOX, I heard the Big A comment: “Colin James for five nights at the Commodore? Why?” Was Allen jealous because Loverboy might never have had enough over-19 fans to accomplish the feat? Did he fear that … Continue reading Even Bruce Allen would have loved the Tragically Hip in Vancouver on the Road Apples tour
Divinyls are attracted to the seamier side of things
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 11, 1991 By Steve Newton Mark McEntee first met Christina Amphlett, his partner in the Divinyls, after seeing her perform in a religious choir at the Sydney Opera House. That’s right—we’re talking about the same Christina Amphlett who melts TV sets everywhere by prancing lewdly and lasciviously stroking … Continue reading Divinyls are attracted to the seamier side of things
The Replacements show Vancouver where the heart of rock ‘n’ roll really beats
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 4, 1991 By Steve Newton I felt a tad nerdish, not having seen the legendary Replacements up until last Friday (June 28). I’d heard that these four guys from Minneapolis were capable of heart-stopping performances, tempering thrashy sonic onslaughts with a Beatlesque pop sensibility that couldn’t lose. So … Continue reading The Replacements show Vancouver where the heart of rock ‘n’ roll really beats
Men Without Hats celebrate the good things in life
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 4, 1991 By Steve Newton From the sound of past pop ditties like “Safety Dance” and “Pop Goes the World”, you wouldn’t have expected Men Without Hats to eventually emerge as guitar-oriented hard-rockers. But even though the thundering power chords of the band’s latest single/video, “Sideways”—title track … Continue reading Men Without Hats celebrate the good things in life
Horror review: Oculus
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, APRIL 9, 2014 My 12-year-old son saw the trailer for Oculus recently and wasn’t impressed. “A haunted mirror?” snarked the pint-size critic. “Really? Why don’t they just smash it?” When I explained to him that this particular mirror wasn’t smashable—and that repeated poundings on its surface don’t even cause a crack—he countered sensibly that … Continue reading Horror review: Oculus
That time J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. didn’t feel like doing an interview
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 13, 1991 By Steve Newton J. Mascis is a man of few words—and many pauses, sighs, and yawns. That’s when he’s being interviewed, anyway. In concert, with his band Dinosaur Jr., Mascis creates quite a ruckus, as should be the case when the band plays 86 Street next … Continue reading That time J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. didn’t feel like doing an interview
Doobie Brothers deliver the goods but can’t pull a big crowd in Vancouver on the Brotherhood Tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 13, 1991 By Steve Newton Only 4,000 fans showed up for the Doobie Brothers show last Friday, which is not a particularly impressive turnout for any Coliseum act, least of all one that’s sold as many albums as the Doobies. Maybe the general consensus is that the Doobies aren’t hip—or even … Continue reading Doobie Brothers deliver the goods but can’t pull a big crowd in Vancouver on the Brotherhood Tour
Steve Morse transforms into a different kind of person at night
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 6, 1991 By Steve Newton Guitarist Steve Morse might not be one of the best-known instrumental recording artists around; he’s certainly not as familiar to the general record-buying public as someone like Jeff Beck or Joe Satriani—or even the new-found phenomenon Eric Johnson. But the folks that do know him know … Continue reading Steve Morse transforms into a different kind of person at night
The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston recalls being nuts in the ’70s
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 6, 1991 By Steve Newton The five members of the Doobie Brothers that pull into the Pacific Coliseum on Friday (June 7) will be the same five guys that posed nearly naked on the racy (for 1972) fold-out sleeve of the breakthrough Toulouse Street album. They’re also the same gang that … Continue reading The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston recalls being nuts in the ’70s
Marty Friedman says Megadeth is kicking the most butt on the Clash of the Titans tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 30, 1991 By Steve Newton Marty Friedman is one happy camper. The Megadeth guitarist is soaking up the sunshine in El Paso, Texas, just hours away from the fifth show in the four-band Clash of the Titans tour of the Lone Star state, and he reports that things have been going … Continue reading Marty Friedman says Megadeth is kicking the most butt on the Clash of the Titans tour
Shadowy Men learned to play by mimicking Alice Cooper and the Sex Pistols
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 16, 1991 By Steve Newton Plenty of rock ’n’ roll groups have risen from unlikely beginnings, but the Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet were shoved into the spotlight in a particularly unusual way—their first gig was the result of a dare to open for the band that … Continue reading Shadowy Men learned to play by mimicking Alice Cooper and the Sex Pistols
The Kentucky Headhunters are a hillbilly version of the Beach Boys
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 2, 1991 By Steve Newton Anybody out there remember the old Davy Crockett TV show, starring Fess Parker as the coonskin-capped Tennessee woodsman who’d go in the bushes with a grizzly bear and a Bowie knife and come out with just the knife? Anybody ever own one of those coonskin caps, … Continue reading The Kentucky Headhunters are a hillbilly version of the Beach Boys
David Gogo recalls his first encounter with Stevie Ray Vaughan
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 2, 1991 By Steve Newton A lot of people dream about meeting their favourite musicians, and sometimes those dreams even come true. For this scribbler, that first magic moment came when I ran into Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham at the Pacific Coliseum back in ’78. After his … Continue reading David Gogo recalls his first encounter with Stevie Ray Vaughan