ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 20, 1990 By Steve Newton Challenge any devoted Melissa Etheridge fan to come up with the one element they appreciate most about the singer, and chances are they’ll pare it down to one thing: passion. When the diminutive Etheridge wraps her powerful lungs around a lusty tune like … Continue reading Melissa Etheridge says there’s another part of her that is brave and crazy
Guitar hero Tony MacAlpine praises the phrasing of George Lynch
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 6, 1990 By Steve Newton It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new hard-rock guitar wizard riffing out in your face. “Shredders” these guys are called—young hot-shots who’ve locked themselves in their rooms, practised 10 hours a day, and come out with the technical skills … Continue reading Guitar hero Tony MacAlpine praises the phrasing of George Lynch
My one and only interview with legendary bluesman Albert King
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 30, 1990 By Steve Newton The influence of the blues on British supergroups is well documented. The Stones, Zeppelin, Cream—they all lapped up the seminal works of people like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Howlin’ Wolf. Across the sea in Ireland, a young guitarist named Gary Moore also picked up on … Continue reading My one and only interview with legendary bluesman Albert King
The London Quireboys pulverize Vancouver (and Long John Baldry) with irresistible barroom boogie
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 16, 1990 By Steve Newton Rock critics are human too—they make mistakes. Like when I first saw the London Quireboys via their video for "7 O'clock". I figured they were just too much of a blatant Faces rip-off—right down to the guitarist's Ron Wood-type top hat. I even turned down the … Continue reading The London Quireboys pulverize Vancouver (and Long John Baldry) with irresistible barroom boogie
The Black Crowes are from Atlanta, but Chris Robinson never cared for southern rock
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 9, 1990 By Steve Newton Chris Robinson, of Atlanta, Georgia, was nine years old when southern-rock heroes Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded the historic live album One More from the Road at that city's Fox Theatre. Robinson was a little young for concerts at the time, but even if he'd been of age, … Continue reading The Black Crowes are from Atlanta, but Chris Robinson never cared for southern rock
My interview with Stevie Ray Vaughan the month before his death
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 19, 1990 By Steve Newton On the honker from Montreal, Stevie Ray Vaughan is a tad disoriented. It's 7:30 p.m. his time, but he's still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I just woke up," he explains. "Hope I'm not late. I looked at my watch and realized that I didn't … Continue reading My interview with Stevie Ray Vaughan the month before his death
Scatterbrain helps keep thrash out of the trash
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 12, 1990 By Steve Newton I don’t go to a lot of thrash-metal gigs—the overall effect is just too monotonous and ugly-sounding for these ears weaned on the melodic hard-rock of the ’70s. But once in a while a band with a strong thrash element comes along which … Continue reading Scatterbrain helps keep thrash out of the trash
The Church catches a buzz with its Gold Afternoon Fix
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 28, 1990 By Steve Newton The title of the latest Church album could be taken a couple of different ways, depending on whether you gravitate more toward the hippie or the yuppie lifestyle. For ’60s counter-culture rejects, the phrase Gold Afternoon Fix might conjure images of lazy mid-days … Continue reading The Church catches a buzz with its Gold Afternoon Fix
Steve Vai talks Frank Zappa, dream states, blowjobs, and Passion & Warfare
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 7, 1990 By Steve Newton In rock guitar circles, Steve Vai is the type of personality that Entertainment Tonight might giddily term hot. Walk into any magazine shop, glance at the rock ’n’ roll section, and chances are you’ll see the handsome, raven-haired guitarist grinning wickedly from a cover or two, his … Continue reading Steve Vai talks Frank Zappa, dream states, blowjobs, and Passion & Warfare
That time Martin Sheen charmed the f*** out of everyone on the Spawn junket
By Steve Newton Working for a newspaper for over 30 years does have it perks. Like that time in 1997 when I got got flown to Beverly Hills so I could hang out with a bunch of other entertainment journalists and listen to Martin Sheen talk about being in Spawn. Man that guy was cool. … Continue reading That time Martin Sheen charmed the f*** out of everyone on the Spawn junket
My fifth and final interview with Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 7, 1996 By Steve Newton When word went out over the local airwaves one July morning last year that the Tragically Hip were playing a tiny Vancouver club that night to raise funds for the Vancouver Food Bank—and give 200 or so of their die-hard fans the thrill of a lifetime—pandemonium … Continue reading My fifth and final interview with Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip
Dickey Betts rambles into Vancouver with a “wicked” Warren Haynes on slide
By Steve Newton On April 2, 1989, southern-rock legend Dickey Betts brought his new band to Vancouver for a show at the 86 Street Music Hall. One of the coolest things about that gig was that it was the Vancouver debut of 28-year-old guitarist Warren Haynes, who would go on to huge acclaim as the driving … Continue reading Dickey Betts rambles into Vancouver with a “wicked” Warren Haynes on slide
Horror review: In Fear
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 28, 2014 A couple of weeks ago the fine folks at Anchor Bay Entertainment sent me a DVD copy of their latest horror release, In Fear, a British film that saw only limited theatrical release in North America last year, and never even made it into Vancouver theatres. The cover … Continue reading Horror review: In Fear