ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 27, 2003 By Steve Newton Anders Osborne is not the type of singer-songwriter who’s easily categorized. The Sweden-raised, Louisiana-based bard is described in the liner notes for his 1999 Living Room CD as “a guitar wizard whose multifaceted grooves and soulful vocals evolve the link between second-line funk, … Continue reading Anders Osborne says that, when it comes to songwriting, “there’s not much to it”
B-movies and true tragedies inspire Canadian guitar wizard Don Ross
As a Beatles-crazed youngster growing up in Ontario, Ross originally wanted to be Ringo Starr—if only because he always drummed on things.
Bay Area guitar great Will Bernard says Carlos Santana and Joe Satriani are tough to beat
Will Bernard may be one of the best guitarists you’ve never heard of, but they sure know about him down in San Francisco.
The Cramps borrow Loverboy’s barricade to keep crazed Vancouver fans at bay
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 20, 1990 By Steve Newton What do squeaky-clean teen idols Loverboy and the crude 'n' demented Cramps have in common? Sweet-bugger-all, you say? Pretty close, but the Cramps did borrow Loverboy's barricade to use in front of the Commodore stage last Thursday (April 12). With a house full … Continue reading The Cramps borrow Loverboy’s barricade to keep crazed Vancouver fans at bay
.38 Special’s Donnie Van Zant on the origins of southern rock and the drive of Jacksonville bands
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 2, 1982 By Steve Newton .38 Special's July 5 gig at the Kerrisdale Arena has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales, and according to lead singer Donnie Van Zant "it's a real shame". The show would have been the band's second Vancouver appearance. Their latest album, Special Forces, is #27 … Continue reading .38 Special’s Donnie Van Zant on the origins of southern rock and the drive of Jacksonville bands
Omen IV set visit for Fangoria leads to Satanic 666 sighting in Vancouver
By Steve Newton The Omen was a great horror flick. You remember it, right? It starred Gregory Peck as an ambitious American diplomat on the way up with a young son named Damien who was the devil's spawn. That 1976 movie was jam-packed with shocking visuals: the rottweiler attack in the graveyard, the nanny hanging … Continue reading Omen IV set visit for Fangoria leads to Satanic 666 sighting in Vancouver
Danny Michel sticks with the DIY route on Tales From the Invisible Man
For the most part, Danny Michel wrote, produced, recorded, engineered, edited, programmed, and mixed his new CD, Tales From the Invisible Man.
B’z guitarist Tak Matsumoto speaks little English, lets his signature Les Paul do the talkin’
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 16, 2003 By Steve Newton Up until a few weeks ago, my knowledge of popular music in Japan was pretty slim. About all I knew for sure was that Cheap Trick used to cause a big stir over there in the ’70s when they played a place called Budokan. Turns out … Continue reading B’z guitarist Tak Matsumoto speaks little English, lets his signature Les Paul do the talkin’
The Cramps’ Poison Ivy says that what passes for rock ‘n’ roll isn’t
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 6, 1990 By Steve Newton Legend has it that B-movie mogul Samuel Z. Arkoff took an ass-backwards (but ultimately effective) approach to producing his low-budget films. First off he'd come up with a catchy title; then he'd build an advertising campaign around that title; and only then would he start shooting … Continue reading The Cramps’ Poison Ivy says that what passes for rock ‘n’ roll isn’t
How Black Was Our Sabbath lacks firsthand accounts of the metal masters’ early days
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 9, 2004 By Steve Newton How Black Was Our Sabbath By Graham Wright and David Tangye. Sidgwick & Jackson, 237 pp, $34.95, hardcover. The subtitle of this new book on British heavy-metal legends Black Sabbath is An Unauthorized View From the Crew, as it was penned by Dave Tangye … Continue reading How Black Was Our Sabbath lacks firsthand accounts of the metal masters’ early days
Sloan goes to town, ’70s guitar-rock style, on Action Pact
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 16, 2003 By Steve Newton When Sloan headed into an L.A. studio with producer Tom Rothrock earlier this year, diehard fans of the Halifax-bred power-pop quartet might have had cause for concern. The last two projects Rothrock had helmed at that point were Badly Drawn Boy’s Have You Fed the Fish … Continue reading Sloan goes to town, ’70s guitar-rock style, on Action Pact
Steve Vai on cocky G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen and tormented “genius” Devin Townsend
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 9, 2003 By Steve Newton I was a tad taken aback when the press release came in announcing the lineup for Joe Satriani’s 2003 G3 Tour. It wasn’t a surprise to see long-time G3er (and former Satch student) Steve Vai’s name on the bill. But I didn’t expect to see Yngwie … Continue reading Steve Vai on cocky G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen and tormented “genius” Devin Townsend
Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover on the Mark II reunion and the “uncompromising” Ritchie Blackmore
There's [Ritchie's] famous reputation for sacking Rainbow's musicians, but no one ever got sacked for doing a good job, you know what I mean?