ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 6, 2003 By Steve Newton Unless you’re really up on your rock guitarists, Walter Trout may be the biggest guitar hero you’ve never heard of. In a 1993 BBC Radio 1 poll of the top 20 players of all time, Trout came in sixth, ahead of such six-string legends as Stevie … Continue reading Walter Trout has a spiritual bond with his Strat of 30 years
Craig Northey sung, plunked, plinked, and originally thinked Giddy Up
On the cover of his debut solo CD, Craig Northey is pictured playing guitar while kicking his left leg up to a painful-looking height.
Andy Powell says the Flying V has become a symbol of Wishbone Ash
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 20, 2003 By Steve Newton Every once in a while, when my wee home office gets too cramped from all the free CDs this job incurs, I take a deep breath and begin studying my stacks of record albums. Vinyl, baby—that’s where it used to be at. Now I scour those … Continue reading Andy Powell says the Flying V has become a symbol of Wishbone Ash
24-year-old Xavier Rudd wants to touch as many emotions as he can
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 6, 2003 By Steve Newton I remember seeing a one-man band as a kid once, and if memory serves, it was some middle-aged joker in a funny hat, blowing on a horn, fingering a ukulele, manipulating cymbals and a bass drum with his feet. The music scene has improved a lot … Continue reading 24-year-old Xavier Rudd wants to touch as many emotions as he can
The Wallflowers fail to enthrall a sell-out crowd in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 30, 2003 By Steve Newton I was feeling just a tad hesitant when setting off to review the Wallflowers’ gig last Friday (January 17). For one thing, the American band’s latest CD, Red Letter Days, hadn’t thrilled me. I knew that chrome-domed guitar ace Michael Ward—who’d provided the fine fretwork on … Continue reading The Wallflowers fail to enthrall a sell-out crowd in Vancouver
Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano thinks Mick Ronson was a genius
Last year Concrete Blonde released a CD that reunited the original lineup of Johnette Napolitano, James Mankey, and Harry Rushakoff.
Robert Cray soars on spectacular sound at Hard Rock Casino Vancouver
photo by Kevin Statham By Steve Newton I've seen a lot of electric guitar-based concerts in the last 30 years or so. Heck, one of the main reasons I became a music journalist back in '82 was to see a lot of electric guitar-based concerts. (That, and to get free albums.) But I honestly can't recall … Continue reading Robert Cray soars on spectacular sound at Hard Rock Casino Vancouver
Steve Earle asks the hardest of questions in the darkest of times
Steve Earle garnered a lot of attention last year for a song that put him in the shoes of captured Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh.
The Trailer Park Boys’ Mike Smith says he’s quite a bit like Bubbles
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 23, 2003 By Steve Newton In Trailer Park Boys—Showcase TV’s low-budget mockumentary series about dope-smoking, foul-mouthed lowlifes inhabiting a rundown (is there any other kind?) trailer park—it’s the little things that make you laugh. Like Julian’s (John Paul Tremblay’s) ever-present glass of rum ’n’ Coke. Whether he’s hanging around the trailer … Continue reading The Trailer Park Boys’ Mike Smith says he’s quite a bit like Bubbles
Patterson Hood on the Drive-By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera and the true meaning of Skynyrd
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 30, 2003 By Steve Newton It doesn’t seem likely in today’s musical climate that any band would record a 90-minute concept album about 1970s rock and southern U.S. culture, focusing on the legend of doomed Dixie rock act Lynyrd Skynyrd. It’s even more unlikely that such a CD would get critical … Continue reading Patterson Hood on the Drive-By Truckers’ Southern Rock Opera and the true meaning of Skynyrd
Guitar great Robben Ford on playing with George Harrison and his new Vancouver pal Long John Baldry
Blues fans planning to attend Long John Baldry’s annual birthday bash at the Commodore will get a little extra bang for their buck this year.
Steve Stevens’ sparkly Les Pauls rule at Billy Idol’s Vancouver show
all awesome iPhone photos by the Newt By Steve Newton You've got to give Billy Idol credit. For a guy whose career peaked roughly three decades ago, he's hanging in there incredibly well. There's little flab on the 59-year-old's tanned bod, and his vocal cords are in fine shape too. Judging by his recent album, Kings … Continue reading Steve Stevens’ sparkly Les Pauls rule at Billy Idol’s Vancouver show
Fingerstyle guitarist and Beatles freak Steven King is scary good
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 30, 2002 By Steve Newton Steven King may not be as well known as the horror scribe who spells his name differently, but he’s been winning acclaim as a technically boggling acoustic fingerstyle guitarist since 1994. That was the year King claimed the U.S. National Fingerpicking Championship, performing … Continue reading Fingerstyle guitarist and Beatles freak Steven King is scary good