ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 14, 2002 By Steve Newton It’s been 36 years since guitarist-vocalist Kim Simmonds founded British boogie-blues band Savoy Brown, and he’s kept the name alive through constant touring and steady CD releases. But the undying outfit might have been wiped out for good in a torrent of jet fuel and tumbling … Continue reading Kim Simmonds keeps the spirit of Savoy Brown alive for ’70s-rock holdouts
Blue Öyster Cult’s Buck Dharma likes making people strain to hear
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 24, 2002 By Steve Newton As a metal-crazed teen in the ’70s, I was obsessed with Long Island hard-rockers Blue Öyster Cult. I used to blow all my lawn-mowing money on their albums and play them at ear-busting volume for hours on end, even though I had trouble making out the … Continue reading Blue Öyster Cult’s Buck Dharma likes making people strain to hear
The Word gets the Newt off his ass and down to the Commodore to hear “Joyful Sounds” and Hendrix
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 24, 2002 By Steve Newton A few hours before the Word took the stage at the Commodore last Saturday (January 19), I was reclining in my cozy New West living room, barely awake. The idea of driving downtown in the pissing rain to see a band that wasn’t … Continue reading The Word gets the Newt off his ass and down to the Commodore to hear “Joyful Sounds” and Hendrix
Smash Mouth’s Greg Camp thinks Steely Dan is “pretty snobby”
The catchy "All Star", which had already been a huge hit off the group’s 1999 Astro Lounge CD, was written by guitarist Greg Camp.
Nikki Sixx says he’d turn down Rock Hall: awesome, more room for Rory
By Steve Newton Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx declared on his Facebook page yesterday that he'd "probably" turn down induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fvckin-AAA! That just leaves more room for more deserving types like Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, and Link Wray. Here's Sixx's post, complete with grammatical errors: The only … Continue reading Nikki Sixx says he’d turn down Rock Hall: awesome, more room for Rory
The Newt’s top 10 albums of 2014: yep, AC/DC’s on there
AC/DC Rock or Bust With the help of Langley’s Mike Fraser as engineer and mixer, the Australian hard-rock icons create a fitting follow-up to 2008’s hugely successful Black Ice album. Its first-ever album without stalwart rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young shows the band in fine, swaggering form. Pink Floyd The Endless River The prog-rock legends’ first album in … Continue reading The Newt’s top 10 albums of 2014: yep, AC/DC’s on there
Scorpions alumni will infest Seattle, sting no one in Van
Old-school hard-rock freaks in Vancouver—the ones who remember when The Tokyo Tapes was released, anyway—might want to consider a couple of road trips to Washington State this winter. Two concerts featuring former members of the Scorpions are scheduled to take place in Seattle, but no local dates have been announced. Pity. First up is the XG Extreme Guitar … Continue reading Scorpions alumni will infest Seattle, sting no one in Van
Brent Butt + Craig Northey = “shits ‘n’ giggles”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 7, 2015 By Steve Newton When I talked to Vancouver-based comic and actor Brent Butt a couple months ago we spent most of the time chatting about how he came to make Corner Gas: The Movie, which he described as "the little-cherry-on-top kinda thing" in relation to his popular Corner Gas TV series, … Continue reading Brent Butt + Craig Northey = “shits ‘n’ giggles”
The Year in Fear: 21 horror-flick rankings with zero pandering
Just because the last horror movie I saw (The Babadook, above) was 2014's best doesn't mean it was a great year for horror. All told, I reviewed 21 fright flicks this year—if you count comedy trash like A Haunted House 2, actioners like RoboCop, and sci-fi/monster epics like Godzilla—and recommended just three of 'em. Yep, I'm a tough critic. So here's … Continue reading The Year in Fear: 21 horror-flick rankings with zero pandering
Major concert news: Newt’s buddy’s band will play the Chilliwack Senior High class of ’75 reunion
By Steve Newton It probably won't garner as much attention as the announcement of the upcoming AC/DC world tour, but I just found out that my old buddy's cover band is playing the 40-year reunion for the Chilliwack Senior High School class of 1975. So I guess I'll go. Here's the unofficial setlist. The band … Continue reading Major concert news: Newt’s buddy’s band will play the Chilliwack Senior High class of ’75 reunion
Even Ted Nugent wants to get backstage to meet Nickelback as Silver Side Up storms the charts
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CALGARY STRAIGHT, DEC. 6, 2001 By Steve Newton If you want to know how well Nickelback lead vocalist, guitarist, and lyricist Chad Kroeger’s musical career is going, you only need look as far as the 27-year-old rocker’s Langley home. He just put in a hot tub. And had the pool enlarged. … Continue reading Even Ted Nugent wants to get backstage to meet Nickelback as Silver Side Up storms the charts
My interview with 18-year-old Jordan Cook, long before he ruled as Reignwolf
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 6, 2001 By Steve Newton A lot of musicians catch the music bug early on in life, though usually not as early as 18-year-old blues guitarist Jordan Cook. After he was born, the first thing Cook heard on a regular basis was the sound of his dad taking blues-guitar lessons. “It … Continue reading My interview with 18-year-old Jordan Cook, long before he ruled as Reignwolf
Man or Astro-Man? goes far beyond instro-rock on A Spectrum of Infinite Scale
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 13, 2001 You don’t really picture Atlanta, Georgia, as a hotbed for instro-rock. I mean, that’s where the Black Crowes are from, and where the mighty Skynyrd ruled in the ’70s. But according to Birdstuff, the drummer and official spokesperson for Man or Astro-Man?, it’s as good a … Continue reading Man or Astro-Man? goes far beyond instro-rock on A Spectrum of Infinite Scale