As Above/So Below is a descent into shaky-cam hell

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 1, 2014 By Steve Newton I've seen plenty of shaky-cam fright flicks since The Blair Witch Project jittered its way to horror fame back in '99, but the ultra-jittery As Above/So Below really pushes the limits of what any reasonable found-footage fan can take. It's a real shame, too, because director John Erick Dowdle--whose credits … Continue reading As Above/So Below is a descent into shaky-cam hell

Johnny Winter is white, hot, and blue in Vancouver

On September 1, 1989, Johnny Winter played the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. The chance to witness the underrated Texas guitar legend in the confines of one of Vancouver's finest concert venues (for the second time) was not one I was about to pass up. Besides, at the time I was really grooving on his latest album, … Continue reading Johnny Winter is white, hot, and blue in Vancouver

Rory Gallagher and Stevie Ray Vaughan box-set announcements make the Newt holler “fuckin-AAA!”

photo by Bob Geldof. Yes, that Bob Geldof By Steve Newton It's been a wonderful week for fans of blues-rockin' Strat masters Rory Gallagher and Stevie Ray Vaughan. First off came the announcement on Tuesday that on October 20 Sony Music/Legacy Recordings will release the 40th-anniversary expanded deluxe-edition of Gallagher's Irish Tour '74 album. That … Continue reading Rory Gallagher and Stevie Ray Vaughan box-set announcements make the Newt holler “fuckin-AAA!”

All the Oscar-winners in the world can’t make The Calling memorable

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUG. 29, 2014 With its pitch-black humour, quirky characters, and desolate small-town vibe—not to mention those furry-earmuff cop hats—The Calling seems like it might be trying to be a horror flick for the Fargo set. Unfortunately, even with a cast that includes Oscar winners Susan Sarandon and Ellen Burstyn and the scene-stealing Donald Sutherland, The … Continue reading All the Oscar-winners in the world can’t make The Calling memorable

13 Engines are runaway locomotives at the Town Pump in Vancouver

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 15, 1991 By Steve Newton 13 Engines once played a gig in Memphis to a total of two people, which is less of a crowd than most bands get at rehearsals. But the Toronto foursome did a heckuva lot better than that at the Town Pump last week (August 7), pulling … Continue reading 13 Engines are runaway locomotives at the Town Pump in Vancouver

Rowdy metal fans bleed for Savatage in Vancouver on the Gutter Ballet Tour

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 6, 1990 By Steve Newton It was supposed to be a triple-bill of American recording acts, featuring Atlantic’s Savatage, Def American’s Trouble, and MCA’s Spread Eagle, and that combination could well have resulted in the year’s top metal triple-bill. But as bad luck would have it, Trouble and … Continue reading Rowdy metal fans bleed for Savatage in Vancouver on the Gutter Ballet Tour

The Northern Pikes’ Bryan Potvin still plays air-guitar to the Tragically Hip

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 23, 1990 By Steve Newton “Never judge lovers by good-looking covers,” warned Phil Lynott on “Romeo and the Lonely Girl”, a track from Thin Lizzy’s classic ’76 album, Jailbreak. Bryan Potvin of the Northern Pikes didn’t heed Lynott’s advice and paid the price, as evidenced by “She Ain't … Continue reading The Northern Pikes’ Bryan Potvin still plays air-guitar to the Tragically Hip

John Doe goes solo on some “basic roots shit” but that doesn’t mean X is dead

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 2, 1990 By Steve Newton Some rock musicians, when you ask them about their music, go to great lengths to describe the sounds they create. Not John Doe. "It's your basic roots shit," says the recently-gone-solo former bassist/vocalist for California's X. "But we try to keep twisting it … Continue reading John Doe goes solo on some “basic roots shit” but that doesn’t mean X is dead

Stevie Ray Vaughan says “it’s good to be alive with you” at his final Vancouver show, five weeks before the crash

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 26, 1990 By Steve Newton As far as arena spectacles go, Sunday's (July 22) Stevie Ray Vaughan/Joe Cocker double-bill was pretty lame. No huge banks of lights, fancy lasers, or explosions. But there didn't need to be. Those who laid down bucks for the Coliseum show got their money back in … Continue reading Stevie Ray Vaughan says “it’s good to be alive with you” at his final Vancouver show, five weeks before the crash

Gun violence and AIDS misery inspire Concrete Blonde’s dark Bloodletting

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 1990 By Steve Newton If you listened to rock radio at all last year, most likely you came across Concrete Blonde’s hit tune, “God Is a Bullet”, a fuel-injected tirade against the proliferation of guns, particularly in the drug- and gang-infested core of urban L.A. Over a thundering backbeat and … Continue reading Gun violence and AIDS misery inspire Concrete Blonde’s dark Bloodletting

Interviewing kickass screen legend Pam Grier for the Snoop Dogg horror flick Bones

By Steve Newton One of the many fine memories from my 13-year stint as Vancouver correspondent for New York horror mag Fangoria involved interviewing screen legend Pam Grier when I was covering the Snoop Dogg flick Bones. I was expecting good things from Bones because I loved director Ernest Dickerson's previous fright flick, Demon Knight, but … Continue reading Interviewing kickass screen legend Pam Grier for the Snoop Dogg horror flick Bones

John Mayall recruits slide wizard Sonny Landreth for A Sense of Place, okays Eric Clapton sitting in

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 7, 1990 By Steve Newton When legendary bluesman John Mayall gets rolling on stage, he cuts right down to the roots of the blues. There’s nothing fancy about his approach to the music; with the help of his Bluesbreakers, he delivers it in all its raw and primitive … Continue reading John Mayall recruits slide wizard Sonny Landreth for A Sense of Place, okays Eric Clapton sitting in