bev davies photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 6, 1999 By Steve Newton I’ve seen some funny things at rock concerts over the years, but one of the funniest goes way back to 1981, when the original Motörhead opened for Ozzy Osbourne at the acoustically absurd Kerrisdale Arena. Lemmy Kilmister and the boys were in full … Continue reading Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister says his secret to staying alive is not dyin’
Smokin’ Joe Kubek thanks Jimmie Vaughan for turning him on to barbecued bologna
I knew a Smokin’ Joe once. He was a driftin’ country musician who moved into the duplex next door to my party pad in Chilliwack.
Tal Bachman follows his famous father up the charts with “She’s So High”
Like many Canadian music fans whose rock mentality was shaped in the ’70s, I have distinct recollections of Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s heyday.
Tom Cochrane writes about things that are real and count on xray sierra
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 18, 1999 By Steve Newton When I was 12 years old, my beloved teenage brother drowned in a slough near our home, and ever since that day I’ve felt a connection to rock music that breaches the tenuous barrier between life and death. The first few times I heard Blue Oyster … Continue reading Tom Cochrane writes about things that are real and count on xray sierra
Mötley Crüe’s scuzzy antics in Vancouver make the Newt pine for Brownsville Station
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 1, 1999 By Steve Newton So why would I want to go see Mötley Crüe when I don’t even care for its juvenile brand of exploitative crotch-rock? Good question. Maybe it was because I wanted one last look at the unseemly underbelly of ’80s rock, one last wander through that wasteland … Continue reading Mötley Crüe’s scuzzy antics in Vancouver make the Newt pine for Brownsville Station
Gordon Downie thanks Bruce Allen for making the Tragically Hip famous in Vancouver
mike chernoff photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 18, 1999 By Steve Newton I’ve always been mightily impressed by the Tragically Hip’s live presentation. It didn’t matter which venue I’d see them in—whether it was the wee Railway Club or sprawling T-Bird Stadium, the classic Commodore or scenic Seabird Island—I always went away fully, completely satisfied. … Continue reading Gordon Downie thanks Bruce Allen for making the Tragically Hip famous in Vancouver
Falcons guitarist Mike Beddoes says the Jaguar is the most Fender of all the Fenders
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 11, 1999 Vancouver instro-rockers the Falcons recently had their independent CD, Queen of Diamonds, chosen as best album of 1998 by the U.K.’s influential surf-music magazine Pipeline. As lead guitarist and main songwriter Mike Beddoes explains, that’s a far better reaction than he got the first time he … Continue reading Falcons guitarist Mike Beddoes says the Jaguar is the most Fender of all the Fenders
Hole’s Eric Erlandson gets pissy if you mistake Billy Corgan’s guitar for his
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 25, 1999 By Steve Newton When Eric Erlandson cofounded Hole with Courtney Love in L.A. 10 years ago, the two rockers had one simple aim in mind. As Erlandson explains on the phone from his L.A. home, they just wanted to be a “big, huge rock band”—but only if they could … Continue reading Hole’s Eric Erlandson gets pissy if you mistake Billy Corgan’s guitar for his
Martin Bryant’s rampage inspired Jeff Lang’s gun-control plea on Cedar Grove
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 25, 1999 By Steve Newton Two years ago I was offered a free trip to Toronto to interview Aerosmith, who were tirelessly promoting their then-new CD Nine Lives. Since I’d never been to T.O., I put on my Media Slut From Hell cap and agreed to spend some of Sony Music’s … Continue reading Martin Bryant’s rampage inspired Jeff Lang’s gun-control plea on Cedar Grove
David Gogo preps for the Big 3-O with acoustic and electric discs
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 28, 1999 By Steve Newton When I phoned David Gogo two years ago to chat about his then-new live album, Dine Under the Stars, he answered the call with “Davey Wayne Gogo here,” a slight swipe at Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the Stevie Ray Vaughan–inspired upstart of the day. This time around, … Continue reading David Gogo preps for the Big 3-O with acoustic and electric discs
Galactic Cowboys meld melodicism and raunch on At the End of the Day
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 21, 1999 By Steve Newton Few bands straddle the line between pop and metal as skillfully as the Galactic Cowboys. On the Texas quartet’s latest CD, At the End of the Day, they meld melodicism and raunch so winningly that it’s hard to tell if these Cowboys are … Continue reading Galactic Cowboys meld melodicism and raunch on At the End of the Day
Texas Strat-strangler Kenny Wayne Shepherd goes all Stevie Ray on Vancouver’s ass
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 14, 1999 By Steve Newton Guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan had a profound effect on a lot of people, and 21-year-old blues-rock whiz kid Kenny Wayne Shepherd is one of them. As the story goes, Shepherd developed his Stevie Ray obsession at the age of seven when the Texas Strat-strangler sat … Continue reading Texas Strat-strangler Kenny Wayne Shepherd goes all Stevie Ray on Vancouver’s ass
Genesis box set goes heavy on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 17, 1998 By Steve Newton Before paying the hefty list price for this boxed set, you’ll want to make sure you’re a big fan of Genesis’s 1974 double album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, because a live version of it—recorded at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium in January of … Continue reading Genesis box set goes heavy on The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway