ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 14, 1983 By Steve Newton "I've always had a love affair with whores," says Maurice Depas, lead singer for Vancouver's Maurice & the Cliches. He's responding to the suggestion that hookers and social outcasts were the main inspiration for several songs on his band's most recent album, C'est La Vie. "I … Continue reading Maurice and the Cliches found inspiration for C’est La Vie in the seamy side of Vancouver life
This year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival looks like six-string heaven for local guitar freaks
Paul Pigat with Big Lazy By Steve Newton This year's Vancouver Folk Music Festival, running from July 19 to 21 at Jericho Beach Park, is offering a diverse selection of traditional and contemporary folk, world, and roots-music artists from around the world and our own backyard. And fans of guitar-based music will be especially pleased … Continue reading This year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival looks like six-string heaven for local guitar freaks
Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend, June 7 to 9
Apollo Ghosts plays Music Waste By Steve Newton FRIDAY: disco-influenced British indie-rock band Yard Act plays the Rickshaw Theatre, with guests Font from Austin, Texas. SOLD OUT. FRIDAY: Vancouver roots-rock group the Graham Brown Band, featuring former Brilliant Orange frontman Graham Brown, performs tunes from its latest album Spirit and Soul at the Princeton Pub. … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend, June 7 to 9
The Guy Jones Band does quite well putting on super-duper Alice Cooper shows in B.C. bars
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 2, 1983 By Steve Newton Jim Stafford once did a song with the line "I don't like spiders and snakes"--but you'll never hear local rocker Guy Jones singing it. He loves them both, and the bigger the better. Tarantulas and boa constrictors are lovely creatures in Jones's books, and when he … Continue reading The Guy Jones Band does quite well putting on super-duper Alice Cooper shows in B.C. bars
That time Elton John complained about one of my concert reviews during one of his concerts
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 17, 2014 By Steve Newton You'd think that pop legend Elton John would be beyond caring what the critics think by now, right? Well, apparently he still reads the reviews. Even before they get in the paper. I wrote a pretty damn glowing online review of the Big E's show at Rogers Arena … Continue reading That time Elton John complained about one of my concert reviews during one of his concerts
Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this week, June 3 to 7
Run Lola Run screens at the Rio By Steve Newton MONDAY TO FRIDAY: True Tribal: Contemporary Expressions of Ancestral Tattoo Practices explores 30-plus years of Indigenous tattooing from around the world and showcases the artists who are reconnecting with traditional skin-marking practices, at the Museum of Vancouver. WEDNESDAY: Canadian-American jazz-guitar stylist Harrison Ivaz performs his … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this week, June 3 to 7
The 20 most memorable rock concerts I ever saw before becoming a music writer and getting in for free
By Steve Newton Before I started writing about music professionally and getting in to all the concerts for free I would make the 80-minute trek (70 MPH, no seatbelts) into Vancouver from my Chilliwack hometown and blow all my lawnmowing money to see my fave rock bands. I remember getting butterflies in my stomach when … Continue reading The 20 most memorable rock concerts I ever saw before becoming a music writer and getting in for free
Rick Scott says that Pied Pear is still pretty solid, despite the lack of folk venues in cosmopolitan Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 12, 1983 By Steve Newton "One thing about us," says Rick Scott of Pied Pear, "is that we write in all styles. We don't stay in one groove, and that's one of the reasons we haven't achieved the commercial success that people say you should be going for. Where the music … Continue reading Rick Scott says that Pied Pear is still pretty solid, despite the lack of folk venues in cosmopolitan Vancouver
Newt’s top 10 Vancouver concerts in June
Scott Smith and the Midnight Riders play the Shipyards By Steve Newton Spendo: Vancouver rock quintet performs tracks off its EP The Great Unknown, with guests Wise Youngblood. June 1 at the Red Room. Day of Music: a full day of free musical performances at various Vancouver locations culminates in an evening performance by the … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 Vancouver concerts in June
Five of Vancouver’s top musicians become Unsung Heroes to have fun in the clubs
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 10, 1983 By Steve Newton "I think we're exactly what our name signifies," says singer Nancy Nash of Unsung Heroes. "Not to be pompous, but the name Unsung Heroes refers to the people who are always doing the work behind the scenes. To me any star, or anybody who makes it, … Continue reading Five of Vancouver’s top musicians become Unsung Heroes to have fun in the clubs
That time Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys got Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour to sign his copy of Dark Side of the Moon
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 31, 2016 By Steve Newton Man, that Bubbles dude has it good these days. Not only is the googly-eyed bastard from Trailer Park Boys basking in the recent premiere of his show's 10th season on Netflix, but just the other day he probly got free tickets to see David Gilmour in concert. Then--along with fellow Sunnyvale … Continue reading That time Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys got Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour to sign his copy of Dark Side of the Moon
Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend, May 31 to June 2
derek carr photo Unleash the Archers plays the Rickshaw By Steve Newton FRIDAY: musical director Otto Tausk leads violinist Vadim Gluzman and the Vancouver Symphony in a program at the Orpheum Theatre that includes Tchaikovsky’s beloved Violin Concerto. FRIDAY: the B.C. Lions take on the Edmonton Elks in a Canadian Football League preseason game at … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend, May 31 to June 2
That time Steve Morse told me about his recent gig with Eddie Van Halen and Albert Lee at NAMM
By Steve Newton Back in May of 1991 I did my first interview with Steve Morse, who called me up from his home in the hills of Northern California. That was just after he’d released his fourth post-Dixie Dregs album, Southern Steel, and three years before he joined Deep Purple. Near the start of the interview … Continue reading That time Steve Morse told me about his recent gig with Eddie Van Halen and Albert Lee at NAMM