ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 7, 1996 By Steve Newton When word went out over the local airwaves one July morning last year that the Tragically Hip were playing a tiny Vancouver club that night to raise funds for the Vancouver Food Bank—and give 200 or so of their die-hard fans the thrill of a lifetime—pandemonium … Continue reading My fifth and final interview with Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 17, 1984 By Steve Newton On the strength of their third album, Hammer on a Drum, Vancouver’s Payola$ have been nominated in nine categories of 1984’s CARAS -sponsored Tribute to West Coast Music. As well as Group of the Year and Album of the Year, the group has two tunes in … Continue reading The Payola$’ Paul Hyde talks coproducer Mick Ronson and rock idols Ian Hunter and Alex Harvey
INTERVIEWS WITH VANCOUVER TALENT AGE OF ELECTRIC blasts pure pop on Make a Pest a Pet (1997) Guitar idol DON ALDER finds one fan at a time (2012) ANNIHILATOR’s Jeff Waters is getting into the “old hard-rock stuff” again (1990) LONG JOHN BALDRY on Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Davie Bowie–and Images in Vogue (1985) ART … Continue reading from the ‘hood
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 27, 1990 By Steve Newton Gaye Delorme would have been a good choice for one of those old American Express commercials, where some faceless celebrity says, “Do you recognize me? Not many people do…” before his famous name pops up, imprinted on the credit card. Problem is, Gaye Delorme’s name isn’t … Continue reading My one and only interview with Canadian guitar great Gaye Delorme
By Steve Newton On December 20, 1993, Blind Melon played Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom. It was a benefit for the Vancouver Food Bank as part of a plea deal stemming from charges against singer Shannon Hoon for an incident that occurred two months earlier when he’d gotten naked on stage and peed into the front row at … Continue reading Blind Melon plays Vancouver, Shannon Hoon holds his piss
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 3, 1993 By Steve Newton On the way home from the Coliseum after last Sunday’s Bon Jovi show, I flicked on CFOX to hear Bruce Allen‘s talk show, Sound Off. Now, I don’t know if Allen is currently trying to wangle the job of managing the New Jersey … Continue reading Richie Sambora steals the show from Jon as Bon Jovi hits Vancouver
By Steve Newton On January 19, 1984, Black Sabbath was scheduled to play the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. The British metal legends were touring behind their new album Born Again, their first and last one to feature Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. Also in the lineup–though not on the album–was former Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan. The show … Continue reading Black Sabbath cancels Born Again show in Vancouver, Tony Iommi says “If I go deaf I go deaf”
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 16, 2010 That pesky new legislation that sets you up for a roadside suspension after just one lousy drink sure is having an effect on folks. When Murray Atkinson of local rock band Swan drops by the Straight for an interview and I ask if he’d rather go for a coffee or … Continue reading Swan’s debut album hits all the right notes
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 5, 1993 By Steve Newton Whatever happened to Steve Hackett? Good question. Considering how visible all four of his former bandmates in Genesis have been, Hackett has been conspicuously absent from the music scene. Or at least it seems that way here in North America. But in actual fact, the 43-year-old … Continue reading Steve Hackett says that everyone he’s ever played with in Genesis has managed to write at least one incredible song
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JULY 25, 2013 By Steve Newton When a veteran rocker calls in the midst of doing a major North American tour, it’s pretty common for him to use terms like amazing and awesome in response to the journalist’s tried-and-true icebreaker: “So, how’s the tour going?” But when Jason Newsted rings in … Continue reading Ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted says that, with his new band, you work twice as hard for half as much
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 5, 1993 By Steve Newton Big Country? You mean those guys from Scotland who had the guitars that sounded like bagpipes? Didn’t they have a hit song back in ’83 called “In a Big Country”? Yeah, I remember the chorus: “In a big country dreams stay with you, like a lover’s … Continue reading Big Country’s Stuart Adamson plays just what he feels
bev davies photo By Steve Newton On January 21, 1984, B.B. King was in the midst of a two-week stand at the Plazazz Showroom in North Vancouver, and I got the thrill of my blues-loving life when I sat down with him in his hotel room and asked him a bunch of questions. Some of … Continue reading B.B. King plays Vancouver in 1984, Newt gets the scoop (and a photo)
By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed a lot of incredible bluesmen over the years, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Albert Collins, and Roy Buchanan. But far and away the nicest was B.B. King. Famed Vancouver punk-rock photographer Bev Davies snapped this shot of me ‘n’ B.B. in his hotel room at the Plazazz Showroom in … Continue reading B.B. King: The nicest bluesman I ever met
