chris cameron photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 23, 1987 By Steve Newton A healthy-sized crowd of 12,000 packed the Pacific Coliseum last Friday (October 16) for a Motley Crue concert, but for a lot of people the main attraction was Whitesnake, the group that has lately taken over from Bon Jovi as the most popular hard … Continue reading Wicked Whitesnake blows corny Crue off the stage in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 18, 1987 By Steve Newton Not too many bands make it to the 20-year mark. But Scottish rockers Nazareth will reach that milestone next year. Singer Dan McCafferty, guitarist Manny Charlton, bassist Pete Agnew, and drummer Darrell Sweet have been kicking royal butt for nigh-on two decades now, and with the … Continue reading Nazareth’s Dan McCafferty says Manny Charlton was writing good tunes for Cinema, so they used ’em
kirk west photo By Steve Newton As I’ve said before on my other posts about Dickey Betts, I just like hearing the dude’s voice. If you do too, here’s another audio excerpt from my interview with the guitar legend from July of 1992, which–for those who struggle with the math–was over a quarter-century ago. At … Continue reading That time I asked Dickey Betts why the Allmans weren’t playing “Ramblin’ Man” live in ’92
By Steve Newton I interviewed guitar legend Steve Howe for the third time in 2017, in advance of a Yes show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. Near the end of the conversation I asked the 70-year-old fretmaster who he’d been listening to in his spare time, which led to him naming some of his … Continue reading Steve Howe lists his favourite guitarists, calls Steve Morse “phenomenal!”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 14, 1991 By Steve Newton First it was Johnny Cougar, then John Cougar, then John Cougar Mellencamp, and now John Mellencamp. On his next album he’ll probably just be John. But that’s okay, ’cause names aren’t important when your music’s as brilliant as it is on Whenever … Continue reading Album review: John Mellencamp, Whenever We Wanted (1991)
By Steve Newton The Allman Brothers‘ At Fillmore East has long been regarded as one of the finest concert albums of all time, and you won’t get any argument from me about that. But it’s not the band’s only great live LP. Back in 1992 I did my third interview with ABB guitarist Dickey Betts, … Continue reading That time I asked Dickey Betts if the Allman Brothers’ new live album captured the band as well as At Fillmore East
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 12, 1991 By Steve Newton I know, I know—you can’t win. Just when you’ve finally replaced all your cherished Lynyrd Skynyrd LPs with half a dozen CDs, along comes a 3-CD box set that covers the entire course of the classic southern rock band’s ill-fated career. Well, don’t … Continue reading The Definitive Lynyrd Skynyrd Collection is a must-have for hardcore Skynyrd fans
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 25, 1987 By Steve Newton No-frills rock ‘n’ roll is something that’s always been close to this scribbler’s heart. From the basic guitar/bass/drums sound to the jeans/-t-shirt/runners wardrobe, it’s the type of music that makes the ordinary person on the street think: “Yeah, I can relate to that.” AC/DC is a prime … Continue reading Nazareth survives its hangover to blast “Razamanaz” and rowdy-up Vancouver on a Sunday night
kirk west photo By Steve Newton Warren Haynes is one of my alltime favourite guitarists, singers, and songwriters, so any chance I get to interview him I take. I’ve chatted with him five times for stories on Gov’t Mule, and once–back in 1994–when he was speaking as a member of the fabled Allman Brothers Band. … Continue reading Warren Haynes says he’s open to playing with former Allman Brothers bandmate Dickey Betts again
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 23, 1990 By Steve Newton When Swedish guitar whiz Yngwie Malmsteen burst onto the hard-rock scene in ’84 with the Rising Force album, he took a lot of people by surprise—and it wasn’t just his funny name (pronounced “Ing-vay”) that did it. Malmsteen was a classically influenced speed-demon, … Continue reading Album review: Yngwie Malmsteen, Eclipse (1990)
kirk west photo By Steve Newton If you’re a dedicated fan of the Allman Brothers Band, you no doubt own a copy of their historic 1971 live album, At Fillmore East. Of course, that double disc was highlighted by the amazing slide-guitar talents of Duane Allman, who died in a motorcycle crash three months after its … Continue reading That time I asked Dickey Betts if it was tough picking tunes for the Allman Brothers’ live album of ’92
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 4, 1987 By Steve Newton Heart has come a long way from the days when they used to play high-school dances and small-town community halls across B.C. They drew 12,000 fans to the Pacific Coliseum last Friday (August 28), and the predominance of David Bowie and Huey … Continue reading Heart singer Ann Wilson’s passionate wails can still send a shiver up the spine in 1987
By Steve Newton Back in 1997 I did my one and only interview with guitar legend Link Wray, and man was that cool. He’s always been one of those players who never got the credit he deserved, considering how influential he was. Those boneheads down at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame haven’t even … Continue reading That time Link Wray told me why he became a rocker
