Aussie guitar wizard Tommy Emmanuel on playing with Chet Atkins and looking after Lenny Breau

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 5, 1994 By Steve Newton When I was in my early 20s, I made what for me was a major investment. I bought a near-new, shiny black Fender Stratocaster. The fact that I couldn’t even play guitar at the time didn’t matter; I figured anything that cool-looking had to sound good, … Continue reading Aussie guitar wizard Tommy Emmanuel on playing with Chet Atkins and looking after Lenny Breau

The Church catches a buzz with its Gold Afternoon Fix

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 28, 1990 By Steve Newton The title of the latest Church album could be taken a couple of different ways, depending on whether you gravitate more toward the hippie or the yuppie lifestyle. For ’60s counter-culture rejects, the phrase Gold Afternoon Fix might conjure images of lazy mid-days … Continue reading The Church catches a buzz with its Gold Afternoon Fix

Rivers run deep on Sonny Landreth’s South of I-10

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 13, 1995 By Steve Newton Unless you’re a devoted follower of critically acclaimed slide guitarists—or the type of music fan that analyzes the musician credits on CD liner notes—you might not have heard of Louisiana singer-songwriter-guitarist Sonny Landreth. He’s been around for a long time, though, and he’s even been up … Continue reading Rivers run deep on Sonny Landreth’s South of I-10

Kim Mitchell hits 40 and just keeps getting wet with life

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 6, 1992 By Steve Newton Used to be that whenever you saw Kim Mitchell’s name on an album’s liner notes the name of his lyricist, Pye Dubois, would be right there beside it. But Dubois’ moniker is nowhere to be found on Mitchell’s latest release, Aural Fixations. Seems the long-time songwriting … Continue reading Kim Mitchell hits 40 and just keeps getting wet with life

Guitar god Danny Gatton says Lenny Breau is the biggest humbler of all time

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 22, 1993 By Steve Newton Guitar World magazine called him “the world’s greatest unknown guitarist”. Guitar Player ran his photo on the cover with his face behind a mask, while inside they asked: “What famous guitarist could outplay him?” So how come virtuoso guitarman Danny Gatton is so underexposed? “Well, there’s … Continue reading Guitar god Danny Gatton says Lenny Breau is the biggest humbler of all time

Robert Plant says young girls still whimper as he walks past

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 30, 1993 By Steve Newton Robert Plant is one of the best-known rock stars in the world. He’s certainly one of the best-known rock stars I’ve ever had the opportunity to chat with. So when he calls from New York and I ask him how he’s doing, the last thing I … Continue reading Robert Plant says young girls still whimper as he walks past

Anthrax singer John Bush looks back on Armored Saint with no regrets

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 2, 1993 By Steve Newton The metal world got quite a shock when it was announced last year that original Anthrax vocalist Joey Belladonna was leaving the band after 11 successful years. It got even more of a jolt when former Armored Saint vocalist John Bush jumped in to take Belladonna’s … Continue reading Anthrax singer John Bush looks back on Armored Saint with no regrets

Widespread Panic finds a home on Phil Walden’s resurrected Capricorn label

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 2, 1992 By Steve Newton If you were a fan of southern rock back in the days of vinyl, chances are you owned a couple of discs with the Capricorn label on them. With an early ’70s roster that included the Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, Elvin Bishop, … Continue reading Widespread Panic finds a home on Phil Walden’s resurrected Capricorn label

Badlands’ Jake E. Lee says that hearing Eddie Van Halen got him back into playing hard rock again

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 16, 1992 By Steve Newton Few guitarists have had to deal with the kind of expectations put on Jake E. Lee when he took over Randy Rhoads’ guitar spot in the Ozzy Osbourne band. Rhoads’ tragic death in a 1982 plane crash stunned the rock world and didn’t make things easy … Continue reading Badlands’ Jake E. Lee says that hearing Eddie Van Halen got him back into playing hard rock again

Worshipped as a god, Joan Jett just likes seeing fans smile

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 6, 1992 By Steve Newton When I mentioned I was going to be interviewing Joan Jett, one of my well-informed fellow workers said, “Well, be sure to ask her about the sect in California that worships her as a god.” So, when J.J. called from Minneapolis—in advance of her Saturday (February … Continue reading Worshipped as a god, Joan Jett just likes seeing fans smile

The Kentucky Headhunters are a hillbilly version of the Beach Boys

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 2, 1991 By Steve Newton Anybody out there remember the old Davy Crockett TV show, starring Fess Parker as the coonskin-capped Tennessee woodsman who’d go in the bushes with a grizzly bear and a Bowie knife and come out with just the knife? Anybody ever own one of those coonskin caps, … Continue reading The Kentucky Headhunters are a hillbilly version of the Beach Boys

Cult guitarist Billy Duffy says it all boils down to the Les Paul

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 25, 1989 By Steve Newton In the last few years, little old Vancouver has become a real attraction for top-name recording acts, rivaling some of the more established music centres in the world. Bon Jovi started the ball rolling by recording the zillion-selling Slippery When Wet album here in 1986, followed … Continue reading Cult guitarist Billy Duffy says it all boils down to the Les Paul

In the metal realm, it doesn’t get any better than AC/DC live

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 17, 1991 By Steve Newton So what’s a devoted rock critic to do when one of the genre’s most potent acts hits town for two back-to-back, sold-out shows? Does he pick one night and hope to hell it’s the best one? Not likely. He checks ’em both out, of course. Talk … Continue reading In the metal realm, it doesn’t get any better than AC/DC live