By Steve Newton I loved Canadian rockers The Pursuit of Happiness back in the day. Their 1988 debut album, the Todd Rundgren-produced Love Junk, was jam-packed with catchy power-pop tunes. The band's 1990 followup, One-Sided Story, was also produced by Rundgren, and though not as consistently impressive as Love Junk, boasted some strong tracks as … Continue reading That time The Pursuit of Happiness’s Moe Berg told me how much of a Todd Rundgren fan he was
That time Todd Rundgren told me that one of the greatest recording experiences of his life was with TPOH
By Steve Newton Todd Rundgren has some amazing credits as a producer. He's helmed such influential and/or successful albums as Badfinger's Straight Up, the New York Dolls' selt-titled debut, Grand Funk's We're an American Band, and Meat Loaf's multiplatinum Bat Out of Hell. He also helmed an LP near and dear to the hearts of … Continue reading That time Todd Rundgren told me that one of the greatest recording experiences of his life was with TPOH
UFO bassist Pete Way left his musical mark on some of the wickedest rock tunes of the seventies
By Steve Newton Hard-rock bassist Pete Way passed away yesterday at the age of 69, two months after sustaining life-threatening injuries in an accident at home. He was known for his work with bands such as Fastway and Waysted, but mostly for his lengthy tenure with the highly underrated UFO, of which he was a … Continue reading UFO bassist Pete Way left his musical mark on some of the wickedest rock tunes of the seventies
That time Joe Satriani told me that he vowed to take up guitar on the day Jimi Hendrix died
By Steve Newton Jimi Hendrix has to be the most influential electric guitarist of all time. Joe Satriani surely wouldn't argue the point. When I did the first of my eight interviews with Satch back in 1990, after the release of Flying in a Blue Dream, I asked him if it was true that he … Continue reading That time Joe Satriani told me that he vowed to take up guitar on the day Jimi Hendrix died
That time I asked Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger who his alltime favourite rock musician was
By Steve Newton It's been said by many that, as far as Nickelback goes, you either love 'em or hate 'em. I disagree. They aren't my favourite band by any stretch, but I'm not a serious hater either. I mean, they've got loud guitars and a wicked drummer. Who hates that? I interviewed mainman Chad … Continue reading That time I asked Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger who his alltime favourite rock musician was
That time Canadian guitar wizard Jack Semple told me about winning the 1992 Guitar Warz competition
By Steve Newton Canada isn't really known for its abundance of guitar wizards. I mean, you've got your Lenny Breau--"The Humbler", according to Danny Gatton--and guys like Jeff Healey. And Neil Young has been known to crank out a tasty note or two. But for the most part the Great White North isn't known as … Continue reading That time Canadian guitar wizard Jack Semple told me about winning the 1992 Guitar Warz competition
Nickelback and guitar hero Dave Martone join forces on Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”
By Steve Newton "Shitkicker heaven!" That's what Bill Paxton's vampire character hollers when he enters that redneck bar before chomping on necks in the horror flick Near Dark. It's also what I thought as soon as I saw the promo for Nickelback's version of Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", featuring Vancouver's Dave … Continue reading Nickelback and guitar hero Dave Martone join forces on Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”
Martin Birch’s finest moments with Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Blue Öyster Cult
By Steve Newton If you're fan of hard rock and metal you've no doubt already heard that Martin Birch, the preeminent producer of loud rock, passed away recently at the age of 71. I've interviewed my fair share of hard-rock producers, including the formerly Vancouver-based triumvirate of Bruce Fairbairn, Bob Rock, and Mike Fraser, but … Continue reading Martin Birch’s finest moments with Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Blue Öyster Cult
Martin Birch, producer of unforgettable hard-rock/metal albums, dies at 71
By Steve Newton It's a sad day for fans of '70s and '80s hard-rock and heavy-metal. Martin Birch, who produced and/or engineered more popular metal albums than most anyone, died earlier today at the age of 71. Birch produced such monumental loud-rock albums as Rainbow's Rising, Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell, Blue Oyster Cult's Fire … Continue reading Martin Birch, producer of unforgettable hard-rock/metal albums, dies at 71
That time Steve Earle raved to me about the influence of Elvis and the generosity of Springsteen
By Steve Newton I've interviewed Steve Earle five times, 'cause he's one of my favourite all-time songwriters. The first time was back in May of 1987, two weeks before the official release of his second album, Exit O. ("It's Exit Zero", he explained to me when I tried pronouncing it "Exit Oh".) At one point … Continue reading That time Steve Earle raved to me about the influence of Elvis and the generosity of Springsteen
That time the Cadillac Tramps’ Gabby Gaborno told me that if he feels something he does it
By Steve Newton The Cadillac Tramps were one of the wildest live bands around in the early nineties. They were right up there with the Beat Farmers. Matter of fact, when I interviewed Tramps frontman Gabby Gaborno in November of 1991 the punk-rockers from Orange County, California were on tour opening for the Farmers. Now … Continue reading That time the Cadillac Tramps’ Gabby Gaborno told me that if he feels something he does it
Peter Green’s masterful guitarwork lights up vinyl release of unearthed Fleetwood Mac live and demo tracks
By Steve Newton The blues-guitar world lost one of its finest practitioners last month when Peter Green passed away at the age of 73. But hardcore Greeny fans can take some solace in the fact that a new collection of previously unreleased recordings, Fleetwood Mac Before the Beginning Vol 2: Live & Demo Sessions 1970, … Continue reading Peter Green’s masterful guitarwork lights up vinyl release of unearthed Fleetwood Mac live and demo tracks
That time drum great Terry Bozzio told me about auditioning for Thin Lizzy at Gary Moore’s request
By Steve Newton As anyone who's read my stuff over the years will attest, I'm a huge Thin Lizzy fan. Anytime I get a chance to include a little tidbit about that band in my blogs I go for it. So the other day as I was digitizing my 2003 interview with drum great Terry … Continue reading That time drum great Terry Bozzio told me about auditioning for Thin Lizzy at Gary Moore’s request