ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 25, 2001 By Steve Newton Most aging rock fans have a little Pink Floyd story to tell. Mine revolves around the last time I saw the British prog-rock kings—sans Roger Waters, sadly—playing at B.C. Place in 1994. We were sitting in one of the media booths, and an inebriated Ryan O’Neal … Continue reading Former Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford helps turn Pink Floyd blue
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 2, 2000 By Steve Newton Psychosexual. Psychosomatic. Psychobabble. Psychobilly? You’ll find all but the last word in Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, because California demento-rockers the Cramps coined the term psychobilly themselves back in the mid-’70s. Since then it has become synonymous for many with twisted Cramps tunes like … Continue reading The Cramps’ Ivy Rorschach could be happy just sittin’ on a porch, playing guitar
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 25, 2002 By Steve Newton What could possibly cause any sane person to willingly abandon the balmy paradise of Hawaii for the frigid climes of Vancouver in January? Well, if you’re record producer Bob Rock, your last name is reason enough. Good old riff-riddled rock is what draws … Continue reading Bob Rock says Metallica “never have and never will sell out”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 25, 2000 By Steve Newton Last February, Edmonton guitar-rockers the smalls found a unique way to celebrate their 10 years together: they kicked off a month-long European tour with a few dates in that popular wintertime destination, Bosnia-Herzegovina. When bassist-songwriter Corby Lund calls from outside of Winnipeg with the claim that … Continue reading After scary times in Bosnia the smalls set their sights on Texas
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 18, 2000 By Steve Newton I’ve yet to be bitten by the techno bug. You won’t find any discs by the Chemical Brothers or Crystal Method in my collection, or any stashes of Ecstasy in my dresser drawer. But after listening to the new Joe Satriani CD, Engines of Creation, I’m … Continue reading Joe Satriani takes a techno turn on new Engines of Creation
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 15, 1991 By Steve Newton 13 Engines once played a gig in Memphis to a total of two people, which is less of a crowd than most bands get at rehearsals. But the Toronto foursome did a heckuva lot better than that at the Town Pump last week (August 7), pulling … Continue reading 13 Engines are runaway locomotives at the Town Pump in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 10, 2000 By Steve Newton Ever wonder why classic-rock stations often play the hell out of a ’70s band’s old hits, but won’t even touch its current material, no matter how strong it is? I have. I’m especially curious about why local FM station CFMI Rock 101 totally … Continue reading Blue Öyster Cult’s “Reaper” writer says death is on everybody’s mind
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 16, 1999 By Steve Newton In my recent interview with Alice Cooper he claimed that the set list for his current tour “includes all of the hits”, but time constraints rarely allow a performer—especially one who’s been around for nearly 30 years—to live up to that claim. Still, even … Continue reading Alice Cooper proves himself the undisputed King of Nasty Rock in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 23, 1984 By Steve Newton Back about ten years ago, one of the coolest things for a Chilliwack high school student to do was cruise up and down the town’s main drag–preferably in a Dodge Dart–and play eight-track tapes as close to the distortion level as possible. And as I recall, … Continue reading Dan McCafferty reveals the story behind Nazareth’s “Vancouver Shakedown”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 6, 2000 By Steve Newton It’s a bit weird coming from a small town that has the same name as a popular ’70s rock band. When you admit to having been born and bred in Chilliwack, there’s always some joker who’ll wonder aloud, “Hey, isn’t that where that ‘Crazy Talk’ band … Continue reading Bill Henderson says Chilliwack ripped off its name for the First Nations vibe
On September 1, 1989, Johnny Winter played the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. The chance to witness the underrated Texas guitar legend in the confines of one of Vancouver’s finest concert venues (for the second time) was not one I was about to pass up. Besides, at the time I was really grooving on his latest album, … Continue reading Johnny Winter is white, hot, and blue in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 12, 1984 By Steve Newton “It’s good fun coming up into Canada,” says Fixx vocalist Cy Curnin, who called from Ottawa last week. “You notice a difference moving from America to Canada, in that the audiences are really refreshing up here. They seem to listen a lot more, and at the … Continue reading The Fixx’s Cy Curnin talks Rupert Hine, Tina Turner, and fear-driven censorship in 1984
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 25, 1999 By Steve Newton I’ve got a theory, and this theory, which is mine, is that everybody wants to be a rock ’n’ roll drummer. There’s just something irresistible about the idea of pounding away on a resonating circle until you’re sweaty and drained and then having … Continue reading Drum great Kenny Aronoff was never afraid to go for it
