Brother Cane melds Zeppelin-style raunch and southern-rock spirit in Vancouver

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 26, 1995 By Steve Newton When I first heard Brother Cane’s self-titled debut CD three years ago, I was mightily impressed by the Alabama quartet’s bluesy, southern-tinged guitar-rock, spurred on as it was by the multiple talents of Damon Johnson, lead guitarist, lead vocalist, and main songwriter. But aside from the … Continue reading Brother Cane melds Zeppelin-style raunch and southern-rock spirit in Vancouver

John Mellencamp’s killer repertoire runs fast and loose in Vancouver

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 5, 1992 By Steve Newton A couple of weeks back, the Straight ran a John Mellencamp interview in which the Indiana man characterized his debut acting/directing effort, Falling from Grace, as “a very slow and methodical movie”. Fortunately for the 13,000 or so rowdies who packed the Coliseum … Continue reading John Mellencamp’s killer repertoire runs fast and loose in Vancouver

Dan Wilson’s journey from Trip Shakespeare to Pleasure to Semisonic led to a Great Divide

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 2, 1996 By Steve Newton There are all kinds of stories about bands being threatened by lawsuits over their names, but you can add another one to the list with the case of Minneapolis power-pop trio Semisonic. They were touring Midwest clubs as Pleasure last year when, out of the blue, … Continue reading Dan Wilson’s journey from Trip Shakespeare to Pleasure to Semisonic led to a Great Divide

A small world helped Brother Cane score tour with Slash’s Snakepit

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 4, 1995 By Steve Newton While more than 40 singers auditioned for the lead-vocalist job in Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash’s solo band, Snakepit, probably just as many bands would have lined up to try out for the prestigious opening spot on that group’s tour. When that bill hits the sold-out … Continue reading A small world helped Brother Cane score tour with Slash’s Snakepit

Gordon Downie sees Bruce Allen in a Subway ad at Another Roadside Attraction

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 20, 1995 By Steve Newton The Another Roadside Attraction show at Seabird Island two years ago was one of Gordon Downie’s all-time favourite gigs. The Tragically Hip vocalist told the Georgia Straight recently that it was the natural beauty of the Agassiz location—surrounded by nearby mountains and dense … Continue reading Gordon Downie sees Bruce Allen in a Subway ad at Another Roadside Attraction

Aerosmith shows love for cancer kid and Tojo’s sushi in Vancouver

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 27, 1994 By Steve Newton The most memorable moment of Aerosmith’s latest Vancouver concert didn’t occur when Steven Tyler came tearing out in multicoloured rags to kick-start the show with a screech at the beginning of “Eat the Rich”. Nor was it when bare-chested guitar … Continue reading Aerosmith shows love for cancer kid and Tojo’s sushi in Vancouver

Bittersweet Gin Blossoms encounter UFOs and Alice Cooper in their ‘hood

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 29, 1996 By Steve Newton If there were such a thing as a Webster’s Dictionary of Pop Music, you could probably look up the word bittersweet and find a picture of Arizona’s Gin Blossoms nearby. Like fellow southerner Matthew Sweet and local buddies the Odds—who will tour with the Gin Blossoms … Continue reading Bittersweet Gin Blossoms encounter UFOs and Alice Cooper in their ‘hood

Sonny Landreth hoped some of Albert King’s cosmic dust would rub off on him

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 25, 2004 By Steve Newton Unless you’re an avid follower of guitar players–and slide-guitar specialists, in particular–you may not have heard of Sonny Landreth. According to Eric Clapton, he is “probably the most underestimated musician on the planet”. But that didn’t stop Landreth from earning a Grammy nomination for his 2003 … Continue reading Sonny Landreth hoped some of Albert King’s cosmic dust would rub off on him

Bob Rock gets the Payola$ back together for a Mick Ronson-inspired raveup in Vancouver

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 20, 1994 By Steve Newton Ya gotta like that Bob Rock guy. When he gets tired of producing platinum-plus CDs for bands like Metallica and Mötley Crüe, he forms his own group, Rockhead, and gets back to his ’70s-rock roots with melodic, radio-friendly sing-along tunes such as “Bed of Roses” and … Continue reading Bob Rock gets the Payola$ back together for a Mick Ronson-inspired raveup in Vancouver

Doobie Brothers deliver the goods but can’t pull a big crowd in Vancouver on the Brotherhood Tour

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 13, 1991 By Steve Newton Only 4,000 fans showed up for the Doobie Brothers show last Friday, which is not a particularly impressive turnout for any Coliseum act, least of all one that’s sold as many albums as the Doobies. Maybe the general consensus is that the Doobies aren’t hip—or even … Continue reading Doobie Brothers deliver the goods but can’t pull a big crowd in Vancouver on the Brotherhood Tour

Weed-loving Black Crowes bring their pro-pot stance to Vancouver on the High as the Moon Tour

@shotbykevin ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 5, 1992 By Steve Newton About an hour into the Black Crowes’ sold-out Queen Elizabeth Theatre show last Wednesday (October 28), the Atlanta blues-rock sextet rolled out a brand-new tune for its exuberant fans, most of whom had been standing up the whole time, cheering like mad. … Continue reading Weed-loving Black Crowes bring their pro-pot stance to Vancouver on the High as the Moon Tour

John Fogerty does things his own way on Blue Moon Swamp

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 21, 1997 By Steve Newton David Letterman has never been known to ask his musical guests to return the very next night after a Late Show appearance, but the gap-toothed TV talk-show host broke with tradition a couple of months back when he got John Fogerty to pull off a two-night … Continue reading John Fogerty does things his own way on Blue Moon Swamp

Country Dick Montana gets a boner for Vancouver at the Beat Farmers’ beer-drenched Commodore gig

@shotbykevin ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 29, 1990 By Steve Newton Before the Beat Farmers hit the stage last Friday (November 23) for the first of two weekend shows at the Commodore, a flock of young women—entrants in the La Hunt for La Goddess contest—was paraded before the assembled multitudes. But the crowd … Continue reading Country Dick Montana gets a boner for Vancouver at the Beat Farmers’ beer-drenched Commodore gig