Buddy Guy refuses to play “Boogie Chillen”, gets pissed at Junior Wells, and walks off stage in Vancouver

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 27, 1985 By Steve Newton Buddy Guy and Junior Wells brought their hearty brand of Chicago blues to the Commodore last Friday and Saturday (September 20 and 21). Buddy’s backup musicians warmed things up with the Stones’ “Miss You” before Guy himself stepped out and tore into a bit of Elmore … Continue reading Buddy Guy refuses to play “Boogie Chillen”, gets pissed at Junior Wells, and walks off stage in Vancouver

Drum great Terry Bozzio livens up Omar and the Howler’s Big Delta

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 26, 2002 By Steve Newton If you’re a blues-rock guitarist-vocalist looking for a guy to play drums with you, you could do worse than have Terry Bozzio—renowned skinbasher for Jeff Beck—living three doors down. At least that’s what Kent Omar Dykes—the Omar in Omar and the Howlers—discovered recently. … Continue reading Drum great Terry Bozzio livens up Omar and the Howler’s Big Delta

Backstage at an Arc Angels show with Charlie Sexton, David Gogo, and the blind date I never saw again

By Steve Newton Here’s a photo that was taken backstage at the 86 Street Music Hall in Vancouver on July 22, 1992. It was after a show by the Arc Angels, a bluesy band from Austin that featured guitarist-vocalists Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II along with Stevie Ray Vaughan‘s old rhythm section, bassist Tommy … Continue reading Backstage at an Arc Angels show with Charlie Sexton, David Gogo, and the blind date I never saw again

Robert Cray speaks on Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 20, 2000 By Steve Newton Since barging onto the North American music scene in 1986 with the double-platinum Strong Persuader album, Robert Cray has proven himself a formidable purveyor of guitar-drenched blues and soul. And with five Grammy Awards to his credit—including one for his latest CD, Take … Continue reading Robert Cray speaks on Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters

Marillion moves beyond cult status with Misplaced Childhood and “Kayleigh”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 7, 1986 By Steve Newton Yessongs. Brain Salad Surgery. Selling England By the Pound. Do those album titles ring a bell? They should if you remember back to 1973. At that time, ‘progressive’ rock was big around the world and its foremost practitioners were British bands such as Yes, Emerson, Lake … Continue reading Marillion moves beyond cult status with Misplaced Childhood and “Kayleigh”

Michael Bruce’s deletion from Super Duper Alice Cooper is a bloody travesty

By Steve Newton Finally got around to watching the 2014 documentary Super Duper Alice Cooper for the first time the other night, and it was awesome: except for the part where they refused to even mention the name “Michael Bruce”. For the uninitiated, Bruce was the rhythm guitarist for the Alice Cooper Band during its first … Continue reading Michael Bruce’s deletion from Super Duper Alice Cooper is a bloody travesty

Robert Cray isn’t gonna hold his breath until the blues gets back in vogue

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 13, 2001 By Steve Newton We’ve all heard contemporary blues-rock artists covering the works of Elmore James, whether it’s ZZ Top getting lowdown on “Dust My Broom”, or Stevie Ray Vaughan tearing it up on “The Sky is Crying”. Heck, the Black Crowes even named their first album … Continue reading Robert Cray isn’t gonna hold his breath until the blues gets back in vogue

That time Guthrie Govan told me that the Aristocrats recreated Eddie Van Halen’s echo from Fair Warning at L.A.’s Sunset Sound

By Steve Newton In 2015 I interviewed Guthrie Govan of the Aristocrats, but there wasn’t enough room in the paper to include all the cool shit the guitar genius had to say to me. So I banged out one blog on the influence of Joe Satriani and Zal Cleminson, and then another one on how … Continue reading That time Guthrie Govan told me that the Aristocrats recreated Eddie Van Halen’s echo from Fair Warning at L.A.’s Sunset Sound

Rob Halford loves what Iron Maiden does with three guitars, but he’s “content” with what Priest does with two

By Steve Newton I interviewed Rob Halford a couple of weeks ago in advance of Judas Priest’s upcoming shows at Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, and we had a pretty nice chat. We go way back, to that time he called me up to promote the Defenders of the Faith tour in ’84. At one point we … Continue reading Rob Halford loves what Iron Maiden does with three guitars, but he’s “content” with what Priest does with two

Randy Hansen was baptized by the rain dripping off Jimi Hendrix’s boots

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 16, 2001 By Steve Newton Randy Hansen has been immersing himself in the music of Jimi Hendrix since 1967, when an older acquaintance tipped him off about this amazing guitarist who had just played the Monterey Pop Festival. Taking this fellow’s advice, Hansen went out and bought the … Continue reading Randy Hansen was baptized by the rain dripping off Jimi Hendrix’s boots

My first Judas Priest interview: Screaming for Vengeance Tour, 1982

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 5, 1982 By Steve Newton If there ever was a music devised to torture grandmothers, it would probably sound a lot like Judas Priest, a band that fuses the meanest of lyrics and nastiest of guitar sounds to create what can only be described as raunch. Though more recently the band … Continue reading My first Judas Priest interview: Screaming for Vengeance Tour, 1982

Rock Hall proves itself slag-worthy again snubbing Johnny Winter, Link Wray, and Rory

charles campbell photo By Steve Newton I finally got around to checking out the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame‘s class of 2015 and, lemme tell ya, that institution has developed its most severe case of HUA (Head Up Ass) Syndrome yet. Okay, firstly, let’s rattle off the nominees: Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, … Continue reading Rock Hall proves itself slag-worthy again snubbing Johnny Winter, Link Wray, and Rory

If Clapton is God, then Doyle Bramhall II is the son of God

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 2, 2001 BY STEVE NEWTON “Clapton is God!” is a phrase that was bandied about early on in Eric Clapton’s fabled career, but there may be a new guitar-hero catchphrase on the horizon. How about “Bramhall is the Son of God!” And who the hell is Bramhall, … Continue reading If Clapton is God, then Doyle Bramhall II is the son of God