By Steve Newton As April Wine once said, "I Like to Rock". I like to rock as well, but once in a while a beautiful, gentle ballad is, as Ted Nugent once said, "Just What the Doctor Ordered". But enough about April Wine and Ted Nugent. This little blog's about a softer-rockin', more prog-oriented band … Continue reading That time I asked Justin Hayward if he knew the Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” was special as soon as it came to him
That time I asked Elliot Easton if he felt like a mercenary playing John Fogerty’s licks in Creedence Clearwater Revisited
By Steve Newton I've long felt that John Fogerty was the biggest triple-threat in rock: as a songwriter, singer, and guitarist, few can match him. I've also always hated how, for years after the breakup of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty couldn't even perform the incredible CCR songs he'd written, for legal reasons. The old CCR … Continue reading That time I asked Elliot Easton if he felt like a mercenary playing John Fogerty’s licks in Creedence Clearwater Revisited
That time Wayne Kramer told me about the MC5’s political consciousness in the ’60s
By Steve Newton I missed out on the MC5 when they were a major musical force on the American counterculture scene in the late '60s. And it's not just 'cause I'm Canadian. I was only 11 when their groundbreaking Kick Out the Jams debut album came out, and at that point all I listened to … Continue reading That time Wayne Kramer told me about the MC5’s political consciousness in the ’60s
That time Joe Satriani told me how his mind works when he’s playing wicked guitar on stage
By Steve Newton Some guitarists learn how to play by ear, and others--like Joe Satriani--learn how to play by the book. Satch knows music theory better than most, so when I did my first interview with him back in 1990--just after the release of Flying in a Blue Dream--I asked him how that relates to … Continue reading That time Joe Satriani told me how his mind works when he’s playing wicked guitar on stage
That time Randy Hansen told me about recording his atmospheric, Hendrix-style guitar parts for Apocalypse Now
By Steve Newton Back in August of 2001 I interviewed Jimi Hendrix tribute artist Randy Hansen because he was coming up from Seattle for a gig at a Vancouver club. This was right around the time that Apocalypse Now Redux, an extended version of Francis Ford Coppola's epic 1979 Vietnam war movie, was being released. … Continue reading That time Randy Hansen told me about recording his atmospheric, Hendrix-style guitar parts for Apocalypse Now
That time Bob Rock told me that he just wakes up in the morning and music is what he does
By Steve Newton Being a rock journalist in Vancouver during the '80s and '90s meant that I was close to where a lot of the top-selling albums of the time were made. That was mainly down at Little Mountain Sound, where local producers, engineers, and mixers--guys like Bruce Fairbairn, Bob Rock, and Mike Fraser--were tweaking … Continue reading That time Bob Rock told me that he just wakes up in the morning and music is what he does
That time Steve Vai told me about the “cornball arrangements” on his Zappesque debut album Flex-Able
By Steve Newton When I did my first interview with Steve Vai, just after he'd released Passion and Warfare in 1990, we got to talking about his previous album, Flex-Able. Turns out the success of Passion and Warfare was pushing sales of the six-year-old Flex-Able, even though the music on it was the opposite of … Continue reading That time Steve Vai told me about the “cornball arrangements” on his Zappesque debut album Flex-Able
That time Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman told me about creating the riff for “American Woman”
By Steve Newton Canada doesn't seem to have an overabundance of rock-guitar heroes. Sure, you've got your Lenny Breau when it comes to jazz, and your Jeff Healey if you're talkin' blues. But when it comes to Canadian rock-guitar heroes, I can't think of tons. Alex Lifeson, Kim Mitchell... Obviously Neil Young, but isn't he … Continue reading That time Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman told me about creating the riff for “American Woman”
That time Nick Gilder told me about Bryan Adams taking his place in Sweeney Todd
By Steve Newton If you were a rock-loving Canadian teenager in the mid-seventies you no doubt heard "Roxy Roller", the big hit by Vancouver glam-rock band Sweeney Todd, on the radio. It wasn't one of my personal favourite tunes, but I do remember buying the album, because back in '76 I was all about the … Continue reading That time Nick Gilder told me about Bryan Adams taking his place in Sweeney Todd
That time Ann Wilson told me about the heartfelt dedication on Heart’s “These Dreams”
By Steve Newton I was a huge fan of Heart back in the seventies. I remember they played a show at the hockey rink in my hometown of Chilliwack, B.C. when I was just out of high school. With Ann Wilson's killer voice, Roger Fisher's killer guitar, and killer songs like "Magic Man" and "Crazy … Continue reading That time Ann Wilson told me about the heartfelt dedication on Heart’s “These Dreams”
Andy Powell on the awesomeness of Wishbone Ash’s Argus, up-and-comer Doyle Bramhall II, and “old friend” the Flying V
brian ferguson photo By Steve Newton I loved Wishbone Ash in the seventies. The dual lead-guitar stylings on albums like Argus and There's The Rub really turned my crank. So it was cool to finally do a little interview with founding member Andy Powell back in 2003, before the band played a gig at Vancouver's … Continue reading Andy Powell on the awesomeness of Wishbone Ash’s Argus, up-and-comer Doyle Bramhall II, and “old friend” the Flying V
That time I asked Klaus Meine if the Scorpions were blowing Van Halen off the stage on the Monsters of Rock Tour
By Steve Newton Way back in July of 1988 I made the trek from Vancouver to see the Monsters of Rock Festival at the Seattle Kingdome. The lineup featured Van Halen, Scorpions, Metallica, Dokken, and Kingdom Come, and at the time--since David Lee Roth was no longer in VH--I was particularly psyched to see the … Continue reading That time I asked Klaus Meine if the Scorpions were blowing Van Halen off the stage on the Monsters of Rock Tour
That time Doyle Bramhall II told me that he was “all over” B.B. King and Eric Clapton’s Riding With the King
By Steve Newton I absolutely loved the B.B. King and Eric Clapton album Riding With the King when it came out in 2000. It was a shoo-in for my Top 10 Albums of the Year list, alongside other guitar-centic offerings like Joe Satriani's Engines of Creation and Steve Vai's The 7th Song. But with such … Continue reading That time Doyle Bramhall II told me that he was “all over” B.B. King and Eric Clapton’s Riding With the King