ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 6, 2001 By Steve Newton A lot of musicians catch the music bug early on in life, though usually not as early as 18-year-old blues guitarist Jordan Cook. After he was born, the first thing Cook heard on a regular basis was the sound of his dad taking blues-guitar lessons. “It … Continue reading My interview with 18-year-old Jordan Cook, long before he ruled as Reignwolf
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 14, 2002 By Steve Newton Charlie Musselwhite was just 13 years old when he started playing harmonica, the instrument that he’d wield so well while staking out his place in the blues world. He was living in Memphis at the time, which was a good location to be for any youngster … Continue reading Charlie Musselwhite knew that playing the blues in Chicago was better than doing factory work
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 22, 1989 By Steve Newton In September of 1980, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham died of a heart attack attributed to massive quantities of alcohol. A year before that tragedy–which stopped the much-loved band in its tracks–Led Zeppelin performed a major outdoor concert at Knebworth, England, and Bonham’s 13-year-old son Jason … Continue reading Bonham tours behind The Disregard of Timekeeping and Jason reflects on his dear old dad
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 19, 1990 By Steve Newton Just as almost everyone can recall where they were when news broke of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, a lot of rock fans can vividly remember that day in 1970 when the news of Jimi Hendrix’s death came down. Joe Satriani was in high school at the … Continue reading Joe Satriani explains how he overcame pain and suffering to fulfill his new Blue Dream
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 17, 2001 By Steve Newton Hordes of rock guitarists have been influenced by Jimi Hendrix, but only a few would claim that he was influenced by them. According to Guitar Shorty’s latest bio, in the ’60s Hendrix would go AWOL from the U.S. Army in order to catch … Continue reading Guitar Shorty says Jimi Hendrix used to go AWOL to catch his gigs
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 30, 2001 By Steve Newton On the cover of his latest CD, former Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts is pictured standing in the entranceway of his Florida home, surrounded by his six bandmates, a small dog leaning against his denim-clad leg. The 57-year-old southern-rock hero looks contented in his snakeskin boots … Continue reading Dickey Betts says “a dirty little business deal” got him kicked out of the Allmans
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 5, 1990 By Steve Newton When it comes to combining the finer elements of horror and hard rock, Alice Cooper rules. For more than 20 years the King of Nasty Rock has been sating his lust for the macabre and love of heavy music while wreaking havoc on … Continue reading Alice Cooper tours with Trash, talks songwriting, horror, and ’70s rock
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 5, 2002 By Steve Newton Rush’s latest CD, Vapor Trails, may be its best recording ever, and since the Canuck prog-rock trio now has 17 studio releases to its credit, that’s saying something. But the album would never have been made if drummer-lyricist Neil Peart hadn’t had the inner strength to … Continue reading Geddy Lee on Neil Peart’s personal struggles, shaping his lyrics, and loving Rush
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 25, 2001 By Steve Newton Tommy Aldridge is one of the most recognizable hard-rock drummers in the world. His name may not be a household word along the lines of Moon or Bonham, but anyone who’s followed the careers of Pat Travers, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, and latter-day Thin Lizzy … Continue reading From Black Oak to Thin Lizzy, Tommy Aldridge has been a monster on the kit
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 26, 2001 By Steve Newton There are three things that are inevitable in this world: death, taxes, and a ringing in your ears after seeing AC/DC. As I write this review, it’s been two hours since the Aussie rockers left the Coliseum stage in a flurry of golden confetti, and the … Continue reading Malcolm Young calls Powerage his favourite AC/DC album backstage in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 19, 2001 By Steve Newton Rock stars don’t always call on time. Sometimes they don’t even call at all. And it’s a rare occasion when they actually call early. So when Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen rings up from Phoenix a good 10 minutes before our scheduled interview time, I’m caught … Continue reading Rick Nielsen calls early to talk Cheap Trick and Vancouver’s “cannabis people”
By Steve Newton On December 19, 1989, Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson played the 86 Street Music Hall in Vancouver. For me, it didn’t get any better than that. I’d been a huge fan of Hunter ever since I first heard his old band, Mott the Hoople, and Ronson…well, if you liked David Bowie in … Continue reading Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson tour behind YUI Orta, so the Newt talks to Ronno
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 22, 2001 By Steve Newton Jeff Beck is my favourite rock guitarist of all time, so I didn’t think twice about doing the necessary groveling to secure a couple of backstage passes for his sold-out show at the Commodore. Because my Beck-loving buddy Bones was celebrating a birthday … Continue reading Jeff Beck at the Commodore: the world’s greatest rock guitarist plays the world’s best bar
