The Replacements show Vancouver where the heart of rock ‘n’ roll really beats

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 4, 1991 By Steve Newton I felt a tad nerdish, not having seen the legendary Replacements up until last Friday (June 28). I’d heard that these four guys from Minneapolis were capable of heart-stopping performances, tempering thrashy sonic onslaughts with a Beatlesque pop sensibility that couldn’t lose. So … Continue reading The Replacements show Vancouver where the heart of rock ‘n’ roll really beats

Keith Richards’ other great band kicks out all the jams in Vancouver

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 21, 1993 By Steve Newton The Rolling Stones have owned the Granville Mall of late. A couple of months back Ronnie Wood played the Commodore; now Keith Richards has ripped things up a few doors down at the Orpheum. Maybe Mick Jagger will continue the trend and drop … Continue reading Keith Richards’ other great band kicks out all the jams in Vancouver

Dash Rip Rock has gotten into a few scrapes playing “Stairway to Freebird”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 12, 1992 By Steve Newton It’s strange how rumours get started, sometimes. Like the one that keeps cropping up in Dash Rip Rock’s press kit, about R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills being a mortal enemy of the Louisiana-based roots-rock band. Supposedly, Mills was spotted at a particularly crazed DRR … Continue reading Dash Rip Rock has gotten into a few scrapes playing “Stairway to Freebird”

Guitar hero Michael Schenker goes acoustic and his fans are fine with it

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 12, 1992 By Steve Newton When Michael Schenker was only 15, he met up with Scorpions singer Klaus Meine. Just a year later, he was laying down the white-hot guitar licks for the Scorpions’ debut album, Lonesome Crow. But Schenker’s early musical accomplishments were not without their price, … Continue reading Guitar hero Michael Schenker goes acoustic and his fans are fine with it

Jack Semple’s Guitar Warz win delivered confidence and a hook

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 29, 1993 By Steve Newton One day about a year ago, I bumped into a guitar-playing acquaintance who was visiting the office to put a free musician’s ad in the paper. He started raving about this “wicked” guitarist he’d seen the night before at Jake O’Grady’s, a guy from Saskatchewan named Jack … Continue reading Jack Semple’s Guitar Warz win delivered confidence and a hook

Marty Friedman says Megadeth is kicking the most butt on the Clash of the Titans tour

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 30, 1991 By Steve Newton Marty Friedman is one happy camper. The Megadeth guitarist is soaking up the sunshine in El Paso, Texas, just hours away from the fifth show in the four-band Clash of the Titans tour of the Lone Star state, and he reports that things have been going … Continue reading Marty Friedman says Megadeth is kicking the most butt on the Clash of the Titans tour

Robert Cray gets the thing happening on Some Rainy Morning

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 18, 1996 By Steve Newton You wouldn’t think bluesman Robert Cray would be musically indebted to the Beatles, but they were the band that drove him to pick up a guitar. By the age of 10 Cray had already been soaking up the gospel, jazz, soul, and blues in his parents’ … Continue reading Robert Cray gets the thing happening on Some Rainy Morning

Warren Zevon talks Odds, “Werewolves”, scoring films, and managing to remain poor

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 6, 1992 By Steve Newton Once upon a time, there were four young men who played in a band called Dawn Patrol. At a bar called the Roxy, they’d play fired-up versions of classic rock tunes and intersperse them with zany patter and goofy jokes. Then one day … Continue reading Warren Zevon talks Odds, “Werewolves”, scoring films, and managing to remain poor

Damn Yankees with the Nuge kicks ass; Bad Company without Paul Rodgers licks it

@shotbykevin ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 21, 1991 By Steve Newton Oh man—talk about going back in time! There was Ted Nugent riffing out on “Cat Scratch Fever” and screeching like he had a severe case of it. There was former Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw whipping his still-blond locks every which way while … Continue reading Damn Yankees with the Nuge kicks ass; Bad Company without Paul Rodgers licks it

The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan says he’s not here to talk about his dad

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 25, 1993 By Steve Newton I’d never heard the Wallflowers until about a week ago, when a fellow Straight contributor suggested I might like their rootsy style—the Black Crowes meet The Band. After rounding up a copy of the group’s self-titled 1992 debut, I fell under the spell of 22-year-old singer/songwriter … Continue reading The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan says he’s not here to talk about his dad

Geddy Lee on the music of the ’70s, the Order of Canada, and the full-time job of Rush

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 15, 1997 By Steve Newton Although I’m usually too lazy to bother fiddling with LPs these days, those old black beauties sure do come in handy when I’m preparing to interview a band that’s been around as long as Rush. Shuffling through my prized rows of plastic-enclosed 12-inchers, I come across … Continue reading Geddy Lee on the music of the ’70s, the Order of Canada, and the full-time job of Rush

Midnight Oil’s “tree-hugging a**hole” kicks ass for Clayoquot Sound at the Tragically Hip’s Another Roadside Attraction

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 22, 1993 By Steve Newton It didn’t take long for Midnight Oil singer/environmental activist Peter Garrett to bring up the contentious issue of logging in Clayoquot Sound during Saturday’s (July 17) Another Roadside Attraction rock festival at Seabird Island in Agassiz. Right after the band’s introductory tune, the Greenpeace director began … Continue reading Midnight Oil’s “tree-hugging a**hole” kicks ass for Clayoquot Sound at the Tragically Hip’s Another Roadside Attraction

Tony Carey rips into Rainbow after “A Fine, Fine Day”, just before “The First Day of Summer”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 1, 1984 By Steve Newton The memories of his days in Ritchie Blackmore‘s Rainbow are not joyous ones for Tony Carey. The singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist was a member of the band for three years, and played keyboards on the Rainbow Rising and Live on Stage albums before leaving in disgust … Continue reading Tony Carey rips into Rainbow after “A Fine, Fine Day”, just before “The First Day of Summer”