By Steve Newton Some time ago I posted my 1986 interview with Allan Holdsworth on the Facebook group The unReal Allan Holdsworth. With over 17,000 members, the page offers "everything pertaining to his music, his history, his friends and the influence he's had on the music scene and on guitarists." One of the comments on … Continue reading In praise of the unreal Allan Holdsworth
That time Jason Isbell told me he was in a Ford Econoline E350 van and his band cracked up at that
FSimani photo By Steve Newton The Drive-By Truckers are probably my favourite band right now. They were also my favourite band back when Jason Isbell was in the lineup. I did my first interview with him in 2007, after he'd left the DBTs and was promoting his debut solo album, Sirens of the Ditch. I … Continue reading That time Jason Isbell told me he was in a Ford Econoline E350 van and his band cracked up at that
That time 29-year-old Steve Vai told me that a teenage out-of-body experience inspired his Passion and Warfare
By Steve Newton Steve Vai blew a lot of guitar freaks away when he released his Passion and Warfare album back in May of 1990. I was one of them. Just as the album hit record-store shelves I interviewed the 29-year-old fret master and asked him about the "dream state" experience that inspired it. Have … Continue reading That time 29-year-old Steve Vai told me that a teenage out-of-body experience inspired his Passion and Warfare
Joey Belladonna talks rap/metal crossover while Anthrax and Public Enemy bring the noise on tour
By Steve Newton Back in the eighties there was a thing called "The Big Four" which meant the top four American thrash-metal bands, including Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer. I never interviewed anybody in Slayer, but I have interviewed two members of Metallica (James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich), three members of Megadeth (Dave Mustaine, Marty … Continue reading Joey Belladonna talks rap/metal crossover while Anthrax and Public Enemy bring the noise on tour
That time I thanked Ace Frehley for all those awesome Kiss guitar licks that got me riled up as a teen
By Steve Newton If you'd told me when the first Kiss album came out in '74 that one day I'd be interviewing the guy playing all those wicked Les Paul licks on "Deuce" and "Strutter" my teenaged self mighta hollered "Hell yeah!" And 34 years later there I was, talkin' on the phone with Ace … Continue reading That time I thanked Ace Frehley for all those awesome Kiss guitar licks that got me riled up as a teen
That time I asked Joe Satriani why he chose Ibanez guitars instead of Strats and Les Pauls
By Steve Newton I've interviewed Joe Satriani eight times because, hey, nobody plays guitar like Satch. He's one of a kind. The last time I interviewed him was in 2018, and the first time was way the funk back in January of 1990, when he was touring behind his stunning Flying in a Blue Dream album. … Continue reading That time I asked Joe Satriani why he chose Ibanez guitars instead of Strats and Les Pauls
That time I called Vernon Reid up in Germany and told him that I liked Living Colour’s new album Vivid
By Steve Newton Way the funk back in November of 1988 I interviewed Living Colour guitarist and main songwriter Vernon Reid, who was quite the shredder back then. At the time his band was touring behind its hit debut album, Vivid, which went double platinum and featured the Grammy-winning single "Cult of Personality". I liked … Continue reading That time I called Vernon Reid up in Germany and told him that I liked Living Colour’s new album Vivid
That time I asked Mike Campbell if he thought “Refugee” was a hit as soon as he wrote the music for it
By Steve Newton Tom Petty was one helluva songwriter, as we all know, but every once in a while he'd get help composing a tune from his guitarist and mainman Mike Campbell. Like on "Refugee", the second single from 1980's Damn the Torpedoes. I love that tune, so when I interviewed Campbell in the summer … Continue reading That time I asked Mike Campbell if he thought “Refugee” was a hit as soon as he wrote the music for it
That time I asked Brad Delp what his fave Boston tune was and he didn’t say “More Than a Feeling”
By Steve Newton I was still a guitar-rock-crazed teenager when the debut Boston album came out in 1976, so it's not surprising that the first single "More Than a Feeling" blew me right the funk away. Even today the killer guitar sound of Tom Scholz and the incredible vocals of Brad Delp still make me … Continue reading That time I asked Brad Delp what his fave Boston tune was and he didn’t say “More Than a Feeling”
That time Lars Ulrich told me how Cliff Burton came up with the title for Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All
By Steve Newton Way the funk back in March of 1985 I did my first interview with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. At the time Ulrich was only 21, and his band was touring behind its second album, Ride the Lightning. At one point in the conversation I asked him why the group went with such … Continue reading That time Lars Ulrich told me how Cliff Burton came up with the title for Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All
That time I called up the Guess Who’s Randy Bachman and he raved about touring with Joe Cocker
lauren marshall photo By Steve Newton I've interviewed at least two guitar legends who liked touring with Joe Cocker. Back in 1990 I talked to Stevie Ray Vaughan about his coheadlining tour with Cocker, and he was right into it. Then in 2001 the Guess Who was sharing a bill with the gravelly voiced Brit, … Continue reading That time I called up the Guess Who’s Randy Bachman and he raved about touring with Joe Cocker
That time Zakk Wylde told me about jamming with Skynyrd and covering for Dickey Betts in the Allmans
By Steve Newton Zakk Wylde may be best known as the guitarist and songwriter who took over from Jake E. Lee to help Ozzy Osbourne stay on the charts with tunes like "No More Tears" and "Perry Mason", but southern-rock fans also know him as the frontman in the power trio Pride & Glory, which was … Continue reading That time Zakk Wylde told me about jamming with Skynyrd and covering for Dickey Betts in the Allmans
That time I asked Alex Van Halen when he first knew that Eddie had the makings of a guitar legend
By Steve Newton Everybody remembers the first time they heard Eddie Van Halen. Or they should, anyway. For me it was sometime in early '78 when the band's first single, "You Really Got Me", scorched the airwaves. It was clear right away that the guy creating the six-string racket had the makings of a guitar … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen when he first knew that Eddie had the makings of a guitar legend