ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 6, 2012 By Steve Newton The itinerary for Steve Earle’s North American summer tour isn’t quite what you’d expect for a singer-songwriter of his legendary status. Of the 39 dates that span May 31 to August 26, no less than 14 occur in B.C. and Alberta, including such unglamorous venues as … Continue reading Steve Earle says that he makes an embarrassing amount of money for a borderline Marxist
Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend, Feb. 17-19
Michael Rooker appears at Fan Expo By Steve Newton FRIDAY: guitar-heavy rock quintet from White Rock, the Colony Farm Band, plays the Roxy Cabaret, with guests Cache Creek. FRIDAY: F7 Entertainment Group presents California ska-punk band Mad Caddies at the Rickshaw Theatre, with guests the Corps, You Big Idiot, and the Highsides. There's Something About Mary … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend, Feb. 17-19
Spandau Ballet shun rock ‘n’ roll, embrace soul to strike gold with new album True
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 18, 1983 By Steve Newton Spandau Ballet are an immensely popular British band whose third album True is currently at the number 8 position on the local Top 50 chart. Last week, before their Tuesday performance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, I called drummer John Keeble in London and asked him … Continue reading Spandau Ballet shun rock ‘n’ roll, embrace soul to strike gold with new album True
That time Kim Mitchell described guitar wanking by comparing Joe Satriani to Eddie Van Halen
I did my fourth interview with Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell back in July of 1992, when he was touring behind his Aural Fixations album.
Chris de Burgh on the making of his new Getaway album and its eerie hit “Don’t Pay the Ferryman”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 22, 1983 By Steve Newton His ability to tell captivating stories and to combine lyrical and musical nuances with easy effectiveness is what sets Ireland's Chris de Burgh apart from a lot of today's pop singer-songwriters. On his latest album, The Getaway, De burgh weaves enchanting tales of destiny, revolt, peace, … Continue reading Chris de Burgh on the making of his new Getaway album and its eerie hit “Don’t Pay the Ferryman”
Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this week, Feb. 13-17
Wild at Heart screens at the Rio By Steve Newton MONDAY: Timbre Concerts presents Toronto jangle-pop band Ducks Ltd. at the WISE Hall, with guests Tough Age. MONDAY AND TUESDAY: afternoon screenings at the VIFF Centre of All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger's epic adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's WWI novel. There will … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this week, Feb. 13-17
That time Rob Halford told me that Judas Priest’s new Defenders of the Faith LP was almost platinum in the States
By Steve Newton I did the first of my five interviews with Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford back in May of 1984. He called me up before a gig in Portland, Oregon, while the band was touring behind its ninth studio album, Defenders of the Faith. At one point in the conversation I mentioned that … Continue reading That time Rob Halford told me that Judas Priest’s new Defenders of the Faith LP was almost platinum in the States
The Chinese spy balloon gets me thinking about that time I asked Nena if her new “99 Red Balloons” was an anti-war song
By Steve Newton I interviewed one-named German pop singer Nena on the phone from Berlin back in May of 1984. That was one month after her band released its 99 Luftballoons compilation album, which featured both English- and German-language versions of the title track ("99 Red Balloons"), which had been a huge hit in Europe the … Continue reading The Chinese spy balloon gets me thinking about that time I asked Nena if her new “99 Red Balloons” was an anti-war song
That time I asked Geddy Lee if Rush had considered breaking up in 1994
By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Rush singer-bassist Geddy Lee back in April of 1997, when the trio was touring behind its Test for Echo album. At one point I brought up the topic of the almost two-year break the band members had taken from each other in 1994, following the release … Continue reading That time I asked Geddy Lee if Rush had considered breaking up in 1994
Newt’s top 10 things to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend, Feb. 10-12
La Chinga plays Bully's Studios By Steve Newton FRIDAY: Quebec City acrobatic troupe FLIP Fabrique plays with gender roles in its contemporary circus show Muse at the Vancouver Playhouse. FRIDAY: Vancouver Blues Around Town presents local blues-rockers the Al Walker Band at the Mel Lehan Hall at St. James. Verreault/Gestrin/Proznick Trio plays Osita's FRIDAY: Vancouver … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 things to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend, Feb. 10-12
Blues-rocker David Gogo tweets photo of himself with Canadian comedy legend Blair MacLean
By Steve Newton I love following Nanaimo blues-rocker David "King of Boogie" Gogo on Twitter. About an hour or so ago Gogo tweeted a photo of himself playing acoustic guitar while bearded Blair MacLean--one-half of the legendary Canadian musical-comedy duo MacLean and MacLean--looks on. "Throwback Thursday!!", wrote Gogo in the tweet. "Hotel room hang with … Continue reading Blues-rocker David Gogo tweets photo of himself with Canadian comedy legend Blair MacLean
That time I asked Ed Roland if he was shocked by the massive popularity of Collective Soul’s current hit, “Shine”
By Steve Newton Back in June of 1994 Collective Soul frontman Ed Roland called me up from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At the time his band was touring behind its debut album, Hints Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, which opened with the riff-driven, five-minute guitar opus "Shine". That song would claim the top spot on the … Continue reading That time I asked Ed Roland if he was shocked by the massive popularity of Collective Soul’s current hit, “Shine”
Murray McLauchlan wanted to go back to making albums like Johnny Cash did with Timberline
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 2, 1983 By Steve Newton Like the down-to-earth artist that he is, Murray McLauchlan always finds inspiration for his best songs in the experience of life--whether it be the murder of John Lennon on last year's Windows album, or, as in his new single "Never Did Like That Train", a vague … Continue reading Murray McLauchlan wanted to go back to making albums like Johnny Cash did with Timberline