I don’t care how tiny Angus is, the world needs his killer riffs. By Steve Newton There’s been a lot of rumour and speculation flying around the music world since yesterday, when I posted a blog on the Georgia Straight website reporting that Phil Rudd and Stevie Young had been spotted in downtown Vancouver. The … Continue reading AC/DC rumours regarding Phil Rudd and Vancouver come from the right place
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 27, 1988 By Steve Newton Whether you like David Lee Roth or not, there’s one thing you’ve got to admit: the guy’s a star. It’s hard to take your eyes off him, and few did at the Pacific Coliseum last Saturday (May 21). Whether you’re ogling his sexy bod, … Continue reading David Lee Roth shows off manly biceps, a giant surfboard, and Steve Vai on the Skyscraper Tour
By Steve Newton I did my eighth interview with Joe Satriani a couple years ago, and finally got to ask him about something that his former G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen once said to me. Back in 2014 I had interviewed Yngwie in advance of his Guitar Gods show in Vancouver, and that was when he … Continue reading Joe Satriani responds to Yngwie Malmsteen’s claim that Ibanez guitars are “a bad copy” of the Strat
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 12, 1987 By Steve Newton When I first heard Mötley Crüe back in 1981, I was quite impressed. The group’s debut album, Too Fast for Love, had a rough-edged punk feel, and songs like “Live Wire”, “Public Enemy #1”, and “Piece of Your Action” made repeated rounds on the old turntable. But … Continue reading Album review: Mötley Crüe, Girls, Girls, Girls (1987)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 29, 1988 By Steve Newton If you were in a rockin’, blues-based guitar band and wanted to cover a song from the Beatles’ White Album, you’d probably pick one of the heavier Lennon/McCartney tunes like “Yer Blues” or “Savoy Truffle” or “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey”, … Continue reading Georgia Satellites’ Rick Richards on covering the Beatles, meeting the Faces, and thanking Jack Daniels
By Steve Newton Gov’t Mule is one of my favourite bands, and not just because their original music is so damn fine. Once in a while they’ll do a cover of an old blues tune that inspires me to search out previous versions, with wonderful results. Like back in 1998 when they recorded “John the … Continue reading Warren Haynes calls Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” one of the most haunting recordings ever
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 12, 1986 By Steve Newton This latest offering from Aussie ear-busters AC/DC is the official soundtrack of the new Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive. So is it music to watch possessed trucks run people over by? You betcha. Actually, Who Made Who is more of a compilation album … Continue reading Album review: AC/DC, Who Made Who (1986)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 30, 2018 By Steve Newton When Joe Satriani phones from his home in the San Francisco Bay Area, he apologizes right away for being a few minutes late with the scheduled call. He explains that he was playing his guitar, composing a song, and lost track of time. That’s when it’s … Continue reading Joe Satriani on the intricacies of amplification and producer Mike Fraser’s “perfect set of ears”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 3, 1988 By Steve Newton I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I heard that Edgar Winter and Leon Russell were going to share the same stage, but I did know that I should definitely be there. I was aware that Winter was something of a wildman–prone to leaping about … Continue reading Edgar Winter and Leon Russell knock ’em down and drag ’em out in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 1, 1988 By Steve Newton Patrick Swayze may be one of the sexiest movie stars around today, but he can’t play mean blues guitar. Jeff Healey might not be your typical matinee idol, but he can play mean blues guitar–as anyone at the Town Pump will discover this weekend (July 1 … Continue reading Jeff Healey on playing a bar-band guitarist in Roadhouse and “marvellous” star Patrick Swayze
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 7, 1988 By Steve Newton Being a rock critic is not all fun and games. “Sure, Steve,” you’re probably saying, “all those free concerts and backstage brewskies must be real tough.” Okay, so there are worse occupations, but like anything else it can get boring. You become pretty … Continue reading Def Leppard makes a triumphant in-the-round return to Vancouver on the Hysteria tour
By Steve Newton If you’ve been checking out Ear of Newt much in the last couple years, you likely noticed that I really enjoy posting audio excerpts from my four interviews with Dickey Betts. As I’ve been saying all along, he’s one of my fave guitarists, but I like hearing his down-home southern drawl almost as … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts told me that he liked the Allman Brothers’ opening act, Blues Traveler, “a whole lot”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 25, 1987 By Steve Newton Since the U.S. release of Rock and Hyde’s Under the Volcano nine months ago, the album has sold more copies stateside than all of the duo’s previous work put together. That’s a fair accomplishment given that Bob Rock and Paul Hyde released four albums as the Payola$, … Continue reading Rock and Hyde gets a boost from ex-Kick Axe picker “Hitman” Harvey
