kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 23, 1992 By Steve Newton What does it mean when a venue loses its liquor licence and a concert is changed from an all-you-can-drink show to an “all-ages” event? Does it mean that anyone who goes can act like a 16-year-old and get away with it? I guess … Continue reading Layne Staley says “No booze for yooz” as Alice in Chains goes all-ages in Vancouver
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 AUG. 15, 2002 By Steve Newton Bill Payne has been singing and playing keyboards in Little Feat since the band’s inception in 1969, but he’s still learning new things about the music biz—like how to do the business yourself. Recently the group launched its own label out of North Carolina, Hot Tomato … Continue reading Bill Payne says that Little Feat is playing beautifully and still comes up with twists and turns
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 2, 2000 By Steve Newton Carlos Santana has been blowing folks away with his fiery, straight-from-the-soul fret work for more than 30 years now, but at GM Place on October 26, he never let his status as a guitar god override his main goal for the night. Santana … Continue reading Carlos Santana chides firecracker-blasting moron in Vancouver, says “This isn’t a heavy-metal concert!”
Just heard in a tweet from Nanaimo blues-rocker David Gogo that blues legend Johnny Winter has died. The awful news was first broken a few hours ago by Jenda Derringer, the wife of former Winter bandmate Rick Derringer, on her Facebook page. It’s a very sad day for fans of blues and rock guitar. Winter’s never … Continue reading R.I.P. Johnny Winter, one of the world’s all-time greatest guitarists, dead at 70
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 28, 1994 By Steve Newton Whatever you do, don’t say “Iä! Iä! Cthulhu Fhtang” three times. Careless use of that sacred chant—made famous by legendary horror author H.P. Lovecraft in his stories of the Cthulhu mythos—just might incite the evil wrath of the Elder Gods, the unspeakably horrifying … Continue reading The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets keep the spirit of Lovecraft alive
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
Charlie Musselwhite was just 13 when he started playing the instrument that he’d use so well while staking out his place in the blues world.
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
As long as he’s got those magic fingers, you can bet that Jeff Beck will be searching for fresh ways to communicate through six strings.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 3, 2000 By Steve Newton When North Mississippi Allstars guitarist-vocalist Luther Dickinson calls from the band’s tour bus in Chicago, he’s all apologetic about missing a scheduled phone interview the day before. Seems that Luther, his drummer brother Cody, and bassist Chris Chew had performed on Late Night With Conan O’Brien … Continue reading The North Mississippi Allstars debut with that crazy hill-country sound
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 29, 2001 By Steve Newton Guitar gods—I can’t get enough of ’em. There’ve always been lots of slots in my CD stacks reserved for fret masters who balance boggling technique with high degrees of feel. Because I’m mostly a rock and blues fan, the vast majority of guitarists I’ve worshipped have … Continue reading Fretmaster Don Ross exposes the Newt to the wonders of acoustic-guitar wizardry
ZZ Top is the only major rock band from the ’70s that still exists in the exact same form as on its first album, and for that you’ve got to give the bearded wonders credit. Rush would be up for similar acclaim were it not for John Rutsey playing on their debut album before Neil … Continue reading ZZ Top’s been rockin’ with the same dudes for nigh on 45 years
