ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 28, 2005 By Steve Newton Most rock bands from the ’70s aren’t making waves on the sales charts these days, but not every musician who thrived 30 years ago has been barred from Billboard in recent years. Edgar Winter had the chorus from his 1971 song “Dying to Live” used in … Continue reading Edgar Winter strives to break down senseless musical barriers
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 25, 2004 By Steve Newton Unless you’re an avid follower of guitar players–and slide-guitar specialists, in particular–you may not have heard of Sonny Landreth. According to Eric Clapton, he is “probably the most underestimated musician on the planet”. But that didn’t stop Landreth from earning a Grammy nomination for his 2003 … Continue reading Sonny Landreth hoped some of Albert King’s cosmic dust would rub off on him
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 18, 2004 By Steve Newton Has the Tragically Hip finally lost its standing as Canada’s top rock band? There’s little doubt that Kingston, Ontario’s favourite sons have been on a downward slide, popularity-wise, for the last few years. Back in ’96, the group came close to selling out the Pacific Coliseum … Continue reading There’s not a band in the land that can touch the Hip in concert
By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed a lot of incredible bluesmen over the years, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Albert Collins, and Roy Buchanan. But far and away the nicest was B.B. King. Famed Vancouver punk-rock photographer Bev Davies snapped this shot of me ‘n’ B.B. in his hotel room at the Plazazz Showroom in … Continue reading B.B. King: The nicest bluesman I ever met
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 11, 1983 By Steve Newton Eddie Van Halen calls him “fantastic”. Gary Moore says “he’s frightening. He’s definitely dangerous and getting better all the time.” Carlos Santana gives him “more credit than anyone for just pure expression in soloing.” Journey’s Neil Schon says: “If you play guitar and ever think you’re … Continue reading Guitar phenom Allan Holdsworth says he’s not impressed by flash
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 13, 2012 By Steve Newton Derek Trucks might not be the most recognizable name in the world as far as guitar heroes go, but the 33-year-old picker in the Tedeschi Trucks Band is doing all right lately in the accolade department. His group’s debut album, Revelator, won a Grammy this year for … Continue reading Duane Allman’s slide was one of the first sounds Derek Trucks remembers
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON OCT. 12, 2011 By Steve Newton When it comes to politically motivated rockers, you won’t find many more motivated than Tom Morello. Whether blasting out the intense guitar work that propels Rage Against the Machine’s anticorporate rap-metal agenda or taking on the Woody Guthrie–inspired folk-balladeer persona of his solo project, the Nightwatchman, … Continue reading Activist-rocker Tom Morello says that the people who run this world don’t deserve to
photo by rebecca blissett ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JULY 30, 2011 By Steve Newton Due to its proximity to Seattle, Vancouver has enjoyed a special kinship to the famed grunge bands of the Emerald City. Before making it big the plaid-clad lads in Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, hungry for gigs, would head north to … Continue reading Soundgarden’s grungey return leaves little to complain about in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 17, 2009 By Steve Newton In the music business, having the right manager is huge, as Hammond B3 legend Booker T. Jones recently learned. Before recording his latest album, Potato Hole, Jones found a new manager in Dave Bartlett, who hooked him up with the Drive-By Truckers, the raggedy southern-rock outfit that … Continue reading Booker T. Jones hooked up with the Drive-By Truckers after meeting Jason Isbell at SXSW
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 28, 2005 By Steve Newton My earliest memory of drinkin’ beer goes back to when I was about seven or eight. Don’t panic, I wasn’t wasted. I just recall sampling the warm dregs of my dad’s Black Label stubby while watching an Original Six NHL game on the tube. It was … Continue reading Zakk Wylde says that Dimebag Darrell is keeping the beer on ice up in God’s tavern
INTERVIEWS WITH VANCOUVER TALENT AGE OF ELECTRIC blasts pure pop on Make a Pest a Pet (1997) Guitar idol DON ALDER finds one fan at a time (2012) ANNIHILATOR’s Jeff Waters is getting into the “old hard-rock stuff” again (1990) ASIYAH aims to make the hypnotic backbeat of reggae popular in Vancouver (1983) LONG JOHN … Continue reading from the ‘hood
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 7, 2007 By Steve Newton It’s somewhat ironic that Black Sabbath‘s 1978 album was titled Never Say Die, because that disc actually signaled the end of the group’s original lineup. After eight albums with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, the metal pioneers gave him the boot, replacing him with Ronnie James Dio. … Continue reading Tony Iommi on Heaven and Hell and how Frank Zappa always loved his “Supernaut” riff
 ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 19, 1985 By Steve Newton When legendary guitarist Eric Clapton steps before the Coliseum audience Saturday (July 27) he will be fronting a stellar group of musicians. Bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn is something of a legend himself among musicians, having played with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Booker T and the … Continue reading My one and only interview with bass legend Donald “Duck” Dunn
