NRBQ likes to go by the way it feels at the time
NRBQ stands for the New Rhythm & Blues Quartet, but NRBQ isn’t a rhythm and blues band. A bit misleading, wouldn’t you say?
NRBQ stands for the New Rhythm & Blues Quartet, but NRBQ isn’t a rhythm and blues band. A bit misleading, wouldn’t you say?
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 26, 1990 By Steve Newton If Alice Cooper‘s concert at the Coliseum last Thursday (January 18) were a horror movie–and in a way it nearly was–it might have been called The Return of Alice, Part 10: The New Blood. On his latest tour, the king of nasty rock … Continue reading Alice Cooper’s youthful band breathes fire into the shock-rock king’s classics in concert
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 26, 1990 By Steve Newton Why, oh why, did the B-52’s have to get booked into the Orpheum? As one of the prime providers of bouncy, shake-your-booty pop-rock, the band would have been so much better in a place where it’s okay to move around, and where concert-goers have the option … Continue reading The B-52’s make a triumphant return to Vancouver in the wake of Cosmic Thing
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 7, 1985 By Steve Newton Last year’s Vancouver appearance by Quebec jazz/fusion quartet UZEB was one of my picks for the Top Ten concerts of 1984–right up there with Scorpions and R.E.M. Now the group is returning to the Commodore Ballroom for two nights, next Friday and Saturday (June 14 and … Continue reading UZEB may be “the Van Halen of jazz”, but they sure don’t get paid the same
By Steve Newton Genesis freaks will be getting their fill of the band’s “golden age” tonight at the Vogue Theatre’s Genesis Extended show. That’s when former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett leads his touring band in material from the prog-rock group’s ’70s heyday, when it featured him, singer Peter Gabriel, drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, … Continue reading Steve Hackett doesn’t think the job of Genesis guitarist is available to him
By Steve Newton As you’ve most likely heard by now, B.B. King, the beloved “King of the Blues”, passed away last night at the age of 89. He was receiving hospice care at his home in Las Vegas, where the longtime diabetic was recovering from dehydration. You can read all about the great man’s numerous … Continue reading R.I.P. B.B. King: the nicest bluesman I ever met
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 8, 1993 By Steve Newton Back in the ’60s, it is said, Jimi Hendrix was so inspired by Buddy Guy’s guitar playing that he would go to blues clubs and lay a tape recorder at Guy’s feet to capture his performances. Not only Hendrix, but rock greats such as Eric Clapton, … Continue reading Blues survivor Buddy Guy tries slipping in the back door with Feels Like Rain
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 6, 2014 I’ve been a sucker for creepy-doll flicks ever since that ventriloquists’ dummy from Magic put its unblinking spell on me back in 1978. The genre has had its ups (Child’s Play) and downs (Dead Silence), but it gets a major boost with Annabelle, a prequel to last year’s over-rated The Conjuring. Married couple … Continue reading Creepy-doll flick Annabelle has more potent scares than The Conjuring
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 20, 1990 By Steve Newton What do squeaky-clean teen idols Loverboy and the crude ‘n’ demented Cramps have in common? Sweet-bugger-all, you say? Pretty close, but the Cramps did borrow Loverboy’s barricade to use in front of the Commodore stage last Thursday (April 12). With a house full … Continue reading The Cramps borrow Loverboy’s barricade to keep crazed Vancouver fans at bay
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 20, 2000 By Steve Newton Technical difficulties have been gnawing away at me lately. First, the automatic garage door at our house doesn’t feel like opening; next thing our freaky cat, Toonces, sets off the burglar alarm we just got. Now, 20 minutes into an interview with Headstones vocalist Hugh Dillon, … Continue reading A killer album is the best revenge for the Headstones’ Hugh Dillon
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 13, 2006 By Steve Newton Anyone put off by surviving Doors members Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek’s attempts to cash in on the band’s legacy by scooping up Jim Morrison look-alike Ian Astbury for last year’s Doors of the 21st Century tour can take solace in this extravagant package. Perception … Continue reading Extravagant Doors box captures cosmic aspects of the Lizard King
all crappy iPhone photos by the newt By Steve Newton At the Vogue Theatre last night former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and his killer band performed the best-loved songs from his old group’s ’70s heyday. Those included “The Fountain of Salmacis” from 1971’s Nursery Cryme, the seven-part “Supper’s Ready” from 1972’s Foxtrot, “Firth of Fifth” from my … Continue reading Steve Hackett leaves Vancouver aglow with a major Genesis buzz
photo courtesy the newt ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 11, 1990 By Steve Newton You know how some recording artists make you think of old times, and help you crystallize visions from the past? Well, when I think of Robin Trower, I picture a mid-’70s high-schooler cruising the main drag of Chilliwack in a wood-grained Monaco … Continue reading Robin Trower talks Procol Harum, Hendrix, and blues, says “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”