Search Results for: Doors

Steven Tyler screeches like a budgie from hell as Aerosmith rocks Vancouver on the Pump tour

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 23, 1990 By Steve Newton Boy, the nerve of those Aerosmith guys! They stay in our city for months on end, tie up our world-class studios, use our best producers and engineers, hog all the seats in our strip bars, and then deny the city’s top entertainment rag a crummy phone … Continue reading Steven Tyler screeches like a budgie from hell as Aerosmith rocks Vancouver on the Pump tour

Tom Petty lightly weighs in on Sam Smith’s ripping off of “Won’t Back Down”

By Steve Newton I normally try to avoid songs like Sam Smith’s Grammy-nominated hit, “Stay With Me”. It’s not that I’m a hard-hearted wretch who can’t stand a bit of sappiness, but, really, would it have killed the guy to throw a wailing guitar solo in there somewhere? The song is infectious, I’ll admit. I … Continue reading Tom Petty lightly weighs in on Sam Smith’s ripping off of “Won’t Back Down”

Joe Bonamassa wanted Deep Purple and Free in the Rock Hall “before f***ing Green Day”

By Steve Newton When American guitar hero Joe Bonamassa called me up back in 2015 in advance of a Vancouver double-header we mostly talked about his new live album, Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks. But since I also see it as my duty to slag the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame whenever necessary–which is … Continue reading Joe Bonamassa wanted Deep Purple and Free in the Rock Hall “before f***ing Green Day”

Drum great Terry Bozzio livens up Omar and the Howlers’ Big Delta

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 26, 2002 By Steve Newton If you’re a blues-rock guitarist-vocalist looking for a guy to play drums with you, you could do worse than have Terry Bozzio—renowned skinbasher for Jeff Beck—living three doors down. At least that’s what Kent Omar Dykes—the Omar in Omar and the Howlers—discovered recently. “He’s my neighbour, … Continue reading Drum great Terry Bozzio livens up Omar and the Howlers’ Big Delta

Steve Hackett doesn’t think the job of Genesis guitarist is available to him

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

Alice Cooper’s youthful band breathes fire into the shock-rock king’s classics in concert

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

The B-52’s make a triumphant return to Vancouver in the wake of Cosmic Thing

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

UZEB may be “the Van Halen of jazz”, but they sure don’t get paid the same

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

R.I.P. B.B. King: the nicest bluesman I ever met

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

Creepy-doll flick Annabelle has more potent scares than The Conjuring

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

Blues survivor Buddy Guy tries slipping in the back door with Feels Like Rain

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

Steve Hackett leaves Vancouver aglow with a major Genesis buzz

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