ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 13, 1992 By Steve Newton Some hard-rock bands like to boast about not using keyboards; they take pride in sticking with the trusty old guitar-bass-drums ideal. Guns N’ Roses might have been such a band in its early days, but when it came time to record its ground-breaking Use Your Illusion … Continue reading Now that he’s in Guns N’ Roses Dizzy Reed can buy drinks for all his freennz
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 5, 1992 By Steve Newton About an hour into the Black Crowes’ sold-out Queen Elizabeth Theatre show last Wednesday (October 28), the Atlanta blues-rock sextet rolled out a brand-new tune for its exuberant fans, most of whom had been standing up the whole time, cheering like mad. At … Continue reading Weed-loving Black Crowes bring their pro-pot stance to Vancouver on the High as the Moon Tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 21, 1997 By Steve Newton October 20, 1977, is a day branded by sadness for southern-rock fans. That’s when Lynyrd Skynyrd’s rented plane, short on fuel, crashed into a Mississippi swamp en route to a gig at Louisiana University. Vocalist Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines died in the crash—along … Continue reading Rickey Medlocke on reuniting with Skynyrd, the plane crash, and the rebel flag
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 22, 1993 By Steve Newton Guitar World magazine called him “the world’s greatest unknown guitarist”. Guitar Player ran his photo on the cover with his face behind a mask, while inside they asked: “What famous guitarist could outplay him?” So how come virtuoso guitarman Danny Gatton is so underexposed? “Well, there’s … Continue reading Guitar god Danny Gatton says Lenny Breau is the biggest humbler of all time
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 13, 1991 By Steve Newton Only 4,000 fans showed up for the Doobie Brothers show last Friday, which is not a particularly impressive turnout for any Coliseum act, least of all one that’s sold as many albums as the Doobies. Maybe the general consensus is that the Doobies aren’t hip—or even … Continue reading Doobie Brothers deliver the goods but can’t pull a big crowd in Vancouver on the Brotherhood Tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 21, 1991 By Steve Newton “Oh, those fabulous ’70s,” intoned Tom Petty halfway through his Monday-night (November 18) show at the Coliseum. The Florida native was catching his breath between a couple of his early tunes, “Here Comes My Girl” and “Breakdown”, but you couldn’t really tell if he was being … Continue reading Tom Petty blows into the psychedelic harmonica on the Into the Great Wide Open Tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 2, 1992 By Steve Newton If you were a fan of southern rock back in the days of vinyl, chances are you owned a couple of discs with the Capricorn label on them. With an early ’70s roster that included the Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, Elvin Bishop, … Continue reading Widespread Panic finds a home on Phil Walden’s resurrected Capricorn label
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 28, 1992 By Steve Newton You don’t have to be a big fan of Metallica’s furiously thrashy—albeit recently refined—sound to give the band credit for blazing a formidable trail since its inception in ’81. The group has always gone against the grain and done things its own way, riding the precarious … Continue reading Metallica delivers on Lars Ulrich’s promise to “kick f***in’ ass” while touring behind The Black Album
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 8, 1992 By Steve Newton There’s nothing like timing it just right, so that when you walk into a concert venue the band’s just going on stage. But sometimes that I-don’t-feel-like-waitin’ approach backfires, and you end up missing a few tunes by the group you’re all geared up to see. It’s … Continue reading Blue Rodeo doesn’t recommend taking acid at the Commodore in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 23, 1992 By Steve Newton When he was a headline-making member of the infamous Sex Pistols, John Lydon went to extremes to make sure people either loved or hated his grating, nihilistic Johnny Rotten persona. And, according to Blind Melon vocalist Shannon Hoon, Lydon hasn’t given up his Rotten ways. “One … Continue reading Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon defines success as making it last
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 22, 1993 By Steve Newton In 1973 the Doobie Brothers recorded a tune called “Ukiah”, about a place in Northern California with “green trees and timberlands; people workin’ with their hands”. Judging by the lyrics, it was a pretty nice place to be. And for Ukiah-raised guitar great Robben Ford, it … Continue reading Robben Ford wanted to be a guitar player when he heard Mike Bloomfield
The overall feeling in the Commodore Ballroom throughout the Beat Farmers’ crazed set bordered on pandemonium.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 13, 1990 By Steve Newton Hawkwind may just well be the ultimate cult band. The British progressive/space metal act has released more than 20 albums since its inception in 1969—and sold millions. Yet ask the person next to you if they’ve ever actually heard the band—least of all bought one of … Continue reading Dave Brock says Hawkwind’s space-rock wasn’t influenced by anyone
