Guitar god Danny Gatton says Lenny Breau is the biggest humbler of all time

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

Damn Yankees with the Nuge kicks ass; Bad Company without Paul Rodgers licks it

kevin statham photos ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 21, 1991 By Steve Newton Oh man—talk about going back in time! There was Ted Nugent riffing out on “Cat Scratch Fever” and screeching like he had a severe case of it. There was former Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw whipping his still-blond locks every which way while churning … Continue reading Damn Yankees with the Nuge kicks ass; Bad Company without Paul Rodgers licks it

Bass god Stu Hamm says that seeing Jaco Pastorius for the first time changed his life

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 7, 1991 By Steve Newton There are rock heroes, and then there are rock heroes’ rock heroes. For virtuoso bassist Stuart Hamm, it was the cosmic abilities of the late Jaco Pastorius that made the most profound impression on him. He couldn’t sleep for two days after seeing the troubled fretmaster. … Continue reading Bass god Stu Hamm says that seeing Jaco Pastorius for the first time changed his life

Tom Petty blows into the psychedelic harmonica on the Into the Great Wide Open 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

Warren Zevon talks Vancouver’s Odds, “Werewolves”, scoring films, and managing to remain poor

Once upon a time, there were four young men who played in a band called Dawn Patrol at a Vancouver bar called the Roxy.

Guitar hero Michael Schenker goes acoustic and his fans are fine with it

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 12, 1992 By Steve Newton When Michael Schenker was only 15, he met up with Scorpions singer Klaus Meine. Just a year later, he was laying down the white-hot guitar licks for the Scorpions’ debut album, Lonesome Crow. But Schenker’s early musical accomplishments were not without their price, as the teen … Continue reading Guitar hero Michael Schenker goes acoustic and his fans are fine with it

Widespread Panic finds a home on Phil Walden’s resurrected Capricorn label

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

Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon defines success as making it last

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

Keith Richards’ other great band kicks out all the jams in Vancouver

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 21, 1993 By Steve Newton The Rolling Stones have owned the Granville Mall of late. A couple of months back Ronnie Wood played the Commodore; now Keith Richards has ripped things up a few doors down at the Orpheum. Maybe Mick Jagger will continue the trend and drop … Continue reading Keith Richards’ other great band kicks out all the jams in Vancouver

The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan says he’s not here to talk about his dad

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 25, 1993 By Steve Newton I’d never heard the Wallflowers until about a week ago, when a colleague suggested I might like their rootsy style—the Black Crowes meet The Band. After rounding up a copy of the group’s self-titled 1992 debut, I fell under the spell of 22-year-old singer/songwriter Jakob Dylan’s … Continue reading The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan says he’s not here to talk about his dad

Junkhouse’s Tom Wilson believes there’s a Birthday Boy in all of us

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 30, 1995 By Steve Newton If you happened to see the Beatles Anthology series on the tube last week, you’re probably aware that the Fab Four quit touring in 1966 and became just a recording act. That move worked out alright for them—but it probably wouldn’t suit Hamilton, Ontario, rockers Junkhouse. … Continue reading Junkhouse’s Tom Wilson believes there’s a Birthday Boy in all of us

Yngwie Malmsteen calls Ibanez guitars “a bad copy” of the Strat and says Les Pauls are “furniture”

By Steve Newton Back in 2014 I had a nice little chat with Swedish guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen, in advance of a Guitar Gods show in Vancouver. I mentioned that the last time I saw him live was on the G3 Tour at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre in 2003 or something. We got to talking about his … Continue reading Yngwie Malmsteen calls Ibanez guitars “a bad copy” of the Strat and says Les Pauls are “furniture”