ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 2, 2009 By Steve Newton Got someone on your Christmas list who’s a huge fan of wailing rock guitar? Then look no further than Eagle Rock’s five-disc feast of fret-burning action by Irish guitar hero Gary Moore. So what if it contains no less than four live versions of Otis Rush’s … Continue reading Gary Moore’s Essential Montreux is a five-disc feast of fret-burning action
photo by erik lindahl ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 30, 1990 By Steve Newton The influence of the blues on British supergroups is well documented. The Stones, Zeppelin, Cream—they all lapped up the seminal works of people like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Howlin’ Wolf. Across the sea in Ireland, a young guitarist named Gary Moore … Continue reading My one and only interview with legendary bluesman Albert King
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 20, 1999 By Steve Newton I like John Mellencamp, but my sister Julie and cousin Cory are crazy about him, so I did some serious scroungin’ and wangled three backstage passes to meet the Indiana rocker before he went on stage at GM Place last Saturday (May 15). Now, for those … Continue reading Perfecting the lost art of the backstage meet ‘n’ greet at John Mellencamp in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 17, 1999 By Steve Newton Ya gotta like interviewing those old blues guys, ’cause they’ve seen some things and have a few tales to tell. Often all it takes to get them going is an innocent little query like: “So, when did you pick up your first guitar?” … Continue reading Sonny Rhodes’ journey to the lap-steel guitar started with a one-stringed Stella
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 26, 1999 By Steve Newton Mike Campell is the curly-haired guitarist who has been knocking off tasty solos alongside Tom Petty for nearly three decades. In 1970, Campbell was two years out of high school and living in Gainesville, Florida, when the musical partnership that would shape his life took form. … Continue reading Mike Campbell is much more than just the guitarist for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 1990 By Steve Newton If you listened to rock radio at all last year, most likely you came across Concrete Blonde’s hit tune, “God Is a Bullet”, a fuel-injected tirade against the proliferation of guns, particularly in the drug- and gang-infested core of urban L.A. Over a thundering backbeat and … Continue reading Gun violence and AIDS misery inspire Concrete Blonde’s dark Bloodletting
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 8, 1989 By Steve Newton Seeing a destined-to-be-huge band in a small venue can make for one of the most memorable nights in any rock fan’s existence. Kiss at the Commodore, Jeff Healey at the Yale, Living Colour at the Town Pump, Metallica at the New York Theatre–those are just a … Continue reading Bass god Billy Sheehan pooh-poohs Mr. Big’s supergroup status
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 14, 1999 By Steve Newton Guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan had a profound effect on a lot of people, and 21-year-old blues-rock whiz kid Kenny Wayne Shepherd is one of them. As the story goes, Shepherd developed his Stevie Ray obsession at the age of seven when the Texas Strat-strangler sat … Continue reading Texas Strat-strangler Kenny Wayne Shepherd goes all Stevie Ray on Vancouver’s ass
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 3, 1998 By Steve Newton When Susan Tedeschi’s cell phone rings in an L.A. hotel room, a female voice answers, but it isn’t the one I’m looking for. It’s actually Tedeschi’s mom, who, in a very motherly way, explains that her daughter’s in the bathtub. Sounding concerned that her child might … Continue reading Susan Tedeschi just enjoys being a musician, pretty much
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 10, 1996 By Steve Newton It’s times like this—when Punchbuggy’s Jim Bryson calls from the chilly wastelands of Saskatchewan—that I feel good about being an observer of rock instead of a participant. I’m cosy at home while he’s shivering at the side of the Trans-Canada Highway, the intermittent swoosh of passing … Continue reading Punchbuggy’s indie status makes $100 speeding tickets hard to take
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 10, 2011 By Steve Newton While prepping for my interview with British blues-rock legend John Mayall I browsed my trusty CD collection and came up with the remastered version of his 1971 album, Back to the Roots. This turned out to be a fine choice from a guitar freak’s standpoint as it … Continue reading Clean-living music-biz veteran John Mayall has still got the blues
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 6, 1998 By Steve Newton Guitar legend Steve Howe first hooked up with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire back in 1971, just in time to help steer the British prog-rock outfit to glory with best-selling albums such as Fragile and Close to the Edge. While the progressive sound … Continue reading Yes guitarist Steve Howe says sheer determination keeps the core of the band intact
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 3, 1997 By Steve Newton There’s been a missing Link on the North American music scene for a long time, but now he’s back, and instro-rock fans have serious cause to rejoice. Two weeks ago in Texas, 68-year-old guitar god Link Wray launched his first North American tour in 25 years, … Continue reading Link Wray: my one and only interview with the inventor of the raunchy riff
