Billy Gibbons gets rude ‘n’ bluesy in Vancouver on ZZ Top’s Afterburner Tour

mila geran photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 20, 1985 By Steve Newton Shortly before his death, somebody asked Jimi Hendrix if he knew of any up-and-coming guitarists to watch out for. One of the players Hendrix mentioned was Billy Gibbons. Sixteen years later, Gibbons is living up to Jimi’s expectations. At the moment, his guitar … Continue reading Billy Gibbons gets rude ‘n’ bluesy in Vancouver on ZZ Top’s Afterburner Tour

Rob Halford loves what Iron Maiden does with three guitars, but he’s “content” with what Priest does with two

By Steve Newton I interviewed Rob Halford a couple of weeks ago in advance of Judas Priest’s upcoming shows at Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, and we had a pretty nice chat. We go way back, to that time he called me up to promote the Defenders of the Faith tour in ’84. At one point we … Continue reading Rob Halford loves what Iron Maiden does with three guitars, but he’s “content” with what Priest does with two

Mötley Crüe plays Vancouver on the Theatre of Pain tour, Nikki Sixx cranks AC/DC backstage

mila geran photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 22, 1985 By Steve Newton “Excuse me women…I mean ladies,” said Nikki Sixx as he pushed through the hordes of groupies backstage at the Coliseum last week (November 12). The Mötley Crüe bassist wasn’t zeroing in on anyone in particular–his aim was the group’s massive portable tape deck. … Continue reading Mötley Crüe plays Vancouver on the Theatre of Pain tour, Nikki Sixx cranks AC/DC backstage

Even the kids in Def Leppard can’t make Uriah Heep feel old

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 15, 1983 By Steve Newton Next Wednesday (July 20) at the Pacific Coliseum original Heepsters Mick Box and Lee Kerslake on guitar and drums will be joined by bassist Trevor Bolder, keyboardist John Sinclair, and singer Peter Goalby to give us Uriah Heep ’80s-style. Performing material from their new album Head … Continue reading Even the kids in Def Leppard can’t make Uriah Heep feel old

The greatest guitar solo of all time: Mick Ronson on Ian Hunter’s “Once Bitten Twice Shy”

By Steve Newton I’ve heard a lotta amazing guitar solos in my life, but today I decided to just go ahead and pick the greatest one of all time. I’m goin’ with Mick Ronson‘s 30-second blast on Ian Hunter’s classic boogie number “Once Bitten Twice Shy”. It’s not because that’s the best rock song of 1975–the year I graduated … Continue reading The greatest guitar solo of all time: Mick Ronson on Ian Hunter’s “Once Bitten Twice Shy”

That time Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil cursed me out and called Axl Rose a pussy, a wimp, and a poser

By Steve Newton Ha! Here’s a good one. It’s from an old interview I did with Vince Neil back in October of 1991 when Mötley Crüe was promoting its Decade of Decadence greatest hits album. This was around the time Neil was making headlines in the music press for his feud with Axl Rose of … Continue reading That time Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil cursed me out and called Axl Rose a pussy, a wimp, and a poser

Judas Priest’s Rob Halford calls “Black Sabbath” the most evil song that’s ever been written: “It’s very f***ing scary!”

By Steve Newton Back in 2015 I interviewed Rob Halford in advance of Judas Priest’s two shows at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver and, as old-school rockheads will do, we got to talkin’ Sabbath. I’d known that Halford had sang with the metal legends three times–twice covering for Ronnie James Dio, and once for Ozzy … Continue reading Judas Priest’s Rob Halford calls “Black Sabbath” the most evil song that’s ever been written: “It’s very f***ing scary!”

Rob Halford says that Priest, Maiden, AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, and Slayer have all stood the test of time

By Steve Newton Back in 2015 I interviewed Rob Halford in advance of Judas Priest‘s doubleheader at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver. When I asked him if there were any newer metal bands that had blown him away lately the 64-year-old “metal god” went off on a bit of a tangent. “They’re all over the place, … Continue reading Rob Halford says that Priest, Maiden, AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, and Slayer have all stood the test of time

Mötley Crüe’s Mick Mars in 1985: “Without groupies, I probably wouldn’t have been a musician.”

“I love groupies. Without groupies, God, I probably wouldn’t have been a musician. Probably go home and be a farmer or somethin’.”

Backstage at an Arc Angels show with Charlie Sexton, David Gogo, and the blind date I never saw again

By Steve Newton Here’s a photo that was taken backstage at the 86 Street Music Hall in Vancouver on July 22, 1992. It was after a show by the Arc Angels, a bluesy band from Austin that featured guitarist-vocalists Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II along with Stevie Ray Vaughan‘s old rhythm section, bassist Tommy … Continue reading Backstage at an Arc Angels show with Charlie Sexton, David Gogo, and the blind date I never saw again

Nick Gilder on his new self-titled LP and his “ironic” replacement in Sweeney Todd, Bryan Adams

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 25, 1985 By Steve Newton You remember Nick Gilder, don’t you? He goes way back. He was the lead singer for Sweeney Todd, one of Vancouver’s more popular glam/glitter rock bands. Named after the demon barber of Fleet Street who made meat pies of his customers, Sweeney Todd had a mid-seventies … Continue reading Nick Gilder on his new self-titled LP and his “ironic” replacement in Sweeney Todd, Bryan Adams

The Hoodoo Gurus’ Dave Faulkner on junk culture, Aussie rockers, and Mars Needs Guitars!

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 29, 1985 By Steve Newton One of the wildest rock and roll sounds to come up from Down Under recently is that of the Hoodoo Gurus. Just last year the Aussie foursome released their debut album, Stoneage Romeos, a thoroughly rocking blend of pop/punk, Merseybeat, and psychedelia–all slapped on a two-guitar … Continue reading The Hoodoo Gurus’ Dave Faulkner on junk culture, Aussie rockers, and Mars Needs Guitars!

Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister says his secret to staying alive is not dyin’

bev davies photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 6, 1999 By Steve Newton I’ve seen some funny things at rock concerts over the years, but one of the funniest goes way back to 1981, when the original Motörhead opened for Ozzy Osbourne at the acoustically absurd Kerrisdale Arena. Lemmy Kilmister and the boys were in full … Continue reading Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister says his secret to staying alive is not dyin’