Album review: Georgia Satellites, In the Land of Salvation and Sin (1989)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 1, 1989 By Steve Newton You’ve gotta like a band like the Georgia Satellites–they know what they do best, and the just keep doin’ it. On their first two albums they made pulverizing boogie-blues their one-and-only forte, and on their excellent third album they’ve not only kept the faith–they’ve become better … Continue reading Album review: Georgia Satellites, In the Land of Salvation and Sin (1989)

That time Lemmy from Motörhead told me that Jimi Hendrix was “the best you’ll ever have”

By Steve Newton I was just listening to an old interview I did with Lemmy Kilmister back in 2002 and came upon a bit where he talks about being a roadie for Jimi Hendrix back in the day. Having never seen Hendrix in concert myself, I had to ask Lemmy if he was really as … Continue reading That time Lemmy from Motörhead told me that Jimi Hendrix was “the best you’ll ever have”

That time Buddy Guy told me about Muddy Waters bringing him sandwiches when he was hungry

By Steve Newton Here’s an interesting tidbit from the first interview I did with Buddy Guy, back in 1991. At one point in the conversation I asked Buddy about this story in his record-company bio about the time he was starving in Chicago and Muddy Waters “force-fed him salami sandwiches”. Have a listen: To hear … Continue reading That time Buddy Guy told me about Muddy Waters bringing him sandwiches when he was hungry

That time I asked Buddy Guy why he was such a huge influence on Clapton and Beck

By Steve Newton Buddy Guy is one of the most influential guitar players of all time, having been a major inspiration for the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. When I did my first interview with Guy, back in August of 1991, he had just released his album Damn … Continue reading That time I asked Buddy Guy why he was such a huge influence on Clapton and Beck

Eric Clapton stopped the car when he heard Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar solo on “Let’s Dance”

By Steve Newton Where were you when you first heard Stevie Ray Vaughan‘s killer guitar playing on David Bowie’s 1983 hit single, “Let’s Dance”? It was definitely the type of thing that caught your ear, because you sure as shit didn’t hear much Albert King-style soloing on commercial radio up until that point. According to … Continue reading Eric Clapton stopped the car when he heard Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar solo on “Let’s Dance”

Album review: Joe Satriani, Flying in a Blue Dream (1989)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 15, 1989 By Steve Newton Joe Satriani is the ultimate hero for air guitarists. When he burst on to the mainstream recording scene with the all-instrumental Surfing With the Alien last year, his high-voltage attack had people everywhere going, “What the hell is that?” Not since Eddie Van Halen’s appearance had … Continue reading Album review: Joe Satriani, Flying in a Blue Dream (1989)

That time Mick Mars told me that Yngwie Malmsteen could be the world’s best guitarist if he’d just change his attitude

By Steve Newton Back in November of 1985 I interviewed Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars the same day his band played Vancouver on its Theatre of Pain tour. At one point in the conversation we were talking fave guitar players–his (and mine) being Jeff Beck–and I asked him how he felt about the new superstars … Continue reading That time Mick Mars told me that Yngwie Malmsteen could be the world’s best guitarist if he’d just change his attitude

That time I told Rob Halford that “Freewheel Burning” was my fave tune on Judas Priest’s new album

By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed Rob Halford five times over the years, the first being way the funk back in 1984, when Judas Priest was headed to Vancouver on the Defenders of the Faith tour. At one point in the conversation I asked Rob which tune on the new album was his personal favourite, and … Continue reading That time I told Rob Halford that “Freewheel Burning” was my fave tune on Judas Priest’s new album

That time I asked Alex Lifeson what he thought the attraction was to Rush for so many diehard fans

By Steve Newton By now you’ve no doubt heard the awful news: that Rush drummer-lyricist Neil Peart has died from brain cancer. The man who inspired a million drummers is now up there jammin’ with Allan Holdsworth and Jaco Pastorius or equally brilliant and pioneering players like that. So Rush is no more. There will … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Lifeson what he thought the attraction was to Rush for so many diehard fans

That time I asked Mike Rutherford about the biggest highlights of Genesis’ career

By Steve Newton Way back in December of 1983 I did an interview with Mike Rutherford, who at the time was the guitarist-bassist in Genesis, joined by singer-drummer Phil Collins and keyboardist Tony Banks. Two months earlier the band had released a self-titled album that was a huge success, spawning the hits “Mama”, “That’s All”, … Continue reading That time I asked Mike Rutherford about the biggest highlights of Genesis’ career

That time Dickey Betts asked me to mention all the guys in the Allmans, including the “piece of dynamite”

By Steve Newton Yesterday I went and dug up the old cassette with my first Buddy Guy interview on it, the one from 1991, because I wanted to digitize it for my Patreon page. Cool thing was, I noticed that the interview before it on the tape was the one I did the previous month … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts asked me to mention all the guys in the Allmans, including the “piece of dynamite”

That time I asked Doc Neeson if the Angels/Angel City were inspired by their longtime friends AC/DC

By Steve Newton Way the funk back in 1985 I did my one and only interview with Doc Neeson, frontman for Angel City, who were known as the Angels in their native Australia. I thought Angel City were an awesome band. They put out an album called Face to Face that–with killer tracks like “Take … Continue reading That time I asked Doc Neeson if the Angels/Angel City were inspired by their longtime friends AC/DC