Meeting with the Alien: hangin’ with Joe Satriani backstage in Vancouver

By Steve Newton Went and saw Joe Satriani at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver last night, and holy crap was he smokin’! I must have seen Satch live around 10 times over the years–including on various G3 tours–and I don’t think he’s ever played better. Having such a wicked backing band–guitarist-keyboardist Mike Kenneally, bassist Bryan … Continue reading Meeting with the Alien: hangin’ with Joe Satriani backstage in Vancouver

Queen guitarist Brian May doesn’t have much interest in doing “virtuoso stuff”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 25, 1993 By Steve Newton Ever since Wayne’s World came out, I’ve been considering legal action against writer/star Mike Myers. You know that scene where Wayne and Garth are driving around with their buddies in a purple Pinto, singing along and banging their heads to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”? Well, I think … Continue reading Queen guitarist Brian May doesn’t have much interest in doing “virtuoso stuff”

Album review: Leslie West, Theme (1988)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 8, 1988 By Steve Newton You don’t hear a lot from Leslie West these days. The under-rated guitarist has sort of faded into the distance since his two ’70s bands–Mountain and West, Bruce & Laing–called it quits. But for those who’d like to catch up on what the … Continue reading Album review: Leslie West, Theme (1988)

Joe Satriani responds to Yngwie Malmsteen’s claim that Ibanez guitars are “a bad copy” of the Strat

By Steve Newton I did my eighth interview with Joe Satriani a couple years ago, and finally got to ask him about something that his former G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen once said to me. Back in 2014 I had interviewed Yngwie in advance of his Guitar Gods show in Vancouver, and that was when he … Continue reading Joe Satriani responds to Yngwie Malmsteen’s claim that Ibanez guitars are “a bad copy” of the Strat

Former Metal Queen Lee Aaron says you can’t build a career on a pretty face

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 24, 1991 By Steve Newton Although Toronto’s Lee Aaron has been a fixture on the Canadian music scene since the early ’80s, her first taste of substantial commercial success didn’t come until her 1990 album, Bodyrock. It’s been a long road, but the 29-year-old singer—who plays 86 Street … Continue reading Former Metal Queen Lee Aaron says you can’t build a career on a pretty face

AC/DC rumours regarding Phil Rudd and Vancouver come from the right place

I don’t care how tiny Angus is, the world needs his killer riffs. By Steve Newton There’s been a lot of rumour and speculation flying around the music world since yesterday, when I posted a blog on the Georgia Straight website reporting that Phil Rudd and Stevie Young had been spotted in downtown Vancouver. The … Continue reading AC/DC rumours regarding Phil Rudd and Vancouver come from the right place

That time I asked Leslie West about the awesome cowbell on Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen”

By Steve Newton Check out this snapshot of five teenagers on summer vacation in the mid-’70s: That’s me and some buddies from Chilliwack Senior High School, class of 1975, one our way up to the annual piss-up-and-puke-off in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. (I’m the geeky one with the fingers in my face, if … Continue reading That time I asked Leslie West about the awesome cowbell on Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen”

Album review: Joe Jackson Band, Volume 4 (2003)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 27, 2003 By Steve Newton When I recall my late-’70s/early-’80s fondness for Brit pop-punk Joe Jackson, I drift back to days spent in a rundown party pad at the foot of a dead-end street in Chilliwack. For some reason, I remember myself one spring afternoon mowing the lawn … Continue reading Album review: Joe Jackson Band, Volume 4 (2003)

Warren Haynes calls Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” one of the most haunting recordings ever

By Steve Newton Gov’t Mule is one of my favourite bands, and not just because their original music is so damn fine. Once in a while they’ll do a cover of an old blues tune that inspires me to search out previous versions, with wonderful results. Like back in 1998 when they recorded “John the … Continue reading Warren Haynes calls Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” one of the most haunting recordings ever

Kiss struggles on stage in 1988, can’t rekindle the magic of Alive! from ’75

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 18, 1988 By Steve Newton One of the most memorable concerts of this scribbler’s young life was seeing Kiss at the Commodore Ballroom just after the release of its second album, Hotter Than Hell. A bunch of my buddies and I had crammed into a rented van and driven up … Continue reading Kiss struggles on stage in 1988, can’t rekindle the magic of Alive! from ’75

Georgia Satellites’ Rick Richards on covering the Beatles, meeting the Faces, and thanking Jack Daniels

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 29, 1988 By Steve Newton If you were in a rockin’, blues-based guitar band and wanted to cover a song from the Beatles’ White Album, you’d probably pick one of the heavier Lennon/McCartney tunes like “Yer Blues” or “Savoy Truffle” or “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey”, … Continue reading Georgia Satellites’ Rick Richards on covering the Beatles, meeting the Faces, and thanking Jack Daniels

Album review: Nathan Cavaleri Band, Nathan (1994)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 22, 1994 By Steve Newton Rock-guitar wizards just keep getting younger and younger. Last year I thought I’d seen the littlest guitar wizard around when 13-year-old Steve Vai protégé Thomas McRocklin and his band, Bad4Good, opened for Joe Satriani at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Now 11-year-old Australian … Continue reading Album review: Nathan Cavaleri Band, Nathan (1994)

Joe Satriani on the intricacies of amplification and producer Mike Fraser’s “perfect set of ears”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 30, 2018 By Steve Newton When Joe Satriani phones from his home in the San Francisco Bay Area, he apologizes right away for being a few minutes late with the scheduled call. He explains that he was playing his guitar, composing a song, and lost track of time. That’s when it’s … Continue reading Joe Satriani on the intricacies of amplification and producer Mike Fraser’s “perfect set of ears”