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 JULY 22, 1999 By Steve Newton “Kick him in the throat!” isn’t quite the phrase you expect to hear from a guy who’s just exchanged wedding vows, but that’s what my brother-in-law Cam was yelling scant hours after tying the knot on a beach in Powell River last month. You see, his … Continue reading Growing up in Buffalo, the Goo Goo Dolls are almost Canadian
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. 1, 1994 By Steve Newton When famous rock guitarists reminisce about their first instruments, the talk tends toward dirt-cheap acoustics with heavy strings set so high off the fretboard that it hurts just to look at them. Not with Billy Gibbons, though. The incomparable guitarman for ZZ Top got an atypical … Continue reading ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons tells me “them low-down blues ain’t bad”
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 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
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 30, 1992 By Steve Newton When I interviewed Queensrÿche vocalist Geoff Tate last month, the singer had some intriguing things to say about an alleged “backlash” against progressive rock, which he felt had been initiated by the music industry in the ’70s. Tate uncovered a plot to undermine the growing popularity … Continue reading Alex Lifeson says Rush’s no-compromise approach is key to its staying power
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 21, 1995 By Steve Newton It’s a good thing that the folks who own the Underground—that slightly twisted clothes and accessories shop located underneath the Commodore Ballroom—had the foresight to install loosely secured windows that give with vibration, because those big panes were given a serious shaking by … Continue reading Collective Soul channels Peter Gabriel-era Genesis at the Commodore in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 9, 1989 By Steve Newton The Pacific Coliseum may as well have been a Roman coliseum last Wednesday (May 31), because things got about as uncivilized as they’ve ever been in the home of the Canucks. Not since the Broad Street Bullies took their orange jerseys into the crowd to bust … Continue reading Metallica’s young guns of sonic mayhem slay Vancouver on the …And Justice for All Tour
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 22, 1996 By Steve Newton Last July a band calling itself Red Rider—but without Tom Cochrane in the lineup—played the Commodore. Not surprisingly, the turnout was small, and not surprisingly, I wasn’t there. I’ve been a Red Rider fan since day one, but the notion of seeing the … Continue reading Tom Cochrane gets his Canuck on at the Commodore in Vancouver on the Ragged Ass Road tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 20, 1997 By Steve Newton Last Sunday night (March 16) I had three pretty good reasons for not wanting to drag my butt off a comfy couch and head downtown in the rain to review a rock show at the Rage. First off, I was tuckered out after the previous night’s … Continue reading Josh Homme’s grinding overdrive helps Screaming Trees wake up Vancouver on a Sunday night
