That time drum great Steve Smith told me about getting kicked out of Journey by Steve Perry

By Steve Newton Back in March of 1987 I interviewed American drummer Steve Smith, who was bringing his jazz-fusion group Vital Information to Vancouver for a club gig at the Town Pump. Before that Smith had spent seven years with Journey, and was part of that band when it hit it big with singles like … Continue reading That time drum great Steve Smith told me about getting kicked out of Journey by Steve Perry

That time I asked Alex Van Halen how much longer he expected Van Halen to keep on rocking

By Steve Newton Back in August of 1995 I interviewed Alex Van Halen, legendary skin-basher for Van Halen, while the band was touring behind its Bruce Fairbairn-produced Balance album. That tour had been dubbed “The Ambulance Tour” by Eddie, due to his hip problems and Alex rupturing three vertebrae in his neck. So as the … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen how much longer he expected Van Halen to keep on rocking

That time I suggested to guitar great Steve Stevens that he might want to cover Deep Purple’s “Highway Star”

By Steve Newton Back in September of 1989 I interviewed American guitar great Steve Stevens, who was touring behind his debut solo album, Atomic Playboys. That LP included a cover of the 1975 Sweet song “Action”, which Stevens said he thought was a Queen song at first. At one point in the conversation I asked … Continue reading That time I suggested to guitar great Steve Stevens that he might want to cover Deep Purple’s “Highway Star”

Holly Woods distances herself from Toronto but keeps the name alive (for now)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 10, 1984 By Steve Newton With four platinum-plus records to their credit, Toronto is easily one of the most popular bands in the history of Canadian rock. High-velocity LPs like Lookin’ For Trouble and Get It on Credit combined with outstanding live shows, won the group plenty of fans across the … Continue reading Holly Woods distances herself from Toronto but keeps the name alive (for now)

Kingdom Come hopes to avoid Zeppelin comparisons with new In Your Face LP

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 30, 1989 By Steve Newton Diehard Led Zeppelin fans were either impressed or outraged when Kingdom Come’s debut album came out two years ago. The LP–made here in Vancouver at Little Mountain Sound and produced by Bob Rock–sounded an awful lot like a tribute to (or cloning of) Messrs. Page and … Continue reading Kingdom Come hopes to avoid Zeppelin comparisons with new In Your Face LP

Drivin’ n’ Cryin’s Kevn Kinney took the “i” out of his name when he was a punk rocker

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 9, 1989 By Steve Newton Kevn Kinney is the lead vocalist, chief songwriter, and coguitarist for Atlanta, Georgia’s Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, but he’s as surprised as anyone that he’s even ended up in a band. As he explained to me from Oklahoma City last week, Kinney was the odd man out … Continue reading Drivin’ n’ Cryin’s Kevn Kinney took the “i” out of his name when he was a punk rocker

Gary Moore talks covering the Yardbirds and scoring with metal while opening for Rush

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 18, 1984 By Steve Newton “I always liked the Yardbirds when I was a kid,” says metal guitar-hero Gary Moore. “I was always into Jeff Beck and everything. And apart from the fact that I like the song and the guitar, the lyrics appealed to me as well because they fitted … Continue reading Gary Moore talks covering the Yardbirds and scoring with metal while opening for Rush

That time Night Ranger’s Jack Blades called me up from ZZ Top’s Eliminator tour with fresh memories of scorpion hell

By Steve Newton Night Ranger bassist-vocalist and main songwriter Jack Blades called me up from a truck stop in New Mexico back on January 13, 1984. At the time–two months before the band released its big hit “Sister Christian”–Night Ranger was opening for ZZ Top on the hugely successful Eliminator Tour, with sold-out shows all … Continue reading That time Night Ranger’s Jack Blades called me up from ZZ Top’s Eliminator tour with fresh memories of scorpion hell

22 minutes on the phone with Brit Floyd’s Damian Darlington, talking Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, prog rock, and lasers

By Steve Newton I called up Brit Floyd guitarist, vocalist, and musical director Damian Darlington at his home in the county of Cheshire, England, a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to get the scoop on his group, which is regarded as the world’s best Pink Floyd tribute band, in advance of its Vancouver show … Continue reading 22 minutes on the phone with Brit Floyd’s Damian Darlington, talking Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, prog rock, and lasers

That time Lars Ulrich told me that he was surprised by how down-to-earth Van Halen were on the Monsters of Rock Tour

By Steve Newton Back in May of 1989 I did my second interview with Lars Ulrich, who called me up from Nagoya, Japan, while Metallica was touring behind its ….And Justice For All album. A year earlier the band had taken part in the Monsters of Rock ’88 Tour, which saw them sharing the stage … Continue reading That time Lars Ulrich told me that he was surprised by how down-to-earth Van Halen were on the Monsters of Rock Tour

40 years after playing Vancouver on the World Piece Tour, Iron Maiden still brings the metal mastery

iron maiden facebook photos By Steve Newton Way back on June 29, 1983, Iron Maiden played Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum, backed up by fellow British metal acts Saxon and Fastway. Maiden was touring behind its fourth album, Piece of Mind, so its set was peppered with songs from that LP–including “The Trooper”, which I recently voted … Continue reading 40 years after playing Vancouver on the World Piece Tour, Iron Maiden still brings the metal mastery

That time Geddy Lee told me that he was proud of Alex Lifeson for making his solo album

By Steve Newton Back in April of 1997 I did my first interview with Geddy Lee of Rush, while the band was touring behind its Test for Echo album. The year before Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson had released his debut solo album, Victor, so at one point in the conversation I asked Geddy what he … Continue reading That time Geddy Lee told me that he was proud of Alex Lifeson for making his solo album

That time I called up 18-year-old Derek Trucks just before he headed out on tour with Joe Satriani

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with slide-guitar legend Derek Trucks in March of 1998, when he was still just 18 years old. I called him up at his home in Jacksonville, Florida, the day before he was due in Texas to kick off a tour with Joe Satriani. He mentioned the possibility … Continue reading That time I called up 18-year-old Derek Trucks just before he headed out on tour with Joe Satriani