That time Phil Caivano of Blitzspeer told me that L.A.’s metal scene sucked compared to New York’s

By Steve Newton I interviewed Blitzspeer singer-guitarist Phil Caivano in March of 1991, when the New York City metal band was touring behind its debut album, which was actually a live EP. The quartet would break up two years later after releasing the studio album Saves, and Caivano would go on to join Monster Magnet, … Continue reading That time Phil Caivano of Blitzspeer told me that L.A.’s metal scene sucked compared to New York’s

10 minutes on the phone with Alex Lifeson of Rush in 1992

By Steve Newton Alex Lifeson called me up from a tour stop in Fresno, California, on January 25, 1992, while Rush was on the road with Primus, showcasing tunes from their latest album, Roll the Bones. I asked him about the musical progression Rush had taken over the years, his early influences on guitar, and … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with Alex Lifeson of Rush in 1992

That time Lars Ulrich called me up from Cincinnati and told me that Metallica wasn’t doing bad for a buncha drunks

By Steve Newton I did my third interview with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich in April of 1997, when the band was touring behind its sixth studio album, the five-times-platinum Load. He called me up from backstage at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum, where the band was playing the second night of a double-header, with openers Corrosion of … Continue reading That time Lars Ulrich called me up from Cincinnati and told me that Metallica wasn’t doing bad for a buncha drunks

That time I asked Rik Emmett what it was like being a solo artist after 13 years with Triumph

By Steve Newton I did my third interview with Rik Emmett in September of 1990, when he was promoting his debut solo album, Absolutely, which went gold in Canada. Two years earlier he’d left the popular Canadian power trio Triumph, so when he called from his home in Mississauga I asked him was it was … Continue reading That time I asked Rik Emmett what it was like being a solo artist after 13 years with Triumph

Two weeks before the launch of Joe Satriani’s original G3 Tour Steve Vai explained how it came to fruition

By Steve Newton I interviewed guitar virtuoso Steve Vai for the second time back in September of 1996, one week after the release of his Fire Garden album. Vai had also recently announced that he’d be part of the first G3 Tour, which saw him go on tour with fellow fretmasters Joe Satriani and Eric … Continue reading Two weeks before the launch of Joe Satriani’s original G3 Tour Steve Vai explained how it came to fruition

That time blues guitar great Bill Perry told me why it only took him six days to record and master his new debut album

By Steve Newton Back in October of 1996 I did my one and only interview with New York blues-rocker Bill Perry, who called me up from a roadside pay phone in Iowa. At the time Perry was touring in support of his debut release, Love Scars, which blew me away with its intense, Gary Moore-type … Continue reading That time blues guitar great Bill Perry told me why it only took him six days to record and master his new debut album

Jack White calls Big Sugar’s 500 Pounds “the best blues-based record to ever come out of Canada”

By Steve Newton If you haven’t already figured out that Big Sugar is an awesome band, the guy from White Stripes has a message for you. In a video posted today, rock legend Jack White extolls the virtues of the Toronto group’s second album, Five Hundred Pounds (released in the U.S. as 500 Pounds). “I … Continue reading Jack White calls Big Sugar’s 500 Pounds “the best blues-based record to ever come out of Canada”

That time Dick Dale told me what it was like playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan on “Pipeline”

By Steve Newton Back in the summer of 1993 I did my first interview with guitar legend Dick Dale. Thirty years earlier Dale had released an album titled King of the Surf Guitar, and ever since then that’s what he’d been called. That’s why he and Stevie Ray Vaughan connected in 1987 to record a … Continue reading That time Dick Dale told me what it was like playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan on “Pipeline”

Living Colour’s Vernon Reid incites his X followers to give Robin Trower some social-media love

Follow the Stratmaster at @robintrower By Steve Newton One of the things I like most about guitar players–besides hearing them play–is when they help out other guitarists. Especially when the picker being aided is as amazing, yet under-appreciated, as British rocker Robin Trower. It was very cool to find out that, last Saturday (September 23), … Continue reading Living Colour’s Vernon Reid incites his X followers to give Robin Trower some social-media love

Illuminating Mike Cooley’s songwriting brilliance through four Drive-By Truckers tunes

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 2, 2010 By Steve Newton Just got back from a family vacation to Powell River, and man, if you ever get the chance to go kayaking in Desolation Sound’s Okeover Inlet, take it. The scenery is stunning and you can get up close and personal with bald eagles, seals, and huge … Continue reading Illuminating Mike Cooley’s songwriting brilliance through four Drive-By Truckers tunes

Robin Trower to release 50th anniversary edition of Bridge of Sighs, the best rock album of 1974

By Steve Newton There were a ton of amazing albums released in 1974, and you can trust me on that, ’cause I was standing right there, wide-eyed, watching it happen. That was the year I turned 17, and as a music obsessed kid my world revolved around the latest rock releases to fill the stacks … Continue reading Robin Trower to release 50th anniversary edition of Bridge of Sighs, the best rock album of 1974

The Alarm recruits ace producer Tony Visconti and honours its Welsh roots on Change

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 3, 1989 By Steve Newton Unlike the multitude of rock bands around today whose first and foremost goal is finding a shortcut to the bank, the Alarm is one group that sets its sights a little higher. Things like fading cultures and lost languages are important to it. That’s why the … Continue reading The Alarm recruits ace producer Tony Visconti and honours its Welsh roots on Change

10 minutes in a studio with producer Bob Rock in 1991

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with hugely successful hard-rock producer Bob Rock in December of 1991. I went to meet him at Vancouver Studios, where he was working on albums by the London Choirboys and his own band, Rockhead. Four months earlier the massively popular album Rock made with Metallica, The Black … Continue reading 10 minutes in a studio with producer Bob Rock in 1991