By Steve Newton I did my fourth interview with guitar legend Dickey Betts in August of 2001, when he was touring with the Dickey Betts Band in support of their new album Let’s Get Together. A little over a year earlier he’d been fired by fax by the Allman Brothers, who he’d cofounded back in … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts told me why he got kicked out of the Allman Brothers Band
By Steve Newton Guess I’m just more of a Bon guy. 20. “T.N.T.” (High Voltage, 1976) 19. “Problem Child” (Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, 1976) 18. “Hells Bells” (Back in Black, 1980) 17. “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” (Let There Be Rock, 1977) 16. “Whole Lotta Rosie” (Let There Be Rock, 1977) 15. “Gimme … Continue reading AC/DC’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome
By Steve Newton I’ve been reading Mick Wall’s 2012 book about AC/DC, Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be, and today I got to the part about the band recording 1983’s Flick of the Switch, which the author reckons is AC/DC’s worst album ever. I will admit it’s no Powerage, but hey–the title track is … Continue reading That time I asked AC/DC’s Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson what their fave tunes were on the new Flick of the Switch album
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 9, 1982 By Steve Newton Talk about ugly. These guys make the New York Dolls look like the kids on Leave It To Beaver! Well, maybe they aren’t that bad. Anyway, their music sure isn’t ugly. It’s beautiful, in fact. That is, if you’re into energetic, hook-filled boogie. Music for the … Continue reading Album review: Mötley Crüe: Too Fast For Love (1982)
By Steve Newton Hey, as you may be aware, I never tire of posting little audio snippets from my four interviews with guitar legend Dickey Betts. Here’s one from 2001 where Dickey, always honest and to the point, explains how the Allman Brothers broke up in the early ’80s to let disco run its course–but … Continue reading Dickey Betts on the “disco shit” of the ’80s and the nauseating music the Allmans made for Clive Davis
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1988 By Steve Newton Have you ever heard of a fellow named James Reyne? Unless you’re from Australia–or were a big fan of the now-defunct Australian Crawl–you probably don’t recognize the name. But you will in the future, if Reyne’s solo career follows the same pattern that has brought such Aussie bands … Continue reading James Reyne soars as a solo artist after doing the Australian Crawl
kirk west photo By Steve Newton I did my fourth interview with Dickey Betts back in 2001, after he’d been kicked out of the Allman Brothers and was touring with his own band, promoting the Let’s Get Together album. As our “phoner” wound down, he invited me to come back and meet him after the … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts told me to quit being so “reclusive” and come meet him after the show
photo courtesy Glenn Slavens and Crystal Lambert (cgrocker18@gmail.com) ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUGUST 15, 2018 By Steve Newton Hardcore AC/DC fans and photographic rumour-spreaders Glenn Slavens and Crystal Lambert are at it again. The dynamic Vancouver duo–he has the camera, she has the pad–have shared another photo with Ear of Newt that furthers the idea … Continue reading AC/DC in Vancouver: Mike Fraser spotted with Brian Johnson and Phil Rudd, maybe calling Cliff Williams on his phone?
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 5, 1988 By Steve Newton About 40,000 people paid $38.50 (Cdn) to see the marathon Monsters of Rock show at the Seattle Kingdome last Wednesday (July 27). My calculator blew up when I tried to figure out the night’s take, but I do know that the Kingdome is capable of holding … Continue reading Van Halen and Scorpions battle it out for stadium-rock supremacy as the Monsters of Rock tour hits Seattle
By Steve Newton As I’ve no doubt mentioned before, I really like Warren Zevon. I only got to interview him once before his cancer death in 2003, but that one conversation–back in 1992–left a big impression on me. He was just such a smart, funny, no-bullshit kinda guy. I admire him so much that I … Continue reading That time Warren Zevon told me about his cyberpunk-inspired concept album, Transverse City
photo courtesy Glenn Slavens and Crystal Lambert (cgrocker18@gmail.com) By Steve Newton Alright, I’m starting to feel a tad guilty now, posting all these candid AC/DC photos. Actually, it’s only been two now–the first one being yesterday’s rumour-busting shot of Phil Rudd and Brian Johnson yukking it up on the patio deck at Vancouver’s Warehouse Studio. … Continue reading AC/DC exclusive: Angus Young lights up nephew Stevie at the Warehouse in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 5, 1988 By Steve Newton There’s nothing quite like your favourite bar band in your favourite bar to bring a tired body back to life. After a long haul to Seattle last week to check out the Monsters of Rock show at the Kingdome, I was pretty tired, but it didn’t … Continue reading The Georgia Satellites are my favourite bar band in 1988
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
