The world’s greatest acoustic guitarist takes his fans over the rainbow in Vancouver
The 59-year-old picker from Australia spent the majority of his two-hour set boggling the mind of every guitar freak in the crowd.
The 59-year-old picker from Australia spent the majority of his two-hour set boggling the mind of every guitar freak in the crowd.
By Steve Newton In 2015 I interviewed Guthrie Govan of the Aristocrats, but there wasn’t enough room in the paper to include all the cool shit the guitar genius had to say to me. So I banged out one blog on the influence of Joe Satriani and Zal Cleminson, and then another one on how … Continue reading That time Guthrie Govan told me that the Aristocrats recreated Eddie Van Halen’s echo from Fair Warning at L.A.’s Sunset Sound
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 23, 1998 By Steve Newton There are some bands I used to like in the ’70s that make me embarrassed by that fact in the ’90s. Back in high school, I figured Uriah Heep Live was the cat’s ass, but now, it’s like, “What was I thinking!” And I still recall … Continue reading An inspired Yes makes up for a flaccid Alan Parsons Project in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 18, 1983 By Steve Newton Touring to promote their latest album Dancing with Danger, prairie-rockers Streetheart will headline this Monday’s (February 21) triple-threat rock showcase at the Pacific Coliseum. Kilowatt and Vancouver’s own Headpins will also perform at the event. Last year Streetheart earned a Canadian platinum award for their self-titled … Continue reading Streetheart’s prairie-rock dreams “Comin’ True” on Dancing With Danger
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 9, 1982 By Steve Newton Iron Maiden is quickly becoming one of Britain’s most popular metal bands. Last year the band sold well over a million albums with their second release, Killers, cracking the top ten in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and Belgium. Their latest album, The Number of … Continue reading Iron Maiden’s Clive Burr on Martin Birch, Ruddles, and The Number of the Beast
By Steve Newton When American guitar hero Joe Bonamassa called me up back in 2015 in advance of a Vancouver double-header we mostly talked about his new live album, Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks. But since I also see it as my duty to slag the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame whenever necessary–which is … Continue reading Joe Bonamassa wanted Deep Purple and Free in the Rock Hall “before f***ing Green Day”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 1990 By Steve Newton As far as musical integrity and depth go, Mötley Crüe is not in the same hard-rock league as bands like Aerosmith, Van Halen, or Scorpions. But when it comes to putting on a rowdy, consistently exciting show, these four L.A. dudes do have what it takes. … Continue reading Mötley Crüe spring up like leather-clad trap-door spiders to wow Vancouver on the Dr. Feelgood tour
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
NRBQ stands for the New Rhythm & Blues Quartet, but NRBQ isn’t a rhythm and blues band. A bit misleading, wouldn’t you say?
There’s [Ritchie’s] famous reputation for sacking Rainbow’s musicians, but no one ever got sacked for doing a good job, you know what I mean?
By Steve Newton The first time Def Leppard played Vancouver was in July of 1983, on a coheadlining date at the Pacific Coliseum with ’70s-rock holdouts Uriah Heep. This was six months after the release of its breakthrough Pyromania album, which spawned four singles–“Photograph”, “Rock of Ages”, “Foolin’”, and “Too Late for Love”–and to date has sold … Continue reading Def Leppard’s “happy metal” makes Vancouver smile
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 7, 1985 By Steve Newton Last year’s Vancouver appearance by Quebec jazz/fusion quartet UZEB was one of my picks for the Top Ten concerts of 1984–right up there with Scorpions and R.E.M. Now the group is returning to the Commodore Ballroom for two nights, next Friday and Saturday (June 14 and … Continue reading UZEB may be “the Van Halen of jazz”, but they sure don’t get paid the same
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 26, 1990 By Steve Newton If Alice Cooper‘s concert at the Coliseum last Thursday (January 18) were a horror movie–and in a way it nearly was–it might have been called The Return of Alice, Part 10: The New Blood. On his latest tour, the king of nasty rock … Continue reading Alice Cooper’s youthful band breathes fire into the shock-rock king’s classics in concert