ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 13, 1992 By Steve Newton Some hard-rock bands like to boast about not using keyboards; they take pride in sticking with the trusty old guitar-bass-drums ideal. Guns N’ Roses might have been such a band in its early days, but when it came time to record its ground-breaking Use Your Illusion … Continue reading Now that he’s in Guns N’ Roses Dizzy Reed can buy drinks for all his freennz
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 25, 1990 By Steve Newton You don’t have to be a riff-hungry young metal-head to know who Judas Priest is these days—all you’ve got to do is read the papers. The British band received world-wide publicity recently during its trial in Reno, Nevada, which questioned whether subliminal messages … Continue reading Rob Halford forced to defend Judas Priest’s name against suicide lawsuit
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 20, 1984 By Steve Newton Help I’m steppin’ into the twilight zone/The place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned/My beacon’s been moved under moon and star/Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far/Soon you will come to know, when the bullet hits the bone Anyone who’s … Continue reading Golden Earring’s Barry Hay on touring with the Who and getting beaten up with Ronnie Van Zant
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 9, 1992 By Steve Newton Some folks might have been surprised to hear that the Cult is touring with Lenny Kravitz. After all, the straightforward, bluesy hard-rock of the former is quite distinct from the Beatlesque, ’60s pop styles of the latter. Or is it? According to Cult singer Ian Astbury, … Continue reading The Cult’s Ian Astbury claims that touring with Lenny Kravitz is “a spiritual event”
I scored a copy of the new Stephen King novel Doctor Sleep for Christmas, which was great as it continues the story of The Shining, one of my fave works–next to Carrie, The Dead Zone, and The Stand–from King’s ’70s heyday. But before I even got into the further supernatural torments befalling the telepathic Danny Torrance … Continue reading Stephen King dedicates Doctor Sleep to underrated rock genius Warren Zevon
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 21, 1991 By Steve Newton I wasn’t expecting such a cheery tone from Tragically Hip lead guitarist Bobby Baker when he called recently from the band’s hometown of Kingston, Ontario. When the band played Vancouver last—at the Trade & Convention Centre’s New Year’s Eve bash—the crowd pelted the band with beer … Continue reading Bobby Baker thinks the Tragically Hip are better players and songwriters on new Road Apples
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 19, 1990 By Steve Newton There are some bands out there that are just made to play in bars—they have that certain something that demands you sip a frosty cold one while wallowing in their raucous boogie noise. The Beat Farmers are one of those, the Georgia Satellites another. And a … Continue reading The Quireboys pride themselves on “proper” rock ‘n’ roll
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 15, 1990 By Steve Newton Despite the fact that this city is home to Annihilator—one of the most promising young bands in metal—Vancouver has yet to prove itself as a world-class heavy metal town. Aside from Annihilator, there hasn’t been a successful metal recording act out of this city since Kick … Continue reading Annihilator’s Jeff Waters is getting into the “old hard-rock stuff” again
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 11, 1990 By Steve Newton Steve Earle’s got a headache—a real doozie. The whirlwind promotional tour that brought him to Vancouver’s Georgian Court Hotel has taken its toll, and while this scribbler waits in the lobby, Earle’s up in his room, downing aspirins to ease the pain brought on by countless … Continue reading Steve Earle on cops, bikers, jail, Ted Bundy, and The Hard Way
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 31, 2011 By Steve Newton There were a lot of empty seats at Rogers Arena last night (October 30)–including the entire top level–but that didn’t stop British heavy-metal legends Judas Priest from playing like it was their last gig ever in Vancouver. And it just might be. As guitarist Glenn Tipton … Continue reading Judas Priest goes out loud ‘n’ proud in Vancouver on final world tour
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 7, 1990 By Steve Newton In rock guitar circles, Steve Vai is the type of personality that Entertainment Tonight might giddily term hot. Walk into any magazine shop, glance at the rock ’n’ roll section, and chances are you’ll see the handsome, raven-haired guitarist grinning wickedly from a cover or two, his … Continue reading Steve Vai talks Frank Zappa, dream states, blowjobs, and Passion & Warfare
By Steve Newton On March 29, 1984, Billy Idol played the University of British Columbia’s War Memorial Gym. The 28-year-old Brit was touring behind his second solo album, Rebel Yell, which boasted the hit singles “Eyes Without a Face”, “Flesh for Fantasy”, “Catch My Fall”, and the title track. His videos were getting a shitload of … Continue reading Billy Idol on working with Tobe Hooper, getting on MTV, and showing off his Rebel Yell
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 7, 1991 By Steve Newton For the past two years, the presenter of the Juno award for Canadian Band of the Year has ripped open a sealed envelope and seen the same two words: Blue Rodeo. The powers that be at the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences have twice … Continue reading Blue Rodeo wanted to make “a real pop record” with Casino
