Search Results for: aerosmith

That time Stevie Ray Vaughan called me up and explained what it was like touring with Joe Cocker

By Steve Newton As a blues fan and guitar freak, I thank my lucky stars that I got to interview Stevie Ray Vaughan. Twice! This was the second time, in July of 1990, when he called me up from Montreal just six weeks before that goddamn helicopter crash took him away. I started the conversation … Continue reading That time Stevie Ray Vaughan called me up and explained what it was like touring with Joe Cocker

That time I asked Rickey Medlocke about rejoining Lynyrd Skynyrd–and why he’d left in the first place

By Steve Newton Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of my fave bands in the seventies, but I never got to see them live with Ronnie, to my infinite regret. I did get to see them for the first time in Vancouver back in ’97 on the Legends Tour, and that was cool because the lineup at … Continue reading That time I asked Rickey Medlocke about rejoining Lynyrd Skynyrd–and why he’d left in the first place

That time Tommy Aldridge told me that he “wasn’t a fan” of Brian Downey’s drum parts with Thin Lizzy

By Steve Newton As far as seeing concerts goes, I’ve been very lucky to have been situated in Vancouver since the early ’80s. It’s a major stopping point for bands touring North America–just a quick scoot across the border from Seattle–and being a music writer meant most of the shows were free. Only a few … Continue reading That time Tommy Aldridge told me that he “wasn’t a fan” of Brian Downey’s drum parts with Thin Lizzy

Album review: Cinderella, Long Cold Winter (1988)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOVEMBER 18, 1988 By Steve Newton Cinderella kinda turned me off with their multi-platinum ’86 debut album. I thought they were too much of an Aerosmith clone. It didn’t seem to bother the multitudes of kids that scooped up the record, though. On their new album they sound a … Continue reading Album review: Cinderella, Long Cold Winter (1988)

That time Buddy Guy told me how badly he wanted Stevie Ray Vaughan’s photo on his album cover

By Steve Newton Buddy Guy is one of my favourite old-school blues guitarists, right up there with Albert King, B.B. King, and Albert Collins. I’ve been fortunate enough to have interviewed him five times, and seen him perform live many more times than that. I did my first interview with Buddy in August of ’91, … Continue reading That time Buddy Guy told me how badly he wanted Stevie Ray Vaughan’s photo on his album cover

That time Tommy Aldridge told me why Black Oak Arkansas wasn’t mentioned in his bio

By Steve Newton When it came to hard rock drummers in the ’70s, there were a couple who particularly turned my crank. One was Cozy Powell, mainly for his work with Rainbow, and the other was Tommy Aldridge, mainly for his work with Black Oak Arkansas and the Pat Travers Band. (In the ’80s he’d … Continue reading That time Tommy Aldridge told me why Black Oak Arkansas wasn’t mentioned in his bio

That time I asked Carlos Santana who his favourite guitar player was

By Steve Newton When I interview the world’s greatest guitarists, I often like to ask them who they think is the world’s greatest guitarist. Carlos Santana is definitely one of the best ever, so when I interviewed him back in 2001 I put the question to him. Have a listen: To hear my full interview … Continue reading That time I asked Carlos Santana who his favourite guitar player was

That time Vinnie Paul told me that the guy on the cover of Pantera’s new album got paid $300 for getting punched in the face

By Steve Newton I interviewed Pantera cofounder and drummer Vinnie Paul on February 20, 1992, five days before the release of the band’s sixth album, Vulgar Display of Power. The followup to its breakthrough Cowboys from Hell LP, VDOP featured a cover photo of some guy getting punched in the head, so when Vinnie called me … Continue reading That time Vinnie Paul told me that the guy on the cover of Pantera’s new album got paid $300 for getting punched in the face

That time I asked Michael Schenker which UFO album he was most impressed with himself

By Steve Newton In March of 1992 I did an interview with Michael Schenker, one of my favourite hard-rock guitarists of all time, whose work with Scorpions, UFO, and MSG totally blew me away. Especially the UFO stuff. When the Phenomenon album came out in 1974 I had just turned 17, and tunes like “Doctor … Continue reading That time I asked Michael Schenker which UFO album he was most impressed with himself

That time 20-year-old Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach sang me a line from his Schooner beer commercial

By Steve Newton Way the hell back in 1989 I did an interview with Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach. That was less than a month after the release of the band’s self-titled debut album, which would go on to sell five-million copies and spawn the hits “Youth Gone Wild”, “18 and Life”, and “I Remember You”. … Continue reading That time 20-year-old Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach sang me a line from his Schooner beer commercial

That time I asked Country Dick Montana what he liked best about playing live with the Beat Farmers

kevin statham photo By Steve Newton Here’s another audio excerpt from my 1990 interview with the legendary Country Dick Montana, because it’s Sunday afternoon and posting this seems like way more fun than the other crap I should be doing instead. Please note: you can hear the entire interview–all 20 minutes of Dick being Dick–by … Continue reading That time I asked Country Dick Montana what he liked best about playing live with the Beat Farmers

That time I asked Poison Ivy what inspired the Cramps’ “Bikini Girls with Machine Guns”

By Steve Newton Back in April of 1990 I did my first interview with Cramps guitarist Poison Ivy Rorschach, in advance of a show at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. At the time the band was touring behind its new Stay Sick album, which she produced herself, and which included the song “Bikini Girls with Machine Guns”, … Continue reading That time I asked Poison Ivy what inspired the Cramps’ “Bikini Girls with Machine Guns”