ronald mcgregor photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 26, 1993 By Steve Newton I remember, back in the mid-’70s, picking up a secondhand copy of Grand Funk’s Shinin’ On. It wasn’t a very good album—I think it included the band’s hit remake of “Locomotion”, which I still can’t stand—but it had a 3-D cover, and when … Continue reading 3-D cover art enhances Voivod’s otherwordly themes on The Outer Limits
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 2, 1995 By Steve Newton Some music-crazy kids will do anything to get their youthful paws on their first electric guitar. They’ll beg, borrow, or steal. Or, if they’re like Duke Robillard, they’ll pull a fast one. As a 14-year-old in Providence, Rhode Island, he came up with a highly original … Continue reading Duke Robillard finds a sense of balance with Temptation
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 13, 1997 By Steve Newton When Ventures cofounder Bob Bogle walked onto a Seattle used-car lot one afternoon in 1959, he wasn’t expecting to form the nucleus of what would become the world’s top-selling instrumental-rock band—he was just looking for some new wheels. Fortunately, he ran into aspiring rhythm guitarist Don … Continue reading Ventures guitarist Don Wilson on the origin and influence of “Walk, Don’t Run”
On the Saturday afternoon when Tom Wilson calls from his Hamilton home, he’s still buzzing from a wild gig the previous night in Quebec City.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 4, 1991 By Steve Newton I felt a tad nerdish, not having seen the legendary Replacements up until last Friday (June 28). I’d heard that these four guys from Minneapolis were capable of heart-stopping performances, tempering thrashy sonic onslaughts with a Beatlesque pop sensibility that couldn’t lose. So I may be … Continue reading The Replacements show Vancouver where the heart of rock ‘n’ roll really beats
The first time I saw Guns N’ Roses it was opening for Iron Maiden, shortly after the release of 1987’s Appetite for Destruction debut.
His long-underrated lead guitar prowess was vividly displayed throughout but particularly during the majestic “Cortez the Killer”.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 12, 1996 By Steve Newton When you think Seattle rock, you picture plaid shirts, baggy shorts, vein-bulging vocals, and propulsive guitar noise comin’ at you in heavily amplified blasts. You don’t necessarily envision a guy like Pete Droge, whose rootsy, laid-back style has more in common with Tom Petty’s breezy, melodic … Continue reading Pete Droge’s Pearl Jam connection led him to Find a Door
When one of your biggest idols gives you a souvenir that thing automatically becomes priceless, as Tinsley Ellis can easily attest.
kevin statham photos ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 21, 1991 By Steve Newton Oh man—talk about going back in time! There was Ted Nugent riffing out on “Cat Scratch Fever” and screeching like he had a severe case of it. There was former Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw whipping his still-blond locks every which way while churning … Continue reading Damn Yankees with the Nuge kicks ass; Bad Company without Paul Rodgers licks it
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 20, 1994 By Steve Newton Rock guitarists have a few things to worry about during a live performance—such as blowing an amp, breaking a string, or dropping a pick during a crucial guitar freak-out. Personal injury isn’t usually one of the main onstage concerns for today’s rock artists, but—as Pride & … Continue reading Pride & Glory’s Zakk Wylde says he’ll always be Ozzy’s guitar player
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 25, 1991 By Steve Newton Balding and bespectacled, Marshall Crenshaw looks more like a mild-mannered librarian (and a couple of rock critics I know) than the type to rip up a nightclub with tune after tune of jarring, picture-perfect pop. But, as the Detroit-bred, New York-based rocker proved at his first … Continue reading Marshall Crenshaw shows Vancouver that life’s too short–and pretty precious too
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 7, 1991 By Steve Newton Tom Cochrane wasn’t kidding when he told me a couple of weeks back that his new rhythm section worked like a high-performance engine. The former Streetheart team of drummer Matt Frenette and bassist Spider Sinneave was scary last Monday night (November 4), with Frenette being especially … Continue reading Tom Cochrane dedicates “Big League” to Stan Smyl in Vancouver on the Mad Mad World Tour
