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

In praise of the unreal Allan Holdsworth

By Steve Newton Some time ago I posted my 1986 interview with Allan Holdsworth on the Facebook group The unReal Allan Holdsworth. With over 17,000 members, the page offers “everything pertaining to his music, his history, his friends and the influence he’s had on the music scene and on guitarists.” One of the comments on … Continue reading In praise of the unreal Allan Holdsworth

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 I told Gene Simmons that I saw Kiss in a Vancouver club on the Hotter Than Hell tour

By Steve Newton Some concert experiences are just seared into memory–if you’re lucky–and one of the most unforgettable for me was seeing Kiss at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom in January of 1975. They were on the Hotter than Hell tour, and they were still hungry. They hadn’t earned untold riches yet, hadn’t become masters of marketing, … Continue reading That time I told Gene Simmons that I saw Kiss in a Vancouver club on the Hotter Than Hell tour

That time David Lee Roth blasted the media, ten days after O.J. Simpson’s dirty deed in Brentwood

By Steve Newton Ten days before David Lee Roth called me up from L.A. on June 22, 1994–to promote his latest album Your Dirty Little Mouth–football legend and sometime actor O.J. Simpson had taken a knife and carved himself up a big chunk of infamy. The media circus was in full P.T. Barnum-style swing by … Continue reading That time David Lee Roth blasted the media, ten days after O.J. Simpson’s dirty deed in Brentwood

Vancouver guitar ace Scott Smith sends out a Lifeboat for pedal-steel fans in these trying times

By Steve Newton I first became aware of the six-string talents of Vancouver’s Scott Smith when he sent me a copy of his blues-rock trio Terminal Station’s Rolling All Night album back in 2009. I also knew of his fine work with Bottleneck, the country-roots quartet he fronted with Robyn Carrigan, and his guest appearances … Continue reading Vancouver guitar ace Scott Smith sends out a Lifeboat for pedal-steel fans in these trying times

That time Alex Van Halen told me that Sammy Hagar could have been the singer on Van Halen’s first album

By Steve Newton Everybody knows that David Lee Roth was the singer on Van Halen‘s first album. But not everybody knows that Sammy Hagar could have been the singer on Van Halen’s first album. At least that’s the “little dirt” that Alex Van Halen dug up for me when I interviewed him back in 1995. … Continue reading That time Alex Van Halen told me that Sammy Hagar could have been the singer on Van Halen’s first album

That time Stevie Ray Vaughan told me about the labour of love he’d never live to see released

By Steve Newton I did my second interview with Stevie Ray Vaughan six weeks before he died in that goddamned helicopter crash, which was itself less than a month before the release of Family Style, the album he’d always wanted to make with his big brother Jimmie. At one point in the conversation I asked … Continue reading That time Stevie Ray Vaughan told me about the labour of love he’d never live to see released

God bless Snowy White’s guitar licks on his live version of Peter Green’s “Slabo Day”

By Steve Newton I first heard Snowy White when he became the coguitarist in one of my favourite all-time bands, Thin Lizzy. He shared the six-string duties with Scott Gorham on the early-’80s albums Chinatown and Renegade, which weren’t my fave Lizzy discs. And I’d actually preferred the guitar-work of previous Lizzy pickers Gary Moore, … Continue reading God bless Snowy White’s guitar licks on his live version of Peter Green’s “Slabo Day”

That time I asked Allan Holdsworth what he thought of Eddie Van Halen

By Steve Newton If you were reading the top guitar magazines back in the early ’80s you may have heard the buzz about this phenomenal British player named Allan Holdsworth. A lot of the buzz was being generated by one Eddie Van Halen, who was touting Holdsworth’s abilities whenever he got a chance. Right around … Continue reading That time I asked Allan Holdsworth what he thought of Eddie Van Halen

That time I asked Steve Vai if he was daunted by stepping into Eddie Van Halen’s shoes with David Lee Roth

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Steve Vai in May of 1990, when he was just 29. He had just released his solo album Passion and Warfare, and was touring with Whitesnake, which was then basking in the glory of its multiplatinum Slip of the Tongue album. Before Whitesnake Vai had played … Continue reading That time I asked Steve Vai if he was daunted by stepping into Eddie Van Halen’s shoes with David Lee Roth

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 Tommy Emmanuel told me about first meeting Chet Atkins, and looking after Lenny Breau

By Steve Newton Tommy Emmanuel is a stunning guitarist; maybe the most amazing acoustic player I’ve ever seen live. I interviewed the Aussie picker back in May of 1994 when he was headed to Vancouver for gigs at the big Music West festival. His latest album at the time was The Journey, which featured a performance … Continue reading That time Tommy Emmanuel told me about first meeting Chet Atkins, and looking after Lenny Breau