That time I asked famed producer Bruce Fairbairn what he thought of famed producer Bob Rock

By Steve Newton Back in December of 1991 I wrote a lengthy article on Vancouver producer Bob Rock, best known for his work with Metallica, and one of the Big Three of Vancouver hard-rock producers (along with fellow Little Mountain Sound-men Bruce Fairbairn and Mike Fraser). While putting the story together I gave Fairbairn a … Continue reading That time I asked famed producer Bruce Fairbairn what he thought of famed producer Bob Rock

That time Dickey Betts asked me to mention all the guys in the Allmans, including the “piece of dynamite”

By Steve Newton Yesterday I went and dug up the old cassette with my first Buddy Guy interview on it, the one from 1991, because I wanted to digitize it for my Patreon page. Cool thing was, I noticed that the interview before it on the tape was the one I did the previous month … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts asked me to mention all the guys in the Allmans, including the “piece of dynamite”

That time I asked Doc Neeson if the Angels/Angel City were inspired by their longtime friends AC/DC

By Steve Newton Way the funk back in 1985 I did my one and only interview with Doc Neeson, frontman for Angel City, who were known as the Angels in their native Australia. I thought Angel City were an awesome band. They put out an album called Face to Face that–with killer tracks like “Take … Continue reading That time I asked Doc Neeson if the Angels/Angel City were inspired by their longtime friends AC/DC

That time I asked Warren Haynes if the spirit of southern rock was alive and well in 1994

kirk west photo By Steve Newton The spirit of southern rock was alive and well when I was a music-crazed teenager in the seventies. Skynyrd, Hatchet, Blackfoot, Outlaws, Allmans: I ate it up. Then the eighties came along and the sound of the south took a nosedive, popularity-wise. But back in the early ’90s the … Continue reading That time I asked Warren Haynes if the spirit of southern rock was alive and well in 1994

God bless Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser’s guitar solo on Blue Öyster Cult’s “Burnin’ For You”

  By Steve Newton Back in June of 1981 Blue Öyster Cult released it’s eight studio album, Fire of Unknown Origin, and I immediately snapped it up, just like I’d done with their previous nine discs (including the two live albums). I’d been absolutely crazy about B.O.C. ever since I’d bought Tyranny and Mutation because of … Continue reading God bless Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser’s guitar solo on Blue Öyster Cult’s “Burnin’ For You”

That time I asked Warren Haynes how long he thought the Allman Brothers might stay together

By Steve Newton I wouldn’t say that the Allman Brothers were as great, back in 1994, as they were when Duane was in the band, but holy crap were they still a smokin’ hot band! A lot of that smoke was conjured up by Warren Haynes, who Dickey Betts brought with him when the band … Continue reading That time I asked Warren Haynes how long he thought the Allman Brothers might stay together

That time I asked Telecaster master Danny Gatton if he liked playing slide with beer bottles

By Steve Newton I did my one and only interview with Danny Gatton, “the world’s greatest unknown guitarist”, back in 1993, just before the release of his Cruisin’ Deuces album. Tragically, he took his own life the following year. A close friend said he thought Gatton had suffered from depression for over two decades. He … Continue reading That time I asked Telecaster master Danny Gatton if he liked playing slide with beer bottles

David Lee Roth shows off manly biceps, a giant surfboard, and Steve Vai on the Skyscraper Tour

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 27, 1988 By Steve Newton Whether you like David Lee Roth or not, there’s one thing you’ve got to admit: the guy’s a star. It’s hard to take your eyes off him, and few did at the Pacific Coliseum last Saturday (May 21). Whether you’re ogling his sexy bod, … Continue reading David Lee Roth shows off manly biceps, a giant surfboard, and Steve Vai on the Skyscraper Tour

That time Warren Haynes told me that Albert King might be the biggest influence on rock guitar ever

By Steve Newton When it comes to blues guitar, everybody’s got their favourite King. Lots love B.B. Some prefer Freddie. And then there’s others who think Albert is tops. Warren Haynes is one of those. When I interviewed Haynes in October of 1994, he was touring with the Allman Brothers, who were out promoting their … Continue reading That time Warren Haynes told me that Albert King might be the biggest influence on rock guitar ever

That time Warren Haynes told me that his Allman Brothers song “Soulshine” was inspired by his dad

By Steve Newton There some tunes that just grab you by the heart with their simple beauty and honesty and, if you’re lucky, maybe a wailing Les Paul guitar. “Soulshine” is one of ’em. When I interviewed Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes for the first time, a quarter-century ago, the band was touring behind its … Continue reading That time Warren Haynes told me that his Allman Brothers song “Soulshine” was inspired by his dad

Album review: David Lee Roth, Skyscraper (1988)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 12, 1988 By Steve Newton Old Diamond Dave had his hands full surpassing his 1986 LP Eat ‘Em and Smile, but with this new one, Skyscraper, he’s certainly done just that. In his first endeavour as producer Roth has come up with a brilliantly played and varied hard-rock album that should turn … Continue reading Album review: David Lee Roth, Skyscraper (1988)

Deep Purple’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome

By Steve Newton Machine Head still rules. 20. “And the Address” (Shades of Deep Purple, 1968) 19. “Flight of the Rat” (Deep Purple in Rock, 1970) 18. “Lay Down, Stay Down” (Burn, 1974) 17. “Gypsy” (Stormbringer, 1974) 16. “Wring that Neck” (The Book of Taliesyn, 1968) 15. “Hush” (Shades of Deep Purple, 1968) 14. “Soldier … Continue reading Deep Purple’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome