Search Results for: deep purple

Bill Payne says that Little Feat is playing beautifully and still comes up with twists and turns

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 15, 2002 By Steve Newton Bill Payne has been singing and playing keyboards in Little Feat since the band’s inception in 1969, but he’s still learning new things about the music biz—like how to do the business yourself. Recently the group launched its own label out of North Carolina, Hot Tomato … Continue reading Bill Payne says that Little Feat is playing beautifully and still comes up with twists and turns

The Newt’s 300 Best Rock Albums of the 1970s

By Steve Newton You had to be there. Abraxas: Santana (“Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen”, “Oye Coma Va”, “Samba Pa Ti”) 1970 A Day at the Races: Queen (“Tie Your Mother Down”, “Somebody to Love”, “Long Away”) 1976 Aerosmith: Aerosmith (“Make It”, “Dream On”, “Mama Kin”) 1973 After the Gold Rush: Neil Young (“Tell Me Why”, “Southern Man”, “When You … Continue reading The Newt’s 300 Best Rock Albums of the 1970s

Rudy Sarzo on playing with Randy Rhoads, life after Ozzy, and the return of Quiet Riot

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 5, 1983 By Steve Newton Formed in 1975 by Kevin DuBrow and the late Randy Rhoads (who died in a plane crash last year while a member of the Ozzy Osbourne band), Quiet Riot were one of the leading Los Angeles rock bands during the late seventies. Boasting dynamic live performances … Continue reading Rudy Sarzo on playing with Randy Rhoads, life after Ozzy, and the return of Quiet Riot

Def Leppard’s Rick Savage on new guitarist Phil Collen, producer Mutt Lange, and the stunning success of Pyromania

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 18, 1983 By Steve Newton While it is true that Def Leppard‘s lyrical messages most often deal with the time-worn teenage pastimes of partying and getting it on, it’s not so much what they’re saying as how they’re saying it–with all the conviction and drive young hands can channel through a … Continue reading Def Leppard’s Rick Savage on new guitarist Phil Collen, producer Mutt Lange, and the stunning success of Pyromania

Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown tear it up old-school in Vancouver

photos by the Newt ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 20, 2015 By Steve Newton When I interviewed blues-rock legend Kim Simmonds last week from his home outside Syracuse, New York, he revealed that there had been a time when, during his thirties, personal problems had cost him his ability to really play guitar. Lucky for him–and … Continue reading Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown tear it up old-school in Vancouver

The Cherry Valence guitarist Cheetie Kumar is big on Thin Lizzy

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 29, 2002 By Steve Newton The Cherry Valence guitarist Cheetie Kumar is napping in the band’s van when I catch up with her. The riff-based guitar-rock quintet is en route to a show in Brooklyn; the night before, it played the first date of a North American tour in Washington, D.C. … Continue reading The Cherry Valence guitarist Cheetie Kumar is big on Thin Lizzy

Savoy Brown’s Kim Simmonds was meant to play guitar

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 17, 2015 By Steve Newton Fifty years is a long time. It sounds even longer when you call it half a century. But that’s how long Kim Simmonds has been carrying on the Savoy Brown name. It’s not like he’s been keeping close track, though. “I know it’s been a while,” … Continue reading Savoy Brown’s Kim Simmonds was meant to play guitar

.38 Special’s Donnie Van Zant on the origins of southern rock and the drive of Jacksonville bands

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 2, 1982 By Steve Newton .38 Special’s July 5 gig at the Kerrisdale Arena has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales, and according to lead singer Donnie Van Zant “it’s a real shame”. The show would have been the band’s second Vancouver appearance. Their latest album, Special Forces, is #27 … Continue reading .38 Special’s Donnie Van Zant on the origins of southern rock and the drive of Jacksonville bands

Coco Montoya was transformed by the sheer soul of Alberts Collins and King

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 18, 2003 By Steve Newton Many guitarists can pinpoint a moment in their youth when they knew they were destined for a life in music. For blues-rocker Coco Montoya it happened in 1969, at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A. He’d gone there to see Creedence Clearwater Revival and Iron Butterfly, but … Continue reading Coco Montoya was transformed by the sheer soul of Alberts Collins and King

Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on Ticketmaster, Neil Young, Nickelback, and the new Riot Act

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 29, 2003 By Steve Newton Pearl Jam is one of those hugely influential, multiplatinum rock acts that’s notorious for refusing to talk to the press, often for extended periods of time. So when PJ guitarist Mike McCready calls from the “lovely offices” of Vandenberg Public Relations in Seattle, my first question … Continue reading Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on Ticketmaster, Neil Young, Nickelback, and the new Riot Act

Alice Cooper’s youthful band breathes fire into the shock-rock king’s classics in concert

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 26, 1990 By Steve Newton If Alice Cooper‘s concert at the Coliseum last Thursday (January 18) were a horror movie–and in a way it nearly was–it might have been called The Return of Alice, Part 10: The New Blood. On his latest tour, the king of nasty rock … Continue reading Alice Cooper’s youthful band breathes fire into the shock-rock king’s classics in concert

The B-52’s make a triumphant return to Vancouver in the wake of Cosmic Thing

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 26, 1990 By Steve Newton Why, oh why, did the B-52’s have to get booked into the Orpheum? As one of the prime providers of bouncy, shake-your-booty pop-rock, the band would have been so much better in a place where it’s okay to move around, and where concert-goers have the option … Continue reading The B-52’s make a triumphant return to Vancouver in the wake of Cosmic Thing