ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 25, 1993 By Steve Newton I’d never heard the Wallflowers until about a week ago, when a colleague suggested I might like their rootsy style—the Black Crowes meet The Band. After rounding up a copy of the group’s self-titled 1992 debut, I fell under the spell of 22-year-old singer/songwriter Jakob Dylan’s … Continue reading The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan says he’s not here to talk about his dad
Last year I decided to turn the clock back four decades and put together a list of my 30 fave albums of 1973, because, for one thing, that was the year when the greatest rock album of all time–the Who’s Quadrophenia–was released. Then, a couple of weeks back, I kept up the “40 years ago” … Continue reading Ear of Newt’s Top 30 Rock Albums of 1970
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 29, 1993 By Steve Newton One day about a year ago, I bumped into a guitar-playing acquaintance who was visiting the office to put a free musician’s ad in the paper. He started raving about this “wicked” guitarist he’d seen the night before at Jake O’Grady’s, a guy from Saskatchewan named Jack … Continue reading Jack Semple’s Guitar Warz win delivered confidence and a hook
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 13, 1995 By Steve Newton Unless you’re a devoted follower of critically acclaimed slide guitarists—or the type of music fan that analyzes the musician credits on CD liner notes—you might not have heard of Louisiana singer-songwriter-guitarist Sonny Landreth. He’s been around for a long time, though, and he’s even been up … Continue reading Rivers run deep on slide wizard Sonny Landreth’s South of I-10
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 27, 1995 By Steve Newton Here’s a tip for new bands trying to get ahead in today’s music biz: make sure that when any important industry types call and you put them on hold, your music is what they hear while they’re waiting. It worked for the Jayhawks, when American Recordings … Continue reading After partying on the Black Crowes tour, the Jayhawks mellow out with Tom Petty
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 14, 1995 By Steve Newton It’s midnight on a Friday (September 8) at the Town Pump. The brew has been flowing freely for hours already, and the hard-rocking headlining band is about to take the stage. The crowd is definitely stoked for some good old…spoken-word performance? Apparently, Junkhouse singer-songwriter Tom Wilson … Continue reading Junkhouse at the Town Pump evokes the Beat Farmers’ Glad & Greasy
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 13, 1990 By Steve Newton Hawkwind may just well be the ultimate cult band. The British progressive/space metal act has released more than 20 albums since its inception in 1969—and sold millions. Yet ask the person next to you if they’ve ever actually heard the band—least of all bought one of … Continue reading Dave Brock says Hawkwind’s space-rock wasn’t influenced by anyone
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 6, 1991 By Steve Newton The five members of the Doobie Brothers that pull into the Pacific Coliseum on Friday (June 7) will be the same five guys that posed nearly naked on the racy (for 1972) fold-out sleeve of the breakthrough Toulouse Street album. They’re also the same gang that … Continue reading The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston recalls being nuts in the ’70s
If there’s one thing that’s a sure cure for the sad-eyed, rain-soaked January blahs, it’s a blues show at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 30, 1995 By Steve Newton If you happened to see the Beatles Anthology series on the tube last week, you’re probably aware that the Fab Four quit touring in 1966 and became just a recording act. That move worked out alright for them—but it probably wouldn’t suit Hamilton, Ontario, rockers Junkhouse. … Continue reading Junkhouse’s Tom Wilson believes there’s a Birthday Boy in all of us
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 22, 1999 By Steve Newton “Kick him in the throat!” isn’t quite the phrase you expect to hear from a guy who’s just exchanged wedding vows, but that’s what my brother-in-law Cam was yelling scant hours after tying the knot on a beach in Powell River last month. You see, his … Continue reading Growing up in Buffalo, the Goo Goo Dolls are almost Canadian
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 30, 1997 By Steve Newton At the climax of Aerosmith’s two-hour-plus concert at the Coliseum last Saturday (October 25), muscular skin-basher Joey Kramer emerged from behind his rotating drum kit, trotted to the front of the stage, and jubilantly hurled one of his drumsticks into the roaring, near-capacity crowd. Seeing as … Continue reading That time at Aerosmith in Vancouver when Joey Kramer’s hallowed drumstick got snatched away
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 21, 1991 By Steve Newton Twice during Van Halen’s show at B.C. Place last Wednesday (November 13), shaggy-maned vocalist Sammy Hagar apologized for having throat problems and not being able to sing up to par. The second time, he added, “But the band’s hot, and that’s all that counts.” Yeah, sure, … Continue reading Eddie’s off-the-cuff raunch blasts save Van Halen’s ass while Jimmy Page watches from the wings
