That time John Fogerty told me that dobro player Jerry Douglas was his favourite musician in all the world

By Steve Newton Back in August of 1997 I did my first interview with John Fogerty, and boy was I psyched about talking to that guy. He’s the ultimate triple-threat musician, if you ask me, because I don’t think there’s anyone who can sing, play guitar, and write songs quite as well as John Fogerty … Continue reading That time John Fogerty told me that dobro player Jerry Douglas was his favourite musician in all the world

That time Blue Murder’s John Sykes told me that Phil Lynott took him under his wing in Thin Lizzy

By Steve Newton I interviewed John Sykes back in May of 1989, one month after the release of the self-titled debut album by Blue Murder, the power trio he put together with bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice. At one point in the conversation I asked the former Tygers of Pan Tang and Whitesnake … Continue reading That time Blue Murder’s John Sykes told me that Phil Lynott took him under his wing in Thin Lizzy

Annihilator tones down the thrash on new CD but still cranks up the heat on stage

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 6, 1993 By Steve Newton Last Saturday night (July 31) wasn’t Vancouver’s warmest evening on record, but the heat inside the Lunatic Fringe sure made you wonder. The club’s air-conditioning had broken down two nights before, so management lugged out a couple of huge fans to keep the temperature down, but … Continue reading Annihilator tones down the thrash on new CD but still cranks up the heat on stage

That time I asked Steve Earle if he thought the United States would ever live down the invasion of Iraq

By Steve Newton I’ve interviewed Steve Earle six times between 1987 and 2012, because I think he’s one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. The last time I chatted with him he was touring behind his 14th studio album, I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive, which included the song “Little Emperor”, a … Continue reading That time I asked Steve Earle if he thought the United States would ever live down the invasion of Iraq

That time Alex Lifeson told me that Rush had considered expanding to a four-piece in the ’70s

By Steve Newton Back in January of 1992 I interviewed Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson. At the time Rush was touring behind its latest album, Roll the Bones, and was headed to Vancouver for a show at the Pacific Coliseum. At one point in the conversation I asked the 38-year-old Lifeson if the band had ever … Continue reading That time Alex Lifeson told me that Rush had considered expanding to a four-piece in the ’70s

That time I asked Lars Ulrich about backstage passes for Metallica and, unlike Ronnie James Dio, he kinda blew me off

By Steve Newton Back in May of 1989 I did the second of my four interviews with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. At the time he was in Nagoya, Japan, on the band’s Damaged Justice Tour, which was due to hit Vancouver in a couple of weeks. Three years earlier I’d taken my 16-year-old nephew Jeff … Continue reading That time I asked Lars Ulrich about backstage passes for Metallica and, unlike Ronnie James Dio, he kinda blew me off

That time Rob Halford told me that Judas Priest’s new Defenders of the Faith LP was almost platinum in the States

By Steve Newton I did the first of my five interviews with Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford back in May of 1984. He called me up before a gig in Portland, Oregon, while the band was touring behind its ninth studio album, Defenders of the Faith. At one point in the conversation I mentioned that … Continue reading That time Rob Halford told me that Judas Priest’s new Defenders of the Faith LP was almost platinum in the States

The Chinese spy balloon gets me thinking about that time I asked Nena if her new “99 Red Balloons” was an anti-war song

By Steve Newton I interviewed one-named German pop singer Nena on the phone from Berlin back in May of 1984. That was one month after her band released its 99 Luftballoons compilation album, which featured both English- and German-language versions of the title track (“99 Red Balloons”), which had been a huge hit in Europe the … Continue reading The Chinese spy balloon gets me thinking about that time I asked Nena if her new “99 Red Balloons” was an anti-war song

That time I asked Geddy Lee if Rush had considered breaking up in 1994

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Rush singer-bassist Geddy Lee back in April of 1997, when the trio was touring behind its Test for Echo album. At one point I brought up the topic of the almost two-year break the band members had taken from each other in 1994, following the release … Continue reading That time I asked Geddy Lee if Rush had considered breaking up in 1994

That time I asked Ed Roland if he was shocked by the massive popularity of Collective Soul’s current hit, “Shine”

By Steve Newton Back in June of 1994 Collective Soul frontman Ed Roland called me up from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At the time his band was touring behind its debut album, Hints Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, which opened with the riff-driven, five-minute guitar opus “Shine”. That song would claim the top spot on the … Continue reading That time I asked Ed Roland if he was shocked by the massive popularity of Collective Soul’s current hit, “Shine”

That time John Cougar told me that he was really influenced by the ballsiness of Prince

By Steve Newton I interviewed John Mellencamp for the first time in May of 1983, when he was still known as John Cougar. At the time he was touring behind his blockbuster American Fool album, and at one point in the conversation I asked him about his upcoming album, Uh-huh, which would hit record stores … Continue reading That time John Cougar told me that he was really influenced by the ballsiness of Prince

Album review: Cadillac Tramps, It’s Allright (1994)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 19, 1994 By Steve Newton Maybe you’ve seen that quick shot of hefty Cadillac Tramps singer Gabby Gaborno doing his grizzly-bear-with-shades impression during one of those manic “I Am Canadian” beer commercials. Well, Molson goofed, because the Cadillac Tramps ain’t Canadian–they’re from Orange County, California. The good news … Continue reading Album review: Cadillac Tramps, It’s Allright (1994)

Colin Linden charms Vancouver with rollicking tunes from new When the Spirit Comes LP

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 21, 1988 By Steve Newton Bryan Adams was there. I was there. My sisters and brother-in-law were there. And if you’re lucky, you were there too–at the Town Pump, that is, to see the first Vancouver appearance in a long while by Toronto’s slide guitar ace Colin Linden. One of Hogtown’s … Continue reading Colin Linden charms Vancouver with rollicking tunes from new When the Spirit Comes LP