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 22, 1993 By Steve Newton In 1973 the Doobie Brothers recorded a tune called “Ukiah”, about a place in Northern California with “green trees and timberlands; people workin’ with their hands”. Judging by the lyrics, it was a pretty nice place to be. And for Ukiah-raised guitar great Robben Ford, it … Continue reading Robben Ford wanted to be a guitar player when he heard Mike Bloomfield
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 POSTED ON OCT. 12, 2011 By Steve Newton When it comes to politically motivated rockers, you won’t find many more motivated than Tom Morello. Whether blasting out the intense guitar work that propels Rage Against the Machine’s anticorporate rap-metal agenda or taking on the Woody Guthrie–inspired folk-balladeer persona of his solo project, the Nightwatchman, … Continue reading Activist-rocker Tom Morello says that the people who run this world don’t deserve to
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 31, 2007 By Steve Newton When the Dixie Chicks asked Pete Yorn if he wanted to collaborate with them, they didn’t have to ask twice. After he met the ultratalented Texas trio at an after-Grammy party in New York City, they invited him out to Austin to write songs for what … Continue reading Pete Yorn gets into Warren Zevon and enjoys his time as a Chicks magnet
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 22, 1993 By Steve Newton Guitar World magazine called him “the world’s greatest unknown guitarist”. Guitar Player ran his photo on the cover with his face behind a mask, while inside they asked: “What famous guitarist could outplay him?” So how come virtuoso guitarman Danny Gatton is so underexposed? “Well, there’s … Continue reading Guitar god Danny Gatton says Lenny Breau is the biggest humbler of all time
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 6, 1984 By Steve Newton British supergroup Genesis–lead vocalist-drummer Phil Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks, and guitarist-bassist Mike Rutherford–will be appearing at the Pacific Coliseum this Monday, January 9. They will be joined in concert by touring members Daryl Stuermer on guitar and Chester Thompson on drums. I spoke to Rutherford over … Continue reading Mike Rutherford looks at his watch and says Genesis will probably make it through tonight’s show
By Steve Newton On March 29, 1984, Billy Idol played the University of British Columbia’s War Memorial Gym. The 28-year-old Brit was touring behind his second solo album, Rebel Yell, which boasted the hit singles “Eyes Without a Face”, “Flesh for Fantasy”, “Catch My Fall”, and the title track. His videos were getting a shitload of … Continue reading Billy Idol on working with Tobe Hooper, getting on MTV, and showing off his Rebel Yell
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 12, 1991 By Steve Newton Vancouver’s Bob Rock is one of the most in-demand rock producers in the world today. The albums he’s worked on in the last few years have sold millions of copies and—in the case of Motley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood—made it to number one in Billboard. Recently, he … Continue reading Star producer Bob Rock just wants to play guitar in a band
“The songs were much more of a collective effort,” says Baker, “which is something we’ve been working toward since the beginning.”
What an awesome heavy-metal band Queen used to be. What, you didn’t know Queen used to be an awesome heavy-metal band?
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 22, 2006 By Steve Newton Like Brian Wilson used to do in his Beach Boys days, Colin Linden gets around. When I catch him on his cellphone he’s just leaving a Calgary hotel with his fellow members of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings—Tom Wilson and Stephen Fearing—for a sound check at … Continue reading Blackie & the Rodeo Kings ebullient about a Band classic
