ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 11, 1997 By Steve Newton My reviewer’s copy of the long-overdue AC/DC box set was labelled with a warning that it was not for sale and “must be returned on demand of recording company”. Yeah, right—I’d like to see Warner Brothers just try to get this prized package back. They’d have … Continue reading Bonfire box a godsend for fans of AC/DC’s ear-bustin’ boogie blues
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 22, 1994 By Steve Newton What better way to get primed for a Metallica gig than to take a four-hour cruise around the harbour with a smokin’ blues-rock band and 75 beer-crazed party animals? None, thought I, so I hopped on board the Boomtown at noon on Sunday (July 17) and we motored off … Continue reading Metallica are mighty masters of metal wherever they may roam, including Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 20, 1984 By Steve Newton Former Max Webster guitarist/vocalist Kim Mitchell will be “going for his sodas” this Monday and Tuesday (July 23-24) at Club Soda on Homer Street. The Ontario-born rocker has just released his second solo album, Akimbo Alogo, on the newly-formed Alert Records label. He’ll be performing with the same musicians … Continue reading Kim Mitchell defends Max Webster, pledges allegiance to Pye Dubois, and storms the charts with “Go For Soda”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 12, 1998 By Steve Newton Bluesman Luther Allison, folk-pop troubadour Jeff Buckley, fingerstyle-guitar innovator Michael Hedges, and jazz drummer Tony Williams might seem unlikely heroes for a southern-rock band, but they’re who Gov’t Mule’s new CD, Dose, is dedicated to. Between the time the band started recording Dose and the deadline … Continue reading Talking Ry Cooder, Ronnie Montrose, and the Allmans with Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 30, 1994 By Steve Newton As streams of perked-up Pink Floyd fans strolled north across the Cambie Street bridge en route to the big white marshmallow of B.C. Place last Saturday (June 25), a lot of them were eyeing the sky. It was a fine time to revel in the postcard … Continue reading Pink Floyd plays Vancouver on the Division Bell tour, David Gilmour’s state-of-the-art guitars shine
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 25, 2014 By Steve Newton Yngwie Malmsteen likes to wear all black on-stage and play fast as hell on a Fender Strat through a wall of cranked Marshall amps, so you might think that Ritchie Blackmore is his hero. “Okay, let’s correct that,” says Malmsteen when I mention … Continue reading Yngwie Malmsteen puts Ritchie Blackmore rumours to rest, praises Nicolo Paganini and Uli Jon Roth
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 5, 1997 By Steve Newton Strolling over the Georgia Viaduct en route to GM Place last Sunday (June 1), I gazed down at the arena’s parking lot to see what kind of fancy tour buses ZZ Top is travelling in these days. I expected to see an outline … Continue reading ZZ Top snoozes through its Rhythmeen tour stop in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 8, 1994 By Steve Newton With all the frenzied media attention and intense public speculation surrounding the O.J. Simpson case, it’s hard to keep a fair handle on the whole sordid affair. Even such trusted news sources as A Current Affair and the National Enquirer have gotten caught up in the circus. So who do … Continue reading David Lee Roth says he doesn’t regret leaving Van Halen
On the phone from his Boston home, Earl comes off as an artist driven as much by compassion for others as by a personal joy in making music.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 28, 1995 By Steve Newton Although I’ve never been there, I always pictured New Orleans as a carefree, laid-back location, where the relaxed residents would happily welcome visitors into a fantasyland of down-home music, to-die-for food, and endless celebration. But in a chat with Blind Melon bassist Brad Smith—whose band recorded … Continue reading Blind Melon makes Soup in New Orleans but the Big Easy is “evil on a lot of levels”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 11, 1996 By Steve Newton That Flea guy is a real character. For my phone interview with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ wildman bassist, I was instructed to call and ask for Mr. Ugly Stupid, the moniker Flea goes by when he’s on the road. But I started feeling a tad … Continue reading Chili Peppers bass god Flea won’t answer to Mr. Ugly Stinky
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 16, 1996 By Steve Newton The members of London, Ontario, rock quartet Buffalo Brothers come from all over the largest of the Canuck provinces. Drummer Glen Gamble grew up in Brantford, bassist Jeff Fountain hails from North Bay, keyboardist Michael Bonnell calls Sault Sainte Marie home, and singer-guitarist Shaun Sanders is … Continue reading Ontario’s Buffalo Brothers pay the price for that sweet Hammond B-3 sound
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 14, 1996 By Steve Newton At a private party in Yaletown last Friday (November 8), after the first of three Tragically Hip shows at the Pacific Coliseum, vocalist Gordon Downie leaned determinedly over a pool table to set up what he hoped would be a game-winning shot. He … Continue reading Gord Downie sinks the cue ball after the Hip gets a hero’s welcome on the Trouble at the Henhouse tour
