By Steve Newton I like Pearl Jam a lot. And I really love Neil Young. So when those two got together for the Mirror Ball album back in 1995 I was in hog heaven. I would listen to my favourite track, “I’m the Ocean”, over and over again. When I interviewed Pearl Jam guitarist Mike … Continue reading That time I asked Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready what he thought was so great about Neil Young
By Steve Newton I always thought Phantom Power was one of the Tragically Hip‘s best albums. Not quite as amazing as Fully Completely or Day for Night or Up to Here or Road Apples, but pretty damn close, overall. In my original 1998 review of the album, I pointed out that “Vapour Trails” was the standout … Continue reading Phantom Power 25th anniversary box set features previously unreleased Hip tunes and alternate tracks
Chunky Shrapnel screens at the Rio By Steve Newton MONDAY: The Invisible Orange presents Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin, performing the live score of Dario Argento’s Suspiria, at the Rickshaw Theatre. MONDAY: the Vancouver Canucks take on the Montreal Canadians in National Hockey League action at Rogers Arena. MONDAY TO FRIDAY: the City of Vancouver’s annual Festival of Lights is a winter wonderland … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 (or 15) things to do in Metro Vancouver this week, December 5 to 9
By Steve Newton When you’ve covered the Vancouver music scene for as long as I have, you realize there’s a lot more to it than Loverboy and Bryan freakin’ Adams. Art Bergmann Sexual Roulette (1990) The hero of Vancouver’s alternative music scene really hit his stride on his second full-length album, telling insightful and thoroughly … Continue reading From the ‘hood: 10 of my fave albums by 10 of my fave Vancouver bands
By Steve Newton I’ve just been watching the TV news, and apparently there’s quite an uproar among Celine Dion fans because she wasn’t included in Rolling Stone‘s new list of “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Well, here’s another uproar for ya: why the hell isn’t Phil Lynott’s name on the list? You know, … Continue reading Rolling Stone shockingly omits Phil Lynott from its Top 200 singers list. And Paul Rodgers too!
By Steve Newton It’s been a rough Thursday in the worlds of sports, fashion, and music. Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, British fashion rebel Vivienne Westwood, and Canadian country-folk singer-songwriter Ian Tyson all left us today. And to make matters worse, yesterday brought the awful news that Vancouver journalist Tom Harrison, a cherished fixture on the … Continue reading Ian Tyson’s passing reminds me of how much my dear old dad loved “Four Strong Winds”
rob bubek photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 23, 2022 By Steve Newton When I try calling Graham Brown at the time specified for our interview there’s no answer, so I leave a message and try again a few minutes later. This time we do connect, only to have the local rocker apologize and explain that … Continue reading When Graham Brown plugs in his Telecaster he’s 12 years old again
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 23, 2002 By Steve Newton You’ll rarely find Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural, Jr. without his trusty Hohner accordion—or the mile-wide grin that comes whenever he plays it. But the 54-year-old musician wasn’t always so enamoured of the instrument. When he was a youngster in Lafayette, Louisiana, Dural couldn’t stand … Continue reading Buckwheat Zydeco says everybody has a different vibration, man
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 23, 1994 By Steve Newton I’m pretty sure the booze wasn’t free at the Commodore last Saturday, but there sure seemed to be a lot of half-inebriated partyers in the crowd, which was going nutzoid for opening band Nine Below Zero’s version of Canned Heat’s … Continue reading Alannah Myles gets lewd for the dudes in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 15, 1994 By Steve Newton “Look, there’s that crazy guy!” declared the frail-looking, bespectacled chap sitting in front of me at the Queen E. last Thursday. He was pointing at a large, bearded man in the stage-right balcony who was standing up and howling and throwing punches around, … Continue reading Crosby, Stills & Nash turn it up too loud, forgetting that they aren’t Young
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 26, 1998 By Steve Newton I wasn’t expecting to uncover any local angles as I scanned the liner notes to Georgia singer-songwriter Michelle Malone’s latest CD, Beneath the Devil Moon, so I was surprised to find that it was mixed here at Armoury Studios on Pine Street. The … Continue reading Versatile Michelle Malone just as comfortable touring with ZZ Top as with Indigo Girls
Geez, even Jimi knew Johnny ruled. By Steve Newton Back in September of 2010 Gibson.com posted what it felt were the 50 greatest guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it. Most conspicuous by his absence is Texas blues-rock legend Johnny Winter. I for one am getting sick and tired of … Continue reading Gibson picked the top 50 guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it
By Steve Newton I’m a little show on the uptake sometimes. For example, just yesterday I was typing up my old interview from 1987 with Rick Richards of the Georgia Satellites, giving the article new life on the internet after being trapped on yellowing newspaper and stashed in a banker’s box for decades. In the … Continue reading 36 years later I finally got turned on to the rockin’ glory of Warren Zevon’s “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands”
