ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 10, 2002 By Steve Newton I like collecting guitar picks. Whenever I’m near the stage and some six-string legend tosses out one of those wee plastic nubs, I’ll do what it takes to nab it. My most highly prized catch is a plain orange Ronnie Montrose pick … Continue reading Album review: Black Sabbath, Past Lives (2002)
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 7, 1988 By Steve Newton Being a rock critic is not all fun and games. “Sure, Steve,” you’re probably saying, “all those free concerts and backstage brewskies must be real tough.” Okay, so there are worse occupations, but like anything else it can get boring. You become pretty … Continue reading Def Leppard makes a triumphant in-the-round return to Vancouver on the Hysteria tour
photo courtesy Glenn Slavens and Crystal Lambert (cgrocker18@gmail.com) ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON STRAIGHT.COM, AUGUST 15, 2018 By Steve Newton Hardcore AC/DC fans and photographic rumour-spreaders Glenn Slavens and Crystal Lambert are at it again. The dynamic Vancouver duo–he has the camera, she has the pad–have shared another photo with Ear of Newt that furthers the idea … Continue reading AC/DC in Vancouver: Mike Fraser spotted with Brian Johnson and Phil Rudd, maybe calling Cliff Williams on his phone?
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 5, 1988 By Steve Newton About 40,000 people paid $38.50 (Cdn) to see the marathon Monsters of Rock show at the Seattle Kingdome last Wednesday (July 27). My calculator blew up when I tried to figure out the night’s take, but I do know that the Kingdome is capable of holding … Continue reading Van Halen and Scorpions battle it out for stadium-rock supremacy as the Monsters of Rock tour hits Seattle
By Steve Newton As I’ve no doubt mentioned before, I really like Warren Zevon. I only got to interview him once before his cancer death in 2003, but that one conversation–back in 1992–left a big impression on me. He was just such a smart, funny, no-bullshit kinda guy. I admire him so much that I … Continue reading That time Warren Zevon told me about his cyberpunk-inspired concept album, Transverse City
photo courtesy Glenn Slavens and Crystal Lambert (cgrocker18@gmail.com) By Steve Newton Alright, I’m starting to feel a tad guilty now, posting all these candid AC/DC photos. Actually, it’s only been two now–the first one being yesterday’s rumour-busting shot of Phil Rudd and Brian Johnson yukking it up on the patio deck at Vancouver’s Warehouse Studio. … Continue reading AC/DC exclusive: Angus Young lights up nephew Stevie at the Warehouse in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 5, 1988 By Steve Newton There’s nothing quite like your favourite bar band in your favourite bar to bring a tired body back to life. After a long haul to Seattle last week to check out the Monsters of Rock show at the Kingdome, I was pretty tired, but it didn’t … Continue reading The Georgia Satellites are my favourite bar band in 1988
By Steve Newton Went and saw Joe Satriani at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver last night, and holy crap was he smokin’! I must have seen Satch live around 10 times over the years–including on various G3 tours–and I don’t think he’s ever played better. Having such a wicked backing band–guitarist-keyboardist Mike Kenneally, bassist Bryan … Continue reading Meeting with the Alien: hangin’ with Joe Satriani backstage in Vancouver
I once owned a belt buckle just like this, but I traded it for a see-through guitar. True story. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 20, 1988 By Steve Newton Blue Öyster Cult is the sort of band you either love or hate. There’s no in-betweens. Nobody every says, “Oh, Blue Öyster Cult, they’re … Continue reading Blue Öyster Cult transforms into the “New York Guitar Army” in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 8, 1988 By Steve Newton You don’t hear a lot from Leslie West these days. The under-rated guitarist has sort of faded into the distance since his two ’70s bands–Mountain and West, Bruce & Laing–called it quits. But for those who’d like to catch up on what the … Continue reading Album review: Leslie West, Theme (1988)
I don’t care how tiny Angus is, the world needs his killer riffs. By Steve Newton There’s been a lot of rumour and speculation flying around the music world since yesterday, when I posted a blog on the Georgia Straight website reporting that Phil Rudd and Stevie Young had been spotted in downtown Vancouver. The … Continue reading AC/DC rumours regarding Phil Rudd and Vancouver come from the right place
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 27, 1988 By Steve Newton Whether you like David Lee Roth or not, there’s one thing you’ve got to admit: the guy’s a star. It’s hard to take your eyes off him, and few did at the Pacific Coliseum last Saturday (May 21). Whether you’re ogling his sexy bod, … Continue reading David Lee Roth shows off manly biceps, a giant surfboard, and Steve Vai on the Skyscraper Tour
By Steve Newton I did my eighth interview with Joe Satriani a couple years ago, and finally got to ask him about something that his former G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen once said to me. Back in 2014 I had interviewed Yngwie in advance of his Guitar Gods show in Vancouver, and that was when he … Continue reading Joe Satriani responds to Yngwie Malmsteen’s claim that Ibanez guitars are “a bad copy” of the Strat
