Search Results for: steve earle

That time I asked Rik Emmett what it was like being a solo artist after 13 years with Triumph

By Steve Newton I did my third interview with Rik Emmett in September of 1990, when he was promoting his debut solo album, Absolutely, which went gold in Canada. Two years earlier he’d left the popular Canadian power trio Triumph, so when he called from his home in Mississauga I asked him was it was … Continue reading That time I asked Rik Emmett what it was like being a solo artist after 13 years with Triumph

Two weeks before the launch of Joe Satriani’s original G3 Tour Steve Vai explained how it came to fruition

By Steve Newton I interviewed guitar virtuoso Steve Vai for the second time back in September of 1996, one week after the release of his Fire Garden album. Vai had also recently announced that he’d be part of the first G3 Tour, which saw him go on tour with fellow fretmasters Joe Satriani and Eric … Continue reading Two weeks before the launch of Joe Satriani’s original G3 Tour Steve Vai explained how it came to fruition

That time blues guitar great Bill Perry told me why it only took him six days to record and master his new debut album

By Steve Newton Back in October of 1996 I did my one and only interview with New York blues-rocker Bill Perry, who called me up from a roadside pay phone in Iowa. At the time Perry was touring in support of his debut release, Love Scars, which blew me away with its intense, Gary Moore-type … Continue reading That time blues guitar great Bill Perry told me why it only took him six days to record and master his new debut album

Jack White calls Big Sugar’s 500 Pounds “the best blues-based record to ever come out of Canada”

By Steve Newton If you haven’t already figured out that Big Sugar is an awesome band, the guy from White Stripes has a message for you. In a video posted today, rock legend Jack White extolls the virtues of the Toronto group’s second album, Five Hundred Pounds (released in the U.S. as 500 Pounds). “I … Continue reading Jack White calls Big Sugar’s 500 Pounds “the best blues-based record to ever come out of Canada”

That time Dick Dale told me what it was like playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan on “Pipeline”

By Steve Newton Back in the summer of 1993 I did my first interview with guitar legend Dick Dale. Thirty years earlier Dale had released an album titled King of the Surf Guitar, and ever since then that’s what he’d been called. That’s why he and Stevie Ray Vaughan connected in 1987 to record a … Continue reading That time Dick Dale told me what it was like playing with Stevie Ray Vaughan on “Pipeline”

Robin Trower to release 50th anniversary edition of Bridge of Sighs, the best rock album of 1974

By Steve Newton There were a ton of amazing albums released in 1974, and you can trust me on that, ’cause I was standing right there, wide-eyed, watching it happen. That was the year I turned 17, and as a music obsessed kid my world revolved around the latest rock releases to fill the stacks … Continue reading Robin Trower to release 50th anniversary edition of Bridge of Sighs, the best rock album of 1974

Illuminating Mike Cooley’s songwriting brilliance through four Drive-By Truckers tunes

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 2, 2010 By Steve Newton Just got back from a family vacation to Powell River, and man, if you ever get the chance to go kayaking in Desolation Sound’s Okeover Inlet, take it. The scenery is stunning and you can get up close and personal with bald eagles, seals, and huge … Continue reading Illuminating Mike Cooley’s songwriting brilliance through four Drive-By Truckers tunes

The Alarm recruits ace producer Tony Visconti and honours its Welsh roots on Change

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 3, 1989 By Steve Newton Unlike the multitude of rock bands around today whose first and foremost goal is finding a shortcut to the bank, the Alarm is one group that sets its sights a little higher. Things like fading cultures and lost languages are important to it. That’s why the … Continue reading The Alarm recruits ace producer Tony Visconti and honours its Welsh roots on Change

10 minutes on the phone with 21-year-old Devin Townsend in 1993

By Steve Newton I interviewed Devin Townsend for the second time in September of 1993, shortly after he’d hooked up with Steve Vai and they’d recorded Vai’s Sex & Religion album. He was 21 at the time, and has since gone on to become one of the most acclaimed and prolific metal musicians in the … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with 21-year-old Devin Townsend in 1993

10 minutes on the phone with Steve Hackett from Genesis in 1993

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Steve Hackett in October of 1993, when he called me from upstate New York while touring behind his tenth solo album, Guitar Noir. I’d always loved his work with Genesis in the seventies, especially on albums like Selling England By the Pound. Early on in the … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with Steve Hackett from Genesis in 1993

The Barstool Prophets’ Graham Greer hopes to model his life after producer Joe Hardy

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 5, 1998 By Steve Newton Last month’s ice storm back east took no prisoners, but Barstool Prophets singer-guitarist Graham Greer got off pretty easy. The native of Cornwall, Ontario, was residing in “the fortunate end of town” when the storm hit, so he only lost power for three days, while his … Continue reading The Barstool Prophets’ Graham Greer hopes to model his life after producer Joe Hardy

That time John Cougar told me that the high he gets from writing good songs is better than sex–and heroin

By Steve Newton I interviewed John Mellencamp for the first time back in May of 1983, when he was still called John Cougar. He was touring behind his latest album, American Fool, but for some reason the Vancouver show got cancelled and the interview I did with him in advance never ran. At one point … Continue reading That time John Cougar told me that the high he gets from writing good songs is better than sex–and heroin

10 minutes in a hotel room with AC/DC in 1983

By Steve Newton One fine October day in 1983 I went to a fancy Vancouver hotel and hung out with Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson of AC/DC, who were kicking off a tour to support the new Flick of the Switch album. New drummer Simon Wright was there too, but he didn’t say much. Note: … Continue reading 10 minutes in a hotel room with AC/DC in 1983