Pantera’s Vinnie Paul explains what makes Phil Anselmo so “F**king Hostile” on Vulgar Display of Power

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 27, 1992 By Steve Newton Would you let somebody punch you in the face for 300 bucks? Considering that knuckle sandwiches sometimes come for free, 300 smackers might not sound too bad. Then again, it depends who’s on the other end of the fist. And whether or not dental coverage is … Continue reading Pantera’s Vinnie Paul explains what makes Phil Anselmo so “F**king Hostile” on Vulgar Display of Power

Kim Mitchell hits 40 and just keeps getting wet with life

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 6, 1992 By Steve Newton Used to be that whenever you saw Kim Mitchell’s name on an album’s liner notes the name of his lyricist, Pye Dubois, would be right there beside it. But Dubois’ moniker is nowhere to be found on Mitchell’s latest release, Aural Fixations. Seems the long-time songwriting … Continue reading Kim Mitchell hits 40 and just keeps getting wet with life

Emerson, Lake and Palmer pine for the days of vinyl and art-led music

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 27, 1992 By Steve Newton MONTREAL—The only band I liked in the ’70s that didn’t have a rockin’ electric guitarist was Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Over the years, I’ve wondered what it was that attracted me to the British progressive band’s unique keyboards/bass/drums format and made me happy to slide its … Continue reading Emerson, Lake and Palmer pine for the days of vinyl and art-led music

Trouble guitarist Rick Wartell steals riffs from Chicago blues bands

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 29, 1992 By Steve Newton The Windy City is not generally regarded as a rock ’n’ roll hotbed. The U.S.A.’s third-largest metropolis seems much better known for Bulls, Bears, and Blackhawks than big-selling boogie bands. “It’s not exactly a boom town for music,” admits Trouble guitarist/songwriter Rick Wartell. “But it seems … Continue reading Trouble guitarist Rick Wartell steals riffs from Chicago blues bands

The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan says he’s not here to talk about his dad

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 25, 1993 By Steve Newton I’d never heard the Wallflowers until about a week ago, when a colleague suggested I might like their rootsy style—the Black Crowes meet The Band. After rounding up a copy of the group’s self-titled 1992 debut, I fell under the spell of 22-year-old singer/songwriter Jakob Dylan’s … Continue reading The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan says he’s not here to talk about his dad

Ron Sexsmith’s conversational pop wins over Elvis Costello and Interscope

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 5, 1997 By Steve Newton The night before Ron Sexsmith calls from Norway, I’m giving the TV clicker a workout when some tabloid-style show appears, updating the lives of TV child actors who played roles such as the pointy-eared werewolf kid on The Munsters and the six-year-old twins on Family Affair. … Continue reading Ron Sexsmith’s conversational pop wins over Elvis Costello and Interscope

Mike Gordon says Phish is happy with the current situation

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 1, 1993 By Steve Newton A lot of bands know how to play to a crowd, but not many bands know how to be played by a crowd. Vermont’s Phish is one of the latter. Band members came up with the idea of throwing beach balls out into the audience—each one … Continue reading Mike Gordon says Phish is happy with the current situation

Issues with Bob Rock and Sharon Osbourne leave the Quireboys Bitter Sweet & Twisted

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 27, 1993 By Steve Newton After Bob Rock hit the big time by producing Motley Crue’s No. 1 album, Dr. Feelgood—and then accomplished the incredible feat of making former thrash-masters Metallica a mainstream rock-radio fave—it seemed the Vancouver producer could do no wrong. And although Rock’s reputation as a producer with … Continue reading Issues with Bob Rock and Sharon Osbourne leave the Quireboys Bitter Sweet & Twisted

Bon Jovi brings New Jersey to Vancouver, Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe crash the party

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 19, 1989 By Steve Newton The first time Bon Jovi played B.C. Place, in the summer of ’87, the band drew 22,000 fans. Last Thursday (May 11) the New Jersey rockers could only pull in 18,000. Does that mean the masters of mainstream metal are on the way … Continue reading Bon Jovi brings New Jersey to Vancouver, Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe crash the party

Kim Mitchell and Pye Dubois have come a long way from the Sarnia high-school smoking section

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 29, 1994 By Steve Newton When the time comes to sit down with Kim Mitchell and his lyricist, Pye Dubois, at the Bulldog Cafe, I have a bone to pick with them—and it isn’t one of the Nelson Street eatery’s tasty chicken wings. I want to know why one of Canadian … Continue reading Kim Mitchell and Pye Dubois have come a long way from the Sarnia high-school smoking section

Rivers run deep on slide wizard Sonny Landreth’s South of I-10

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 13, 1995 By Steve Newton Unless you’re a devoted follower of critically acclaimed slide guitarists—or the type of music fan that analyzes the musician credits on CD liner notes—you might not have heard of Louisiana singer-songwriter-guitarist Sonny Landreth. He’s been around for a long time, though, and he’s even been up … Continue reading Rivers run deep on slide wizard Sonny Landreth’s South of I-10

Lars Ulrich denies that Grammy “loser” Metallica is mellowing out with …And Justice For All

By Steve Newton On May 31, 1989, Metallica played Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum on a bill with the Cult. This was just three months after the band had its expected Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance stolen away by Jethro Tull–whose Crest of a Knave album somehow beat out Metallica’s mighty …And Justice for All–and metal … Continue reading Lars Ulrich denies that Grammy “loser” Metallica is mellowing out with …And Justice For All

ZZ Top’s Vancouver fans wimp out while that little ol’ band from Texas delivers

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 4, 1990 By Steve Newton ZZ Top has always been one of the coolest bands in the land. Those wacky beards, those nifty suits, those fuzzy guitars—not to mention those barnstormin’ boogie tunes that make you wanna rock ’n’ roll all night and party every day. But after last Tuesday’s (October … Continue reading ZZ Top’s Vancouver fans wimp out while that little ol’ band from Texas delivers