By Steve Newton I watched that documentary on Mick Ronson, Beside Bowie, the other day, and it inspired me to digitize another snippet off my first interview with Ronno, from 1988. You’re welcome, fellow Ronson freaks! The conversation happened on September 9, ’88, in advance of a show by the Hunter-Ronson Band at Vancouver’s 86 … Continue reading That time Mick Ronson told me he was a rocker, as if I didn’t know
By Steve Newton When it comes to unheralded guitar geniuses, Danny Gatton is right up there. He’s never achieved the fame of a Clapton, Beck, or Page, but in-the-know guitar freaks realize that he’s worthy of comparison, talent-wise. I only got to interview Gatton once, back in April of 1993, before he came to Vancouver … Continue reading That time I called up Danny Gatton while he was sorting through his Roy Buchanan tapes
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 8, 1987 By Steve Newton When Steve Earle was 14 years old, he ran away from his home outside of San Antonio, Texas, and headed to Houston. All he had was an acoustic guitar and a head stuffed with dreams of making a living in music. “I was real interested in … Continue reading Steve Earle on the influence of Elvis and making it with Guitar Town
photo by kirk west By Steve Newton I still have fond memories of seeing guitar legend Dickey Betts with the Allman Brothers back in the early ’90s, when he was trading killer licks with another of my fave pickers, Warren Haynes. When I did my third interview with Dickey, back in July of ’92, the band was … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts told me about the music business and the Allman Brothers’ “official” albums
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 24, 1987 By Steve Newton England’s Iron Maiden is different than most other heavy metal bands in a lot of ways. For one thing, they can all play their instruments, and very well. Their songs are quite complex, and the lyrics aren’t simple-minded: there are no likes like … Continue reading Iron Maiden’s Dave Murray, age 30, says “it’s good to know we’ve got a few years to go yet”
roger fritz photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 8, 1988 By Steve Newton Blues guitar giant Roy Buchanan makes his yearly visit to Vancouver this week, and fans of his searingly soulful, technically awesome style can get their 1988 dose of it. This time around, though, Roy will be shooting off those wild licks with the … Continue reading Roy Buchanan talks jamming with Pink Floyd “bluesman” David Gilmour and boasts about his new Bluesmaster guitar
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 12, 1990 By Steve Newton When Moe Berg left Edmonton for Toronto five years ago, the city of the Oilers didn’t exactly react like it was losing The Great One. There wasn’t a big hullabaloo in the press, nor were there many tears shed, either by Berg himself or the gaggle … Continue reading Moe Berg on leaving Edmonton, loving Rundgren, and the Pursuit of Happiness’s One Sided Story
By Steve Newton I’ve been a big fan of “southern rock” since I first heard the Allman Brothers Band‘s version of “One Way Out” on the Eat a Peach album back in high school. Some of my other fave bands in the seventies were Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, and Blackfoot. So when I … Continue reading That time I asked Dickey Betts if the Allman Brothers were the originators of “southern rock”
john scully photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 6, 1987 By Steve Newton Not a lot of people showed up for NRBQ‘s Commodore Ballroom date last Thursday (January 29), but of the 500 or so who did, few went home disappointed. In fact, it’s fair to say that you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s ever … Continue reading NRBQ tars-and-feathers Vancouver, leaves the Cabbage Patch Kids alone
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 11, 1983 By Steve Newton Triumph’s Rik Emmett is a man of many moods on guitar. Though best known for supplying the driving rhythms and rapid-fire leads that are trademarks of his group’s two-fisted sound, Emmett never hesitates delving into the subtle and contemplative realms of classical and jazz as well. On … Continue reading Triumph’s Rik Emmett on the merits of the power trio and his secret song for Randy Rhoads
By Steve Newton When I interviewed guitar hero Tosin Abasi before the Animals as Leaders concert in Vancouver in 2016, I asked him a few questions about the pickers he’d performed with earlier that year on the Generation Axe tour. As well as Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, and Nuno Bettencourt, Abasi was in the company … Continue reading Tosin Abasi doesn’t think Yngwie Malmsteen is a pompous ass: “It’s just his clarity of vision”
By Steve Newton Gather ’round all you Dickey Betts fans. It’s time for the Newt to post another one of those audio excerpts you Allman Brothers freaks seem to love so much. This one’s from my third interview with Dickey, back in ’92 when the band was touring behind An Evening With the Allman Brothers Band: … Continue reading That time Dickey Betts told me why there were eight guys on the cover of the Allman Brothers’ new live album
By Steve Newton Back on January 28, 1992, Warren Zevon called me up from a soundcheck in Alabama. I know what you’re thinkin’: how cool was that? Pretty damn cool. At the time Zevon was touring behind his Waddy Wachtel-produced Mr. Bad Example album, and his road band was the Odds, the Vancouver power-pop quartet who’d … Continue reading That time Warren Zevon called me from Alabama and said that the Odds had “pretty big feet”
