Johnny Diesel & the Injectors got boosts Down Under from Angel City and Jimmy Barnes

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 22, 1989 By Steve Newton Australian-raised singer/guitarist Johnny Diesel has covered a lot of ground for a young man of 22. From Fall River, Massachusetts to Perth, Australia, from London to New York, and from Sydney to Memphis, the road to rock has been a long one mileage-wise for Diesel, whose … Continue reading Johnny Diesel & the Injectors got boosts Down Under from Angel City and Jimmy Barnes

10 minutes on the phone with 29-year-old Steve Vai in 1990

By Steve Newton Steve Vai is one of those guitarists where you watch him play and you’re like: “How the hell does he do that!?” This is the first interview I did with him, when he was only 29, touring with Whitesnake, and had just released his solo album Passion and Warfare. During the first … Continue reading 10 minutes on the phone with 29-year-old Steve Vai in 1990

That time I asked Billy Gibbons what the glue was that kept ZZ Top together for so long

By Steve Newton Being a teenaged devotee of guitar-driven boogie in the seventies put me directly in line with what was required to be a hardcore ZZ Top fan. I have vivid memories of the band, like that time I walked into the Chilliwack Second Hand Store and found a near-mint copy of the Tres … Continue reading That time I asked Billy Gibbons what the glue was that kept ZZ Top together for so long

Gibson picked the top 50 guitar solos of all time, and boy did they ever blow it

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

Vancouver blues-rock party band the Fins just wants chicks, coke, Cadillacs–and money

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 18, 1984 By Steve Newton “Occasionally you get booked into a room that’s just the pits,” points out Dave Chisholm of the Fins, a local blues-rock outfit that’s currently paying dues and honing licks on steady road trips to the interior of B.C. and Yukon Territories. In a spare room above … Continue reading Vancouver blues-rock party band the Fins just wants chicks, coke, Cadillacs–and money

Album review: Kim Mitchell, Itch (1994)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 26, 1994 By Steve Newton After hearing that Canuck guitar-rock great Kim Mitchell had reunited with longtime lyricist Pye Dubois–and then recorded their new tunes with ace producer Joe Hardy (ZZ Top, Colin James, the Tragically Hip)–I had high hopes for the resulting CD, Itch. Those hopes were … Continue reading Album review: Kim Mitchell, Itch (1994)

That time I asked Jimmy Barnes about his boozer reputation, and why he left Cold Chisel

By Steve Newton When I went to Australia for my little sister’s wedding in 1986 I managed to see two wicked Aussie bands–Midnight Oil and the Angels (aka Angel City)–play killer shows in Melbourne-area clubs. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Cold Chisel play a killer show in a Melbourne-area pub because they’d already broken … Continue reading That time I asked Jimmy Barnes about his boozer reputation, and why he left Cold Chisel

Album review: Vivian Campbell, Two Sides of If (2005)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 16, 2006 By Steve Newton When Vivian Campbell was a kid he went to see Rory Gallagher at Belfast’s Ulster Hall, then rushed home to grab his guitar and imitate the underrated Irish guitar hero. Campbell’s still copping those licks, though he doesn’t get away with it in … Continue reading Album review: Vivian Campbell, Two Sides of If (2005)

That time Jon Bon Jovi told me that his band’s new Slippery When Wet album was just meant to be a fun summertime album

By Steve Newton I did the third of my three interviews with Jon Bon Jovi in June of 1987, when his band was touring behind its massively successful third album, Slippery When Wet, which went on to sell over 12-million copies in the U.S. alone. A year earlier the group had barely caused a stir … Continue reading That time Jon Bon Jovi told me that his band’s new Slippery When Wet album was just meant to be a fun summertime album

36 years later I finally got turned on to the rockin’ glory of Warren Zevon’s “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands”

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”

The 10 best rock concerts I ever saw at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum in the ’80s

By Steve Newton Before GM Place became the home of the Vancouver Canucks in 1995–then changed its name to Rogers Arena in 2010–the Pacific Coliseum was the place to see arena-rock shows in Vancouver. As a music-obsessed teenager in the ’70s I made the 80-minute drive from Chilliwack to see my first big shows at … Continue reading The 10 best rock concerts I ever saw at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum in the ’80s

Album review: George Thorogood and the Destroyers, The Dirty Dozen (2009)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 20, 2009 By Steve Newton George Thorogood has made a good living covering crusty old gems by blues legends, but is that something we should hold against him? I think not. Every rock-loving kid that Thorogood turns on to someone like John Lee Hooker via his hellraising rendition … Continue reading Album review: George Thorogood and the Destroyers, The Dirty Dozen (2009)

Joss Stone says that she wants to open doors with soul and spread the music far and wide

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 26, 2012 By Steve Newton It must be pretty sweet being Joss Stone these days. When I hook up with the 25-year-old millionaire soul-pop superstar she’s on her cell at a café in Brussels, Belgium, where she’s doing some TV shows and concerts. The next day, Stone will be popping over … Continue reading Joss Stone says that she wants to open doors with soul and spread the music far and wide