ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 25, 1993 By Steve Newton On the back cover of the latest Jr. Gone Wild release is a black and white photograph that captures the essence of the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. It shows a stage floor with all its trappings: the base of a microphone stand, snaking guitar cords, a … Continue reading Mike McDonald thinks God is a Jr. Gone Wild fan
Tag: 1993
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
xtra large guitarist inspired by Keith Moon, Andy Kaufman, and pimento loaf
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 4, 1993 By Steve Newton Before potential listeners can get to the music on the new xtra large CD, NOWiEATthem, they have to get past one freaky cover illustration. Fashioned by acclaimed American artist Mark Ryden (who did Michael Jackson’s Dangerous cover), it portrays two women being wed by a huge … Continue reading xtra large guitarist inspired by Keith Moon, Andy Kaufman, and pimento loaf
Keith Richards’ other great band kicks out all the jams in Vancouver
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 21, 1993 By Steve Newton The Rolling Stones have owned the Granville Mall of late. A couple of months back Ronnie Wood played the Commodore; now Keith Richards has ripped things up a few doors down at the Orpheum. Maybe Mick Jagger will continue the trend and drop … Continue reading Keith Richards’ other great band kicks out all the jams in Vancouver
Mojo Nixon calls Debbie Gibson “a little chicken-hearted Yankee witch”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 21, 1993 By Steve Newton When Mojo Nixon calls from California, I’m glued to the boob tube, soaking up the first news of the U.S.-led military strikes in southern Iraq. Since they’ve got TVs in San Diego, too, Nixon knows about the bombings himself and has his own choice words on … Continue reading Mojo Nixon calls Debbie Gibson “a little chicken-hearted Yankee witch”
Seattle’s Sister Psychic goes against the grain of grunge
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 31, 1992 By Steve Newton From the heady, hook-filled pop-grunge soaring off Sister Psychic’s debut CD, Fuel, you’d think the members of the Seattle power trio had been together for years, honing their skills with their chosen instruments until the time was right to unleash that sound on … Continue reading Seattle’s Sister Psychic goes against the grain of grunge
Badlands’ Jake E. Lee says that hearing Eddie Van Halen got him back into playing hard rock again
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 16, 1992 By Steve Newton Few guitarists have had to deal with the kind of expectations put on Jake E. Lee when he took over Randy Rhoads’ guitar spot in the Ozzy Osbourne band. Rhoads’ tragic death in a 1982 plane crash stunned the rock world and didn’t make things easy … Continue reading Badlands’ Jake E. Lee says that hearing Eddie Van Halen got him back into playing hard rock again
Max von Sydow’s “odd upbringing” led to roles as Jesus and the devil
By Steve Newton Back in 1993 I covered the Vancouver-area filming of the Stephen King-based horror flick Needful Things for Fangoria. The movie ended up being crap, but I did get to interview everybody's favourite exorcist, Max von Sydow, so that was cool. Not many actors have the wide-ranging talent it takes to play both … Continue reading Max von Sydow’s “odd upbringing” led to roles as Jesus and the devil
Devin Townsend’s early days: Gray Skies, Steve Vai, Commodore highs
Vancouver's Devin Townsend is a master of extreme metal. I'm not saying that from personal experience, because I'm not into extreme metal. Old Iron Maiden's about as extreme as I get these days. But from what I've heard the fortyish singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist is quite the artistic genius when it comes to various … Continue reading Devin Townsend’s early days: Gray Skies, Steve Vai, Commodore highs
Discriminating horror fans and Stephen King freaks needn’t bother with Needful Things
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 27, 1993 By Steve Newton “Hollywood North” has been quite a hotbed for horror films in the past few years. But whether it’s a direct-to-video gorefest (The Resurrected), theatrically released slasher entry (Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan), or big-budget TV miniseries (Stephen King’s IT), there has been nothing … Continue reading Discriminating horror fans and Stephen King freaks needn’t bother with Needful Things
Horror review: Army of Darkness
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, FEB. 25, 1993 By Steve Newton Sam Raimi, the imaginative director who turned the horror world on its ear with 1983’s shocking cult hit Evil Dead—and then did it again by remaking that film on a bigger budget and calling it Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn—has achieved one … Continue reading Horror review: Army of Darkness
Children of the Corn II is so despicable it makes the lowly original look good
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 10, 1993 By Steve Newton The previous movie “based on a short story by Stephen King”, 1992’s The Lawnmower Man, bears so little resemblance to anything King wrote that the horror master belatedly sued to get his name separated from the film. The latest flick spawned by one of King’s short … Continue reading Children of the Corn II is so despicable it makes the lowly original look good
Blind Melon plays Vancouver, Shannon Hoon holds his piss
By Steve Newton On December 20, 1993, Blind Melon played Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom. It was a benefit for the Vancouver Food Bank as part of a plea deal stemming from charges against singer Shannon Hoon for an incident that occurred two months earlier when he'd gotten naked on stage and peed into the front row at … Continue reading Blind Melon plays Vancouver, Shannon Hoon holds his piss