ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 20, 1994 By Steve Newton Rock guitarists have a few things to worry about during a live performance—such as blowing an amp, breaking a string, or dropping a pick during a crucial guitar freak-out. Personal injury isn’t usually one of the main onstage concerns for today’s rock artists, but—as Pride & … Continue reading Pride & Glory’s Zakk Wylde says he’ll always be Ozzy’s guitar player
Tag: 1994
Bob Rock gets the Payola$ back together for a Mick Ronson-inspired raveup in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 20, 1994 By Steve Newton Ya gotta like that Bob Rock guy. When he gets tired of producing platinum-plus CDs for bands like Metallica and Mötley Crüe, he forms his own group, Rockhead, and gets back to his ’70s-rock roots with melodic, radio-friendly sing-along tunes such as “Bed of Roses” and … Continue reading Bob Rock gets the Payola$ back together for a Mick Ronson-inspired raveup in Vancouver
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
Tinsley Ellis’s new disc features Chuck Leavell and 14-year-old Derek Trucks
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 29, 1994 By Steve Newton Tinsley Ellis really gets around. According to the Atlanta bluesman’s Alligator Records bio, he plays upward of 250 nights a year—and that ain’t no house gig, either. When I reached the seasoned road warrior by phone last week, he was at a place … Continue reading Tinsley Ellis’s new disc features Chuck Leavell and 14-year-old Derek Trucks
The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets keep the spirit of Lovecraft alive
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 28, 1994 By Steve Newton Whatever you do, don’t say “Iä! Iä! Cthulhu Fhtang” three times. Careless use of that sacred chant—made famous by legendary horror author H.P. Lovecraft in his stories of the Cthulhu mythos—just might incite the evil wrath of the Elder Gods, the unspeakably horrifying … Continue reading The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets keep the spirit of Lovecraft alive
Taj Mahal and Robert Cray deliver soulfully smokin’ blues to a sold-out Commodore crowd
If there’s one thing that’s a sure cure for the sad-eyed, rain-soaked January blahs, it’s a blues show at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom.
Slash says that the original Guns N’ Roses lineup “just stopped rocking”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEBRUARY 11, 1994 By Steve Newton Guns N’ Roses may well be the most popular hard-rock band in the world. It’s certainly one of the most controversial, having made headlines recently with the much-publicized inclusion of an uncredited Charles Manson song on its latest recording, "The Spaghetti Incident?" There’s also singer Axl … Continue reading Slash says that the original Guns N’ Roses lineup “just stopped rocking”
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is too derivative, short on laughs, and not scary enough
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 20, 1994 By Steve Newton In the last scene of the ninth Friday the 13th instalment, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, the famed goalie mask of recently destroyed Jason Vorhees is pictured resting serenely on a leaf-strewn forest floor. Just before the scene fades to black, the unmistakable blade-fingered … Continue reading Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is too derivative, short on laughs, and not scary enough
My first and last interview with guitar hero Ronnie Montrose
It may seem crazy to stay up all night transcribing a phone interview I did with Montrose 14 years ago, but his death hit me pretty hard.