ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE CALGARY STRAIGHT, DEC. 6, 2001 By Steve Newton If you want to know how well Nickelback lead vocalist, guitarist, and lyricist Chad Kroeger’s musical career is going, you only need look as far as the 27-year-old rocker’s Langley home. He just put in a hot tub. And had the pool enlarged. … Continue reading Even Ted Nugent wants to get backstage to meet Nickelback as Silver Side Up storms the charts
Tag: 2001
My interview with 18-year-old Jordan Cook, long before he ruled as Reignwolf
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 6, 2001 By Steve Newton A lot of musicians catch the music bug early on in life, though usually not as early as 18-year-old blues guitarist Jordan Cook. After he was born, the first thing Cook heard on a regular basis was the sound of his dad taking blues-guitar lessons. “It … Continue reading My interview with 18-year-old Jordan Cook, long before he ruled as Reignwolf
Man or Astro-Man? goes far beyond instro-rock on A Spectrum of Infinite Scale
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 13, 2001 You don’t really picture Atlanta, Georgia, as a hotbed for instro-rock. I mean, that’s where the Black Crowes are from, and where the mighty Skynyrd ruled in the ’70s. But according to Birdstuff, the drummer and official spokesperson for Man or Astro-Man?, it’s as good a … Continue reading Man or Astro-Man? goes far beyond instro-rock on A Spectrum of Infinite Scale
Fretmaster Don Ross exposes the Newt to the wonders of acoustic-guitar wizardry
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 29, 2001 By Steve Newton Guitar gods—I can’t get enough of ’em. There’ve always been lots of slots in my CD stacks reserved for fret masters who balance boggling technique with high degrees of feel. Because I’m mostly a rock and blues fan, the vast majority of guitarists … Continue reading Fretmaster Don Ross exposes the Newt to the wonders of acoustic-guitar wizardry
Blues great Taj Mahal is quick to name names
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 15, 2001 By Steve Newton When I ask famous musicians who they’ve been listening to, half the time they brush the question off, claiming that they’ve just been focusing on their own material. Other times you get people—like Taj Mahal—who like to name names. When I track the blues legend down … Continue reading Blues great Taj Mahal is quick to name names
Midnight Oil won’t forgo antinationalist songs in wake of 9/11
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 15, 2001 By Steve Newton Midnight Oil is one of the most politically motivated and socially conscious guitar-rock bands in the world. Although best known for embracing Aboriginal land-rights issues in its native Australia via the 1988 hit “Beds Are Burning”, the quintet has always kept an eye … Continue reading Midnight Oil won’t forgo antinationalist songs in wake of 9/11
From Black Oak to Thin Lizzy, Tommy Aldridge has been a monster on the kit
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 25, 2001 By Steve Newton Tommy Aldridge is one of the most recognizable hard-rock drummers in the world. His name may not be a household word along the lines of Moon or Bonham, but anyone who’s followed the careers of Pat Travers, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, and latter-day Thin Lizzy … Continue reading From Black Oak to Thin Lizzy, Tommy Aldridge has been a monster on the kit
North Mississippi Allstars ramp up the rock on 51 Phantom
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 18, 2001 By Steve Newton For last year’s debut CD, Shake Hands With Shorty, the North Mississippi Allstars thoroughly plumbed the catalogues of Mississippi hill-country blues icons Fred McDowell, R.L. Burnside, and Jr. Kimbrough. On their new disc, 51 Phantom, the band took a different tack, including only … Continue reading North Mississippi Allstars ramp up the rock on 51 Phantom
The Georgia Satellites’ Rick Richards prefers three chords and a clouda dust
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 20, 2001 By Steve Newton Sometimes I feel like I’m the only guy around who still goes nuts for southern-fried guitar boogie, the kind the Georgia Satellites churned out so mightily in the late ’80s. But after talking to GS guitarist-vocalist Rick Richards from his home in the … Continue reading The Georgia Satellites’ Rick Richards prefers three chords and a clouda dust
Sonny Rhodes went hell-bent for leather on the lap-steel guitar
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 20, 2001 The first musician I interviewed after terrorists committed those atrocious acts in the U.S. last week was American blues veteran Sonny Rhodes. And the impression I got—after passing on my condolences regarding his country’s anguish—was that the 60-year-old Florida resident is a straight-up kinda guy. “I … Continue reading Sonny Rhodes went hell-bent for leather on the lap-steel guitar
Robert Cray isn’t gonna hold his breath until the blues gets back in vogue
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 13, 2001 By Steve Newton We’ve all heard contemporary blues-rock artists covering the works of Elmore James, whether it’s ZZ Top getting lowdown on “Dust My Broom”, or Stevie Ray Vaughan tearing it up on “The Sky is Crying”. Heck, the Black Crowes even named their first album … Continue reading Robert Cray isn’t gonna hold his breath until the blues gets back in vogue
Johnny Winter showed blues traveler Ellen McIlwaine how to go in her own direction
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 13, 2001 By Steve Newton Singer-songwriter and slide-guitar specialist Ellen McIlwaine is best known as a blues artist, but she’s always been willing to let her muse drift away from the Mississippi Delta or the south side of Chicago. For her latest CD, Spontaneous Combustion, McIlwaine wrote a … Continue reading Johnny Winter showed blues traveler Ellen McIlwaine how to go in her own direction
Dickey Betts says “a dirty little business deal” got him kicked out of the Allmans
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 30, 2001 By Steve Newton On the cover of his latest CD, former Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts is pictured standing in the entranceway of his Florida home, surrounded by his six bandmates, a small dog leaning against his denim-clad leg. The 57-year-old southern-rock hero looks contented in his snakeskin boots … Continue reading Dickey Betts says “a dirty little business deal” got him kicked out of the Allmans