Tag: 2013

Metallica: Through the Never shows the Bay Area earbusters still fucking rule

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 25, 2013 Last year, American metal legends Metallica played three shows in Vancouver, during which director Nimród Antal (Vacancy, Predators) shot the brunt of this 3-D IMAX film. Earplugs are optional. The movie opens with stunning nighttime aerial footage that takes viewers soaring over beautiful downtown Van toward the glowing … Continue reading Metallica: Through the Never shows the Bay Area earbusters still fucking rule

Bottle Rockets reissue displays Brian Henneman’s observational eye

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 19, 2013 By Steve Newton Nineteen-ninety-four might not have been the greatest year for fans of rootsy, meat 'n' potatoes guitar-rock. Hootie and the Blowfish released their diamond-selling (10-million copies plus) Cracked Rear View album. The Barenaked Ladies were going platinum. And Yanni unleashed Live at the Acropolis. But if you were lucky enough … Continue reading Bottle Rockets reissue displays Brian Henneman’s observational eye

Rory Gallagher crime-noir interests spawn Kickback City

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 17, 2013 By Steve Newton Guess I shoulda known, from song titles like "Kickback City" and "Loanshark Blues"—not to mention "Continental Op"—that Irish guitar legend Rory Gallagher had a passion for the crime-noir genre. For anyone else who might have missed out on that angle, Eagle Rock Entertainment is going to set … Continue reading Rory Gallagher crime-noir interests spawn Kickback City

Stevie Ray Vaughan’s soul shines on Texas Flood Legacy Edition

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JAN. 28, 2013 By Steve Newton I consider myself extremely lucky when it comes to Stevie Ray Vaughan. He's one of my all-time fave guitarists--right up there with Rory Gallagher and Jeff Beck--and I was fortunate enough to see him play live several times before his tragic death on August 27, 1990, at the age … Continue reading Stevie Ray Vaughan’s soul shines on Texas Flood Legacy Edition

Richard Pryor box set celebrates the world’s most hilarious human

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JUNE 6, 2013 By Steve Newton Nowadays it seems like I get the majority of my humour from animation and cartoons—or animated cartoons, if you will. Archer, Family Guy, Robot Chicken, that trustry standby The Simpsons—there's no shortage of chortle-inducing material out there if you're wealthy enough to afford cable. But back in the day I … Continue reading Richard Pryor box set celebrates the world’s most hilarious human

ZZ Top box set will include original mixes of three early albums

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MAY 1, 2013 By Steve Newton Remember how ZZ Top's Tejas album sounded back in '76 when you tossed it on your Yamaha turntable, cranked up the Kenwood amp, and blasted it through those Pioneer speakers? Well, I sure do. It sounded wicked! Especially when it got to "Pam Am Highway Blues". Fellow … Continue reading ZZ Top box set will include original mixes of three early albums

Ramones box set boasts over 75 tunes on six discs

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 13, 2013 By Steve Newton Like the band itself, there's nothing fancy about the new Ramones boxed set, The Sire Years: 1976-1981. The seminal NYC punks just collected their first six albums—Ramones ('76), Leave Home and Rocket to Russia ('77), Road to Ruin ('78), the Phil Spector-produced End of the Century ('80), and Pleasant Dreams ('81)—and stuck 'em in a little box. … Continue reading Ramones box set boasts over 75 tunes on six discs

Rockers say the darndest things: top quotes of 2013

Dave Wyndorf (above) "probably would have made more money." I interviewed quite a few rockers last year. Here's some of the things they said. "To me stoner rock is just non-commercial rock that pulls from every great era... And as far as the stoner element, I mean, yeah, it’s always cool to smoke pot.” --Brant Bjork … Continue reading Rockers say the darndest things: top quotes of 2013

Horror review: Bad Milo!

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 4, 2013 If you’re the type of bad-movie fan who got all psyched at Blockbuster back in ’85 when you spotted the video box for Ghoulies with that grinning, sharp-toothed, cheapjack monster coming out of a toilet, have I got a film for you. But it’s really gonna help if Jeff Daniels’s … Continue reading Horror review: Bad Milo!

Horror review: Oldboy

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 27, 2013 Hard-core fans of the original Oldboy likely had two main concerns about the 2003 South Korean shocker’s Hollywood remaking. They probably wondered why anyone would screw with the ultraviolent masterpiece in the first place. And also why—when the flick had Tarantino written all over it—Spike Lee was doing the screwing. … Continue reading Horror review: Oldboy

Horror review: Carrie

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 18, 2013 Carrie was one of the most impressive film adaptations of a Stephen King horror novel ever, right up there with The Shining, The Dead Zone, and Misery. In director Brian De Palma's capable hands, King's tale of a timid teenaged outsider with telekinetic powers who uses them to strike back against the … Continue reading Horror review: Carrie

Horror review: Insidious–Chapter 2

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, SEPT. 12, 2013 I thought 2011’s Insidious was actually pretty decent—the first hour, anyway. It did a commendable job of building suspense in its tale about married couple Renai and Josh Lambert (Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson) trying to rescue their comatose son from supernatural forces. It didn’t start to falter until the … Continue reading Horror review: Insidious–Chapter 2