By Steve Newton Way the hell back in 1989 I did an interview with Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach. That was less than a month after the release of the band's self-titled debut album, which would go on to sell five-million copies and spawn the hits "Youth Gone Wild", "18 and Life", and "I Remember You". … Continue reading That time 20-year-old Sebastian Bach sang me a line from his Schooner beer commercial
Tag: Bon Jovi
Album review: Aerosmith, Permanent Vacation (1987)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 18, 1987 By Steve Newton "If you grew up in the '70s you liked Aerosmith." That's what Peter Buck of R.E.M. wrote in the liner notes to his band's version of Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic," and Buck knows of which he speaks. With albums like Get Your … Continue reading Album review: Aerosmith, Permanent Vacation (1987)
Album review: Bon Jovi, New Jersey (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 21, 1988 By Steve Newton There are hundreds of hard rock bands out there that are just as good as Bon Jovi. Unfortunately for them, they don't have Bon Jovi's talent for coming up with tunes that are both radio-friendly and capable of hooking into the mass consciousness … Continue reading Album review: Bon Jovi, New Jersey (1988)
Album review: Kingdom Come, Kingdom Come (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 22, 1988 By Steve Newton I don't know about these guys. Displaying your respect for a classic rock band by showing its influence is one thing, but to make a deliberate attempt at being a clone is another. Not to worry, though, because Kingdom Come isn't capable of capturing the essence … Continue reading Album review: Kingdom Come, Kingdom Come (1988)
Album review: White Lion, Pride (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 4, 1988 By Steve Newton Good news for Bon Jovi fans! You don't have to wait for Jon and the boys to put out that follow-up to Slippery When Wet--a band called White Lion has already done it. Pride sports the same kind of cleanly played and immaculately produced … Continue reading Album review: White Lion, Pride (1988)
Link Wray loses to Bon Jovi as the Rock Hall’s uncanny ineptness soars
By Steve Newton If you're a fan of real rock 'n' roll you've probably already heard the bad news: Link Wray has been snubbed yet again by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And to put the poo-flavoured icing on the cake, Bon Jovi got in instead. Yeah, that's right. The eighties hair-metal band was … Continue reading Link Wray loses to Bon Jovi as the Rock Hall’s uncanny ineptness soars
Album review: Richie Sambora, Stranger in This Town (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 17, 1991 By Steve Newton Who would have thought that Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora—the only member of that band cuter than BJ himself—would have what it takes to deliver an album as mature and diverse as Stranger in This Town? Aided by primo bassist/Stick-man Tony Levin and … Continue reading Album review: Richie Sambora, Stranger in This Town (1991)
John Cougar Mellencamp may be little but he’s no bastard on the Scarecrow Tour in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 25, 1986 By Steve Newton He calls himself Little Bastard on his album productions credits, and after meeting John Cougar Mellencamp backstage before last week's (April 16) Coliseum show, I half-understood why. He's not a bastard. On the contrary he seemed like a very nice fellow, all smiles … Continue reading John Cougar Mellencamp may be little but he’s no bastard on the Scarecrow Tour in Vancouver
Ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes on Blue Murder, Bob Rock, and the Little Mountain sound
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 16, 1989 By Steve Newton By now, most every rock fan in Vancouver must be aware that many of North America's best-selling bands--Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and the Cult to name a few--have been making their latest chart-topping records right here in town. Little Mountain Sound on West 7th has been the … Continue reading Ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes on Blue Murder, Bob Rock, and the Little Mountain sound
Bon Jovi brings New Jersey to Vancouver, Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe crash the party
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 19, 1989 By Steve Newton The first time Bon Jovi played B.C. Place, in the summer of '87, the band drew 22,000 fans. Last Thursday (May 11) the New Jersey rockers could only pull in 18,000. Does that mean the masters of mainstream metal are on the way … Continue reading Bon Jovi brings New Jersey to Vancouver, Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe crash the party
Bon Jovi drops Fairbairn, goes with Rock for Keep the Faith
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 18, 1993 BY STEVE NEWTON Most often when the member of a touring rock band calls the Georgia Straight for an interview in November, it’s from some cold, rain-soaked, godforsaken town in the States. That ain’t the case, however, when Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora reports in from … Continue reading Bon Jovi drops Fairbairn, goes with Rock for Keep the Faith
100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong….or can they?
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 9, 2004 By Steve Newton I remember once seeing a poster that was just a picture of a turd and a sentence that read something like Eat Shit: 100,000,000 Flies Can't Be Wrong. That's what came to mind when I first laid eyes on the new, five-disc Bon Jovi boxed … Continue reading 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong….or can they?
Bruce Fairbairn: legendary Vancouver rock producer tells all in 1998
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 12, 1998 By Steve Newton It’s been a very long time since Kiss performed at a nightclub in Vancouver. Twenty-four years, actually, since Gene Simmons nearly set the Commodore Ballroom’s red velvet curtains ablaze with his fire-breathing antics. But there they were again two months back, the four original members, gyrating … Continue reading Bruce Fairbairn: legendary Vancouver rock producer tells all in 1998