ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 30, 1997 By Steve Newton At the climax of Aerosmith’s two-hour-plus concert at the Coliseum last Saturday (October 25), muscular skin-basher Joey Kramer emerged from behind his rotating drum kit, trotted to the front of the stage, and jubilantly hurled one of his drumsticks into the roaring, near-capacity crowd. Seeing as … Continue reading That time at Aerosmith in Vancouver when Joey Kramer’s hallowed drumstick got snatched away
Tag: Bruce Fairbairn
Steven Tyler speaks out on loving the stage, hating Spinal Tap, and Aerosmith without Bruce Fairbairn
Whether due to Fairbairn’s absence or not, the once-mighty Aerosmith delivered its weakest album ever in Nine Lives.
When Aerosmith sold its soul to Sony and flew me to Toronto to watch
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 13, 1997 By Steve Newton TORONTO—For the past quarter-century or so, Aerosmith has been doing things in a big way, as befits a band with combined worldwide sales of more than 70 million LPs, tapes, and CDs. When the time came to promote its 12th studio release, Nine … Continue reading When Aerosmith sold its soul to Sony and flew me to Toronto to watch
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
Alex Van Halen on Hagar and Roth, the magic of Eddie, and finding Balance with Bruce Fairbairn
Sometimes it seems as if there are two kinds of people in the world: David Lee Roth folks and Sammy Hagar folks.
Steve Dawson and Jesse Zubot put the soul in the Spirit Merchants
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 15, 1994 By Steve Newton Seems like every year of late I’ve come across one particular release from a local band that’s been head-and-shoulders above the other Vancouver discs sent my way. Last year, it was Two Trains’ Too Many Faces; the year before that, She Stole My Beer’s Sparks Against … Continue reading Steve Dawson and Jesse Zubot put the soul in the Spirit Merchants
Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton says some drugs “just go damn well with music”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 20, 1994 By Steve Newton When Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton calls from Newport Beach during an afternoon stop on the band’s whirlwind Get a Grip tour, I presume he’ll be playing somewhere in California that night. Wrong-o, Steve-o. He’s doing a gig in Vegas instead. You can do that when you’ve … Continue reading Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton says some drugs “just go damn well with music”
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 ON NOV. 18, 1993 By Steve Newton Most often when the member of a touring rock band calls me 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 his particular location on the … Continue reading Bon Jovi drops Fairbairn, goes with Rock for Keep the Faith
Scorpions pull Vancouver hitmaker Jim Vallance into their Crazy World
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 28, 1991 By Steve Newton It’s been a long seven-year wait for Vancouver Scorpions fans, but the dry spell is nearly over. Germany’s veteran hard-rockers—who haven’t performed here since the Love at First Sting tour of 1984—will be in town for a Saturday (March 2) gig at the Pacific Coliseum. And … Continue reading Scorpions pull Vancouver hitmaker Jim Vallance into their Crazy World
Poison’s vacuous array of tunes would be outrocked by Loggins & Messina
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 24, 1991 By Steve Newton There was good news and bad news going into last Saturday’s (January 19) Poison gig at the Coliseum. The good news was that the originally scheduled opening act—the cheesy and childish Warrant—was being replaced by the slightly more impressive Don Dokken Band. The bad news was … Continue reading Poison’s vacuous array of tunes would be outrocked by Loggins & Messina
The Black Crowes are from Atlanta, but 23-year-old frontman Chris Robinson says that he never cared for southern rock
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 9, 1990 By Steve Newton Chris Robinson, of Atlanta, Georgia, was nine years old when southern-rock heroes Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded the historic live album One More from the Road at that city's Fox Theatre. Robinson was a little young for concerts at the time, but even if he'd been of age, … Continue reading The Black Crowes are from Atlanta, but 23-year-old frontman Chris Robinson says that he never cared for southern rock
Studio star Mike Fraser helps Bruce Fairbairn and Bob Rock put Vancouver on the musical map
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 28, 1998 By Steve Newton If you’ve listened to rock radio at all in the past decade, you’ve heard Mike Fraser’s work. His mixing and engineering talents have graced such hugely popular recordings as Aerosmith’s Pump, Metallica’s Load, and Van Halen’s Balance. In the past few years, he’s branched out into … Continue reading Studio star Mike Fraser helps Bruce Fairbairn and Bob Rock put Vancouver on the musical map