If there were a Webster’s Dictionary of Pop Music you could probably look up the word "bittersweet" and find a photo of Gin Blossoms nearby.
Tag: Commodore
Skydiggers look forward to getting into a groove with Warner Music Canada and Road Radio
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 9, 1995 By Steve Newton When a couple of Skydiggers show up at the office to chat about their latest CD, I’m expecting to see at least one goatee, but instead I get sideburns (courtesy bassist Ronnie Von Johnnie) and long, straggly hair (courtesy singer-guitarist Peter Cash). The guy who’s front … Continue reading Skydiggers look forward to getting into a groove with Warner Music Canada and Road Radio
UFO sightings and mining disasters fuel Weeping Tile’s Cold Snap
Only six years ago, Kingston, Ontario, was a place best-known for its contrasting institutions of promise and penance.
Face to Face chose the Offspring’s producer for its Big Choice
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 21, 1995 By Steve Newton You can’t believe everything you read in those record-company bios, and sometimes you can’t believe any of it, but now and again it’s fun to pick out intriguing tidbits and find out whether they’re true or not. Like the line in Face to Face’s Victory Records … Continue reading Face to Face chose the Offspring’s producer for its Big Choice
Huevos Rancheros aren’t concerned about being the next Sloan
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 24, 1995 By Steve Newton Sometimes I wish I’d been more than a toddler in 1960 so I could have appreciated tunes such as the Ventures’ “Walk Don’t Run”, the Shadows’ “Man of Mystery”, and Duane Eddy’s “Shazam!” as soon as they were released. Nowadays I love nothing more than surrendering … Continue reading Huevos Rancheros aren’t concerned about being the next Sloan
Pete Yorn pushes 40 with an old Gibson and a “hard reset”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 21, 2014 By Steve Newton The last time Pete Yorn came through town—for a show at the Commodore in 2011—he was accompanied by a full band, but this time around things are different. When he plays the recently refurbished Imperial at Main and Cordova on Thursday (May 29) it will be … Continue reading Pete Yorn pushes 40 with an old Gibson and a “hard reset”
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
Issues with Bob Rock and Sharon Osbourne leave the Quireboys Bitter Sweet & Twisted
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 27, 1993 By Steve Newton After Bob Rock hit the big time by producing Motley Crue’s No. 1 album, Dr. Feelgood—and then accomplished the incredible feat of making former thrash-masters Metallica a mainstream rock-radio fave—it seemed the Vancouver producer could do no wrong. And although Rock’s reputation as a producer with … Continue reading Issues with Bob Rock and Sharon Osbourne leave the Quireboys Bitter Sweet & Twisted
Jeff Healey gets a bit defensive when the bluesiness of new Feel This album is questioned
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 13, 1993 By Steve Newton Usually when I picture the Jeff Healey Band in concert, I visualize Healey seated at centre stage, his guitar on his lap, surrounded only by a couple of guys with curly black hair (drummer Tom Stephen and bassist Joe Rockman). But when the Toronto blues-rocker plays … Continue reading Jeff Healey gets a bit defensive when the bluesiness of new Feel This album is questioned
Blues survivor Buddy Guy tries slipping in the back door with Feels Like Rain
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 8, 1993 By Steve Newton Back in the ’60s, it is said, Jimi Hendrix was so inspired by Buddy Guy’s guitar playing that he would go to blues clubs and lay a tape recorder at Guy’s feet to capture his performances. Not only Hendrix, but rock greats such as Eric Clapton, … Continue reading Blues survivor Buddy Guy tries slipping in the back door with Feels Like Rain
The Pursuit of Happiness leaves Todd Rundgren for The Downward Road
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 1, 1993 By Steve Newton Recalling the televised carnage of last year’s L.A. riots, it’s hard to believe that a happy-go-lucky Canadian band was simultaneously recording its breezy, good-time pop music within shooting distance of the scary stuff. A grungy thrash or hardcore rap band laying down a soundtrack for anarchy, … Continue reading The Pursuit of Happiness leaves Todd Rundgren for The Downward Road
Dash Rip Rock has gotten into a few scrapes playing “Stairway to Freebird”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 12, 1992 By Steve Newton It’s strange how rumours get started, sometimes. Like the one that keeps cropping up in Dash Rip Rock’s press kit, about R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills being a mortal enemy of the Louisiana-based roots-rock band. Supposedly, Mills was spotted at a particularly crazed DRR concert, giving the … Continue reading Dash Rip Rock has gotten into a few scrapes playing “Stairway to Freebird”
Flies on Fire fell in love with Canada and the Tragically Hip
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 16, 1992 By Steve Newton Although Flies on Fire have already released two albums full of honest, no-frills guitar rock with major-label distribution on Atco Records, they haven’t yet made much of a name for themselves. But they’re probably better known to Vancouver rock fans than to the … Continue reading Flies on Fire fell in love with Canada and the Tragically Hip