ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 23, 2002 By Steve Newton It doesn’t take long to figure out that Australian singer-songwriter and slide-guitar ace John Butler is an issue-oriented kinda guy. In the CD booklet that accompanies his trio’s latest disc, Three, one page is loaded with facts detailing the ongoing destruction of his homeland’s old-growth forests. … Continue reading The John Butler Trio just said no to American record labels
Tag: concert
Lemmy Kilmister thinks Motörhead should have its own category by now
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 9, 2002 By Steve Newton I’ve always respected Motörhead for what it’s done over the past quarter-century to further the cause of heavy metal, and for its ability to do so, like Rush, within the confines of the power-trio format. But as far as Motörhead albums go, it’s been a while … Continue reading Lemmy Kilmister thinks Motörhead should have its own category by now
Cracker’s David Lowery on The Big Lebowski, Camper Van Beethoven, and Forever
Forever is the album title because the word looked good strung across the bottom of a photo of four folks standing around a trailer park.
Weezer’s Brian Bell on geek-rock stigmas and Spike Jonze’s scary giraffe
“I always appreciate simple riffs," says guitarist Bell. "They’re definitely harder to make interesting than complicated ones.”
Paul Kelly wonders if “Every F***king City” will go over in Vancouver
There are a couple of things that come to mind when I recall my five-week visit to Australia in ’86, one being the “drive-in bottleshops”.
Charlie Musselwhite knew that playing the blues in Chicago was better than doing factory work
Charlie Musselwhite was just 13 when he started playing the instrument that he’d use so well while staking out his place in the blues world.
James Cotton on blowing harp for Muddy Waters at Newport Jazz Festival
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 7, 2002 By Steve Newton Throughout the classic 1960 blues album Muddy Waters at Newport—which fans of the late legend should note was recently released on CD in remastered form, with bonus studio tracks—a young James Cotton can be heard blowing some serious harp at the Newport Jazz Festival. At one … Continue reading James Cotton on blowing harp for Muddy Waters at Newport Jazz Festival
Lester Quitzau was a Zeppelin-loving wheelie king as a kid
On his latest CD, So Here We Are, Lester Quitzau makes a strong case for his being touted as among this country’s finest blues-roots pickers.
Kim Simmonds keeps the spirit of Savoy Brown alive for ’70s-rock holdouts
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 14, 2002 By Steve Newton It’s been 36 years since guitarist-vocalist Kim Simmonds founded British boogie-blues band Savoy Brown, and he’s kept the name alive through constant touring and steady CD releases. But the undying outfit might have been wiped out for good in a torrent of jet fuel and tumbling … Continue reading Kim Simmonds keeps the spirit of Savoy Brown alive for ’70s-rock holdouts
Even Ted Nugent wants to get backstage to meet Nickelback as Silver Side Up storms the charts
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
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
Fretmaster Don Ross exposes the Newt to the wonders of acoustic-guitar wizardry
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON 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 I’ve worshipped have … 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