The Reverend Horton Heat confesses that he used to drink a lot of Jack Daniel’s

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 6, 2000 By Steve Newton Jim Heath, aka the Reverend Horton Heat, has had some pretty impressive folks produce his records over the years. Back in ’93, Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers put his stamp on The Full Custom Gospel of the Reverend Horton Heat, then a … Continue reading The Reverend Horton Heat confesses that he used to drink a lot of Jack Daniel’s

Georgia Satellites’ Rick Richards on covering the Beatles, meeting the Faces, and thanking Jack Daniels

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 29, 1988 By Steve Newton If you were in a rockin', blues-based guitar band and wanted to cover a song from the Beatles' White Album, you'd probably pick one of the heavier Lennon/McCartney tunes like "Yer Blues" or "Savoy Truffle" or "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me … Continue reading Georgia Satellites’ Rick Richards on covering the Beatles, meeting the Faces, and thanking Jack Daniels

Backstage with Slash and Bruce Dickinson as Guns N’ Roses open for Iron Maiden in Vancouver

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 3, 1988 By Steve Newton The politics of rockin' can be tough on new bands just getting used to the tour circuit. Take for example Guns N' Roses, who are on the road in support of their first album, and opening for Iron Maiden, who've toured the world for 10 years … Continue reading Backstage with Slash and Bruce Dickinson as Guns N’ Roses open for Iron Maiden in Vancouver

Album review: ZZ Top, Afterburner (1985)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 8, 1985 By Steve Newton The "l'il ole band from Texas" have done it again. They've come up with another album's worth of unstoppable boogie -blues, and you can bet the coin they'll make off this one will keep them in Jack Daniels and real estate for many years … Continue reading Album review: ZZ Top, Afterburner (1985)

The immortal words of Country Dick Montana ring true at Steve Earle’s Vancouver show

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 17, 2000 By Steve Newton Some types of music are just made for drinkin’ to, and Steve Earle’s brand of down-home roots rock is one of them. And we’re not talking plain old boring beer, either. When it comes to liquid accompaniment for a Steve … Continue reading The immortal words of Country Dick Montana ring true at Steve Earle’s Vancouver show

Robert Plant gets the Led out and holds his own with the Black Crowes in Vancouver

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 27, 1990 By Steve Newton Robert Plant threw me for a loop at the Coliseum last Friday (September 21). From the lacklustre sound of his latest album, Manic Nirvana, I had the impression that the 42-year-old rock legend had drifted off into boring-old-fartsville, never to return again. I … Continue reading Robert Plant gets the Led out and holds his own with the Black Crowes in Vancouver

Slash says that the original Guns N’ Roses lineup “just stopped rocking”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEBRUARY 11, 1994 By Steve Newton Guns N’ Roses may well be the most popular hard-rock band in the world. It’s certainly one of the most controversial, having made headlines recently with the much-publicized inclusion of an uncredited Charles Manson song on its latest recording, The Spaghetti Incident? There’s also singer Axl … Continue reading Slash says that the original Guns N’ Roses lineup “just stopped rocking”

That time I turned down a swig of Slash’s JD at a Guns N’ Roses gig

By Steve Newton Guns N' Roses were probably the biggest rock band in the world--or was fighting it out with U2 for that title--when this telling photo was snapped backstage in the early '90s sometime. The thing I remember most about meeting Slash was when he offered me a guzzle from the bottle of Jack … Continue reading That time I turned down a swig of Slash’s JD at a Guns N’ Roses gig