ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 7, 1997 By Steve Newton Some guys have all the luck—and a fair whack of talent, too. Take Kenny Wayne Shepherd, for instance. He just turned 20, yet he’s one of the biggest names on the blues-rock scene, with a debut CD that has moved more than 750,000 … Continue reading 20-year-old Kenny Wayne Shepherd has the guitar world by the balls
Tag: Joe Satriani
Yngwie Malmsteen calls Ibanez guitars “a bad copy” of the Strat and says Les Pauls are “furniture”
By Steve Newton Back in 2014 I had a nice little chat with Swedish guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen, in advance of a Guitar Gods show in Vancouver. I mentioned that the last time I saw him live was on the G3 Tour at Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre in 2003 or something. We got to talking about his … Continue reading Yngwie Malmsteen calls Ibanez guitars “a bad copy” of the Strat and says Les Pauls are “furniture”
Guitar wizard Joe Satriani is totally cool being The Extremist
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 29, 1992 By Steve Newton Joe Satriani doesn’t do anything halfway. Whether writing, recording, or playing live, the New York-born, San Francisco-based guitar wizard always strives for musical perfection. If there were a rock ’n’ roll army, Satriani would surely be all that he could be. “One of my friends once … Continue reading Guitar wizard Joe Satriani is totally cool being The Extremist
Steve Vai talks Frank Zappa, dream states, blowjobs, and Passion & Warfare
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 7, 1990 By Steve Newton In rock guitar circles, Steve Vai is the type of personality that Entertainment Tonight might giddily term hot. Walk into any magazine shop, glance at the rock ’n’ roll section, and chances are you’ll see the handsome, raven-haired guitarist grinning wickedly from a cover or two, his … Continue reading Steve Vai talks Frank Zappa, dream states, blowjobs, and Passion & Warfare
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
Joe Satriani’s upcoming box set is one mighty batch o’ Satch
photo by the Newt By Steve Newton The Joe Satriani show at the Vogue last year was one of my fave gigs of 2013, no surprise since Satch has been consistently blowing me away ever since I first heard Surfing With the Alien back in the eighties. Similarly minded guitar freaks who don't already own all of Satriani's albums--or … Continue reading Joe Satriani’s upcoming box set is one mighty batch o’ Satch
Seger, Sabbath, Satch & the Mule: Vancouver’s top concerts of 2013
JOE SATRIANI PHOTO BY THE NEWT As far as huge events go, 2013 didn't boast the killer Roger Waters and Paul McCartney concerts that made 2012 such a memorable year for stadium shows in Vancouver. But in terms of club and theatre gigs there wasn't much to beef about during the last 12 months. Especially if you like the … Continue reading Seger, Sabbath, Satch & the Mule: Vancouver’s top concerts of 2013
The Newt’s top 10 albums of 2013
Gov't Mule Shout! Mule fans got a double dose of their favourite southern-flavoured blues/jam-rock outfit this time around, as all 11 tracks on Shout! were rerecorded on a second disc with a stellar cast of guest singers, including Ben Harper, Dr. John, Steve Winwood, Grace Potter, and West Van resident Elvis Costello. Black Sabbath 13 It was definitely a … Continue reading The Newt’s top 10 albums of 2013
Joe Satriani’s guitar heroics slay Vancouver, as do Mike Keneally’s
PHOTO BY THE NEWT ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 20, 2013 By Steve Newton Guitar freaks go to Joe Satriani concerts to hear the Bay Area musician speedily blast out approximately 1,365,398 notes in total, and make all of them sound perfect. But Satriani's ace in the hole—apart from a wicked rhythm-section composed of bassist … Continue reading Joe Satriani’s guitar heroics slay Vancouver, as do Mike Keneally’s
Corrosion of Conformity’s Pepper Keenan says that everybody’s a Motörhead fan
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 7, 2005 By Steve Newton One of the stock questions I like to toss out when interviewing rockers is, "So, what have you been listening to lately?" When I call up Corrosion of Conformity guitarist-vocalist Pepper Keenan in the midst of his band's North American tour with Motörhead, that query brings … Continue reading Corrosion of Conformity’s Pepper Keenan says that everybody’s a Motörhead fan
Vancouver guitar wizard Dave Martone loves having total freedom to create
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 26, 2005 By Steve Newton Local instrumental-rock freaks have enjoyed recent Commodore shows by two of the genre's best-known touring guitarists, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai; they should also know that a player of equal talent and similar style has been living (not so) quietly among them for more than a … Continue reading Vancouver guitar wizard Dave Martone loves having total freedom to create
Grace Potter says jamming with Gov’t Mule is one of her fave pastimes
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 30, 2008 By Steve Newton Partway through Gov't Mule’s astonishing three-hour set at the Commodore last November, a stunning lady joined them for a killer version of “Honky Tonk Woman”. The spotlight-stealer on that occasion was Grace Potter, frontwoman for the night’s opening act, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Turns out … Continue reading Grace Potter says jamming with Gov’t Mule is one of her fave pastimes
Chickenfoot helps Vancouver forget all about Van Halen
photo by rebecca blissett ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JUNE 6, 2012 By Steve Newton Chickenfoot vs. Van Halen: now there's a rivalry for ya. There's never been much love lost between those bands' respective singers, Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. Then there's the fact that Chickenfoot's bassist, Michael Anthony, lost his cherished spot in … Continue reading Chickenfoot helps Vancouver forget all about Van Halen