ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 15, 2005 By Steve Newton Both young upstarts and grizzled old-timers made my Top 10 this year, proving yet again that good rock 'n' roll transcends generational boundaries. And needs lots of guitars. Audioslave Out of Exile With the help of producer Rick Rubin and mixer Brendan O'Brien, former … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2005
Tag: John Hiatt
Album review: The Jeff Healey Band, See the Light (1988)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 21, 1988 By Steve Newton Local blues-rock fans who've been thrilled by the wild guitar histrionics of Jeff Healey during his many Vancouver club dates are gonna love this album. It's chock full of the scorching, red-hot licks that the 22-year-old Torontonian is famous for, and his inspired … Continue reading Album review: The Jeff Healey Band, See the Light (1988)
Album review: John Hiatt, Perfectly Good Guitar (1993)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 14, 1993 By Steve Newton When I first heard the title of John Hiatt’s new album, Perfectly Good Guitar, I thought for a second that maybe it was an immodest reference to the guitar-playing skills of Hiatt himself. I should have known better, of course, since Hiatt … Continue reading Album review: John Hiatt, Perfectly Good Guitar (1993)
Album review: Sonny Landreth, Outward Bound (1992)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 10, 1992 By Steve Newton Sometimes when I hear a particularly snazzy slide guitar lick, I get a shiver up my spine, as if that cold piece of glass or metal stroking the strings were making a move up and down my own backbone. It doesn’t happen too … Continue reading Album review: Sonny Landreth, Outward Bound (1992)
Album review: James Reyne, Any Day Above Ground (1991)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JAN. 9, 1992 By Steve Newton James Reyne’s previous solo album, 1988’s self-titled effort, was one of the strongest mainstream rock albums of that year, and the former leader of the Australian Crawl has followed up with another catchy batch of tunes that showcase his smart songwriting and … Continue reading Album review: James Reyne, Any Day Above Ground (1991)
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2001
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 13, 2001 By Steve Newton Cranky bugger that I am, I often use my allotted space to vent my displeasure with the popular, live music–killin’ DJ scene, but this year I don’t feel like it. Oops, what’s that down there in my Strokes entry? John Hammond Wicked Grin … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2001
Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2000
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 14, 2000 By Steve Newton Sometimes I feel like I don’t know anything at all about popular music. Maybe you feel that way too—like I don’t know anything at all about popular music. I just don’t understand how a hate-filled sicko like Eminem can be revered by millions. … Continue reading Newt’s Top 10 albums of 2000
Wallflowers guitarist more influenced by Ace Frehley than Jakob Dylan’s dad
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 20, 1997 By Steve Newton Most guitarists for hire would jump at the opportunity to join a band featuring Bob Dylan’s son as singer-songwriter; name recognition alone would give that group an instant edge in the competitive rock ’n’ roll game. When Jakob Dylan was on the lookout for a new … Continue reading Wallflowers guitarist more influenced by Ace Frehley than Jakob Dylan’s dad
Rivers run deep on slide wizard Sonny Landreth’s South of I-10
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 13, 1995 By Steve Newton Unless you’re a devoted follower of critically acclaimed slide guitarists—or the type of music fan that analyzes the musician credits on CD liner notes—you might not have heard of Louisiana singer-songwriter-guitarist Sonny Landreth. He’s been around for a long time, though, and he’s even been up … Continue reading Rivers run deep on slide wizard Sonny Landreth’s South of I-10
John Hiatt lights up the Commodore
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 19, 2008 During his show at the Commodore last night (November 18), legendary American singer-songwriter John Hiatt's wry sense of humour kicked in on "Old Days", a track off his latest CD, Same Old Man. That mid-tempo rocker invokes comical memories of him touring with the likes of bluesmen Sonny Terry … Continue reading John Hiatt lights up the Commodore
John Hiatt recalls the “Old Days” at the Commodore when the weed smelled like cat pee
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 25, 2010 By Steve Newton John Hiatt is a songwriter's songwriter, which is why such esteemed artists as Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, and Bonnie Raitt have recorded his tunes. When Canuck blues-rocker Jeff Healey blasted onto the scene in 1988 he doubled up on the Hiatt material, using both “Confidence Man” … Continue reading John Hiatt recalls the “Old Days” at the Commodore when the weed smelled like cat pee
Bob Seger has all the Night Moves in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 28, 2013 By Steve Newton At the aftershow party following Bob Seger's near sell-out gig at Rogers Arena last night (March 27), his longtime saxophonist Alto Reed--best known for the stirring intro to "Turn the Page" and the party-hearty solo on "Old Time Rock and Roll"--was asked about Seger's recent … Continue reading Bob Seger has all the Night Moves in Vancouver