ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 1, 2007 By Steve Newton There's nothing sweeter in the world of rock 'n' roll than the sound of John Fogerty railing against warmongers, as he's been doing so successfully ever since Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" blasted onto the radio back in '69. On Revival, his best … Continue reading Album review: John Fogerty, Revival (2007)
Tag: Kenny Aronoff
John Cougar Mellencamp sells seats, not principles, in Vancouver
chris cameron photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 25, 1988 By Steve Newton Some guys have it and some guys don't. A great band, that is. Springsteen had one when he played here in 1984. And the latest hero of the American heartland, John Cougar Mellencamp, had one at the sold-out Coliseum last Saturday (March 19). … Continue reading John Cougar Mellencamp sells seats, not principles, in Vancouver
Album review: Brian Setzer, The Knife Feels Like Justice (1986)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 23, 1986 By Steve Newton For his first solo album, former Stray Cats guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer has surrounded himself with a crack band that includes former Derringer bassist Kenny Aaronson, Allman Brothers keyboardist Chuck Leavell, John Cougar Mellencamp's drummer Kenny Aronoff, and a fiery guitarist by the name of … Continue reading Album review: Brian Setzer, The Knife Feels Like Justice (1986)
Album review: John Cougar Mellencamp, Scarecrow (1985)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 8, 1985 By Steve Newton "The Authority Song" from last year's Uh-Huh album was one of my fave rock tunes of 1984, right up there with Van Halen's "Panama" and the Pretenders' "Back On the Chain Gang". But I wasn't too crazy about the album on a whole. … Continue reading Album review: John Cougar Mellencamp, Scarecrow (1985)
Album review: John Fogerty, Premonition (1998)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 11, 1998 By Steve Newton The one concert that got me foaming at the mouth last year was John Fogerty’s Orpheum gig, and I did everything within my power as a Media Slut From Hell to make the most of it. I wangled front-row-centre seats to get … Continue reading Album review: John Fogerty, Premonition (1998)
Album review: John Fogerty, Blue Moon Swamp (1997)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 17, 1997 By Steve Newton To me, John Fogerty is the ultimate rock ’n’ roller. His songwriting—as evidenced by a myriad of deathless Creedence Clearwater Revival hits and some stunning solo tunes—is untouchable. He’s one hell of a swamp-rock lead guitarist. And when it comes to singing, man—what … Continue reading Album review: John Fogerty, Blue Moon Swamp (1997)
Album review: John Mellencamp, Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 12, 1996 By Steve Newton In 1994, John Mellencamp was scheduled to perform here in support of his Dance Naked release, but the show was cancelled when the then–four-pack-a-day smoker suffered a heart attack. He hasn’t toured since, and from the sound of this new CD, Mellencamp … Continue reading Album review: John Mellencamp, Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996)
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)
Drum great Kenny Aronoff was never afraid to go for it
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 25, 1999 By Steve Newton I’ve got a theory, and this theory, which is mine, is that everybody wants to be a rock ’n’ roll drummer. There’s just something irresistible about the idea of pounding away on a resonating circle until you’re sweaty and drained and then having people cheer you … Continue reading Drum great Kenny Aronoff was never afraid to go for it
John Mellencamp cuts back on smokes, ramps up songwriting after heart attack
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 13, 1999 By Steve Newton John Mellencamp had the biggest-selling album of 1982 with American Fool, which boasted such huge radio hits as “Hurts So Good” and “Jack and Diane”. I interviewed him in advance of a show at the PNE Forum that year, and at the time … Continue reading John Mellencamp cuts back on smokes, ramps up songwriting after heart attack
Patty Griffin learns how to live on Flaming Red
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 16, 1998 By Steve Newton For her first album, 1996’s Living With Ghosts, Patty Griffin appeared alone, accompanied only by her acoustic guitar. On her new CD, Flaming Red, the 34-year-old singer-songwriter from Maine is in the company of more than a dozen musicians, including such stellar types … Continue reading Patty Griffin learns how to live on Flaming Red
John Fogerty reveals the full meaning of the mystical phrase yee-haw! in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 28, 1997 By Steve Newton Most of the folks attending John Fogerty’s first Vancouver concert in 12 years last Friday (August 22) must have been aware that he had returned to playing some of his old Creedence Clearwater Revival hits, but nobody knew for sure how enthusiastically the … Continue reading John Fogerty reveals the full meaning of the mystical phrase yee-haw! in Vancouver
John Fogerty does things his own way on Blue Moon Swamp
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 21, 1997 By Steve Newton David Letterman has never been known to ask his musical guests to return the very next night after a Late Show appearance, but the gap-toothed TV talk-show host broke with tradition a couple of months back when he got John Fogerty to pull off a two-night … Continue reading John Fogerty does things his own way on Blue Moon Swamp