ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 12, 1995 By Steve Newton While Tom Cochrane’s last album, Mad Mad World, spawned his biggest hit ever in the undisputably catchy “Life Is a Highway”, it was far from one of his best recordings overall. It included some pretty weak tunes—the worst being the ponderous title track—and was a … Continue reading Album review: Tom Cochrane, Ragged Ass Road (1995)
Tag: Kenny Greer
Lawrence Gowan admired Alex Lifeson’s six-string generosity on Lost Brotherhood
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 22, 1990 By Steve Newton Lawrence Gowan has one heck of an ear when it comes to creating melodies. His forte is coming up with infectious, hummable little lines like the ones that snake through his 1985 hit “Criminal Mind” and his recent single, “All the Lovers in the World”. From … Continue reading Lawrence Gowan admired Alex Lifeson’s six-string generosity on Lost Brotherhood
Life’s highway carries Tom Cochrane back to Red Rider
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 3, 2003 By Steve Newton Tom Cochrane had his biggest hit, “Life Is a Highway”, two years after splitting up with long-time guitarist Kenny Greer and abandoning the Red Rider name. But fans who’ve followed the Ontario singer-songwriter’s storied career know that his time with Red Rider, from 1979 to ’89, … Continue reading Life’s highway carries Tom Cochrane back to Red Rider
Tom Cochrane gets his Canuck on at the Commodore in Vancouver on the Ragged Ass Road tour
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 22, 1996 By Steve Newton Last July a band calling itself Red Rider—but without Tom Cochrane in the lineup—played the Commodore. Not surprisingly, the turnout was small, and not surprisingly, I wasn’t there. I’ve been a Red Rider fan since day one, but the notion of seeing the … Continue reading Tom Cochrane gets his Canuck on at the Commodore in Vancouver on the Ragged Ass Road tour
Bob Rock plays every lick he knows on Rockhead’s “dumb old hard-rock album”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 15, 1993 By Steve Newton The first time I interviewed veteran Vancouver musician and producer extraordinaire Bob Rock, he was in the middle of helming Bitter Sweet & Twisted, the new release by British blues-rockers the Quireboys. The last time we chatted, he was heavily involved in the much-anticipated release by … Continue reading Bob Rock plays every lick he knows on Rockhead’s “dumb old hard-rock album”