That time Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon told me about his love/hate relationship with John Lydon

By Steve Newton I only got to interview Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon once before his tragic drug-overdose death at the age of 28. It was December of 1992, and earlier in the year Hoon's band had been part of the MTV 120 Minutes Tour, opening for Public Image Ltd., Big Audio Dynamite II, and … Continue reading That time Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon told me about his love/hate relationship with John Lydon

Leftover Salmon’s The Nashville Sessions should have won a Grammy

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 15, 2002 By Steve Newton I’d never actually heard Leftover Salmon until two weeks ago, when a copy of The Nashville Sessions came across my desk. That’s when I knew I’d really been missing something. On that 1999 disc, the self-styled “polyrhythmic Cajun slamgrass” group from Colorado is … Continue reading Leftover Salmon’s The Nashville Sessions should have won a Grammy

Rush to issue box set with previously unreleased live footage (of John Rutsey!)

By Steve Newton If you're the type of diehard Rush freak who thinks who've seen everything the band's ever put to video, get ready for this. The Canuck prog-rock legends announced today that, on November 11, they'll be releasing R40, a 10-DVD/6-Blu-ray collector's boxed set which also includes all eight songs from a show in … Continue reading Rush to issue box set with previously unreleased live footage (of John Rutsey!)

Live follows vibrant Throwing Copper with brooding Secret Samadhi

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 8, 1997 Three years ago, you could hardly tune into any commercial rock station in North America without hearing about the impending Woodstock 25th Anniversary concert. Judging by all the hype, it was going to be the rock show of the decade—if not the century—and the varied lineup … Continue reading Live follows vibrant Throwing Copper with brooding Secret Samadhi

Cream live reunion DVD wasn’t worth hounding Clapton for

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 13, 2005 By Steve Newton In the interview portion of the new Cream DVD, Royal Albert Hall London 05, Eric Clapton explains how he's been dogged for the last 30 years by queries about whether the British power trio-which also included bassist-vocalist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker-would ever re-form. … Continue reading Cream live reunion DVD wasn’t worth hounding Clapton for