Hangin’ with Alien writer Dan O’Bannon on the Vancouver set of his 1992 Lovecraft flick

By Steve Newton Most of the Vancouver-shot movies I covered during my time as a freelancer for Fangoria magazine actually made it into theatres. One that didn't was The Resurrected, which was based on the H.P. Lovecraft novella, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. The movie--aka Shatterbrain--went directly to video, but that's okay with me. The main reason I wanted … Continue reading Hangin’ with Alien writer Dan O’Bannon on the Vancouver set of his 1992 Lovecraft flick

The Bright Light Social Hour made the Austin Music Awards its bitch

If you're a rock-music fan in Austin, Texas, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard of a band called the Bright Light Social Hour. A year after releasing its self-titled 2010 debut, the quartet made the 29th annual Austin Music Awards its bitch, taking an unprecedented six categories, including band of the year, album of … Continue reading The Bright Light Social Hour made the Austin Music Awards its bitch

Kradle strives to put Vancouver on the melodic-metal map in 1984

Thirty years ago tomorrow--on March 5, 1984--local glam-metal band Kradle played Burnaby's James Cowan Theatre with Black Knight. At the time I was the guy with the Judas Priest cap at the Georgia Straight who was covering the metal scene, and I was mightily impressed by these young lads from the suburbs of Vancouver. Looking … Continue reading Kradle strives to put Vancouver on the melodic-metal map in 1984

Devin Townsend’s early days: Gray Skies, Steve Vai, Commodore highs

Vancouver's Devin Townsend is a master of extreme metal. I'm not saying that from personal experience, because I'm not into extreme metal. Old Iron Maiden's about as extreme as I get these days. But from what I've heard the fortyish singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist is quite the artistic genius when it comes to various … Continue reading Devin Townsend’s early days: Gray Skies, Steve Vai, Commodore highs