Tag: Patreon

That time Carlos Santana told me that he was open to anything and everything

By Steve Newton Carlos Santana has been known as a brilliant guitarist since the 1960s, but he didn't hit his commercial peak until the release of the Supernatural album in 1999. That disc featured collaborations with artists such as Eric Clapton, Rob Thomas, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Lauryn Hill, and Dave Matthews, and sold a staggering 30-million copies worldwide. … Continue reading That time Carlos Santana told me that he was open to anything and everything

That time I told Randy Bachman that my fave Guess Who song was “Undun”

By Steve Newton Everybody has their favourite Guess Who tune, I reckon. Some go for the riff-driven rocker "American Woman". Others might appreciate the piano-based ballad "These Eyes". Me, I'm an "Undun" kinda guy. When I interviewed Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman back in 2001 I told him that his jazz-tinged 1969 B-side was tops … Continue reading That time I told Randy Bachman that my fave Guess Who song was “Undun”

That time I said hello to Little Steven from Jon Bon Jovi and then things got political

By Steve Newton June 18, 1987 was kind of an interesting day as far as my endless adventures in rock journalism go. That was the day I interviewed Little Steven--who was promoting his highly political Freedom--No Compromise album--just minutes after interviewing Jon Bon Jovi--who was promoting his highly non-political Slippery When Wet album. They're both … Continue reading That time I said hello to Little Steven from Jon Bon Jovi and then things got political

That time J.J. Cale told me that, like Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd also helped his bank account

By Steve Newton Lynyrd Skynyrd's Second Helping was released the day after my 17th birthday, so the timing was right for it to become one of the major soundtracks to my rock-loving '70s existence. I didn't mind its smash-hit lead-off single, "Sweet Home Alabama", but I liked its rollicking closing track, "Call Me the Breeze", … Continue reading That time J.J. Cale told me that, like Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd also helped his bank account

That time 26-year-old Stevie Salas told me about opening for Joe Satriani on the Blue Dream tour

By Steve Newton Way the funk back in June of 1990 I interviewed singer-songwriter and kick-ass guitarist Stevie Salas, who at the time was promoting his Stevie Salas Colorcode album, which I liked enough to put on my Top 10 list that year. "Hendrix meets Funkadelic in the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ practice space," was … Continue reading That time 26-year-old Stevie Salas told me about opening for Joe Satriani on the Blue Dream tour

That time Joe Bonamassa complained to me about Rolling Stone’s ranking of Robert Johnson on its 100 Greatest Guitarists list

By Steve Newton I did the second of my three interviews with American blues-rock guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa in December of 2011, when he was touring behind his Dust Bowl album. Shortly before our chat Rolling Stone had published its 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list, so we spent some time ridiculing that, and … Continue reading That time Joe Bonamassa complained to me about Rolling Stone’s ranking of Robert Johnson on its 100 Greatest Guitarists list

That time Tommy Emmanuel told me about first meeting Chet Atkins, and looking after Lenny Breau

By Steve Newton Tommy Emmanuel is a stunning guitarist; maybe the most amazing acoustic player I've ever seen live. I interviewed the Aussie picker back in May of 1994 when he was headed to Vancouver for gigs at the big Music West festival. His latest album at the time was The Journey, which featured a performance … Continue reading That time Tommy Emmanuel told me about first meeting Chet Atkins, and looking after Lenny Breau

That time Steve Vai told me that there never will be another musician like Frank Zappa

By Steve Newton I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know much about Frank Zappa's music. One day I need to sit down and absorb some of that guy's massive body of work, I reckon. What I do know is that many of the finest musicians I've interviewed over the past 40 years or so … Continue reading That time Steve Vai told me that there never will be another musician like Frank Zappa

That time I asked Alex Van Halen about his earliest memories of jamming with Eddie

By Steve Newton I haven't interviewed that many drummers over the years--mainly because I like talking to guitarists more--but when Van Hagar was heading to Vancouver for a show in 1995 and the opportunity came to chat with Alex Van Halen I didn't turn it down. And boy was I glad I didn't, because he … Continue reading That time I asked Alex Van Halen about his earliest memories of jamming with Eddie

That time 29-year-old Steve Vai told me that he suffered making “For the Love of God”, but that blowjobs also do the trick

By Steve Newton I did my first interview with Steve Vai when he was touring with Whitesnake in May of 1990, but I was more interested in talking about his brand-new solo album, Passion and Warfare. I was particularly blown away by the track "For the Love of God", which still stands up as one … Continue reading That time 29-year-old Steve Vai told me that he suffered making “For the Love of God”, but that blowjobs also do the trick

That time I told Ace Frehley that I thought the first Kiss album was the best Kiss album

By Steve Newton I was crazy about Kiss when their first album dropped back in the Year of Our Lord, 1974. I was 16 at the time, which is all you need to know. I think it's their best album--love "Strutter", "Deuce", "Black Diamond"--so when the opportunity came to interview Ace Frehley back in 2008 … Continue reading That time I told Ace Frehley that I thought the first Kiss album was the best Kiss album

God bless Scott Gorham’s 60-second guitar solo on Thin Lizzy’s “Romeo and the Lonely Girl”

By Steve Newton I freakin' love guitar solos, where some talented artist carefully chooses the perfect notes and uses vibrato and tremolo and all that other technical shit to come up with something that'll stick with me for decades and be there whenever I want to retrieve it, replay it in my head, and holler: … Continue reading God bless Scott Gorham’s 60-second guitar solo on Thin Lizzy’s “Romeo and the Lonely Girl”