ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 23, 1988 By Steve Newton Whether you're a new-age hemp addict, old-fashioned hippie, or charter member of the John Birch Society, you've probably heard of Cheech & Chong, counter-culture heroes to millions of adolescents. In the '70s, Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong turned out comedy albums like Big Bambu and … Continue reading Tommy Chong goes Cheech-less, reunites with Bobby Taylor to form the Far Out Man Band
Tag: Richard’s on Richards
Interviewing Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon just before they took the throne
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 25, 2003 By Steve Newton There’s a real buzz happening right now about Kings of Leon, a scruffy Tennessee quartet consisting of three brothers and a cousin who are winning praise for their garage-y brand of Southern-flavoured guitar rock. England’s prestigious NME put the band on the cover of its July … Continue reading Interviewing Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon just before they took the throne
Link Wray licks led to Los Straitjackets’ Supersonic Guitars in 3-D
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 18, 2003 By Steve Newton Guitarist Eddie Angel was playing at a Nashville club in 1986, opening up for underrated roots-twang merchants Webb Wilder, when his future bandmate, Danny Amis, showed up. During the set, Angel caught the attention of the instrumentally minded Amis with a Link Wray … Continue reading Link Wray licks led to Los Straitjackets’ Supersonic Guitars in 3-D
Drive-By Truckers tone down the Skynyrdisms on Decoration Day
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 7, 2003 By Steve Newton Two years ago the Drive-By Truckers took the music world by surprise with Southern Rock Opera, a sprawling, two-CD concept album about ’70s rock and southern U.S. culture that focused on the legend of doomed Dixie rock act Lynyrd Skynyrd. The independent release garnered the group … Continue reading Drive-By Truckers tone down the Skynyrdisms on Decoration Day
Tony Furtado dedicates song on American Gypsy to Americana great John Hartford
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 5, 2002 By Steve Newton Twelve seems to be an age that many musicians—and music fans—look back on as being influential in the formation of their musical tastes. I can remember spending countless hours as a 12-year-old sprawled on my parents’ living-room rug, poring over the lyrics … Continue reading Tony Furtado dedicates song on American Gypsy to Americana great John Hartford
The Donnas love horror, wish Freddie Krueger would Spend the Night
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 24, 2002 By Steve Newton When yours truly hooks up via cell with Donnas vocalist Brett Anderson, she’s in the band’s bus as it winds through the Colorado mountains en route to Salt Lake City and the first of four shows with New York City hotshots the Strokes. … Continue reading The Donnas love horror, wish Freddie Krueger would Spend the Night
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
David Lindley says its serious time for the oud
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 8, 2002 By Steve Newton A while back I made one of my regular visits to Zulu Records and noticed that they were giving stuff away. Not great stuff—there were no limited-edition Hellecasters CDs or Jeff Beck bootlegs—but in the box of vinyl castoffs and local cassettes was Win This Record, … Continue reading David Lindley says its serious time for the oud
Fuzz-pedal ripoff leads Fu Manchu to stack guitar tones on California Crossing
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 4, 2002 By Steve Newton On their latest CD, California Crossing, SoCal guitar-rockers Fu Manchu took a slightly different musical approach than they had before, toning down the fuzz to produce a cleaner, sharper guitar sound. Part of the change had to do with the band’s willingness to … Continue reading Fuzz-pedal ripoff leads Fu Manchu to stack guitar tones on California Crossing
King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor is not into chops for chops’ sake
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 20, 2002 By Steve Newton When I reach King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor by phone in Cleveland, he’s just gotten back from doing several weeks of guitar clinics in Southeast Asia, helping to promote his signature series of Yamaha guitars in countries like Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Most … Continue reading King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor is not into chops for chops’ sake
The John Butler Trio just said no to American record labels
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 23, 2002 BY STEVE NEWTON It doesn’t take long to figure out that Australian singer-songwriter and slide-guitar ace John Butler is an issue-oriented kinda guy. In the CD booklet that accompanies his trio’s latest disc, Three, one page is loaded with facts detailing the ongoing destruction of his … Continue reading The John Butler Trio just said no to American record labels
Cracker’s David Lowery on The Big Lebowski, Camper Van Beethoven, and Forever
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 2, 2002 By Steve Newton After a few listens to the new Cracker CD, Forever, I came to the conclusion that the title track—with its infectious jangle and big-toned, Duane Eddy–style guitar riff—was the standout among the disc’s 13 tunes. My overwhelming fondness for that song had me … Continue reading Cracker’s David Lowery on The Big Lebowski, Camper Van Beethoven, and Forever
Paul Kelly wonders if “Every Fucking City” will go over in Vancouver
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MARCH 21, 2002 By Steve Newton There are a couple of favourite things that come to mind when I recall my five-week holiday in Australia in ’86. One is what they called the “drive-in bottleshops”. You could just pull in off the street and have some guy hand you … Continue reading Paul Kelly wonders if “Every Fucking City” will go over in Vancouver