ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 2, 1982 By Steve Newton .38 Special's July 5 gig at the Kerrisdale Arena has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales, and according to lead singer Donnie Van Zant "it's a real shame". The show would have been the band's second Vancouver appearance. Their latest album, Special Forces, is #27 … Continue reading .38 Special’s Donnie Van Zant on the origins of southern rock and the drive of Jacksonville bands
Tag: Rush
The Trailer Park Boys’ Mike Smith says he’s quite a bit like Bubbles
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 23, 2003 By Steve Newton In Trailer Park Boys—Showcase TV’s low-budget mockumentary series about dope-smoking, foul-mouthed lowlifes inhabiting a rundown (is there any other kind?) trailer park—it’s the little things that make you laugh. Like Julian’s (John Paul Tremblay’s) ever-present glass of rum ’n’ Coke. Whether he’s hanging around the trailer … Continue reading The Trailer Park Boys’ Mike Smith says he’s quite a bit like Bubbles
Geddy Lee on Neil Peart’s personal struggles, shaping his lyrics, and loving Rush
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 5, 2002 By Steve Newton Rush’s latest CD, Vapor Trails, may be its best recording ever, and since the Canuck prog-rock trio now has 17 studio releases to its credit, that’s saying something. But the album would never have been made if drummer-lyricist Neil Peart hadn’t had the inner strength to … Continue reading Geddy Lee on Neil Peart’s personal struggles, shaping his lyrics, and loving Rush
Matthew Good and the great Radiohead controversy of 2000
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 28, 2000 By Steve Newton Matthew Good is a loud rocker. That’s easily discernible from a quick spin of his band’s latest CD, Beautiful Midnight. Matthew Good is also a loud talker, as I discover for myself when he calls from his West End apartment prior to his five sold-out shows … Continue reading Matthew Good and the great Radiohead controversy of 2000
Guitar freak Roland Nipp shows his stuff on The Blue Room
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 6, 2000 Roland Nipp is nuts about guitar. Even before sampling the local picker’s tasty instrumental CD, The Blue Room, I could tell from scanning his bio that he’s a six-string aficionado. Among those mentioned in his extensive list of influences are such primo players as Joe Satriani, … Continue reading Guitar freak Roland Nipp shows his stuff on The Blue Room
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!)
Johnny Winter’s absence from the Rock Hall is a bloody outrage
charles campbell photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 17, 2014 By Steve Newton Devoted Johnny Winter fans are still mourning the passing of the Texas guitar legend, who died last Wednesday (July 16) at the age of 70. They've no doubt been playing the hell out of his vast array of awesome albums, or reminiscing about … Continue reading Johnny Winter’s absence from the Rock Hall is a bloody outrage
Molson Canadian screws the Newt over with a Blind Date from hell
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 4, 1997 I was really expecting something special from the latest entry in Molson Breweries’ series of exclusive promotional concerts, in which contest winners get to see a big-name rock band play a club, unaware of which group they’ll see until the show starts. Vancouver’s first Blind Date, … Continue reading Molson Canadian screws the Newt over with a Blind Date from hell
That time my buddy Stick of Mad Duck ticked off Metallica’s Lars Ulrich by asking him to jam
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 22, 1997 By Steve Newton Back when the Starfish Room was still a headbanger’s haven known as Club Soda, a rock-crazed pal of mine named Stick bumped into Lars Ulrich there. The Metallica drummer was hangin’ out with his entourage after one of the band’s intense Vancouver gigs when Stick—whose band … Continue reading That time my buddy Stick of Mad Duck ticked off Metallica’s Lars Ulrich by asking him to jam
Rush refuses to give John Rutsey his due on Test for Echo tour in Vancouver
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 22, 1997 By Steve Newton Although they’ve sold more than 35 million records and been a major force on the hard-rock world for 23 years, it appears as though Rush’s status as an arena-packing concert draw—at least in Vancouver—has slipped a few notches. There were scads of empty … Continue reading Rush refuses to give John Rutsey his due on Test for Echo tour in Vancouver
Geddy Lee on the music of the ’70s, the Order of Canada, and the full-time job of Rush
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 15, 1997 By Steve Newton Although I’m usually too lazy to bother fiddling with LPs these days, those old black beauties sure do come in handy when I’m preparing to interview a band that’s been around as long as Rush. Shuffling through my prized rows of plastic-enclosed 12-inchers, I come across … Continue reading Geddy Lee on the music of the ’70s, the Order of Canada, and the full-time job of Rush
I Mother Earth guitarist Jagori Tanna pays tribute to Santana on new Scenery and Fish CD
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 23, 1996 By Steve Newton If you happened to walk into a house party while the last song on the new I Mother Earth CD was playing, you could be excused for taking a big swig of your beer, raising it in a toast, and proclaiming: “Man, that Carlos Santana can … Continue reading I Mother Earth guitarist Jagori Tanna pays tribute to Santana on new Scenery and Fish CD
Rush gives John Rutsey his due on ReDISCovered box set
By Steve Newton The Pete Best of Canada finally gets his due. John Rutsey, the drummer who played on the very first Rush album before being replaced by Neil Peart, will get some of the credit he deserves with today's (April 29) release of the Rush ReDISCovered LP boxed set. If you don't understand how important Rutsey … Continue reading Rush gives John Rutsey his due on ReDISCovered box set