That time Gord Downie told me that the 15 minutes after a Tragically Hip show are his favourite time of the day

By Steve Newton If you're a dedicated Tragically Hip fan you've no doubt seen their final concert, which took place in the band's Kingston hometown on August 20, 2016, and was broadcast live on CBC-TV. It was an historic gig, bursting with emotion, and for me the finest moment came during one of the several … Continue reading That time Gord Downie told me that the 15 minutes after a Tragically Hip show are his favourite time of the day

Life’s highway carries Tom Cochrane back to Red Rider

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 3, 2003 Tom Cochrane had his biggest hit, “Life Is a Highway”, two years after splitting up with long-time guitarist Kenny Greer and abandoning the Red Rider name. But fans who’ve followed the Ontario singer-songwriter’s storied career know that his time with Red Rider, from 1979 to ’89, … Continue reading Life’s highway carries Tom Cochrane back to Red Rider

Ex-Cars guitarist Elliot Easton denies going mercenary for Fogerty-less CCR

  ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 2, 1996 By Steve Newton When a band calling itself Creedence Clearwater Revisited comes to the Pacific Coliseum on Friday (May 3), former Creedence Clearwater Revival leader John Fogerty will not be along for the ride. The lifeblood of the original CCR had been drained during a … Continue reading Ex-Cars guitarist Elliot Easton denies going mercenary for Fogerty-less CCR

Festival Express takes a crazy train to ’70s rock history

By Steve Newton There's been some pretty sweet concert Blu-rays released in the last little while. Hugely impressive was last week's Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration--Deluxe Edition, from Legacy Recordings, the same folks who gave us recent killer box sets by Johnny Winter and Mike Bloomfield. Yesterday I finally got around to watching another … Continue reading Festival Express takes a crazy train to ’70s rock history