Mötley Crüe spring up like leather-clad trap-door spiders to wow Vancouver on the Dr. Feelgood tour

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 14, 1990 By Steve Newton As far as musical integrity and depth go, Mötley Crüe is not in the same hard-rock league as bands like Aerosmith, Van Halen, or Scorpions. But when it comes to putting on a rowdy, consistently exciting show, these four L.A. dudes do have what it takes. … Continue reading Mötley Crüe spring up like leather-clad trap-door spiders to wow Vancouver on the Dr. Feelgood tour

Whitesnake brings the power of Deep Purple to Vancouver

kevin statham photo By Steve Newton I never got to see David Coverdale sing “Burn” with Deep Purple–I wasn’t old enough to travel down to the Ontario Motor Speedway to see them coheadline California Jam with Emerson, Lake & Palmer back in ’74–so it was pretty cool to see him do it with Whitesnake at … Continue reading Whitesnake brings the power of Deep Purple to Vancouver

Jesse Cook collects three “amazing” takes from Tommy Emmanuel’s creativity tap for “Tommy and Me”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 27, 2015 By Steve Newton Last week I scored a copy of the new CD from Canadian nuevo-flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook, One World, and before even cracking it open I got a nice surprise. The track listing on the back cover revealed the inclusion of one featuring Tommy Emmanuel, the Australian fingerstyle … Continue reading Jesse Cook collects three “amazing” takes from Tommy Emmanuel’s creativity tap for “Tommy and Me”

Iron Maiden’s Clive Burr on Martin Birch, Ruddles, and The Number of the Beast

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 9, 1982 By Steve Newton Iron Maiden is quickly becoming one of Britain's most popular metal bands. Last year the band sold well over a million albums with their second release, Killers, cracking the top ten in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and Belgium. Their latest album, The Number of … Continue reading Iron Maiden’s Clive Burr on Martin Birch, Ruddles, and The Number of the Beast

Alice Cooper’s youthful band breathes fire into the shock-rock king’s classics in concert

kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JAN. 26, 1990 By Steve Newton If Alice Cooper's concert at the Coliseum last Thursday (January 18) were a horror movie--and in a way it nearly was--it might have been called The Return of Alice, Part 10: The New Blood. On his latest tour, the king of nasty rock … Continue reading Alice Cooper’s youthful band breathes fire into the shock-rock king’s classics in concert

Def Leppard’s Rick Savage on new guitarist Phil Collen, producer Mutt Lange, and the stunning success of Pyromania

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 18, 1983 By Steve Newton While it is true that Def Leppard's lyrical messages most often deal with the time-worn teenage pastimes of partying and getting it on, it's not so much what they're saying as how they're saying it--with all the conviction and drive young hands can channel through a … Continue reading Def Leppard’s Rick Savage on new guitarist Phil Collen, producer Mutt Lange, and the stunning success of Pyromania

Scorpions inflict deadliest sting yet as lead guitarist Matthias Jabs helps cause a devastating Blackout

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 16, 1982 By Steve Newton It's a hard road, and often a long one, that leads to success in the world of heavy metal. With the exception of a few bands that luck out on their debut recordings because radio is good to them, most hard rockers fight an uphill battle … Continue reading Scorpions inflict deadliest sting yet as lead guitarist Matthias Jabs helps cause a devastating Blackout

Anders Osborne says that, when it comes to songwriting, “there’s not much to it”

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 27, 2003 By Steve Newton Anders Osborne is not the type of singer-songwriter who’s easily categorized. The Sweden-raised, Louisiana-based bard is described in the liner notes for his 1999 Living Room CD as “a guitar wizard whose multifaceted grooves and soulful vocals evolve the link between second-line funk, … Continue reading Anders Osborne says that, when it comes to songwriting, “there’s not much to it”

B’z guitarist Tak Matsumoto speaks little English, lets his signature Les Paul do the talkin’

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 16, 2003 By Steve Newton Up until a few weeks ago, my knowledge of popular music in Japan was pretty slim. About all I knew for sure was that Cheap Trick used to cause a big stir over there in the ’70s when they played a place called Budokan. Turns out … Continue reading B’z guitarist Tak Matsumoto speaks little English, lets his signature Les Paul do the talkin’

Sloan goes to town, ’70s guitar-rock style, on Action Pact

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 16, 2003 By Steve Newton When Sloan headed into an L.A. studio with producer Tom Rothrock earlier this year, diehard fans of the Halifax-bred power-pop quartet might have had cause for concern. The last two projects Rothrock had helmed at that point were Badly Drawn Boy’s Have You Fed the Fish … Continue reading Sloan goes to town, ’70s guitar-rock style, on Action Pact

Steve Vai on cocky G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen and tormented “genius” Devin Townsend

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 9, 2003 By Steve Newton I was a tad taken aback when the press release came in announcing the lineup for Joe Satriani’s 2003 G3 Tour. It wasn’t a surprise to see long-time G3er (and former Satch student) Steve Vai’s name on the bill. But I didn’t expect to see Yngwie … Continue reading Steve Vai on cocky G3 tourmate Yngwie Malmsteen and tormented “genius” Devin Townsend