photo courtesy the newt ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 11, 1990 By Steve Newton You know how some recording artists make you think of old times, and help you crystallize visions from the past? Well, when I think of Robin Trower, I picture a mid-'70s high-schooler cruising the main drag of Chilliwack in a wood-grained Monaco … Continue reading Robin Trower talks Procol Harum, Hendrix, and blues, says “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
Tag: Vancouver concert
Nebula’s Eddie Glass doubts that Hendrix’s acid would still be good
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 14, 2003 By Steve Newton While preparing to interview Nebula guitarist-vocalist Eddie Glass, I honed in on his band’s Web site and came across a 1998 write-up from a concert at the Tattoo Bar in Forth Worth, Texas. In it, a reviewer named Jeff Downing raved that “Eddie Glass tore out … Continue reading Nebula’s Eddie Glass doubts that Hendrix’s acid would still be good
The best hit single Bob Seger never had
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 6, 2015 By Steve Newton In case you weren't aware, American rock legend Bob Seger is playing Vancouver tomorrow night. He turns 70 in two months, so who knows how long he's gonna keep touring. If you haven't seen him yet, now might be the time. The first time I saw … Continue reading The best hit single Bob Seger never had
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
54•40 walks the walk with first indie release since the ’80s
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 31, 2003 By Steve Newton Although they started out in the early ’80s as indie artists on MoDaMu Records, local guitar-rockers 54•40 have been signed to major labels since 1986, first with Warner Bros. and then with Columbia/Sony. But with its 10th studio album, Goodbye Flatland, the band has let go … Continue reading 54•40 walks the walk with first indie release since the ’80s
Colin Linden says that Rockpile and the Clash influenced Blackie’s BARK
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 31, 2003 By Steve Newton There’s a handful of CDs that have pretty well guaranteed placement in my personal top 10 of 2003. By the Grace of God, the stunning riff-fest from Swedish hard rockers the Hellacopters, has already copped a spot; likewise Trouble No More, the bare-bones, mostly blues offering … Continue reading Colin Linden says that Rockpile and the Clash influenced Blackie’s BARK
Delta bluesman Big Jack Jackson says you can’t hardly tell the rap kids nuttin’
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 24, 2003 By Steve Newton When I contact Big Jack Johnson—the veteran bluesman, not the youthful chart-topping surfer dude—at his home in Clarksdale, Mississippi, he’s just gotten back from Milan, Italy. To hear him tell it, the blues is definitely alive and well in Europe, and has been for a while. … Continue reading Delta bluesman Big Jack Jackson says you can’t hardly tell the rap kids nuttin’
Guitar heroes help the Yardbirds fly again with Birdland
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 3, 2003 By Steve Newton When the Yardbirds were recording their new Birdland CD for the guitar-oriented Favored Nations label, they made sure to feature company prez Steve Vai on the remake of their 1966 hit, “Shapes of Things”. The quintet also encouraged such six-string stalwarts as Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Steve … Continue reading Guitar heroes help the Yardbirds fly again with Birdland
There’s always hope for Van Halen as long as Diamond Dave can bang that high note
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 26, 2003 By Steve Newton Judging by the photo montage in the booklet of David Lee Roth’s new CD, Diamond Dave, it’s clear the former Van Halen howler hasn’t jettisoned the boisterously cheesy persona he cultivated during his early-’80s solo career, when flamboyant videos for “California Girls” and “Just a Gigolo/I … Continue reading There’s always hope for Van Halen as long as Diamond Dave can bang that high note
Maroon 5’s Adam Levine loves spicy plum sauce, the White Stripes not so much
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 29, 2003 By Steve Newton L.A. soul-rock quintet Maroon 5 named its debut CD Songs About Jane because that’s exactly what the album contains: tunes about singer-lyricist and guitarist Adam Levine’s ex-girlfriend, first name Jane. As Levine explains from a Toronto Thai restaurant, the former flame actually became his muse for … Continue reading Maroon 5’s Adam Levine loves spicy plum sauce, the White Stripes not so much
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on Ticketmaster, Neil Young, Nickelback, and the new Riot Act
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 29, 2003 By Steve Newton Pearl Jam is one of those hugely influential, multiplatinum rock acts that’s notorious for refusing to talk to the press, often for extended periods of time. So when PJ guitarist Mike McCready calls from the “lovely offices” of Vandenberg Public Relations in Seattle, my first question … Continue reading Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on Ticketmaster, Neil Young, Nickelback, and the new Riot Act
Sam Roberts discovers that Vancouver isn’t all sunny days and good times
"There are a lot of homeless people and a lot of drug addicts [in Vancouver], and I think that sort of put its mark on the record as well.”
Walter Trout has a spiritual bond with his Strat of 30 years
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 6, 2003 By Steve Newton Unless you’re really up on your rock guitarists, Walter Trout may be the biggest guitar hero you’ve never heard of. In a 1993 BBC Radio 1 poll of the top 20 players of all time, Trout came in sixth, ahead of such six-string legends as Stevie … Continue reading Walter Trout has a spiritual bond with his Strat of 30 years