kirk west photo By Steve Newton I love talking to Warren Haynes. Apart from being one of my fave guitarists, he's just such a cool, cool guy. I did my sixth interview with Haynes in 2017, when Gov't Mule was playing a show at Vancouver's Vogue Theatre. At one point in the interview I had … Continue reading Warren Haynes says that playing guitar with Derek Trucks comes naturally, “like drinkin’ water”
Tag: Vancouver
The Beat Farmers’ Country Dick Montana offers tips for men and insight into The Pursuit of Happiness
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 6, 1987 By Steve Newton Devoted fans of serious music should make a point of being as far away as possible from the 86 Street Music Hall this Tuesday (November 10). However, those with less cultivated tastes--and a penchant for rowdy, party-time country rock with a twist--will find … Continue reading The Beat Farmers’ Country Dick Montana offers tips for men and insight into The Pursuit of Happiness
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers slay Vancouver with smokin’ guitarists Montoya and Trout
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 6, 1987 By Steve Newton John Mayall knows blues guitarists. And it's no wonder since he's played with the best of them--guys like Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor. But the two lead players he brought with him to the Commodore last Thursday (October 29) were so hot that they literally stole the show from … Continue reading John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers slay Vancouver with smokin’ guitarists Montoya and Trout
That time Gord Downie wanted to meet in person and I turned him down, feeling like a bit of a knob
By Steve Newton Regrets? I've had a few. Like that time Gord Downie called me up for a phone interview in January of '95 and the first thing he asked was whether I'd rather wait and talk to him in person when he arrived in Vancouver the next day. He sounded like he wanted to … Continue reading That time Gord Downie wanted to meet in person and I turned him down, feeling like a bit of a knob
Wicked Whitesnake blows corny Crue off the stage in Vancouver
chris cameron photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 23, 1987 By Steve Newton A healthy-sized crowd of 12,000 packed the Pacific Coliseum last Friday (October 16) for a Motley Crue concert, but for a lot of people the main attraction was Whitesnake, the group that has lately taken over from Bon Jovi as the most popular hard … Continue reading Wicked Whitesnake blows corny Crue off the stage in Vancouver
Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Jimmie Vaughan says his favourite thing about music, and life, is style
Like the title of their latest album, the Fabulous Thunderbirds of Austin, Texas, are a Hot Number these days.
Album review: Aerosmith, Get a Grip (1993)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 6, 1993 By Steve Newton When I first heard Aerosmith’s “comeback” releases—1987’s Permanent Vacation and 1989’s Pump—I thought they were mighty fine. In the intervening years, however, I found myself playing those discs less and less, tending instead to dig around in my vinyl collection for earlier … Continue reading Album review: Aerosmith, Get a Grip (1993)
Album review: Queensrÿche, Empire (1990)
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 4, 1990 By Steve Newton It looks like studio giant Little Mountain Sound might be getting a wee bit of local competition as far as attracting the world’s best bands to this city is concerned. Vancouver Studios was the locale that Seattle hard-rockers Queensryche chose to record their … Continue reading Album review: Queensrÿche, Empire (1990)
Annihilator’s bizarre path in metal has given Jeff Waters “the funnest job in the world”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 8, 2017 By Steve Newton When Jeff Waters picks up the phone at his home in Ottawa to talk about his metal band, Annihilator, and plug its upcoming (June 15) show at Vancouver's Rickshaw Theatre, I remind him that we go way back. I last interviewed him in 1990, just after … Continue reading Annihilator’s bizarre path in metal has given Jeff Waters “the funnest job in the world”
That time Def Leppard’s Steve Clark told me that Pyromania set the standard for a lot of groups
By Steve Newton Some Def Leppard fans think the band was at its best when Steve Clark was in the lineup. I'm one of them. I interviewed Clark back in 1988 when the band was selling out arenas worldwide, touring behind its massively popular Hysteria album. At one point in the conversation I mentioned a quote from … Continue reading That time Def Leppard’s Steve Clark told me that Pyromania set the standard for a lot of groups
Terror titan Wes Craven on the horrors of family and being cast in the role of the scary guy
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 7, 1991 By Steve Newton “Where do you get your ideas from?” Horror director Wes Craven must have heard that question a thousand times. It seems that everybody wants to know how he came up with the character of Freddy Kreuger, or how he was able to withstand … Continue reading Terror titan Wes Craven on the horrors of family and being cast in the role of the scary guy
The rootsy gut-bucket boogie of the Paladins gets a boost from Dave Alvin in Vancouver
@shotbykevin ORIGINAL PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUGUST 15, 1991 By Steve Newton Men Without Hats immortalized the idea “You can dance if you want to.” I dunno—sometimes I just can’t dance. But I was a regular dancin’ fool at the Commodore last Friday (August 9), and the decision to get up there and make … Continue reading The rootsy gut-bucket boogie of the Paladins gets a boost from Dave Alvin in Vancouver
Fears of a Clown: talking horror with Tim Curry (Pennywise) on the set of Stephen King’s It
By Steve Newton Who knew that when I stepped onto the lush green grounds of Vancouver's Stanley Park in the summer of 1990 that I'd be writing about it three decades later. I sure the hell didn't. I'd been assigned to write two 3,000-word set-visit stories for then-thriving horror mag Fangoria on the filming of a two-part ABC-TV miniseries … Continue reading Fears of a Clown: talking horror with Tim Curry (Pennywise) on the set of Stephen King’s It