Tag: Yale Hotel

10 memorable concerts at 10 lost but unforgotten Vancouver venues

By Steve Newton As a freelance music writer in Vancouver since 1982, I've seen a lotta concerts. Most of the arena shows I reviewed took place at the Pacific Coliseum, until the Vancouver Canucks found a new home downtown in 1995 at GM Place, which was renamed Rogers Arena in 2010. But I wasn't just … Continue reading 10 memorable concerts at 10 lost but unforgotten Vancouver venues

Anson Funderburgh says Sam Myers talks about making moonshine with Elmore James

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 9, 2000 By Steve Newton One listen to the new Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets CD, Change in My Pocket, and you can tell the guitarist is from the less-is-more school; his tasty, laid-back approach would put him in the same homeroom as Jimmie Vaughan. Both pickers are from Texas, and … Continue reading Anson Funderburgh says Sam Myers talks about making moonshine with Elmore James

Koko Taylor, Queen of the Blues, says Willie Dixon was her right arm

When Koko Taylor was a poverty-stricken youngster she used to find joy in her meagre existence through the music B. B. King liked to play.

Coco Montoya was transformed by the sheer soul of Alberts Collins and King

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 18, 2003 By Steve Newton Many guitarists can pinpoint a moment in their youth when they knew they were destined for a life in music. For blues-rocker Coco Montoya it happened in 1969, at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A. He’d gone there to see Creedence Clearwater Revival and Iron Butterfly, but … Continue reading Coco Montoya was transformed by the sheer soul of Alberts Collins and King

Andy Powell says the Flying V has become a symbol of Wishbone Ash

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 20, 2003 By Steve Newton Every once in a while, when my wee home office gets too cramped from all the free CDs this job incurs, I take a deep breath and begin studying my stacks of record albums. Vinyl, baby—that’s where it used to be at. Now I scour those … Continue reading Andy Powell says the Flying V has become a symbol of Wishbone Ash

Michael Burks always played a Gibson, but he keeps a coupla Strats handy too

  ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 30, 2002 By Steve Newton I know a couple from Richmond who were such huge Stevie Ray Vaughan fanatics that they named their first-born child Vaughan. That’s pretty cool, but I’d like to go one better, and have my own son actually become a blues-rock guitar wizard! My trusty white … Continue reading Michael Burks always played a Gibson, but he keeps a coupla Strats handy too

Jack De Keyzer grew to like Howlin’ Wolf more than the Stones

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 19, 2002 By Steve Newton Toronto blues-rocker Jack De Keyzer spent the first decade of his life in England, when the biggest thing in pop music was Cliff Richard and the Shadows. Just before he moved to Ontario, though, the Beatles came along, and it was through the impending British Invasion … Continue reading Jack De Keyzer grew to like Howlin’ Wolf more than the Stones

Sue Foley teams with Colin Linden to kick ass on Where the Action Is

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 29, 2002 By Steve Newton Ottawa-based blueswoman Sue Foley recorded her Juno Award–winning 2000 CD, the Colin Linden–produced Love Comin’ Down, in Kingston, Ontario, but travelled down to New Orleans to mix it. On her new album, Where the Action Is, she went full-on with the southern treatment, both recording and … Continue reading Sue Foley teams with Colin Linden to kick ass on Where the Action Is

My interview with 18-year-old Jordan Cook, long before he ruled as Reignwolf

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 6, 2001 By Steve Newton A lot of musicians catch the music bug early on in life, though usually not as early as 18-year-old blues guitarist Jordan Cook. After he was born, the first thing Cook heard on a regular basis was the sound of his dad taking blues-guitar lessons. “It … Continue reading My interview with 18-year-old Jordan Cook, long before he ruled as Reignwolf

Sonny Rhodes went hell-bent for leather on the lap-steel guitar

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 20, 2001 By Steve Newton The first musician I interviewed after terrorists committed those atrocious acts in the U.S. last week was American blues veteran Sonny Rhodes. And the impression I got—after passing on my condolences regarding his country’s anguish—was that the 60-year-old Florida resident is a straight-up kinda guy. “I … Continue reading Sonny Rhodes went hell-bent for leather on the lap-steel guitar