Steve Newton

Drum great Kenny Aronoff was never afraid to go for it I’ve got a theory, and this theory, which is mine, is that everybody wants to be a rock ’n’ roll drummer. Just like Kenny Aronoff.

happy 73rd birthday to American drum great #KennyAronoff, who was never afraid to go for it:

"On ‘Hurts So Good’ the drums were so present, and that really made a big statement."

Tales of stuck trucks are lyrical fodder for Corb Lund's "left-of-centre weirdo country" These days Lund has left the hard-rock road behind, stuck on a cowboy hat, and launched a career as a shit-kickin' country artist.

just posted my 2005 interview with #CorbLund for the first time

He plays two nights at #Vancouver's #HollywoodTheatre this May

@corblund.bsky.social

That time I asked David Gilmour which Pink Floyd album was his personal favourite Back in May of 1984 I did my first (and so far, only) interview with legendary Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.

happy 80th birthday to #DavidGilmour, who I once asked to pick his favourite #PinkFloyd album

@davidgilmourfan.bsky.social @davidgilmour.com @classicrockmag.bsky.social

That time I asked guitar legend Gary Rossington if southern rock was still healthy in 1986 Back in November of 1986 I did my one-and-only interview with Gary Rossington, who I talked to along with his wife Dale Krantz-Rossington.

remembering #LynyrdSkynyrd guitarist #GaryRossington, who passed away three years ago today

40 years ago I asked him if he thought southern rock was still healthy

@skynyrdpod.bsky.social @lynyrdskynyrd.bsky.social

Newt's top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend, March 6 to 8 Late-night Catherine O'Hara tribute screening at the Rio on Friday of director Martin Scorsese's Kafkaesque 1985 black comedy After Hours.

my list of cool stuff to do in #Vancouver this weekend

@rickshawtheatre.bsky.social @riotheatre.bsky.social @artsclub.bsky.social @teresatrovatopr.bsky.social @dannymichelmusic.bsky.social @spacecentreyvr.bsky.social @cityofvancouver.bsky.social

That time I asked Doc Neeson if the Angels/Angel City were inspired by their longtime friends AC/DC Way the funk back in 1985 I did my only interview with Doc Neeson, frontman for Angel City, known as the Angels in their native Australia.

on this day in 1985 I interviewed Doc Neeson of Angel City (aka the Angels) and asked him if they were inspired by AC/DC

Billy Hopeless of the Black Halos, August 24, 2005 | Ear of Newt Get more from Ear of Newt on Patreon

just posted the full audio of my 2005 interview with Vancouver punk-rock legend #BillyHopeless of #TheBlackHalos

God bless Pete Haycock's guitar solo on the Climax Blues Band's "Together and Free" Today I'm gonna request His Holiness bless the fancy fretwork that Haycock laid down on the opening track of Climax Blues Band's Gold Plated.

remembering Climax Blues Band guitarist Pete Haycock, born on this day in 1951 in Stafford, England

I really loved his solo on "Together and Free"

That time Jason Newsted told me that Black Sabbath were "the inventors" and they could do anything they want I interviewed Newsted when he was fronting his own group, Newsted, three weeks before it released its debut album, Heavy Metal Music.

happy 63rd birthday to heavy-metal bassist #JasonNewsted, who once told me that #BlackSabbath were "the inventors"

@thisdayinmetal.bsky.social @metallica.com

That time I asked Mark Kelly if it bothered him when people compared Marillion to Genesis I interviewed Marillion keyboardist Mark Kelly back in March of 1986, when the band was touring behind its Misplaced Childhood album.

40 years ago today I interviewed #Marillion keyboardist #MarkKelly and asked him about his band being compared to #Genesis

@marillion.com @marillionmark.bsky.social @progrocksongs.bsky.social @progrockjournal.bsky.social @progrockdude.bsky.social @progressiverock.bsky.social

God bless Snowy White's guitar licks on his live version of Peter Green's "Slabo Day" I first heard Snowy White when he became the coguitarist in one of my favourite all-time bands, Thin Lizzy.

happy 78th birthday to former #ThinLizzy guitarist #SnowyWhite

Have you heard him play guitar on #PeterGreen's "Slabo Day"?

@thinlizzyfanatic.bsky.social @bravewordscom.bsky.social @gibsonguitaruk.bsky.social @gibsonguitarhouse.bsky.social @guitarworld.com.web.brid.gy

That time Ronnie Montrose told me that the Montrose LP marked his "kindergarten days" as a guitarist Very few albums that I bought as a teenager in the seventies had as huge an effect on me as the debut Montrose album of '73.

remembering modest guitar legend #RonnieMontrose, who died on this day in 2012

He once told me that the monumental Montrose debut album marked his "kindergarten days"

@thisdayinmetal.bsky.social @sammyhagar.com @classicrockmag.bsky.social @bravewordscom.bsky.social

That time I called up 22-year-old Jeff Healey and asked him about his role in the upcoming bouncer flick Road House I was fortunate enough to have interviewed Canadian guitar wizard Jeff Healey three times. Man could that guy wail on the Strat!

remembering #JeffHealey, who died on this day in 2008, at the age of 41

20 years before that I asked him about his role in the upcoming #PatrickSwayze bouncer flick, #RoadHouse

@jeffhealey.com @classicrockmag.bsky.social @fenderguitarsamps.bsky.social

Rory Gallagher's longtime bassist on the Irish guitar wizard's aversion to stardom With Christmas 2018 upon us, it's time to be thankful for the musicians who have helped fans of guitar rock have such a wonderful life.

remembering #RoryGallagher, born on this day in 1948 in Ballyshannon, Ireland

Back in 2018 his bassist Gerry McAvoy told me about Rory's aversion to stardom

@rorygallagher.com @bluesmusicfan.bsky.social @guitarworld.com.web.brid.gy @bluesrockreview.bsky.social

Tony Iommi on Heaven and Hell and how Frank Zappa always loved his "Supernaut" riff ["Supernaut] was one of his favourite tracks. He always said, 'Aw, I love that riff.' In fact, I used to play it for him when he'd come down."

on this day in 2007 #TonyIommi called me up from L.A. to talk about reuniting with #RonnieJamesDio in Heaven & Hell

@tonyiommi.bsky.social

That time Steve Vai told me that he wouldn't want to play guitar like Yngwie Malmsteen I interviewed Steve Vai for the third time back in 2003, when he was about to start a G3 Tour with Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen.

just posted an audio excerpt from my 2003 interview with American guitar wizard #SteveVai

@stevevai.bsky.social @yngwiemalmsteen.bsky.social @joesatriani.com @guitarworld.com.web.brid.gy

That time Joey Molland told me about the "crooks" that stole a ton of royalty money from Badfinger At one point in the conversation Holland talked about the crooked businessmen who stole a lot of the band's royalty money.

remembering #Badfinger's #JoeyMolland, who died a year ago today at the age of 77

He once told me about the band getting its royalties ripped off

That time I wondered how cool it would be to see Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush opening for Rush I thought it might be coolly Canadian if Mahogany Rush opened for Rush when they got here. What a (double) rush that would be, right?

back in 2010 I was pondering how cool it would be to see #Rush and #MahoganyRush together

@rushtheband.bsky.social @rushisaband.bsky.social @mahoganyrush.bsky.social

That time Ratt's Robbin Crosby told me that Jethro Tull winning the metal Grammy in '89 was "bullshit' Few award presentations in the history of rock music have caused as much controversy as the one that took place on February 6, 1989.

on this day in 1989 I interviewed #Ratt guitarist #RobbinCrosby, who told me what he thought of #JethroTull beating out #Metallica for the metal Grammy six days earlier

@thisdayinmetal.bsky.social @themetalvoice.bsky.social @ultclassicrock.bsky.social @metallica.com

Remembering that wicked David Johansen tune I used to crank in college The passing of former New York Dolls frontman David Johansen last week got me remembering all the great songs that the Dolls released.

remembering New York rocker #DavidJohansen, who died a year ago today at the age of 75

Here's what I posted after he passed

@punkrockhistory.bsky.social @punkrockclub.bsky.social @punkrockbowling.bsky.social @punkrockempath.bsky.social @classicrockmag.bsky.social @ultclassicrock.bsky.social

Kathleen Edwards says that she's too rock for Nashville and too country for Europe "If you go to HMV in London, England, I'm in the country section, but when you come to Nashville I'm in the rock section."

#KathleenEdwards plays the #CommodoreBallroom in #Vancouver tonight, and here's the interview I did with her the first time she played there

Newt's top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend, February 27 to March 1 IMAX screenings at various Vancouver theatres of director Baz Luhrmann's new documentary EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.

my list of cool stuff to do in #Vancouver this weekend

@elvispresley.bsky.social @cineplexmovies.bsky.social @rickshawtheatre.bsky.social @toddcastpodcast.bsky.social @teresatrovatopr.bsky.social @cityofvancouver.bsky.social

Lofty Incubus plays Vancouver on the Light Grenades Tour, takes pretentiousness to new heights Ever been to a sold-out rock show where the crowd is on its feet the entire time, while you’re wondering what all the fuss is about?

just posted my 2007 concert review of #Incubus in #Vancouver for the first time

Could not get into that band, honestly

Kiwi tunesmith Liam Finn comes by the DIY ethic honestly On his debut CD 24-year-old Liam Finn plays nearly every instrument on the disc and, apart from two cowritten tracks, penned all the music.

just posted my 2008 interview with 24-year-old Liam Finn, son of Neil, for the first time:

"I do the thing where I play guitar, and loop that, and add bass lines to the loops, and then get on the drums, and basically just go a bit mental."

@liamfinn.bsky.social

Newt's top 10 Vancouver concerts to check out in March 2026 American protest singer and guitarist Jesse Welles plays the Commodore Ballroom on March 19, with guest S.G. Goodman.

some #Vancouver gigs to consider next month

John Mellencamp's killer repertoire runs fast and loose in Vancouver on the Whenever We Wanted Tour The former Johnny Cougar played it fast and loose and delivered a two-and-a-half-hour barn-burner at the Pacific Coliseum.

on this day in 1992 #JohnMellencamp played the first of two nights in #Vancouver on his Whenever We Wanted Tour, and it was some show, lemme tell ya

@teddimellencamp.bsky.social @classicrockmag.bsky.social @rocksbackpages.bsky.social @ultclassicrock.bsky.social

Robin Trower talks Procol Harum, Hendrix, and blues, says "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" When I think of Robin Trower I picture a mid-'70s high-schooler cruising the main drag of Chilliwack in a wood-grained Monaco station wagon.

on this day in 1990 I interviewed guitar legend #RobinTrower, who really should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, now that I think about it

John Doe describes X as "a rock and roll band that loves songs" "X is everything. X marks the spot. X is the unknown quantity. X is 'sign at the X'. X is the symbol for Christ. X is just X, you know."

happy 73rd birthday to #JohnDoe, who I interviewed back in 1984:

“X is everything. X marks the spot. X is the unknown quantity. X is ‘sign at the X’. X is the symbol for Christ. X is just X, you know.”

@punkrockhistory.bsky.social @fatpossumrecords.bsky.social @punkrockbowling.bsky.social