The bogus DP in 1980 fronted by Rod Evans.

I mixed sound for that band at a nightclub in Anchorage Alaska. About 150 turned out to hear the opening band whom I worked with. Before they started, the faux DP soundguy said to me "You know what you're doing, mate" and disappeared. Faux DP used my band's keyboards and drums, too. Huh?

What followed was unreal. Rod Evans' reedy, whiny voice took on every Mk2 and Mk3 hit DP had. He never did a single song the band recorded when he was in it. Nothing. No "Hush" or "Kentucky Woman". Further, everyone in the band looked like sickly stand-ins for the real DP. It was bizarre. A skanky balding guy that resembled Blackmore...and a curly haired, sunglass wearing Jon Lord rip off.

Not only did they suck, the crowd thinned out pretty fast and many demanded their money back. It turns out that Evans was working as a hospital orderly and simply went looking for guys he thought could pass as the real DP. [That came from their road manager!]

I went on my radio show the next day and blasted the faux band. I played "In Rock" in it's entirety and dedicated it to the unfortunate few who had been "Burn"-ed. I was glad to read not a week later that Blackmore and the rest took it upon themselves to hit Evans and the William Morris Agency with a "cease and desist" order. They were lucky he didn't simply call Evans and whisper "Might Just Take Your Life, scumball".

Larry Cordle
Austin Texas