Doogie White was a guest on the latest Mitch Lafon’s podcast and the interview turned into the retrospective of his career. Starting with the ongoing reunion of his first band La Paz (which has now a third album out), to Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Michael Schenker.

If you’re really impatient, the Rainbow related part of the interview starts at around 16:55 into the show:

Did-you-know-that: La Paz is a charity project — all proceeds from the sales of music and gigs go to sponsoring children soccer teams in the Mexican city of La Paz.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Ritche Blackmore is featured on the cover of May 2016 issue of Guitar Player magazine. The cover story includes his profile, interview with the man, and reminiscences from Jim Hurley, Blackmore’s Night violin player in 1999-2000.

Selected quotes from the interview:

What’s the perfect guitar tone for you?

The combination of an owl meeting a bumblebee in mid flight.

You once did a pilgrimage to Bach’s house. Were there any epiphanies from the visit?

There was an ice cream store there, and I did indulge. Then, I proceeded onto the garden where I picked up a stone and put it in my wallet as a keepsake.

The issue is now available to the subscribers and should be available on the newsstands either now, or pretty soon.

Thanks to Amit Roy for the info.

Paicey is currently on tour in Europe with Purpendicular, and their setlist gives a chance for the fans to see live some of the tunes they don’t see performed by Deep Purple these days.

Vavoom: Ted the Mechanic, which was Purple live staple for a long, long time, but not any more:

Mistreated (I like the way guitar player is thinking in this one):

Child in Time

Bonus track 😉 drum solo:

Thanks to all the videographers for their efforts and to Gerry Doyle for the heads up.

While working in nashville on the new album, it was not quite all work and no play. Don Airey found the time to go out and do be a guest keyboard player with a band called Thee Rock’N’Roll Residency at a local pub. They did Ozzy’s Suicide Solution and Mr. Crowley:

Then Roger Glover stepped on stage for some Bloodsucker and Highway Star (and check out the album-style twin guitar solo on the latter):

Thanks to Jerry Brown for the recordings and to Tracy Heyder for bringing them to your attention.

Glenn Hughes recently spoke to Mitch Lafon and the nearly 40-minute interview is the feature of the latter’s weekly podcast. They talked about Glenn’s health problems, Black Country Communion (“BCC will be the last band I play in…”, whatever exactly that means), Hall of Fame induction (“I completely understand what Ian Gillan is saying…”), and other things.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Graham Bonnet recently spoke to the Blairing Out show. His 48 minute interview is thoroughly entertaining. He comes across as a candid no-nonsense man, often hilarious, and with a healthy dose of humility (that never hurts).

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

Blabbermouth reports that Blackmore’s record company Frontiers is suing him for failing to adequately promote the latest Blackmore’s Night album All Our Yesterdays. According to the complaint, filed on March 16 in Manhattan federal court, Blackmore received a $220,000 advance for the album and signed a contract guaranteeing his “full support to the promotion surrounding the release of the album” and using his “reasonable best efforts to help and support all the activities and promotions (including but not limited to interviews as settled by the [Frontiers] and its representatives)”.

The complaint then goes on to enumerate the laundry list of refused requests for interviews, TV appearances, and other grievances. For example, in France he only granted 4 out of 14 requested interviews, in Germany he refused 6 TV appearances and two interviews interview with leading national publication Bild (among 25 to 30 stories in less respectable outlets). And so on and so forth.

The record company claims that his failure to adequately support promotion of the album resulted in poor sales and is asking for $150,000 back (presumably, the non-recouped portion of the advance).

Blackmore’s lawyer denied the allegations, calling them “ludicrous”.

Here endeth the fact and starteth the opinion.

It is well known from history that Blackmore does not give many interviews. He did not exactly start this behaviour in 2015. What have changed? Sales so poor that the record company can’t even recoup the advance? Methinks that it was not the poor promotion to blame, but poor material. It is this editor’s humble opinion that having once established a successful formula with Fires at Midnight and Ghost of a Rose, the band had stagnated and each subsequent album was more of the same and less and less exciting. Perhaps that is the reason for poor sales, and not his failure to grant interviews and appear on TV?

Thanks to Blabbermouth and New York Post for the info.

Don Airey live at Hypothalamus (Rheine, Germany 2016-03-18)

If you close your eyes, you could think, it’s Ritchie Blackmore right on stage. Or Gary Moore. Or Jimi Hendrix. But if you listen closely, it’s surely Simon McBride. Behind him Darrin Mooney, a surely excellent drummer. Besides him Laurince Cottle, a bass player with enormous talent. In front of them a vocalist, who could easily sing Child im Time and hit every note. And left on the stage: Don Airey. Whom to tell about here would be carrying coales to Newcastle.
These five again hit the stage of the Hypothalamus in Rheine (Germany) again on the 18th of March. A small but fine venue with a maximum capacity of about 250 people. A year ago I already wondered why five world class musicians play in such a small club (see my review from one year ago). But they must have a good time there. Laurence Cottle told me after the show, he hoped to be back there 2017. And a good time surely had the audience on friday. For me it was even better like a year ago, because of the setlist. It included Rapture of Deep, besides Balck Night as last encore the only purple song. There were three excellent songs from “A Light in the sky”: Endless Night, Rocket to the moon and Love you too much. One of the highlights was The Inquisition form a band called Colloseum II of which Don Airey was a member “a long time ago in far away galaxy” – as he said. And then there was one of the most famous keyboard-intros in rock-history and the following Mr. Crowley. Incredibly good!
Around these highlights there were a lot of Rainbow-songs, some of Gary Moore and on of Jimi Hendrix to feature the talents of Simon. A more than enjoyable evening. To be honest: If I had to choose wether to go to a Deep Purple concert or a Don Airey concert today: I wohl prefere Don Airey. As with Deep Purple I would go and see five first class musicians. But a more interesting setlist.
By the way: Thanks to teh Highway Star: I wouldn’t have known that Don played near my hometown if I wouldn’t have it read it here.
My 22 year sold who attended the concert with me was also excited. He took some videos. I’ll send some of them, perhaps they can be added.

Friedhelm Wenning

review by Friedhelm

Mike Eriksson recalls in his blog Trinkelbonker the end of the first run of Deep Purple — which reached its lowest point 40 years ago today, on March 15, 1976.

When Deep Purple did their five shows back in Britain between March 11 and March 15 1976 it was actually a pretty big homecoming. UK publication Sounds sported a big feature on the band with a fairly positive report from the US Tour by Geoff Barton that week and the shows were sold out. They played Leicester (11), London (12-13), Glasgow (14) and Liverpool (15). It was, however, the tour that finished Deep Purple in the 70s.

It could be argued that the spirit of the band had taken a severe blow much earlier and we do know that David Coverdale initially wanted to cancel the UK Tour. So when the band played the UK it was severly wounded, not least by drugs and alcohol, but also, perhaps, by a lack of faith. Glenn Hughes has stated that he did not sleep at all during this tour and that he could barely get through these shows. The press was out in force in London on the first night at the Wembley Empire, and they pretty much slaughtered the band. One headline read “Shocking Purple” and it was pointed out that Tommy Bolin had reputedly been carried on stage. NME wrote “Even backstage, an aura of discontent is evident before the gig. There´s no feeling of an event about to happen, which a Wembley gig certainly should be. And the obvious joviality between Lord, Coverdale, Paice and Bolin (Hughes isn´t around) is only superficial. To me the spirit of the band seems drained”.

Continue reading in Trinkelbonker.

Thanks to Yvonne for the info.

Roger Glover has posted the first studio report from the new album sessions:

DP STUDIO REPORT – MARCH 2016

We started the next album in Nashville on the 28th January. Thirteen days of pre-production and thirteen days recording in the studio. Lucky thirteen because we have thirteen tracks, all but finished except for vocals.

Coincidence or what? How many will end up on he album is hard to tell yet… maybe all of them, maybe not. I won’t even begin to describe the music––an impossible job in any case. Suffice to say I’ve been listening to the rough mixes and there’s a smile on my face.

Bob Ezrin and the team did their usual superb job. The next stage will be IG and I spending a week together, honing up on the lyrics before recording vocals in Toronto in April.

It was a real pleasure to meet up and jam with our Nashville friends. It’s a great city to be in, all kinds of nightlife, live music everywhere. It almost feels like being back in the 60s. Don and I went to see Diana Ross with the Nashville Philharmonic one night, the place was jumping, great band, she was exactly what is expected, voice, teeth and costume changes, etc. Jay and Dave of Rival Sons came to visit us in the studio when their tour hit town. We saw them do a fantastic gig that night, what a great band.

RG – March 2016