The Classic Rock magazine Roll of Honour award ceremony will be held this year on November 4 in Hollywood, California. The voting is now open for the public in 5 categories, with the rest to be decided in house. Made in Japan is on the shortlist for the Reissue of the Year, and California Breed’s debut album for Album of the Year.

Vote now.

Thanks to Cameron Hons for the info.

English graphic artist Becky ‘Cozy’ Welton has produced a pair of very Purple sneakers for herself.

The sneakers are now on their way to New York for an audition for a Converse ad campaign. Yay!

Be sure to check out her other artwork, lots of it is Purple related, including the utterly hilarious Ritchie’s Quest comic strip.

Thanks to Andrey Gusenkov (deep-purple.ru) for the info.

Deep Purple live at Mountain Winery (Saratoga, USA 2014-08-13)

So glad I made this one .Took some money and time but I thought the guys put on as close to a perfect show as could be . I’ve lost accurate count of how many times I’ve seen the band .Saw 4 shows at The HOB in Hollywood when they first toured with Steve Morse (Perpindicular) . At least 5 shows after that . 2 at Concord , 2 at the Warfield in SF , once at Konocti ,CA. Before that , Perfect Strangers , and House of Blue Light tours . Saw them at Winterland in SF in the 70’s when they did not headline . So, at least 16 times counting this one in Saratoga , CA. Here’s as close as I can come on the list . : Highway Star, Into The Fire, Hard Loving Man, Strange Kind of Woman , Vincent Price , Lazy, Contact Lost , Above and Beyond , Well Dressed Guitar, Hell to Pay , Perfect Strangers ,Space Truckin , Smoke on the Water, Encores : (surprise) My Woman From Tokyo , Hush, Medley of guitar , including Led Zep and ZZ Top , just a couple minutes of Black Night . Got to be something wrong with my exact order , but pretty close . The sound was perfect .Vocals may have been a bit low , not sure , at the beginning but after two songs things were dead on . Any doubts about the pipes on Ian Gillan are out the window .Having a couple days off may have helped , but he sang beautifully . There is a part where Space Truckin could have had a squeal near the end that he avoided , but he was fronting the band in grand fashion ,I must say . Don Airey is an absolute virtuoso .I was fortunate to have a seat to the side which afforded me a great view of his nimble hands . Roger Glover never disappoints and Ian Paice was a drumming Dynamo . Of coarse people will say the usual poop about no Richie , but Steve Morse , to me , can play with far more detail and accuracy to the songs than , dare I say , Mr. Blackmore probably could .We’ll never really know . Sound was loud and powerful but no way excessive and very clear .You could even hear Ian play the tambourine ! Not sure how they did that , short of having a mic attached . The new songs were spread into the set at good spots to not stray too far from the more familiar numbers .And they nail them .Hell to Pay is a winner . Bang up job on Lazy . Steve’s solo on SOTW was different from the original but they still play it so strong you instantly recognize it . Lots of songs I miss , Pictures , Speed King , No One Came , Bludsucker , Maybe I’m a Leo , Ted ,Silver Tongue , Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming . They can’t do them all ,and what they have now is smooth and polished and moves through the set for an hour forty five with great precision . Lets do it again sometime .

review by Mr P

Bernie Marsden gave an interview to the French website RockNLive Social Media. He spoke about his new solo album Shine, that includes guest appearances by his friends, old and new.

Shine is due out on August 18 in CD and 2LP formats via Provogue/Mascot Records.

Thanks to Yvonne for the info.

Steve Morse has contributed a track to the tribute album dedicated to the veterans of American wars. The album, called Guitars For Wounded Warriors, was produced, engineered and composed by Emmy Award winner Brian Tarquin, with contributions from SM, Billy Sheehan, Gary Hoey, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Reb Beach, Hal Lindes (Dire Straits), Chris Poland (Megadeth), and Chuck Loeb.

Steve says:

It is an honor to be a part of this cause. I was just turning drafting age at the end of the Vietnam War, and I still remember that the returning military weren’t always treated with the greatest respect. For our modern, volunteer military, we hopefully have learned to show our respect and gratitude. They don’t set the policy, but they set the standards.

His contribution appears on the final track of the album called Freedom.

Guitars For Wounded Warriors will be released on August 19 via Cleopatra Records.

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

We’ve reported back in December that Joe Lynn Turner is starting a new project called Legacy X with drummer Carmine Appice and bassist Tony Franklin. The news just came out that the project has been renamed Rated X, guitarist Jeff Watson has been replaced with JLT’s long time collaborator Karl Cochran, and they will be releasing an eponymous debut album on November 7 in Europe and November 11 in the U.S. via Frontiers Records.

Blabbermouth describes the lightly soap opera style comings and goings:

Cochran joined RATED X as the replacement for Jeff Watson (NIGHT RANGER, MOTHER’S ARMY) who himself became involved with the group following the departure of Bruce Kulick (KISS, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD). Kulick was unable to commit to the new project due to his heavy touring schedule with GRAND FUNK RAILROAD.

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

Deep Purple live at Thunder Valley Entertainment Center (Lincoln, USA 2014-08-08)

First off, I may try to add bits of humor to this review to keep it interesting to myself having to type it as I’m not a good typist! My views are mine, yours would likely be different. Past DP lineups and members will be mentioned as I am a nostalgic sort of fan. I am not saying one is better than the other so hopefully no one reading this takes offence as none is intended!
The Venue is outdoor Amphitheatre style probably about 100 yards long, 50 yards wide approx. so not too big. BOC opened and as i owned 2 cassettes of theirs back in the day, you could hardly call me a fan. I only recognized Buck Dharma and Alan Lanier as far as members. They were quite good but didn’t move around too much as I guess all of us are getting old! Actually, the most impressive guitar solos of the night go to
Buck D and the other guitarist (?) during an older song apparently about pot called
“The First Day of May”. The guitarists took turns soloing and really built to a climax.Pretty impressive! Purple Family wise, BOC has had 4 drummers and a bass player from Rainbow in their past lineups: Bobby Rondinelli, Chuck Burgi, Jon Micelli, and John O Reilly. Greg Smith was on bass at some point in their history as well. DP Family members get around!
I took my 15 yr old son “Richard” (named after a certain guitarist) and it was his first
concert ever. We never even sat in our assigned 5th row seats on Roger’s side and sat in the
center section about 4 rows from the front at first instead. I video taped about half of the show and
as i had recorded the entire Gillan’s inn show in San Francisco back in 2006, I did
not want to have to babysit the camcorder for the whole show again! What struck me the most was how laid back the atmosphere was. No pushing or shoving, no fights, no passed out,f#@ked up people etc. We were able to watch from the very front railing about halfway into Purple’s set as the crowd was quite relaxed. I have been suffering from Tinnitus for about a year . As a precaution, I took earplugs. I have NEVER done that before but did so for my son’s sake as well. (years of playing drums have taken it’s toll i guess). I could have not bothered as this was the quietest show I have been to since Blackmore’s Night in 2005! It probably
stems from the fact that it was a casino show and the casinos don’t want to blow the old folks’ hearing aids out. Still, the sound was balanced very nicely, no distortion etc but, I kind of missed the power that volume can bring. The set was as in Costa Mesa except Green Onions was replaced with the old MKIII/IV encore track ‘Going Down’ which lasted about 45 seconds before ‘Hush’ kicked in.
So, Apres’ Vous was dropped as an opener in favor of the more familiar (to casual US DP fans) ‘Hwy Star‘. ‘Into the Fire’ is a personal fave of mine but Ian seems to struggle a bit in his delivery, still singing the changed lyrics about ‘stick your finger right up my bum’ or some such nonsense. ‘Hard loving Man’ to me comes across the best of the MK II tracks performed. Steve really plays his version of the solo nicely! Gillan striking his tiny Gong before the solo section bringing much laughter to the ‘Fans’ who have probably never seen him do that before! Steve was wearing a brace on his right hand and I assume he must be suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as that afflicts many guitarists. It only seemed that his right hand may have hindered his performance once during the show as he struggled with a fast solo passage once as I could see it on his face. This was not the best I have seen him play as I have seen him with DP probably 6 times, and with his Steve Morse band once in 1996. I feel that solo show in 1996 was the best I have personally witnessed him play! Part of that was not having to compare his performance of DP tracks to MKII versions. The onstage rapport of the band was a treat! Steve was ’grinning like a possum eating shit’ (old saying from my Dad) and Roger , Gillan and Don were doing likewise. Gillan was grooving with the music, at one point doing like a slow swimming motion that made me smile! I was surprised with the crowd recognition when ‘Strange KOW’ started as I think I have maybe heard it played on US FM radio once 30 years ago. About 1 minute into the song, the stage lights went out and stayed out for over 5 minutes and the problem was sorted by the end of the song. The band never missed a beat! As Chris Blackmore mentioned in his Costa Mesa 8/6 show review, Ian said more than once that ‘We’re getting good feelings/vibes/energy from all of you (audience) and we appreciate it”. As for the new tracks performed (only 3), ‘Vincent Price’ came across really well with Ian nailing the scream at the end which made me feel good! Ian has made his reputation on glass shattering screams throughout his career and it’s nice to know that this 69 year old still has it in him! At one point Don had some technical difficulty toward the end of the show and bent down to correct some equipment at his feet. When he stood up, he played the musical section in the wrong key but corrected himself. It also looked like he did not care for the heat we have been experiencing as he was wiping sweat off his face frequently. (It has been between 95 and 105 degrees the last 2 months here in Northern California.) Paice as usual was rock solid except he missed the drumhead and hit the rim instead on a couple of fills, grimacing as if to say ‘I know, I missed’! (It goes without saying I’ve done it many times myself!) I believe you could program a metronome with his snare drum beats. He always finds a way to make his drumming exciting, but probably also to conserve energy, some of the Hi-Hat counts have gone from 8th notes to quarter notes, still retaining the feel and timing of his parts. Drum fills are fewer and farther between, but the build up triplet fills before the last verses of ‘Space Truckin’ are still as powerful as ever.! After the encores, Roger threw some picks out but they did not come near me (who started that? Everyone does it nowdays). I looked down and there was a pick at some guy’s feet across from me so I grabbed it as he didn’t see it, or didn’t want it. So, along with a $35 Japanese Tour program, I had something to take home besides memories and some video footage! During the show looking at the band up there, I couldn’t help thinking about all these guys have done in the past. Roger and Don with Rainbow 30 plus years ago, the band minus Steve with Ritchie over the years. Just got me missing Jon and wondering if Ritchie misses being on stage with Deep Purple. Almost a shame in many ways. I wonder what Ritchie was up to at the moment I was watching the band play a set without him and the fact that 80% of the songs played during the show were written by RB… I hope the fact that the venue was only maybe two thirds full (like during the BRON 1993 tour?!?) will not make the band skip Northern CA on the next tour which I plan on attending. I certainly hope more NEW songs make the setlist from Now What?! ‘s follow up! I WILL be there!

review by Scott W.

Deep Purple live at Orange County Fair (Costa Mesa, USA 2014-08-06)

Saw DP at the Pacific Ampitheater (outdoor, modern facility, holds 18,000 and was full) and they were in TOP form. Blue Oyster Cult opened with a tight and rocking set playing most of their hits and ending with Don’t Fear The Reaper. Relaxed and very tight. Great opener. Then the drum beat we all know for Highway Star. Let’s start with IG… His voice was spot on. Ian seemed to be energized from the crowd and commented about getting “great energy”. During one scream, you could hear him push for more and for a few seconds he had the scream we all love from the earlier years. Steve and he gave each other a great look of satisfaction afterward. I was so happy to see Ian at his finest. Into the fire, Hard loving man followed and I was in seventh heaven.

Steve. Wow. Been following DP since I was 12 years old when I borrowed my older brothers MIJ cassette. I am a Blackmore and Morse fan and was absolutely jaw dropped by Steve’s playing on this night. He had some new runs and riffs that blew me away…me thinks some of this will be on the next album. I am still amused by watching him smile through the whole concert. A DP guitarist smiling? Whooda thunk it. Don. Wow again. Had my wife, 21 year old daughter and 20 year old son with me, which was a treat, and my son was blown away by the sound and ferocity of Don doing his thing. The torch couldn’t have been passed better 10 years ago. (R.I.P. Jon). As is the tradition, Don threw some California themed and Beach Boys Nuggets into his solo. And smiling too (will I ever get used to DP being a happy band?) Roger. Come on, it’s Roger. Solid and enjoying every moment of it, singing along to much of the music. A rock, in rock. Ian Paice. Seriously. No one person should have those skills. Together with Roger, the low end was handled like Swiss time. It is fun to see IP run the show too. It all comes back to him pulling the band back into the fold following their improvisation moments.

Someone else has posted the setlist from Ventura, and this was the same as far as I can remember (what beer?). 3 Now!What? songs. Vincent Price seemed to fit best (IMHO) in the live set. Uncommon Man was special to those who know the song and meaning, but the crowd relaxed a bit during the new numbers as would be expected. It was a joy to hear the new stuff live.

The band seemed to be having the time of their lives, like new kids with fun toys. Sound and lights were spot on. Ian had a bit of a verbal encounter with an A**hole up front, but it was brief and Ian let it go after a few seconds. I went in with great hope, as this was the first time our kids got to see the band their dad plays constantly at home, and DP did not disappoint. It was fun for me to see my kids see the very best of musicianship, live, with no audio trickery, or big flashy production numbers. Now they know why dad’s neck and voice is always hurting after a show.

On a scale of 1 to 10…. a solid 11

review by Chris Blackmore

Several items appeared in the US press in the last few days that didn’t seem significant enough to warrant separate posts.

ABC News Radio has an interview with Steve Morse promoting the tour.

There is a generally positive, if superficial review of the opening night of the tour in Scottsdale, Arizona, at AXS.com.

VC Star opted for a bootleg quality video clip from the show at Ventura County Fair on August 5.

And perhaps this would be the right time to remind you that you can send in your own review of a show via our review submission form.

Thanks to Andrey Barabanshchikov and Amit Roy for the info.

It’s a poorly hidden secret that one Ritchie Blackmore has an admiration for one Ian Anderson. After all, after unknown amount of persuasion, Anderson played a flute solo on the first Blackmore’s Night album. The whole thing was arranged online. The solo was recorded overseas and overlayed in the studio later on. A little less known fact is that some time later said Mr. Anderson got a very stern notice from Her Majesty’s Customs to present his sorry arse at the nearest office for explanations. Turns out, there was a package in his name containing a handgun. In full compliance of the 2nd Amendment, but a big no-no back in the old country. That was Ritchie’s way to say thank you.