Japanese promoter Udo Artists has announced three Deep Purple dates in the country: April 9 in Nagoya, 10th in Osaka and 12th at the historical Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. Tickets for the latter two are already available with Nagoya going on sale on December 13.

The 2014 touring schedule for the band is shaping up as follows:

• February: Scandinavia, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, and Israel.
• March: open so far.
• April: Luxembourg, Belgium, Sunflower Jam in London, plus one date high up in Swiss Alps, then off to Japan.
• They also have been announced to play Hellfest in France on June 21

See our calendar for more details.

Please note that only February dates, Luxembourg and Belgium have been confirmed by the band’s management at the time of this writing.

Thanks to Yvonne Osthausen for the Japanese tip.

Back in September, the BassPlayer.com published an in-depth interview with Roger Glover, which for one reason or another, went under our radar until now. It covers most of Roger’s illustrious career, from his first band The Lightnings, to Now what?!

How do you come up with your bass parts during the jam-to-recording journey?

Do you know the theory of the zen archer? The zen archer draws his bow back and as soon as he eyes the target he lets his arrow go. The reason is, the longer he hesitates and tries to make sure he hits the target, the more off he’s going to be because his hands will start to shake. In other words, your first instinct is always your best bet. When I hear Paicey [Ian Paice] play a certain rhythm, I think, Now what can I play to that? Actually, I don’t think; I just play it. It’s not a thought process anymore. We’ve played together for so many years we automatically sync in together. From there, my part will be shaped by the keyboard and guitar. Don [Airey] has a way of making chords sound not so simple; the naughty chords, as they’re called—they’re jazz chords in the rock idiom. That actually gives me some room to maneuver, because the one thing I’m wary of is going [sings steady eighth-notes] on the root note just to keep the rhythm going. I always want to move a little within my part to add a bit of interest and a bit of jump. But at the basic level, the bass has to anchor and groove at all costs. I mean, you can get a little complicated on the bass, but it doesn’t really help the song most times.

The question of Hall of Fame also came up and this is what Roger had to say (bear in mind, the interview was done before this year’s nomination):

Deep Purple was finally nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, but not voted in. Thoughts?

I don’t care about it, honestly; it would have been quite disruptive to go through that at this time. Ritchie [Blackmore] would have had to be there, and deservedly so, but that has the hallmarks of a possible nightmare, so I’m kind of glad we didn’t get in. One of the voters against us apparently said, “They don’t deserve to get in—they’re one-hit wonders.” If that’s the kind of people we’re dealing with, who needs it?

Go over to BassPlayer.com and dig into the rest, it’s well worth it.

Thanks to Andrey Gusenkov for the info.

Didi Zill’s photobook Deep Purple Fotografien has been spotted in the wild. Just like the first edition, it is a massive and heavy 465 pages thick book, with lots of brilliant pictures. According to the publisher, the first 3,333 copies are a limited edition, numbered and signed by Didi Zill. From what we hear, this is to compensate for the long waiting time and the numerous delays this book has had. (This second edition was first talked about all the way back in 2006!)

We have not seen the new edition in flesh and blood yet, but from what we’ve been able to ascertain, the colour reproduction problems of the first edition have been corrected.

A few snapshots of the book:

Update: The book can be ordered directly from the publisher (with rather hefty overseas shipping fee of €75). Amazon UK is a good alternative to save on shipping.

Joe Lynn Turner has recorded an original tune called Tied Down with Norwegian outfit Come Taste the Band. It has been featured in Classic Rock AOR magazine. Geoff barton writes:

…Now, we don’t really include the Purps within the hallowed pages of AOR, but when ace Norwegian guitarist Jo Henning Kåsin contacted me with the news of his project called Come Taste The Band, my interest was piqued, naturally. All the more so since Joe Lynn Turner is supplying the vocals. When Kåsin offered a brand new JLT & CTTB song called Tied Down for inclusion on this issue’s CD, how could we refuse? It’s a truly terrific track that captures perfectly the spirit of the Mk III and IV Purple line-ups, embroidered and emboldened by Turner’s sensational singing. Give it a listen now!

The track has been released as a single and, apart from AOR magazine’s CD, is available on iTunes and from the band’s website.

Thanks to Jo Henning Kåsin for the info.

Roger Glover’s message to the fans, the band, the crew, the management, the record company, and generally to the world:

2013 is almost over. And what a banner year it has been – Now What?! has made its mark and stormed up many a chart around the world giving the band a positive springboard for next year. Touring is over for the year and we had some killer gigs and a lot of fun – London, Paris and St Petersburg stand out but that’s not to diminish any of the others at all; every gig is valued.

Read more on RogerGlover.com

Roger’s very own Love is All is one the latest projects of the Playing for Change charity, which self describes as “a movement created to inspire and connect world through music”. Recorded by children all over the world:

‘Making of’ video:

Thanks to RogerGlover.com for the info.

Stormbringer cover art looks like hand drawn (because it is), but it is actually based on one of the most famous photos in the history of storm chasing. The dramatic picture (shown above) was taken on July 8th, 1927 (or 1928, depending on whom you believe), near Jasper, Minnesota, by a schoolgirl called Lucille Handberg. It appeared in the contemporary issue of The Milwaukee Sentinel, which had the story of the young photographer who chased the tornado to win a state fair prize.

Thanks to John Coulthart for the info (via Andrey Gusenkov).

This may look like yet another cover band, but what’s interesting about this one, is that it is made of students and teachers of a school in Oskarshamn, Sweden. They played a concert last Friday, November 22, which included Burn, The Mule, Space Truckin’ and Smoke On The Water. The core of the band consists of music teachers and students aged from fourteen to eighteen who joined in on guitar and vocals.

Update (Feb 19, 2014): complete video of the show is now available:

Thanks to Stefan ‘on the drums’ Nielsen for the info.

A message from Don Airey:

It was a great boost to the band to tour behind a hit album and very gratifying to hear audiences singing along to Vincent Price, All The Time in The World and the rest as enthusiastically as they did to Smoke or Black Night.

It has also been a tremendous lift realising the impact NOW What?! has had on people’s lives.

Here’s to the next one and thanks to you all for making this so possible!

Don

Thanks to Andrey Gusenkov for the info.

Concerto for Group and Orchestra got a name check in an episode of a British soap opera Coronation Street that aired on November 11:
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