Jeb Wright did an interview with Steve Morse for Classic Rock Revisited. In this lengthy interview, Steve talks about Flying Colors, Purple, and his obsession with Native American art.

Jeb: You are not an egomaniac musician and neither is Neal Morse. Did that make the process of having all that creativity manageable?

Steve: I certainly appreciated it and I really respected the amount of talent that everyone has, that’s for sure. I’ve gotten a little bit spoiled by always getting to work with great musicians. What really blew me away was the writing process. I was spewing out ideas and so were they, and nobody had a chance to get a word in edgewise. I was actually struggling to keep up. I really think this is one of the favorite albums I have ever been involved in.

Regarding Purple:

Jeb: Do you see your career, at some point in the future, going away from Deep Purple and more into the area of Flying Colors?

Steve: Yes, I definitely do. I don’t think Deep Purple can keep up the level of touring that we do, forever. I have always pushed them, sometimes too hard, for some control in the scheduling so that I can book stuff when there is a touring gap.

The problem I keep running into is that when a gap becomes available, then it is too late to book the dates for my solo stuff. I don’t find out about the dates being totally open until pretty late in the game. That is my only complaint with Deep Purple; I wish I had more control over the schedule. I think it is naturally going to slow down, somewhat.

Jeb: I hear a new Deep Purple album is on the way.

Steve: There is one coming up. The way we do it is that we record some ideas without vocals and then we present the ideas to Ian [Gillan]. There is more writing sessions scheduled in May, and then we will start recording in June and July.

There is a lot more where this came from.

Ian Paice will appear at the Musikmesse this year during the signing session(s) organized by Paiste (his cymbal company). The sessions are scheduled for

• Friday, March 23rd – 12:00
• Friday, March 23rd – 14:00
• Saturday, March 24th – 12:00
• Saturday, March 24th – 15.00

When exactly he will appear has not been announced. The other drummers to appear at the sessions are Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden), Felix Bohnke (Edguy), Mikkey Dee (Motörhead), Curt Bisquera (Sarah McLachlan), and Paul Stanley McKenzie (Gorillaz Sound System).

Musikmesse runs from March 21st to 24th at the Messe Frankfurt in Germany.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

The Learn To Play Day is a British national event taking place on March 31. The event will include free musical lessons to the public and “is designed to welcome people into music shops and to inspire them to get playing”. The event will take place in music shops across the UK. Ian Paice is confirmed to appear at the Drumwright in Reading to lend an expert hand.

Being given the gift of being able to create music is an incredible thing and most people don’t allow themselves this pleasure. That’s a shame. Try it, you could just make your life a whole lot more fun.

Drumwright is located at:

Loddon Vale Centre
Woodley, Reading, Wokingham RG5 4UL
UK

Thanks to Dave Hodgkinson and Music Radar for the info.

Glenn Hughes will do a tour of Latin America late April/early May as a part of the package billed under the moniker Rock’N’Roll Allstars. Other names on the bill include Gene Simmons (Kiss), Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), Matt Sorum, Duff McKagan and Gilby Clarke (all three of Guns N’Roses fame), Ed Roland (Collective Soul), Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Mike Inez (Alice in Chains), and Billy Duffy (The Cult).

Full details in our calendar.

Update [Mar 7]: The South American promoter Premier Producciones has leaked tentative setlist for the show:

Duff McKagan – ‘It’s So Easy’
Sebastian Bach – ‘Welcome to the Jungle’
Sebastian Bach – ‘I Remember You’
Sebastian Bach – ‘Youth Gone Wild’
Sebastian Bach – ‘Whole Lotta Love’
Sebastian Bach – ‘Crazy Train’
Glenn Hughes – ‘Highway Star’
Glenn Hughes – ‘Burn’
Glenn Hughes – ‘Smoke on the Water’
Glenn Hughes – ‘Firewoman’
Glenn Hughes – ‘Wildflower’
Ed Roland – ‘Shine’
Ed Roland – ‘Rebel Yell’
Ed Roland – ‘Man in a Box’ w/ Glenn Hughes
Gilby Clarke – ‘Knockin’ on Heavens Door’
Joe Elliott – ‘Animal’
Joe Elliott – ‘All the Young Dudes’
Joe Elliott – ‘Sugar’
Joe Elliott – ‘Tie Your Mother Down’
Gene Simmons – ‘Deuce’
Gene Simmons – ‘Doctor Love’
Gene Simmons – ‘I Love it Loud’
Gene Simmons – ‘Cold Gin’
TBD – ‘Paradise City’
Gene Simmons – ‘Rock and Roll All Night’

Thanks to BraveWords and Loudwire for the info.

The Canadian tour is over and truly yours had a chance to attend a few shows with a camera. Here are the results:

• Civic Centre, Ottawa, February 8, 2012
• K-Rock Centre, Kingston, February 9, 2012
• John Labatt Centre, London, Ontario, February 11, 2012
• Massey Hall, Toronto, February 12, 2012

These will also enter rotation on our front page.

An honourable mention also goes to Monster Truck, fun Canadian band, who opened up for Purple on select Ontario dates.

Many thanks to RG for fixing up photo permits. No thanks to the “suit” at K-Rock Centre.

Flying Colors have published a first batch of Steve Morse’s answers to fan questions submitted through their Facebook page:

Steve, are there any young guitar players who you particularly like? I mean we all know what your influences are but is there any new name that has caught your attention lately?

I’m not sure how young any of them are, but have recently enjoyed more visibility: Alexi Laiho, Guthrie Govan, Gus G, Corey from Jason and Massive Attraction (we just had them open up for us), and about a million others that are so good that I don’t have their names readily at hand. The list of guys that I know have been around for a long time and are great, is huge, too!

Read more on flyingcolorsmusic.com

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

A message posted on the official Whitesnake website informs us that the band will be put on hiatus for the rest of 2012:

At this time the band plan to spend 2012 in the studio, mixing live recordings made during the 2011 tour.

There are also plans to edit & mix a live in-concert DVD from the tour.

Other ‘Snake related projects are also in the works, including new material, though there are no definite plans to record a full studio album at this time.

Some of the band members will be keeping busy with other musical projects throughout 2012 & whitesnake.com will try to provide information related to their activities, as well as the individual member’s websites.

K-97 from Edmonton did a rather interesting interview with Ian Paice when the Purps were in town. Ian talks about the changing face of music scene, his experience of working with Paul McCartney, living where he lives and many other things. Around 15 minute mark he talks about Jon Lord, that his treatment is proceeding really well, and he’s hoping to get back to work around April.

Listen to the interview (mp3, 23MB).

Thanks to Nigel Young for the info.

Times Colonist from Victoria, BC, has published Roger Glover’s interview/profile:

Now, every night I step on stage I value it immensely. [Performing] is something very few people get to experience, therefore I can’t take it for granted. That’s the only time when there’s no distractions. There’s no phone calls, there’s no computers, there’s no family, there’s no children. There’s nothing except for your music and the audience. . . . It’s a lovely moment in time, and you’re so in the moment. You brain is whizzing along at light speed, because you react to what the others are playing. It’s a moving, liquid thing. You keep it together as possible, and also as expressive as possible.

Read more in Times Colonist.

Another interview with Roger, rather interesting, was done at the beginning of the tour by a Maritimes’ radio station Q104. You can listen to it in their blog or directly: part 1 and part 2 (mp3, 17MB total).

The coveted Blooper Award of the tour goes to Vancouver Sun, whose review of the local gig reads:

It took a few songs for Paice, who was wearing an ankle brace, to find his vocal footing, the rather unforgiving Highway Star proving challenging right off the bat, the rest of the band overpowering him.

And if you thought it’s the only blooper of the article, no. It is illustrated by a photo of Big Ian, whose name is spelled (you’ve guessed it right) Gillian.

Thanks to Monika Schwarz and Yvonne Osthausen for the info.

Ian paice will be a guest on My Planet Rocks radio show this Sunday, February 26, at 9pm GMT:

This week’s My Planet Rocks sees DEEP PURPLE’s IAN PAICE take the hotseat to pick out his favourite songs.

He talks about his band’s longevity, their plans for the future and he’s got an update on Jon Lord’s current health.

He also talks about the music that has inspired him over the years.

Planet Rock broadcasts online and worldwide.