Nick Simper has spoken to Rockpages.gr, which resulted in a quite interesting interview covering a lot of ground between his days in Purple, Warhorse, Fandango, Flying Fox and Quatermass, current projects with The Good Old Boys, and the recent release of The Deep Purple Mk1 Songbook with the Austrian band Nasty Habits.

Rockpages.gr: So, music is just a way of making a living?
Nick Simper: Well, I’ve been doing it for fifty years now, and now I just take what it comes. As I say to the guys in Nasty Habits, if people wanna come and see the show, fine. And if more people wanna see, we’ll do it, whenever anyone wants to hear it, we’ll do it. If people don’t want it, it will just disappear. Same as Fandango did. I’m more aged now, I don’t get too excited with the thought of touring too much or trying to sell records. That’s in the past. Through this, we met so many people all over Europe, made a lot of new friends. It’s very humbling to see so many people coming along with Warhorse albums, Fandango albums, Purple album. You know, people that are younger than my children are going out and buy them, that’s very humbling, very rewarding, that people still appreciate this stuff. Because, if you do some work and somebody says to you that “People will still appreciate what you have done fourty years from now”, you’d say “No, they won’t, nobody will even remember”.

Read the interview on Rockpages.gr. Really. Go read it. Rockpages have never been shy to publish controversial things, and this interview is no exception. There’s enough juicy bits in there.

Rockpages.gr: So, that was the problem in your case…
Nick Simper: Yeah, it was a problem. It was a problem, certain people didn’t agree, they didn’t like the fact that the guy that wrote the lyrics got as much money as the guy that writes the music. My point of view is the guy that writes the lyrics is the star of the show, because that’s the most important of the songs and I think Rod Evans was a genius. His lyrics were far better than anything, anything, has ever been written in other line ups, in Deep Purple. The guy was a great and if he had been allowed to develop at it, he would have been really good. There you go. That’s the way it is. That’s rock n roll. Once Warhorse started, we were able to do what I thought as more progressive stuff. But then again, it’s very difficult to play and maybe when you look in retrospect, a lot of it was clever for its own sake (laughs)… You know, you do something clever just because you can. I don’t think like that anymore. Now I like it just as simple to move you away, no clever stuff (laughs).

Nick Simper and Nasty Habits’ The Deep Purple Mk1 Songbook together with the single Roadhouse Blues will be available from Amazon.co.uk on September 6, and from other Amazon stores on September 14.

The Deep Purple Mk1 Songbook:

Roadhouse Blues B/W Hush & The Painter:

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Opeth’s lead singer and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt tells The Highway Star how the band came to dress their new live album and DVD in a sleeve that pays tribute to Deep Purple’s original Concerto for Group and Orchestra from 1969.

Both albums were recorded at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Opeth’s show took place in April 2010, and on a whim the band decided to do something different for the album packaging, explains Mikael Åkerfeldt.

– It was the obvious thing to do, we’re all big Purple fans in this band, and if we’re playing the Royal Albert Hall, how could we not do a remake of that sleeve? It’s a classic! We’d talked about how it would be cool to have a shot like that, but I didn’t really expect it to come out as great. I mean, it looks really alike, the colours and everything.

– We’ve often worn our influences on our sleeve so to speak – with song titles, album titles, album sleeves and lyrics being inspired by bands and artists we admire. But this is the most blatant one yet.

Initially, the band’s record label weren’t too hot on the idea.

– I had to fight a little bit for it actually. They wanted an alternative sleeve and it got to a point where I almost had to tell them to shut their mouths and just do as I told them, he laughs.

– Luckily, they believe in our artistic vision to the point where they virtually let us do whatever we want.

The actual photo shoot happened as a spur of the moment thing initiated by friend and photographer Christer Lorichs, who also happens to be a big Deep Purple fan.

– Christer just said, ‘let’s take the shot like Purple did’. After the show when we were a bit buzzed on red wine and whatnot, and kinda lazy and tired after having played for 3 hours, he dragged us up there, placed us in the same seats as where Purple had been sitting, and went ‘click’. Lo and behold, it became the sleeve!

– Actually, I think I am in Glover’s seat, not Gillan’s, which is not right. I’m a big Glover fan of course but I’m also the singer, goddammit!

The new album sleeve is a radical change from Opeth’s other album designs. How does the band think their fans will react to it?

– Some response has been like ‘Fuck guys, it’s not the goddamn 60’s! But most of the responses I’ve seen so far have been great. People understand the nod to Purple and they like it. It’s a change of course, but I like change. Travis Smith has done our artwork for 11 years, and I think he was delighted to do something completely different than the style he’s known for.

Do Opeth fans in general know about Jon Lord’s Concerto?

– To be honest, probably not. I try to ‘educate’ our fans on good rock music whenever I get the chance. But I think most people know only Smoke on the water and the hits as opposed to the Concerto. However, I am certain a few Opeth fans will be picking up the original Concerto now.

What does Jon Lord’s Concerto mean to the guys in Opeth?

– First and foremost it’s a great record. I love the film as well. Perhaps it’s not the most influential Purple record to me personally, but I find it to be rather unique, and at the time it definitely set Purple apart from the other hard rock bands.

– I am a fan of big dynamics, and this particular record has those dynamics. It’s something I’ve learned with time, that a clever use of dynamics can lift a song from great to fantastic. It keeps the interest up I think.

Various bands around the world have tackled Jon Lord’s Concerto with or without him onstage. Have Opeth ever thought about playing the Concerto?

– No, it’d be a bit too much for us. But never say never, right? I am not as much into classical music like say, Jon Lord’s, and neither are any of the other guys in the band. It’d be a bit too gimmicky for us to take on such a thing. I love big ideas, but for us I think we’ll stick to what we know best, and classical music is not one of those things.

Mediamax presented its “Pictures of Home” documentary on “Shant” TV Channel. From the promotional information:

The film is based on the footage, made in October, 2009, during the rock stars’ visit to Armenia within the framework of “Armenia Grateful 2 Rock” project, and the interview with Ian Gillan, recorded in March, 2010, after Deep Purple lead signer’s charitable concerts with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia.

“I believe that many Ian Gillan fans will see him from a different angle. In the film, Gillan speaks of his attitude towards religion, God, culture and is showed as a person, who has a deep and philosophical view for vital issues”, Mediamax Director and the scriptwriter of the film Ara Tadevosyan stated. “Naturally, Ian Gillan speaks of his attitude towards Armenia in the film”, he continued.

The archive recordings, which tell about Gillan’s first visit to Armenia in 1990, will become a surprise for those, who attended his concerts 20 years ago. Many of the participants of Ian Gillan’s and Tony Iommi’s meeting with fans, which took place in Yerevan “Moscow” cinema in October, 2009, will find themselves in the film as well.

“The title we chose for the film was not accidental. First of all, “Pictures of Home” is one of the brightest hits of Deep Purple, which Ian Gillan performed an encore during March concerts in Yerevan. Secondly, as the musician said himself, he considers Armenia his “spiritual home”, Mediamax Director stated.

The premiere of the movie was slated to coincide with the 65th birthday of Deep Purple’s lead singer on August 19.

“It is especially pleasant for us that the premiere of the film is taking place on “Shant” TV channel. This year we realized an important project together with “Shant”: “Ian Gillan the Special Guest of “Hay-Superstar”” TV show. I am sure that the show was a strong impulse not only for the participants of “Hay-Superstar”, but also for many young fans of rock music in Armenia”, Ara Tadevosyan stated.

“Pictures of Home” film is produced by Mediamax in cooperation with Zoom Production studio. “ArmRosGazprom” was the general sponsor of the film. It had also sponsored Armenia Grateful 2 Rock project.

Mediamax also expresses gratitude to all the people and organizations, who made a great contribution to implementation of “Armenia Grateful 2 Rock” project and Ian Gillan’s concerts with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia: the author of Rock Aid Armenia project Jon Dee, the Deputy Head of Armenian President’s Staff Vigen Sargsian, Ambassador of Great Britain in Armenia Charles Lonsdale, “VivaCell-MTS” Company and its General Manager Ralph Yirikian, bmi Airline and “Armenia Marriott” Hotel, “Triada” Studio, PanArmenian Photo. Mediamax expresses special gratitude to Susanna Ohanjanyan and Ara Gevorgyan for the provided archive video materials.

Thanks to Ara Tadevosyan of Mediamax for the details

Joe Lynn Turner’s management has issued the following press release:

While vacationing in Antayla, Turkey this summer, some Turkish businesspeople approached Joe Lynn Turner with the idea of presenting a major rock music festival in or near the city sometime in 2011. Turner agreed that this was a great concept.

While the festival is only in the “idea stage” at this time, Joe helped lay the groundwork for it by visiting with Mayor Mustafa Akaydin of Antalya. Akaydin said that the municipality should support the organization of such a festival. He stated, “Famous artists coming to the city will favorably promote both Turkey and the city. We already stage events to boost the city’s cultural and artistic reputation. It will make us very happy to do this.”

“Antalya is a ‘Gold Coast’ of international holiday destinations,” says Turner, “They have over 300 five star resorts in or near the area and are still building. Over 32 nations come here for vacations so this region seems like a great fit for a large scale music festival.”

He explains that the event would feature a mix of international and Turkish rock musicians. Although there is no definite date yet, Turner mentioned the possibility of holding the festival in May 2011. Joe describes his role as “The celebrity face of the project, working with government and sponsors. This will be a very big project and the work will be hard but worth the effort. We hope it is a big success! We have government support and the sponsors will give full support as well!”

Major international artists and/or companies interested in participating in or contributing to in this festival should email Joe Lynn Turner’s Executive Assistant, Lisa Walker.

JLT has celebrated his birthday (August 2nd) this year with a performance in St.Petersburg, Russia:

Thanks to Lisa Walker for the info. Video courtesy of Tatiana Marshanova and Nevsky Express TV.

British subscription TV channel Sky Arts will air highlights of this year High Voltage festival next Saturday, August 28th. The festival, which was held on July 24 in London, saw the last performance of Heaven & Hell, with Glenn Hughes and Jorn Lande joining on stage Toni Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice in tribute to the late Ronnie James Dio.

The show will air between 21:00 and 22:30 and is announced as “ZZ Top and Emerson, Lake & Palmer are the headliners giving riotous performances to a sell-out crowd in London’s Victoria Park at the 2010 High Voltage festival”, so it would probably be unwise to expect much of the H&H performance to appear.

Sky Arts does not to appear to be broadcasting online, although 2-3 minute excerpts from the recent broadcasts are available.

Thanks to Blabbermouth.net for the info.

An article published today on Guitar International starts with

Steve Morse is sitting in a studio on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida, chewing on a chocolate chip cookie and waiting patiently for the members of his band to show up for rehearsal. The band that’s he’s waiting for, though, is not made up of his regular musical partners. They are not the members of Dixie Dregs, not the members of the Steve Morse Band, not even the members of Kansas. No, this time Steve Morse is waiting for Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice – a group of Englishmen known for almost 30 years as Deep Purple.

We hope your heart didn’t skip a beat. Before the rumours start spreading like a wildfire, the article containing an extended interview with Steve is a reprint from May 1995 Guitar Magazine, when the band was indeed almost 30 years old. It is, none the less, an interesting read with the benefit of the 15 years of hindsight:

They asked me when we went on tour if I wanted to play any of my stuff. I said no – not because I was scared of how it would sound, but because the tickets that people were holding started with a ‘D’ and not an ‘M.’ Like any musician that performs for a living, I just wanted to do what was right for the show. In that light, they never had to tell me how to play, or what not to play. I know what people want to hear and I wasn’t going to change it, because it’s amazing to see the power some of these songs have over a crowd – it’s like pushing a button. It’s a rush for me, but I also know that it’s coming from familiarity with what Ritchie wrote. For me the challenge, live, is to make that work. So to play someone else’s stuff literally, in the style of the tune, I’m willing to be adaptable. I would do the same thing to a bluegrass tune that I might bring into my own band. What I do is just drop some parts that I might normally play in my style, things that might not be as interesting in the context of the song. On the other hand, I’m playing a lot more with the whammy bar in Deep Purple than I have recently [Laughs]. It’s funny, because when I first started playing, and especially all through college, the whammy bar was a big part of my style.

Read the rest of this rather lengthy and in depth article on Guitar International.

Thanks to George Kikonishvili for the info. We hope he didn’t start another rumour already. 😉

A trailer for the upcoming DVD Gettin’ Tighter: The Story of MkIV has been released to the public:

Release date has no been pushed from December 2010 to some time early 2011. The good news is that the DVD will include exclusive new interviews with Glenn Hughes and founder member Jon Lord that open the lid on the problems that beset Mk4 as they toured around the world: death, drugs and devastation, which led to its ultimate demise. Archive footage from the tour includes interviews with Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale and Ian Paice. Rare and previously unreleased concert footage includes performances of Smoke On The Water, Burn and Highway Star.

Glenn Hughes recently talked to http://www.faceculture.com. FaceCulture spoke to Glenn about the Black Country, California, Joe Bonamassa, his rock dream, forming a band, writing under pressure, playing live, drugs, autobiography, age, secrets, achievements and lots more! An excerpt is available above and the full interview can be watched on FaceCulture.

Hughes also talked about BCC with MariskalRockTV in Madrid. This interview can be watched below.

Guitar effects company TC Electronic has posted a couple of videos providing inside look into the effect setup for both Steve Morse and Don Airey.

Steve’s guitar tech Tommy Alderson walks us through his onstage setup:

Choice of the soundrack, although, did raise my eyebrow.

Don Airey uses a Nova Reverb for creating that classic Hammond Spring effect; while for the Moog he has hooked up a Nova Modulator for flanger effects:

Thanks to TC Electronic for the info.

In an interview with billboard.com, Black Country Communion drummer Jason Bonham says the band is talking about recording a second album before going on tour in 2011.

The band’s debut album is released in the UK and the rest of Europe on Monday September 20th, followed by a North American release on Tuesday September 21st.