Swedish prog-metal band Opeth is releasing live footage and audio from the band’s recent performance at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall. The front cover artwork concept pays tribute to the original Concerto for Group and Orchestra album, underlining the band’s longstanding love for their roots. As recently as this May Opeth’s rhythm section of Martin Axenrot on drums and Martin Mendez on bass performed with Jon Lord at the Nidaros cathedral in Trondheim, Norway. You can see video of the rehearsals on JonLord.org.

Opeth In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall is due out on September 21 on Roadrunner Records.

Thanks to Daniel Bengtsson for the info.

As the Black Country Communion goes into the full promo mode, Glenn has just finished a European tour doing public appearances and interviews.

Interview to the French channel France 24 (in English) can be viewed at France24.com.

Acoustic performance (including Medusa and Catch The Rainbow) on Radio 3 RNE in Madrid (July 14):

Interview on Radio Lombardia in Milan (July 15):

Black Country Communion will also appear live on Rockline radio show in North America on Wednesday, September 8 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to call 1-800-344-ROCK (7625) during the show with their questions. Rockline is syndicated on many stations across US and Canada, some of which also broadcast online.

Thanks to Blabbermouth.net for the info.

You had a terrible day which seems to be going from bad to worse. You finally get to the gig, look on stage and see a bass player happily bouncing around. And you think to yourself “oh, these guys have it so easy…”

Rrright.

These days are a breeze by comparison; we have it easy, not that we don’t sometimes have to endure all sorts of trivial irritations. As Alice Cooper says in his song, it’s the little things that really get your goat. Take the other day…

We had a couple of days off so after a quick trip back home I fly to rejoin the band. Either a virus or a bout of food poisoning has my bowels in turmoil so after an anxious flight and then a taxi ride, I arrive at the hotel late at night, pay the driver and run for my room and the toilet. Waking up exhausted the following morning I discover that I have lost my wallet, probably dropped as I paid the taxi driver. After all the usual phone calls and searches I have to kiss goodbye to what was in it – not a lot, just everything of importance…

Read the story of a day in the life of a bass player in Roger’s second installment of Road Life.

As we reported earlier, release of the Nick Simper’s Mk1 Songbook will be accompanied by single of The Doors’ Roadhouse Blues backed by Hush (unreleased version) and The Painter. The single will be available on a CD and not as digital download.

This will Simper’s first single release since 1982’s Russ Ballard penned Just Another Day with his then current band Fandango. So what on earth possessed them to release the single in this day and age?

During the recent live performances of The Deep Purple MKI Songbook with Austrian band Nasty Habits, Simper has had a long-held desire fulfiled. As an admirer of The Doors, he had always wanted to play Roadhouse Blues, the opening cut from the band’s fifth album, Morrison Hotel.

Although it’s the only non-Deep Purple song he performs in the shows with Nasty Habits, it always goes down a storm with the audience and Nick Simper was keen for the world to hear their version. As it was illogical to include it on The Deep Purple MKI Songbook album release they initially considered releasing it as a download single. But then they had second thoughts. They figured that most of Simper’s fans are like them — traditional in their thinking and prefer a “proper” record as opposed to a mere “digital file.”

The single will be released on August 16th by Wymer Records.

In his 1997 interview for the Japanese TV RB explains origins of riffs for several Purple classics. Some are very well publicized, some are not. Some connections are pretty obvious, while others not so much.
Continue Reading »

This press release just hit The Highway Star:

Acclaimed guitarist/composer Steve Morse has teamed up with breakout singer/songwriter Sarah Spencer to release Angelfire, an album of haunting, harmony-laden acoustic songs.



Sarah Spencer, 22, grew up in a musical family. She began piano lessons at age six, and was recording original material at ten. At 14, she was cast in a VH1 reality show (ultimately cancelled) that followed the lives of teenage prodigies. She wrote in the operatic pop genre, inspired by orchestral movie soundtracks. Spencer began working with established producers during her teens, recording live-orchestral songs with producers Paul Weston and Al Steele.



Sarah met Steve when she was 16, and they began collaborating on what was to become Angelfire.

“When I first heard Sarah sing, I was amazed…I’d never heard a voice so pure,” says Morse. “My first thought was to write an album with her so I could hear and share it with other people.”

Sarah responds, “Steve has been so generous throughout our collaboration. Everyone knows about his incredible talent, but only a lucky few know about his big heart. I feel so blessed to be able to work with this renaissance man!”



Their collaboration represents several firsts for them both. Even after 44 albums, Steve has never written a vocal album. Sarah is stepping out front as a performer and songwriter. And despite their cumulative experience spanning multiple genres of music, neither has written anything that sounds like Angelfire.


Steve Morse is often described as a “musician’s musician,” acclaimed amongst artists but eschewing the public limelight. The six-time Grammy nominee is renowned as much for his writing as his guitar playing, garnering such accolades from peers as being voted “Best Overall Guitarist” for five consecutive years (Guitar Player magazine).

Morse adeptly fuses a wide range of musical styles, including jazz fusion, bluegrass, southern rock, baroque classical and metal. Whether playing with the Dixie Dregs, the Steve Morse Band, previously with Kansas or with Deep Purple (going on 15 years), Steve continues to leave his mark as a distinctive songwriter and guitarist.

Album credits:

Steve Morse: Acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards

Sarah Spencer: Lead and background vocals

Bass guitar: Dave LaRue

Drums: Van Romaine

Produced by Steve Morse



Track Listing

1. Far Gone Now (3:50)

2. Everything to Live For (4:30)

3. Feelings Are Overrated (3:39)

4. What Made You Think? (2:57)

5. Here Today (3:55)

6. Get Away (4:25)

7. Pleasant Surprise (3:48)

8. Terrible Thing to Lose (4:18)

9. Omnis Morse Aequat (3:36)

10. Take It or Leave It (3:57)

11. Urban Decay (4:18)



Released on Radiant Records. 
Retail distribution by MVD and others



More info:

angelfiremusic.com

myspace.com/angelfiremusic

facebook.com/angelfiremusic
stevemorse.com

sarahspencer.com


On June 26 Episode Six had their reunion at the Sheila Carter’s house in England. Later that day, the Roger’s sister Christine 60th birthday party witnessed a reunion of Roger’s very first band — The Madisons. Roger writes about those days:

The three of us needed a drummer and a singer and so we approached Harvey Shield, who could often be heard rehearsing drums with the pipe and drum school military band. The conversation went something like, “Ere, Harvey, ‘ave got your own kit?” Having replied in the affirmative he was duly invited into our fledgling enterprise. Mike Duvall was good looking, played pretty good piano and also sang so he became the last one to complete our line-up.
We settled on the name because American pop music was far cooler than its British counterpart and one of the few American names we had heard of was Madison Square Garden. Of course, we would never consider having the word ’square’ in our name – it was a very powerful word describing anything that was uncool – and so we became The Madisons.

Rad the whole story of the slightly Dickensian school days in Harrow, the mesmerized teenager, The Madisons, which eventually merged with another local band The Lightnings, which eventually became Episode Six, on RogerGlover.com.

At last Deep Purple play Belfast. Unfortunately, due to the financial collapse of the promoter, the show was moved from the outdoor Custom House Square to the nearby St George’s Market.

The market, a working market for much of the week and across the road from the Waterfront Hall, does not share it’s neighbour’s fine acoustics. In fact the sound is possibly the worst in any venue I have been to with harsh reverberations and howling feedback.

Gillan and Morse particularly seemed to struggle initially to hear themselves; the singer walking almost off stage at times during the opening couple of songs in an apparent attempt to hear himself and the guitarist suffering tuning problems necessitating several changes of guitar.

The Belfast crowd however were pleased to have the band here at last and sang along throughout. And, despite the poor sound, the band were on fantastic form. Gillan was in good voice; Glover was clearly enjoying himself; and Paicey proved again that no-one can touch him.

Don Airey seemed less of a hired hand than I’ve seen him before. But this was definitely Steve Morse’s night. He was superb – firing picks into the crowd while rattling off amazing riffs and solos. He has been in the band as long as the man in black was and is as key as his three longer serving bandmates.

Hopefully DP will return. And hopefully they will get the venue they deserve next time.

Setlist:-
Highway star
Ted the mechanic
Strange kind of woman
Maybe I’m a Leo
Rapture of the deep
Fireball
Contact
Sometimes
The well dressed guitar
Mary long
Lazy
No one came
Don airey solo
Perfect strangers
Space truckin’
Smoke on the water

Green onions
Hush
Black night

Deep Purple make a long overdue return to South Africa after a 15 year break. They were last here in March 1995 just before the release of Perpendicular.

The concert was kicked off by Wishbone Ash and Uriah Heep doing short sets before Purple hit the stage at approx 10pm. Having last seen them live in Holland during the Bananas tour in 2004 at the Bospop festival, I was eagerly anticipating this show having missed a couple of other opportunities of seeing them in the UK more recently.

The venue was great, sound & lighting excellent but the organisation of food & drinks were a shambles. Gillan looked a bit tired and didn’t have much inter song chat as usual but he still has a great voice. Roger was as solid as ever and seemed to be enjoying himself as usual. Ian Paice was rock solid and got rave reviews from some of my drummer friends.

Don Airey was brilliant and had that Hammond screaming at times. His solo and build up to Perfect Strangers was fantastic. Steve Morse was really enjoying himself out there and most of the comments I have heard post-show were about his amazing ability & tone.

Set List as far as I can remember :-
Highway Star
Things I never Said
Strange Kind of Woman
Maybe I’m a Leo
Rapture of the Deep
Fireball
Contact Lost / Well dressed guitar (morse solo)
Sometimes I feel like screaming
Mary Long
Lazy
No one Came
Don Airey solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Trucking
Smoke on the Water
Encores:
Hush
Black Night

All in all a great concert and hope we don’t have to wait another 15 years to see them again in South Africa, unlikely as that would be as Gillan & Co. would be in their 70’s by then!!!

Cheers,
Dereck

Almost 1 year ago I told you the story, how hundreds of Georgian fans travelled 2000km to see Deep Purple’s concert in Istanbul and to meet Ian Gillan personally.

Now I tell you, how 1,000 Georgian fans travelled to Armenia for Purple’s concert again. We all rented 5 buses, several mini-buses, taxes, personal cars and trains to arrive there from Tbilisi. The way to Yerevan was kind of boring, because the transport was movi8ng slowly. But it doesn’t matter, we watched DP DVD-s at the bus, so, we were at the right mood and totally ready to rock.

I had one more reason for being exremely happy: a planned meeting with Ian Gillan. Of course, there was Sally, Gillan’s P.A. (probably one of the lovelyiest girl I’ve ever met); there was Bron, Ian’s beautiful wife, there were we – 5 Georgian fans and IAN. The meeting was very emotional and after that, we had left nothing to do but waitting for the concert.

There was NO standing tickets for the show, all seated. What an annoying decision for the rock concert.but there was a big space left from the first row till the stage. Georgian fans agreed before the concert that we would fill the space, so that to make an unofficial Front Of The Stage STANDING situation. And we did. from the first second of Highway Star, the crazy crowd of 200-300 Georgians rushed into the front of stage, including me.

The 10,000 capacity indoor stadium Demirchyan was sold out!!! From the first second of concert I thought: “oh my god, did Purple guys find the elexir of constant youth?”. They were in at least 2-times better shape than in Istanbul last year. Gillan was screaming out the arena. He hit all those high notes in Highway Star, Fireball and Space Trucking. Yes! he did that.

During the Fireball I thought that I was living not in 2010, but somewhere in 1972-73. They did a BOMBING version of Fireball. My personal highlights were… amm… actually there was not particular highlight at the show, because THE WHOLE SHOW WAS A ONE BIG HIGHLIGHT ITSELF!!!

oh, and yes, A HUGE THANKS for thehighwaystar.com as I met one Iranian fan who I knew from here. They (Iranians) were three – all of them rocking and rolling like crazy people – with us.

This is how Deep Purple had one eye to Asia (on the last tour), and another to Caucasus. I met Kate, probably the hardest-core DP fan you could imagine EVER! she’s a [maybe] 25 yrs old nice girl from Germany and she has attended… hold your breath – she has attended more than 150 Purple concerts, another 40 concerts from upcoming European tour already booked.

P.S. When I first started listening to Deep Purple, my first thought was “will I ever be able to see them live?”. Now I’m 21 yrs old and have seen them for 2 times.
Attending Purple show isn’t my dream anymore. I have another dream right now: to attend more DP concerts than Kate has done ever 😀 haha

Setlist:
Intro – Romeo et Julliet (by Prokofiev)
Highway Star
Things I Never Said
Maybe I’m a Leo
Strange Kind Of Woman
Rapture Of the Deep
Fireball
Contact Lost
Steve Morse Solo
Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming
Well Dressed Guitar
Mary Long
Lazy
No One Came
Don Airey Solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Trucking
Smoke On The Water
——————
Hush
Black Night