CLASSIC ROCKERS DEEP PURPLE
Guitar man Steve Morse continues to serve plenty of new ideas for Deep Purple bandmates
DEEP PURPLE When: Sunday, 7: 30 p. m. Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre Tickets: $ 78.50- 98.50 ( including fees, taxes) at tickemaster.ca
Tossing guitar whiz Steve Morse onto the smouldering embers of Deep Purple helped fuel a new era for the classic British rockers and kept them burning for nearly two decades.
Since the flaxen- haired guitar hero replaced rock legend Ritchie Blackmore in 1996, Deep Purple has not only released four studio albums, a handful of live projects and a couple concert DVDS, but also spent much of its time touring the world. The latest leg of the voyage, part of the Songs That Rock Built world tour, is a cross- Canada excursion.
“The last 18 years of Deep Purple have been pretty much unpack the suitcase, wash your clothes, pay the bills, fix things that are broken and start packing your suitcase,” says Morse, who, like any professional musician, appreciates a steady gig, especially one that lets him stretch out alongside a topnotch band.
“I had my doubts as to whether it was going to work with them,” the Ohio- born musician says, “but as luck would have it, we happened to come across with great chemistry. I was surprised they were such good musicians.
“Don’t tell them I said that. They were all pulled into the band because they were exceptional.”
Morse is no slouch himself. Known for his inventive exploration of jazz fusion and Southern rock, the university- educated guitarist was the creative force behind the Grammynominated Dixie Dregs before going on to release a string of solo projects, including his landmark 1991 album, Southern Steel. He also did a stint with Kansas in the 1980s.
A Purple fan in his highschool years, Morse probably should have been intimidated at the notion of filling the role long held by one of the world’s most influential guitarists. But no.
“They wanted a guitarist that wasn’t the same as Ritchie and I had no problem being different,” he says. “The idea was where do we go from here, as opposed to how do we best present where we were. A lot of that is Roger’s way of thinking.”
Morse, 57, rounds out a semi- classic Purple lineup that includes bassist Roger Glover, singer Ian Gillan, drummer Ian Paice and, the newest member, keyboardist Don Airey, sitting in for Jon Lord, who is battling cancer.
A fifth latter- day Purple album is in the works, Morse said, but only a few songs have been written. The work is bumped when touring opportunities arise.
“Because recording is not anything you can realistically expect to make an income off, it has to be timed. Any time a tour comes up, it gets pushed aside,” he says.
When they are in writing mode, Morse’s job is to contribute plenty of musical ideas. The others pick the ones they think would work and they tackle them as a group.
“I encourage everyone. If you’re going to bring something in, don’t bring in a finished piece because then it’s not a group effort,” Morse says. “The idea is to get everybody involved in every piece and that really keeps our group identity going.”
Another element to songwriting success is to pursue side projects. Purple encourages the band members to expand their horizons “to get more flavour and different experiences within the group,” as Morse puts it.
Morse is part of an all- star collaboration with prog- rock singer- keyboardist Neal Morse ( no relation). Their band, Flying Colors, includes former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, Dixie Dregs bassist Dave Larue and Austin singersongwriter Casey Mcpherson on lead vocals. A self- titled debut album is due for release this spring.
“It started with me going to make a prog- rock album with Neal,” says Morse.
“So we wrote some stuff, and it shifted from being prog rock to being very accessible material. It’s not us trying to be 20 years old and trying to look cool. We just love music and have a lot of experience doing it.”
That is pretty much the same approach he takes to his day job in Deep Purple.