The Art of Deep Purple in Cologne

Ritchie Blackmore, Tommy Bolin, Steve Morse

This coming Friday sees me off on my travels for an exciting 7 days. The first few are dedicated to representing my partner Miki’s art at a Deep Purple exhibition in Cologne, Germany this weekend. She has 9 paintings on show, featuring many DP members, past and present, and artists from all over the world will be exhibiting. Miki will be busy working in Spain at the time so I’ll be seeing to her interests at the launch weekend.

Miki’s website:

Miki de Goodaboom

The venue awaits the exhibits

In addition to the many paintings and sculptures, there will also be a collection of Roger Glover’s basses on display, plus signed items from Joe Satriani and Don Airey. Roger also has a number of his own artworks on display.

Opening night sees a Deep Purple tribute band – ‘Demon’s Eye’ performing too, so I’m looking forward to that, and also catching up with drummer Mark Cross (Scorpions, Firewind) on the opening night.

Roger Glover signs stuff for the exhibition

The Exhibition runs from April 14 to May 12 – if you’re in the area, be sure to check it out!

 

THE ART AND HISTORY OF DEEP PURPLE

 

Kev Moore

Granbretan Invasion!

Graham Oliver and Me playing some Saxon classics

Not long ago, Witch Cross were approached by our Metal buddy Bart Gabriel over at Skol records to see if we’d be interested in contributing a song to a new tribute album to the glories of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Needless to say the answer was a resounding “Hell yeah!”

The choice of song was a no-brainer for us. In our live show, one of our encores is the SAXON classic “Strong Arm of the Law”. Luckily I was over from Spain at the right time and we got the track recorded, but there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to have my long time friend Graham Oliver, Saxon axe-wielder extraordinaire on the track!

I drove up to Graham’s place in Yorkshire while I was in the UK and we headed up to Beat Street Studios in Leeds to record his parts. He’s the genuine article, the real deal, and his playing brought the song alive.

Graham working his Metal Magic

We’re really proud of our contribution to this fantastic project and can’t wait to hear what the other bands have done. Besides Witch Cross featuring Graham Oliver, it contains NWOBHM covers from Cauldron, Crystal Viper, Enforcer, Gatekeeper, Helvetets Port, Hitten, Ironflame, Martyr, Savage Master, Substratum, Twisted Tower and Dire. The album will be out later this year – stay tuned! Big thanks to my mate Jase Brooks at Beat Street for fitting in with our tight recording deadline!

L-R Kev Moore, Graham Oliver, Jase Brooks, Oliver Sekunda

Kev Moore

Taking The Long Road

I have been notably remiss in posting on here of late. No, scratch that – I’ve been bloody useless. In my defence, it’s been a time of turmoil, change and soul-searching, but it’s no excuse, not really. I am a creator, and I need to share that creativity with the wider world, whether the reaction be good, bad, or indifferent. I suppose it’s driven by that old philosophical adage:  “If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?“

Anyway, I may revisit some of the things I’ve been up to in the intervening couple of years, but for now, I want to share this with you.

In recent months, I’ve been doing some co-writing with an old friend, Steve Bonham. (Our connection goes back so far we’re into counting half-decades!) We last wrote a song together when we were about fifteen, so, as Steve likes to joke, we’re not what you’d call a prolific writing partnership.

Nevertheless, when he approached me to become a part of The Long Road, we began exchanging ideas.

We recorded over thirty songs at Woodworm Studios in Oxfordshire with Stuart Wood for a huge Anglo-Americana project, about half a dozen of which are co-writes between me and Steve. Woodworm is a studio steeped in history. Once owned by Dave Pegg, it has heard the talents of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull among others, and the ghosts of their songs move through the walls.

One of the songs we wrote was ‘The Girl with the Rattlesnake Heart’ and it’s a song that had some interesting beginnings. I wrote the music back in 2010, in the shadow of the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue in Austin, Texas. I’d been watching a squirrel playing in the trees and had the fanciful notion that it was a blues aficionado, influenced by SRV. I named him Nutz McGee.

Me and SRV…..

It was a frivolous lyric, and needless to say, it didn’t make it onto my ‘Blue Odyssey’ album of the same year. But I always kept coming back to the music, knowing I could use it some day.

When Steve approached me to see if I had any ideas this one came to mind. “I’ve got a song about a blues squirrel,” I said, straight-faced. When he’d stopped laughing, he gave it a listen. He came up with a fabulously evocative lyric that dovetailed perfectly with the mood of the music, and ‘The Girl with the Rattlesnake Heart’ was born.

I remember the recording session for the song. I was like some kind of long-haired Basil Fawlty, running up and down the studio stairs like a lunatic, recording drums, then bass, then guitar, then backing vocals! I like the juxtaposition of the two guitar solos, mine, then John Humphreys slide solo, a nice contrast. The minimalist low bass note on the piano from Chris Lydon harks back to my Blue Odyssey album. When I’d visited Sun Studios in Memphis, I’d learned that Johnny Cash used to do this to add gravitas to a track. I think it sounds great on this.

A couple of weeks ago, the band came out to Andalucia, and we filmed a trilogy of videos for the project. Here is the first of them. ‘The Girl with the Rattlesnake Heart’

We still call it The Squirrel Song. 🙂

Witch Cross in print!

Great to see WITCH CROSS’ appearance at the BROFEST UK Festival get a mention and a photo in the current edition of the respected Metal Mag IRON FIST!

Order your copy now!

Kev Moore

DISCOVER WITCH CROSS

Witch Cross on the Road – Very ‘Eavy Festival – Holland 2014

2014 Has been fairly quiet for Witch Cross so far, but there’s been a lot going on behind the scenes. As you may have read HERE, we are honoured to have our version of Angel Witch’s eponymous song on the newly released KEEP IT TRUE album, and we also have another tribute track in the works. our studio is currently undergoing a big refurbishment, and later this year we’ll resume work and the large number of demos guitarist Mike Koch and I already have written as a basis for the third album.

But more immediately, in just under three weeks, we’ll be hitting the road again and convening in Stadtskanaal, Holland  to play once again for our amazing Dutch fans at the Very ‘Eavy Festival, which features a host of great bands such as NWOBHM legends Tygers of Pan Tang and Dutch metal band Picture, who I met up with last year at Leyendas del Rock near Alicante.

Tygers of Pan Tang

Picture

Here’s a fun video promo for the festival:

Come along and bang your heads with us as we play songs from the classic ‘Fit for Fight’ and its follow-up ‘Axe to Grind’!

Kev Moore

Keep it True – The Album!

Witch Cross were recently invited to participate in a new Metal compilation album project, and in this instance, we had no hesitation in accepting, and were honoured to have been asked. Entitled Harder than Steel, the new album celebrates the bands that have appeared at the legendary KEEP IT TRUE festival at the Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen,  Germany, and indeed, the festival itself. This is where Witch Cross performed the first comeback show in 2012 – and was the springboard for relaunching the band, our new album Axe to Grind, and a string of appearances across Europe, so the festival, and its organisers are very dear to our hearts.

Bart Gabriel

Masterminded by our friends Bart Gabriel and Oliver Weinsheimer, the album aims to showcase bands who have appeared at the festival covering other well-known metal bands’ songs who have also appeared, and grew out of an original idea of Bart’s. We chose ‘Angel Witch’ by NWOBHM Stalwarts Angel Witch and are very happy with the result, and feel we are in good company with the other bands that have contributed to this fantastic project. Of course, the cover art is by Dimitar Nikolov, long associated with the festival, whose artwork we admired so much we commissioned him to create the cover painting for our own ‘Axe to Grind’. A festival in its eleventh year, KEEP IT TRUE maintains a special relationship with both the fans and the bands, and it is entirely appropriate that the ethos of the festival be commemorated in this way. This is a VERY LIMITED EDITION. There is a run of  only 500 copies, which can be purchased by attending this years KEEP IT TRUE festival, which runs from April 25th to the 26th….so what are you waiting for? Get yourself over to Germany, bang your head and buy the album!

Me with Robb Reiner from Anvil at KIT XV

TRACKLISTING:

01. ATTACKER – “Fire Down Under” (RIOT)
02. PARADOX – “March Of The Saint” (ARMORED SAINT)
03. CRYSTAL VIPER – “Night Of The Demon” (DEMON)
04. WITCH CROSS – “Angel Witch” (ANGEL WITCH)
05. OSTROGOTH – “Plan Of Peace” (LETHAL)
06. JACK STARR’S BURNING STARR – “Children Of The Storm” (VIRGIN STEELE)
07. SACRED STEEL – “All For One” (RAVEN)
08. NIGHT DEMON – “Axe Crazy” (JAGUAR)
09. WIZARD – “Mind Body Spirit” (VIRGIN STEELE)
10. BORROWED TIME – “Bound To Be Free” (SAVAGE GRACE)
11. SATAN’S HOST – “See You In Hell” (GRIM REAPER)
12. DEADLY BLESSING – “Notorious” (LIZZY BORDEN)

Kev Moore

01. ATTACKER – “Fire Down Under” (RIOT)
02. PARADOX – “March Of The Saint” (ARMORED SAINT)
03. CRYSTAL VIPER – “Night Of The Demon” (DEMON)
04. WITCH CROSS – “Angel Witch” (ANGEL WITCH)
05. OSTROGOTH – “Plan Of Peace” (LETHAL)
06. JACK STARR’S BURNING STARR – “Children Of The Storm” (VIRGIN STEELE)
07. SACRED STEEL – “All For One” (RAVEN)
08. NIGHT DEMON – “Axe Crazy” (JAGUAR)
09. WIZARD – “Mind Body Spirit” (VIRGIN STEELE)
10. BORROWED TIME – “Bound To Be Free” (SAVAGE GRACE)
11. SATAN’S HOST – “See You In Hell” (GRIM REAPER)
12. DEADLY BLESSING – “Notorious” (LIZZY BORDEN)
Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/keep-it-true-festivals-official-tribute-album-artwork-and-track-listing-revealed/#avvaUpEm10z1UpyF.99

01. ATTACKER – “Fire Down Under” (RIOT)
02. PARADOX – “March Of The Saint” (ARMORED SAINT)
03. CRYSTAL VIPER – “Night Of The Demon” (DEMON)
04. WITCH CROSS – “Angel Witch” (ANGEL WITCH)
05. OSTROGOTH – “Plan Of Peace” (LETHAL)
06. JACK STARR’S BURNING STARR – “Children Of The Storm” (VIRGIN STEELE)
07. SACRED STEEL – “All For One” (RAVEN)
08. NIGHT DEMON – “Axe Crazy” (JAGUAR)
09. WIZARD – “Mind Body Spirit” (VIRGIN STEELE)
10. BORROWED TIME – “Bound To Be Free” (SAVAGE GRACE)
11. SATAN’S HOST – “See You In Hell” (GRIM REAPER)
12. DEADLY BLESSING – “Notorious” (LIZZY BORDEN)
Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/keep-it-true-festivals-official-tribute-album-artwork-and-track-listing-revealed/#avvaUpEm10z1UpyF.99

01. ATTACKER – “Fire Down Under” (RIOT)
02. PARADOX – “March Of The Saint” (ARMORED SAINT)
03. CRYSTAL VIPER – “Night Of The Demon” (DEMON)
04. WITCH CROSS – “Angel Witch” (ANGEL WITCH)
05. OSTROGOTH – “Plan Of Peace” (LETHAL)
06. JACK STARR’S BURNING STARR – “Children Of The Storm” (VIRGIN STEELE)
07. SACRED STEEL – “All For One” (RAVEN)
08. NIGHT DEMON – “Axe Crazy” (JAGUAR)
09. WIZARD – “Mind Body Spirit” (VIRGIN STEELE)
10. BORROWED TIME – “Bound To Be Free” (SAVAGE GRACE)
11. SATAN’S HOST – “See You In Hell” (GRIM REAPER)
12. DEADLY BLESSING – “Notorious” (LIZZY BORDEN)
Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/keep-it-true-festivals-official-tribute-album-artwork-and-track-listing-revealed/#avvaUpEm10z1UpyF.99

Vagabonds of the Western World – Recording in Cong, Ireland by way of South London

Last Thursday I set out for Alicante, spending the night in a nearby hotel in order to feel remotely human when I caught the 7.30am flight to Stansted, England. This however, was not my final destination, but any further headway would be denied to me until gone 5 o’clock that afternoon. Faced with a mind-numbing day in this most soul-destroying of airports, I had sought alternative possibilities, and given that Witch Cross had been invited to participate with a track for a new German release tribute album, I jumped on the train down to South London, where our guitarist Mike Koch has his studio. “I can give you two hours” I said, and we set to work laying down as much vocal as I could manage. Things went so smoothly, he even had time to make me a ham and cheese bagel, so, a good result there!

Speeding back to Stansted I cast off my cloak of metal and surrendered to the folk music demos that my old friend Steve Bonham had furnished me with. As I escaped the hubbub of the city for the countryside, greenery flashing by, it seemed that my environment was mirroring this musical transition. I’d lived with this collection of Steve’s songs for a week or so, and had spent time in my studio firstly playing along, then expanding and weaving my own bass ideas around the well-crafted songs and lyrics. The last time Steve and I had collaborated musically seemed like, and in fact was, a lifetime ago. There was still an Iron Curtain, a Yugoslavia, and a Shah of Iran. The Beatles were all alive, and perhaps even more scarily, had only broken up a mere 3 years or so previously. We were young lads, stumbling over our instruments in the confines of our various parents’ garages, and it was a lot of fun. We didn’t play by the rules, because we didn’t have the slightest idea what they were. As I think I’ve mentioned before, it is a source of immense pride to me that our little village and surrounding environs on the outskirts of Derby has produced so many musicians and songwriters. Adrian Foster and I went on to perform in 80’s band Tubeless Hearts, and we still play together in ‘Yellow River’ hitmakers Christie to this day. Steve, and another couple of friends from those days, Tim Gadsby and Paul Bunting, went down the Folk route, culminating in a successful band with a number of album releases under their belt – Firkin the Fox. Enlisting the services of Fairport Convention/Jethro Tull stalwart Dave Pegg to their cause certainly did them no harm at all, and boosted their credentials. Steve and I may generally follow different musical paths, but scratch the surface and the similarities are surprising. there is a mutually deep respect for the written word, the importance of a lyric, the unwavering conviction that the ‘story is king’. It’s something I like a lot in Steve’s lyrics. They evoke emotion, create imagery, as all good songwriters strive to do.  It was a deep pleasure to be asked to perform on this collection of songs, closing a musical circle that’s been left open for some forty-odd years.

Tom & Steve in the control room

As the plane came into land at the fantastically remote Knock airport, I surrendered to the moment, and embraced this land of myths and legends, of tall tales and romantic visions, of relentless green and rushing rivers. From the moment ‘Matt the Taxi’ greeted me, I was among friends, some old, some new.

King Canute required….

Mountain View studios awaited…but not before a meal in Ryan’s Hotel on the Friday night, when we ate, drank and were indeed merry!

Me & Tim

So good to see dear Tim Gadsby again, who had generously lent me his basses for the session. Robbed of his ability to play the bass as he did so well due to the effects of Ataxia, I was honoured to have him by my side casting a watchful eye over proceedings as I laid my parts down. More than anything, I needed him to be satisfied with what I’d done.

Laying down some bass with Pat Coyne at the desk.

I connected wonderfully with Tom Leary, a superb guitarist and fiddle player, who tours with the likes of Lindisfarne and Clem Clempson. We swapped stories, songs and generally had a great time.  I was stunned by the talents of Pat Coyne, who, in between making sure everything was recorded correctly, would  randomly pick up a banjo or guitar and play like he was hard-wired to heaven. Similar moments that had me scraping my jaw off the floor were the arrivals of Stephen Doherty….a likeable lad who wandered in and played the flute with such feeling and grace that I began to believe in the supernatural.

Whistle while you work…

This train of thought was further strengthened when Jimmy Higgins arrived and raced through his percussive bag of tricks, layering a Celtic groove rich with the sounds of brushes, snare, bodhran and shakers that alternately caressed and drove the songs in equal measure. To say he was ‘on the money’ would be an understatement.

Jimmy on the Bodhran

The atmosphere in the sessions was relaxed, though workmanlike, as there was a lot of stuff to get through, not least of which a new song that Steve dropped on us upon arrival! Chris Lydon, a.k.a. ‘The Bishop’ provided a steady hand along with Pat marshalling the sessions to maximum effect and getting the very best out of everyone for the good of each composition.

On the Sunday morning, I stole a moment after breakfast to explore the village of Cong, where Mountain view studios is situated. Despite a grey veil of drizzle and the intent of the lakes and rivers to take over the roads, I found it a charming place, boasting a beautiful old Chapel, and a myriad of brightly coloured cottages that seemed to be only outnumbered by the local hostelries! There was a statue near the church, of a smiling man holding a laughing woman in his arms.

The face seemed familiar, as did the name of one of the pubs I had just passed – ‘The Quiet Man’. The penny dropped. The statue was none other than John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, who had starred in the film of that name, which was filmed in this very village. Matt the Taxi told me, as he drove me back to the airport after three wonderful days, that he’d had a call some years ago, enquiring if it would be possible to book a room at his Bed & Breakfast for a lady.  He’d asked the name as he took the booking and, upon hearing it, refrained from making any humorous comment, which turned out to be a wise decision, because the lady in question turned out to be Maureen O’ Hara herself, revisiting the site of what she refers to as “….my personal favourite of all the pictures I have made. It is the one I am most proud of…”

Matt himself was most impressed that she would want to stay in a B&B , and not one of the fancy hotels nearby, and indeed he describes her as a lovely down-to-earth lady. As I write she is still with us, aged 93, and I wish her good health. I understand why she would want to come back here. I do.

L-R: Chris “The Bishop” Lydon, Tim Gadsby, Tom Leary, Me

Kev Moore

Interview for the Almeria Life channel

Here’s an interview with me from my studio, The Indalo Cave, conducted by Almeria Life’s Catherine Eleman, in which I discuss my work across the different bands and genres. Enjoy!

Kev Moore

Our friends in the North…

I’ve recently returned from two wicked shows in two of Scandinavia’s capital cities: Copenhagen in Denmark, and Oslo in Norway. Witch Cross have their heartland in Denmark of course, and it was wonderful to see fans & friends old and new rocking out at the gig in Stengade. It was a full-on metal night with sets from Wasted and Death rides a Horse as well as our own.

We all de-camped to Lars’ house where as usual he didn’t disappoint in the breakfast department – fresh coffee, bread, eggs and pastries!

The Friday morning saw us flying to Oslo, a city I hadn’t performed in for more than 30 years, and Witch Cross as a band had never played in Norway. We arrived at the venue – Revolver – early in the afternoon and were excellently fed by the Australian chef from the restaurant above!

Heavy Metal Demons @ Revolver, Oslo!

We were supported on this show by Magister Templi, and by the time we arrived through the sub-zero Oslo night, the venue was rammed. It was incredibly moving to have all these headbangers in our face, wearing our name, singing along with every word. There were also fans there who’d seen us at Muskelrock in Sweden earlier in the year. It totally justified the hard work put into finally getting over there to perform. All we can say is – Witch Cross will be back, and it won’t be 30 years!

Kev Moore

Scandimania! – Witch Cross set to rock Copenhagen and Oslo

This week is a busy week for Witch Cross. I fly out to Denmark early Wednesday morning to meet up with Viking Metal buddies. An evening rehearsing and then we have shows in both Denmark and Norway’s capital cities. I’m absolutely buzzing at the prospect of delivering songs from ‘Fit for Fight’ and ‘Axe to Grind’ live again! Since the band re-formed, we still have relatively few live appearances under our belt, so it’s always good to crank up the guitars and get into the metal groove – we grow stronger with every show. If you’re anywhere near Stengade in Copenhagen on Thursday, or Revolver in Oslo on Friday, get yourselves down and rock the night away with us!

Photo by Sandro Chiozzi

2014 promises to be an even busier year for Witch Cross, we have a few cool things in the pipeline, so check out our website to be kept up to date with what we’re up to.

WITCH CROSS OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Kev Moore