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:
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 return to rock Germany!
Totally stoked about our upcoming appearance at the CHAOS DESCENDS Festival, which takes place at Ferienland CRISPENDORF between 16-18 July.
We’ll be hitting the stage at 19.50 on Saturday 18th, just before SWANS, who I’m looking forward to checking out.
WITCH CROSS will be making a few more live appearances this year, so keep an eye out on these pages for more news!
Kev Moore
I’m back!
Yes, dear readers it’s been a long time, but I’m going to try and find time to rekindle my blog posts. Owing to the fact that it’s been forever since I’ve been on here, the next few posts will probably be retrospective in nature… so let’s get right down to it with WITCH CROSS’ first ever appearance in the UK at the Mighty BROFEST in March of this year.
We had an absolute ball, and you can too…the entire set is here in this article for you to watch!
Support these wonderful regional festivals and KEEP METAL ALIVE!
FOLLOW WITCHCROSS:
twitter: @witchcrossdk
website: http://www.witchcross.dk
METAL ODYSSEY’S TOP TEN SONGS OF 2013
Metal Odyssey puts DEMON IN THE MIROR at #2 in it’s Top 10 songs of 2013! Hell yeah!
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog
METAL ODYSSEY’S TOP TEN SONGS OF 2013 – Within the release of untold thousands of Hard Rock and Metal songs during this past year, these are the songs chosen as Metal Odyssey’s Top Ten Of 2013!
This is a list of songs that I’ve turned to countless times during 2013; songs to psyche me out, lift me up and shake me loose! I hail the musicians and songwriters behind each song listed here; for each song on this list is uniquely special. A link is below each album cover; sending you to a 2013 Metal Odyssey post featured on that respective song. I sincerely hope you can enjoy one, a few or all of these songs!
Metal be thy name. – Stone
#10
KROKUS – DOG SONG
KROKUS “Dög Song” – New Music Video ROCKS And Is Hilarious!
Above link is for an original post featured on Metal Odyssey on June…
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WITCH CROSS “Axe To Grind” – A Legendary Return To Metal Prominence!
Great review from Metal Odyssey!
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog
5 Out Of 5 METAL Fists!
WITCH CROSS – With two original band members (guitarist/songwriter Mike Koch, bassist Jan Normark), the legendary True Metal attack of WITCH CROSS has returned for their sophomore studio album: Axe To Grind (Hells Headbangers). These Danish Metal warriors indeed have returned! Fans of WITCH CROSS and Traditional Metal most likely never thought a follow-up to 1984’s (debut) FitFor Fight would ever come to pass; I was certainly one of them! Now I’m forever psyched-out… Metal be thy name.
Once news broke of a WITCH CROSS reunion, with live gigs and Festival performances taking flight in Europe these last two years, the momentum of this dynamic Metal band metamorphosed into a flaming Metal juggernaut! Axe ToGrind has proven to my Metal soul and senses that it’s truly a spectacular return to Metal prominence for WITCH CROSS; with the songwriting…
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KEV MOORE Of WITCH CROSS – Reveals What Album He Cannot Live Without!
An article I wrote recently for the most excellent METAL ODYSSEY!
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog
Kev Moore
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This post marks the first of (hopefully) many features that showcase musicians and the album they cannot live without. Every music lover has that one album they cannot live without! I would think, anyways! Metal be thy name.
The only parameters I’ve asked from each gracious participant is that they notchoose an album of their own and they can answer in as many words as they would like. Our first participant is Kev Moore! Kev has a Rock ‘N Roll resume that is exceptional, is a multi-instrumentalist and is the lead vocalist/songwriter for the legendary Witch Cross.
Here’s Kev Moore’s album he cannot live without, in his own words:
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Way back in the hazy days of the early 1970’s, barely a month went by without a band releasing an album of note. They were the times. Rock music was gaining momentum…
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All Hail The Mighty WITCH CROSS, For “Demon In The Mirror” Is: Stone’s METAL Pick Of The Day!
Reblogged from METAL ODYSSEY: Keeper of the Metal Flame!
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog
WITCH CROSS – Honestly, the Metal comeback story of the legendary WITCH CROSS is one for the METAL ages. Who would think this Metal band would ever return? And return they have! With a Metal vengeance! With their (also legendary) peers SATAN making a Metal comeback as well in 2013, I couldn’t be more overflowing with Metal glee!
What’s so remarkably impressive about this WITCH CROSS Metal comeback are their (obvious) connection to their fans, their wooing same fans at various European Metal festivals and the lead single, Demon In The Mirror, from their forthcoming NEW studio album: Axe To Grind.
Metal as my witness, Demon In The Mirror has made me feel like a Metal kid again; making me feel the way I did when I first heard such classic Metal songs as: You’ve Got Another ThingComin’ (Judas Priest), Denim And Leather (Saxon), Power (Rainbow) and
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Bio
(Born: 20th May,1958, Chesterfield, England) is a Bass Player and Lead Vocalist. Formerly with Tubeless Hearts, he played with English Pop band Christie from 1990 to 2003, and featured in Graham Oliver’s Saxon on two European tours, before other commitments resulted in John Ward taking over vocal duties for the resulting Oliver/Dawson Saxon CD releases. Nevertheless, he appeared on Graham Oliver’s solo album End of an Era returning the favour after Oliver had appeared on Tubeless Hearts Three CD. READ MORE….
Tubeless Hearts 1994
Christie 1990
with Graham Oliver
BC Sweet 2008
CD’s AVAILABLE NOW!
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