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

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. 🙂

How cool is this? – The Mother’s Finest kickstarter project – 10 days to go!

Mother’s Finest, the legendary funk rock band from Atlanta Georgia, are asking YOU to participate in their bid to fund their first new album in 10 years. Visit their KICKSTARTER page to get involved!

Today, their guitarist Moses Mo released a video, detailing a brand new perk added to the bidding menu – the one-of-a-kind Mother’s Finest ‘shield’ guitar, built by Jordan guitars! Check out Moses’ video below and head over to the KICKSTARTER site to make your pledge.

BE PART OF FUNKIN’ HISTORY!

Kev Moore

Off Topic: Ataxia Awareness

Way back in the mists of time, in a quiet suburb of Derby, a host of young teens saw the decade morph from the 60’s to the 70’s, and were like-minded in their willingness to be swept along by, and participate in, its musical backdrop. We were a disparate group of lads, drawing on equally disparate influences, but we had that all-encompassing entity – music – in common.  There was a whole host of us, but the main players in the very early days were myself, Adrian “Fos” Foster, Mike Emery, Tim Gadsby, Paul Bunting, Tony Billinge, Colin Hidderley and Steve Carter. Some of us hadn’t even really sorted out who would play what. I started out on drums, moving much later to bass.  I vividly remember rehearsing in Steve’s garage, running through one of his own songs, ‘September’, and Tim was on bass.  Most of us went our own way of course, and drifted towards the music that most appealed. As our tastes an dinterests diverged,  Fos and I pursued the ‘Rock’ route, and indeed still do, and  Steve and Tim leaned towards folk. It still fills me with immense pride that quite a collection of us from a small part of Derbyshire have taken our boyhood dreams to levels we probably couldn’t conceive of back in those rose-coloured youthful days. I am certain that my unwavering dedication to my musical career has its roots firmly planted in those early times with my childhood friends.  Without those experiences, I would not be where I am today. My career is well documented in these pages,  Steve and Tim went on to record as ‘Firkin the Fox’,  “Dr. Big Love’, and worked with the likes of Dave Pegg (Jethro Tull, Fairport) and a host of respected Irish musicians. Their music is a far cry from mine, but it is imbued with a deep sense of Englishness, whimsy, and romance, and optimism.  Tim blossomed into a fine bass and fiddle player. Ataxia has robbed him of the dexterity to continue, though he continues to make music with computers.  Steve felt it was high time awareness was raised about this condition. It is often misunderstood.  Watch my friend Steve’s (stage name Steve Bonham) video below, learn about Ataxia. Tell your friends, and help if you can.

Kev Moore

ATAXIA UK

Happy Talk

A rather unusual string I seem to have inadvertently added to my bow is that of appearing on a talk circuit.  I’ve recently begun giving a series of impromptu lectures about my career in general, and some parts of it specifically, the latest being the story of my album ‘Blue Odyssey’ – the songs and the journey that inspired it.  I usually perform one of the songs from it acoustically too. It’s quite fun to be able to waffle on to a group of (usually ladies) who are interested in the life of a musician, and who usually know very little about it beforehand. It’s also become a surprising and successful outlet for selling my albums. It’s something I’m looking to do more of in the future, and to that end, I’m collating my diaries from my time in America with a view to eventually producing a companion book. Certainly, in this day and age, diversity is the key to gaining, and keeping, an audience.  Long may it continue! Today, I’ve just returned form giving one such talk to the Tuesday Ladies Club (TLC-geddit?!) on nearby Mojacar Playa, a lovely experience beneath blue skies and sunshine by the sea…nice work if you can get it!

You can order the album online at SHOPKEV

Kev Moore

Fallen Idol

I just unearthed a song I’m going to use for my next album, that I wrote about the late Amy Winehouse. I wanted to publish the lyrics here. They’re unaltered, and exactly as I wrote them on 19th.May 2008. Reading them again, I could clearly see it coming, as I’m sure those nearest and dearest could too. What I’ll never understand, not being a drug addict or alcoholic or having to deal with one, is how they could not prevent it. But , as always in these cases, we can rest easy knowing someone, somewhere is getting very, very rich.

FALLEN IDOL

Turns to stone if she’s, on her own
Photo flash, then she’s golden trash
A modern-day Medusa bent on taking her own life
Pity all the people that had prayed that she would survive

She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see

Nature’s way, or, so they say
Worldly-wise, but with those, vacant eyes
A world of self-delusion in her celebrated state
Her tattoos tell the story – an illustrated fate

Not so long ago we’re told, all the streets were paved with gold
Everybody young and old, warmly welcomed to the fold
Damaged hearts repent in haste, always leave a bitter taste
No more wishes left to waste, you can see it in her face

She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see
She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see

Freshly dead, newly wed
Had to die to see those sales go high
A universal profit on the back of her demise
International webcasts drown the sounds of a mother’s cries
(yes they do)

She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see
She’s a fallen idol, she’s a fallen idol to me
No-one to rely on, maybe you could try one and see

Lyrics © Kev Moore May 19, 2008

AMY WINEHOUSE: Apart from the drink, drugs, and rank unprofessionalism, where did it all go right?

Amy Whinearse - any similarity between persons living or half-dead is purely coincidental

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear….where to begin?  From my own perspective, (and I’m honest enough to admit that, although I’m still enjoying a reasonable career in music, it comes with a liberal helping of sour grapes), it really doesn’t look good. I can deal with very talented people reaping rich rewards. I can even deal with people going off the rails. I can’t deal with mediocre talent reaping vast riches, but that’s another issue. But Amy Winehouse…..personally, I don’t see what all the fuss was about when she could stand up and bash out a tune, never mind when she totters about like a semi-comatose junkie, mumbling like she’s had a lobotomy. (I’m assuming she hasn’t actually had one, but who knows what the current fashions are?)  However, I will concede that some people liked the music she was evidently propped up to churn out in the first place. But her recent debacle in Eastern Europe is an affront to any professional musician, and an insult to the poor (and bad judges of character) schmucks who coughed up a week’s wage to see her embarrass herself, her band, and the profession in general. Put simply, it is a lack of respect. Respect for her band-mates, her public, but ultimately, herself. She should go away, flip burgers and get some help, instead of charging money for the rest of us to witness the unedifying spectacle of a lucky chanter who no longer knows her arse from her elbow.

Kev Moore

Spank de Plank

Almost certainly lurking in my subconscious since my days wandering around the Caribbean with my reggae show, here’s a character I’ve called “Spank de Plank”  – a very cool bass dude!  He’ll be the last character to earn a place in my forthcoming exhibition in Turre in March, though I’m sure many more will pop out of my head and onto the screen during the coming year!

If you want to buy a print of Spank online, click on the widget below:

Kev Moore

How low can you go? New T-Shirt design!

Calling all bass players, and lovers of the low-down sound, my new bass tee’s are available to buy right now from Red Bubble, just click on the link below!

BUY FROM RED BUBBLE

Art & Design © Kev Moore 2010

A different kind of Pinetop tribute!

Eagerly awaiting the first copies of Blue Odyssey – arriving from the company any day now – and I thought I’d share with you one of my artistic creations. It’s the first time my art and music have ‘met’ really. I have a song about the legendary Delta Bluesman Pinetop Perkins on the new album, called “96 on Sixth”, A reference to his amazing age and also Sixth street in Austin, where he still performs at Nuno’s.

Pine turned 97 this summer, and is truly a living legend. I thought I’d use him as inspiration for one of my music character pieces. Here it is:

If you want to buy a giclee print of Pinetop in various sizes, framed or otherwise, just click on the widget below:

It also seems like a good time to tell you about a new site started by Miki, currently featuring her, myself, and our friend Pamela Allegretto Franz. It is called PAINTING THE MUSIC and its eventual aim is to feature artwork from artists all over the world portraying music and dance.

Kev Moore