 |
  |
все новости группы
|    |
30 сен 2025

Legendary Guitarist STEVE MORSE Still Enjoys Performing Live: 'We're At Our Best When We Connect With Each Other'
 In a recent interview with Rockin' 101's "The Johnny Rock Show", Steve Morse — a certified legend of the guitar world, having founded the DIXIE DREGS and gone on to become DEEP PURPLE's longest-serving guitarist prior to his departure in 2022, was asked if he gets tired of the "gunslinger on the axe" moniker or if it's still an honor when he hears praise like that. The 71-year-old musician responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, it's an honor. But when you're doing instrumental music, you have to just keep your chops up and it just means training more and a little bit more thought has to go into everything you do to, to be able to play the tunes live. And my big thing is writing the music in order to perform it, so you've gotta have a lot of rehearsal and training, practice, whatever you wanna call it. You've gotta keep your technique up, so that's something that's, as I get older… I've been playing for 60 years, which is odd since I'm 29 years old [laughs], so it gives you a different perspective on technique. and it's something I like to share with people, ways to improve their technique and work around the difficult parts and to concentrate on the weak links in your technique. So, I have to put all that to good use myself to get ready for a tour like [the upcoming tour with THE STEVE MORSE BAND]."
Asked if he still enjoys going on the road and playing for the people, Morse said: "Yes. That's the bottom line, is that when you practice hard and you can relax and play on stage, you're able to just let the energy that you had in your soul when you wrote the music come out and connect to the people in the audience. And that means, especially when you're doing instrumental music like we're doing, instrumental rock, basically, is you can play anywhere in the world and connect with people. But this tour is in the United States, and it's always a pleasure. It's something we've looked forward to. And I can't say I've done too much of this. I think it's really, really cathartic, because the preparation process is really good for you, and connecting with people is always really good. We're at our best when we connect with each other. We're herd animals, so we naturally want to do that, instinctively. And music is a great way to gather people together."
The STEVE MORSE BAND has announced details of their brand-new album, "Triangulation", which will be released on November 14 via Music Theories Recordings. To celebrate, they also unveiled the official video for their new track, "Break Through".
"Break Through" is the first new music since the release of 2009's "Out Standing In Their Field". Talking about the track, Morse shared, "This may start with a guitar riff, but the bass carries the melody. It's just a great feel to play over, and a positive vibe to start the album."
Whenever we think of the greatest guitar players of all time, Steve Morse is a name that's always in the conversation. This album sees Morse teaming up once again with THE DIXIE DREGS, STEVE MORSE BAND and FLYING COLORS bassist Dave LaRue, with Van Romaine (Enrique Iglesias) joining on drums.
Steve beamed: "Dave and Van have been the bedrock of this trio, and this recording shows why. These guys are unique and incredible musicians on their own, and together, our chemistry is magical. While making the album, we played together, working through parts, riffing off each other, and collaborating on arrangements. I'd bring an idea, and hear it instantly — and then hear it improved. We made this album together, and you can hear it."
There are also some stellar guest features, from Eric Johnson's majestic contributions to "TexUS" and DREAM THEATER's John Petrucci bringing his inimitable progressive metal thunder and, of course, Kevin Morse joining his father on "Taken By An Angel".
Executive producer Bill Evans noted: "The compositions are among Steve's best. And audiences can finally hear every detail of Van and Dave's performance…the band's collaborative musicality." Steve added, "Brian captured me brilliantly, and Carl Roa created more sonic and performance clarity than we've ever had."
Morse started his career in the mid-1970s, playing mind-melting jazz-rock with THE DIXIE DREGS, which earned him multiple Grammy nominations in the process. The following decade, he formed the STEVE MORSE BAND, grabbing an additional Grammy nod, and joined arena heavyweights KANSAS, before being recruited by rock and roll originals DEEP PURPLE in 1994. And despite being in one of the world's biggest bands, he continued to innovate in other projects like LIVING LOUD, ANGELFIRE and FLYING COLORS — as well as guitar supergroup G3 — showing the world just how much versatility there was in those magic fingers. He announced his departure from DEEP PURPLE in 2022, choosing to care for his wife, who passed away in 2024, by that point having become their longest-serving guitarist.
Naturally, the last few years have been the most personally traumatic of his life, which is perhaps why this year's creative comeback with the new STEVE MORSE BAND album "Triangulation" embodies the spirit of a master returning to do what he does best. Its nine tracks are a thrilling ride through the mind of a musician who seemingly knows no bounds, crossing over into a cornucopia of sounds and styles from funk and blues to classical and metal.
"The album title 'Triangulation' comes from the concept of aviators, navigators, and sailors looking at two points to pinpoint their exact location at a specific moment in time," says Steve. It's a geographical concept that also applies to human life on a broader level, and given the journey Morse has been on in recent years, it's only natural that he's been on a path of self-discovery and reflection.
Perhaps the most poignant of the nine tracks is "Taken By An Angel" — a tribute to Steve's beloved wife Janine. Steve left the music world behind to care for her, remaining by her side until her final days. "That song is new territory for me," explained Morse. "It was put together for my late wife's memorial service, with my son Kevin playing along. It brought tears to many folks' eyes because Janine was a huge part of my life and career. People knew her from the STEVE MORSE BAND tours. She was the smiling face opening CDs for me to sign, selling t-shirts, listening to people's stories in the crowd, and taking photos for VIP visits."
After all the heartache and anguish of the last few years, you can't help but feel grateful Morse is once again ready to share his creative genius with the world around him. Given his stature among the guitar community — often lauded as "your hero's hero" in the same way people spoke about Jeff Beck — his creative return marks a new phase of inspiration and brilliance. In that sense, you can tell the release of this record means a lot to him.
The band hits the road in October bringing the new repertoire to the stage. Steve Morse shared: "Every generation or so, we put out a new album, and the time is now! We'll be doing new material on stage, and have enlisted a special guest, Angel Vivaldi, to allow us to better perform some of the layered tunes in concert. Excited to have a bigger sound and new material! See you on tour!" Van Romaine offered: "I am so thrilled for this brand new major STEVE MORSE BAND chapter with new tour dates and an album that was so much fun to record with Steve and Dave LaRue, and a couple special guests. While music is always subjective this 'Triangulation' album is such a gem to me on many levels."
Upcoming appearances are:
Oct. 09 - Louisville, KY @ Headliner's
Oct. 10 - Nashville, TN @ CMA Theater
Oct. 12 - Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
Oct. 13 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Oct. 14 - Charlotte, NC @ The Neighborhood Theatre
Oct. 15 - Raleigh, NC @ The Rialto Theatre
Oct. 16 - Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head On Stage
Oct. 18 - Elkton, MD @ Elkton Music Hall
Oct. 19 - Lititz, PA @ Mickey's Black Box
Oct. 20 - Red Bank, NJ @ The Vogel
Oct. 21 - Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
Oct. 23 - Somerville, MA @ Somerville Theatre
Oct. 25 - Cohoes, NY @ Cohoes Music Hall
Oct. 26 - Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse
|
  |
![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif) |
Вы можете зарегистрироваться на сайте или залогиниться через социальные сети (иконки вверху сайта).
Сообщений нет