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MANAGER'S DIARY CAPTAINS LOG, STARDATE 270906
Well dear friends, it has been some time since I felt I was able to add anything at all to this section, now however I do have a few things to share with you. The good news being that Purple have decided to continue in 2007 This decision has not been taken lightly, but after much soul searching we have decided that in honour of our friend we should & will indeed continue to be ‘fabulous’ & I am sure that we now have a permanent celestial heckler on side !! As I say, we will be playing some gigs next year, but I have to point out here & now that we do intend to ‘scale’ down a little & play somewhat fewer shows & focus on some of our favourite venues such as EARLS in Maidstone & the BEACON COURT in Gillingham. We do have a period of healing to go through & with that in mind we don’t really want to stray too far from home territory
CAPTAINS LOG, STARDATE 050606
Well this is a very mixed but optimistic report for this month.
Brian, has at last been diagnosed & is being treated accordingly & by all accounts he is making an impression on the nurses so he MUST be on the mend !!
As you will all know by now this year has been a bit fractious to say the least ( nothing new there I hear you say) with the upheaval of the keyboard search that is now at an end !!!!! Ladies & ( Wainrights) Gentlemen please welcome Mr Chris Teeder !! Now Chris comes to us after fifteen years with Phil Hilborne & also helped out with Nicko McBrain’s drum clinic band when needed on occasion! so he can play a bit , well more than a bit actually. He is also a good friend of none other than Don Airey so that’s pretty cool too.
I will also take this opportunity to thank Mark Dawson for stepping into Brians shoes for the remaining shows in June.
Mark goes back a long way with both Brian & Neil having played in various bands down the years, top bloke & he bares more than a passing resemblance to one Ritchie Blackmore ! We can’t fail !
Ok well when this goes public we will have done the MELTDOWN RALLY for the ZINC ALLOY BIKERS in aid of the Kent air ambulance on June 2nd ! & THE RAILWAY IN IPSWICH on June 3rd too !
After that gig it’s the ROCK MATRIX PROMOTION THRIVE LIVE.. in Northfleet Kent on June 9th. This is a brand new venue which I am told holds a good 400 so come on folks lets fill it. The night will be a good un with three bands & yours truly taking the top billing, well if I cant blow our trumpet no one can !
From here we stay in Kent & play the BEACON COURT in Medway on June 24th then we are off until September where we head up North to play , amongst others, Mansfield & Liverpool. There will be the usual updates on the site of course & I will keep everyone informed about Brian’s recovery. One last thing, St Cecilia of Ashford ,better known as STEVE MONK is 50 on July 8th or thereabouts, send the old bugger a card or message on the ASHFORD ROCKS FORUM… Check the Biog page for Chris Teeders most impressive entry very soon !!
CAPTAINS LOG, STARDATE 060506
Well what a mix April was folks ! What with turning down gigs , gigs being cancelled & gigs being rescheduled !!! + of course the never ending search for a new keyboardist …
The reason for the most recent cancellation is that Brian is really quite ill & we are of course concerned for his health above everything else. At one point we thought it was pneumonia so it came as a surprise & A huge relief to find out that he is ONLY asthmatic !!
On a lighter note we are hopeful that we will be able to announce the identity of our new keyboardist very soon, fingers crossed on that one…..
Ok, well Mike, John & myself went along to watch the DEAN HOWARD BAND play a low key gig at the BEACON COURT in Gillingham last month, they were as ever very good , but the highlight of the night was meeting & watching KINDRED SPIRIT & in particular SIM JONES play. Now for those that don’t know,( there can’t be many ! can there ?) Sim was, alongside Dean as a member of the band who backed IAN GILLAN at the ALBERT HALL at the end of March.
Now Sim is, primarily an electric violinist, however if I were to say that he is the equivalent of JIMI HENDRIX in that field then you will get some idea of his talent & ability, simply jaw droppingly staggering !!! & I am not exaggerating in the slightest ! Anyway, enough of the poor relations , even though he is soon off to the States to play with THE JONES GANG on tour & sign a NEW RECORD DEAL ( will you get the lid off that pen please Mr Howard ? for fucks sake !!)
I must say how disappointed we all were to have to cancel the gig at EARLS in Maidstone at such short notice, this is the first gig I have ever had to cancel & the reason was exceptional. Brian's health being the exceptional reason.
Bit of breaking news here, the upcoming gig at the excellent Sinden theatre Tenterden ( tickets available through box office http://www.sindentheatre.biz/) will in fact be performed by PURPLE MK 1 with none other than Andreas Eriksson taking the stage with us again !!
Now as I type we are in the throes of auditioning some absolutely top class keyboardists, this is an exciting breakthrough for us as I am sure you all appreciate. Especially as May is a very busy month ( traditionally) for us, with gigs at The SINDEN THEATRE, THE GREY HORSE & ASHFORD ROCKS (the BEST venue in Kent! Steve, I will be in touch very soon mate!!!)
We will be at full strength for the remainder of the year & will complete The Perfect 7 MACHINE HEAD GIGS & the designated TOMMY BOLIN shows too!
Incidentally has anyone seen the latest edition of Classic Rock? There is a big ad for Tommy !!! Nice to be first sometimes in these things !
& of course anyone who knows me will know that I Love Tommy Bolin !!!!!!!
Well retrospectively speaking it’s over to Cyril….
Finally Esther,
I know this has sod all to do with music but it is something close to my heart. Football !!!!
& more to the point Kids Football !! The purest kind of football.
You know, before the money & corporates spoil it.
Now there is a thriving junior league in Medway , Kent. It is overseen by the Medway newspaper group & is well administered by A few dedicated adults, putting in the time & effort for our kid’s enjoyment. Now the reason I mention this is because ( I can !) my daughter is a player in said league & she plays her little heart out for a cracking little club presided over by, a top bloke but with a dubious allegiance (Brentford) !! Large pause here please for contemplation !!!!!!
If there is anyone out there who would like to help sponsor the club in some way then get in touch with me through the usual channels & I will pass on your details to the man himself. Bearing in mind that there is a tournament coming up in June ,sods law has it falls when we are on tour in the Anglia area , but I will get back for some of it, Charlee you are on £20 a goal remember !!!
But the deal…. Is this if you have a business etc & wanna be included ,advertised etc in the MASSIVE tournament then as stated already , contact me & I will magic it ! Ok , I will pass it on to Rob !!!
Let me have me rock n’ roll dreams will you !!! ?
LONG LIVE ROCK N’ FUCKIN’ ROLL…..
Lee. CAPTAINS LOG, STARDATE 110406 Well here we are, still searching for the right man or woman to step up to the challenge in joining Purple but alas we are now starting to believe that there are simply no keyboardists out there !!
It wont stop us though, we will continue to use the services of some talented ‘deps’ or play as a four piece if we have to until we get our man, however in one of those weird quirks that pop up every so often. The gig at the Sinden theatre in May will actually be performed by Purple MK1 with none other than the great Viking himself Andreas Erikkson making a flying visit to these shores & playing this show whilst he is here !!! Maybe we should kidnap him.
Speaking of gigs I have to let you know that there are a couple of changes ,the July gig at the LOADED DOG is cancelled / postponed due to circumstances way beyond our control secondly the April 30th gig at the ZEBRA bar Maidstone is now a three band affair, with SULTAN opening proceedings before our good friends SIZEN take to the stage for another no holds barred full on metal barrage ! Its only £5 on the door & the drinks are a mere £1.50 !!! It’s a ROCK MATRIX promotion too so you know that the standards are going to be high & the headliners are pretty good too !!!!! Moving on a little, don’t forget to mark the 21st in your diary for the DEAN HOWARD BANDS gig at the BEACON COURT. There is a development here too, with KINDRED SPIRIT supporting now, this band feature the virtuoso skills of SIM JONES electric violinist extraordinaire. & yet another of Ian Gillans mates, check out the website for a review from the ALBERT HALL www.elainesamuels.co.uk. This is quite a coup really as they also opened up the TOMMY VANCE memorial show at the ROYAL ALBERT HALL at the end of march which featured THE SCORPIONS JUDAS PRIEST & a solo set from Mr IAN GILLAN who featured amongst the ranks non other than a young up & coming guitarist named DEAN HOWARD !!! Busy lad at the moment is our Dean, new record deal new US tour with KENNEY JONES & oodles of other stuff too !! Dave Domminney is also a very busy bloke at the moment too with a new solo venture solo website & gawd knows what else ,have a look at the new site most impressive.
Terrible news from our friends over in (Led by ) zeppelin towers, it seems that some of their equipment has been stolen during a break in at their rehearsal studio. There is a comprehensive breakdown of what has gone & that is available from me or you can contact the band direct with any info, there is a reward too, check out the website or contact paul on. paul.lawrence@tesco.net
Righto I do believe that for now at least that is all folks. CAPTAINS LOG, STARDATE 140306 This just in.....The gig at Homelands on April 8th is now definitely postponed until May 27th.
Here we go then, as those of you who were at the EARL OF CHATHAM last week will know, we did the gig despite losing our keyboardist a matter of days before, just how professional is that ?? Especially from one who claims to be a ‘pro’ musician !! yeah right.
But we do have to extend a massive thank you to Carl Aylward who stood in for us, now Carl had only 36 hours to learn our set & he met the band for the first time at 7-45 pm Thursday night & at 9 pm he was on stage !!! 5 hats removed there!
It was far from our best gig ever but by jove it wasn’t half bad, in fact it went well. So much so that we were not presumptuous enough to expect to do an encore so we ploughed through & when we finished an hour & 45 minutes later we were somewhat surprised to be very vocally called back to take requests !!! Crikey !!! lady double dealer & pictures of home straight off the cuff !!! Thanks Earl, we will be back !
So the search goes on for a new member of the band, all we want is a reliable talented keyboard player, too much to ask? Well it certainly seems that way, we will find our man or woman, for we are not sexist in purple, tribute band yes look-a-like no.
I will of course keep you posted, the annoying thing is that we are getting bookings all the time & I am having to turn some down due to this & that quite frankly is not the name of the game!!!
Anyway, we will find the right man or indeed woman to join us of that I am sure!
On a lighter note, I spoke to our good friend Dean Howard earlier on today & he has some absolutely great news , it seems that he is joining Kenney Jones band ‘ the Jones gang’ & will be touring the states & Europe with them during the summer!
Don’t worry though DHB are still in existence & in fact are in negotiations with a new record label over the production of VOLUME II & the possible reissue of VOLUME 1 (which incidentally will soon be available from this very site!!)
Also & I suppose this bit is more relevant to us, the forthcoming Royal Albert hall gig by Ian Gillan on March 31st will feature Dean on guitar !!
Speaking of the Dean Howard band make a note in your diary if you are in or around the Medway area on April 21st as they are going to play the Beacon Court !!!
Check the website for details. Or the Rock Matrix
http://www.beaconcourttavern.com/ .
Ok then more when I get it, as they say ‘watch this space’!! Lee
CAPTAINS LOG, STARDATE 250206 MACHINE HEAD SHOWCASE GIGS MARCH 2nd THE EARL OF CHATHAM APRIL 8th ASHFORD ROCKS APRIL 22nd EARLS ( MAIDSTONE) MAY 13th SINDEN THEATRE MAY 21st THE GREY HORSE (KINGSTON) JUNE 2nd MELTDOWN RALLY ( more of this in a minute) JULY 1st THE LOADED DOG
Seven dates for a perfect album! MACHINE HEAD.. there isn’t a lot more to add to what has already been said about this album, recorded in Montreaux in 1972 & an instant classic, we have decided that as the IN ROCK shows were so well received last year that we would continue with the theme of the classic album showcase, why wait to celebrate an albums rounded anniversary ? So there you have it, MACHINE HEAD ,coming to a venue near you. Including the big event of the summer (so far) the MELTDOWN RALLY in Norfolk in June, PURPLE are to headline the Friday night, hitting the stage around 10pm for a marathon set for our very good friends the ZINC ALLOY BIKER CLUB. Now every year Zinc hold their rally & all the proceeds go to a bloody good cause, namely the NORFOLK AIR AMBULANCE. It’s not very widely known but each time one of these helicopters takes off it costs £15000 !!!! & that is before they even fly anywhere. All of us are a potential a passenger of the air ambulances & I would like to thank ZINC ALLOY for giving PURPLE the chance to assist in the only way we can.. The details for the rally can be found on the website www.zincalloy.150m.com/ , but I can tell you that the rally is over the course of the weekend of June 2nd 3rd & 4th. Pre booked tickets will cost you a mere £10 (yes that is for all weekend) £12 on the gate or £6 for an individual night, the rally has been growing each year & the bands that are on over the course are absolutely top notch!! THIS JUST IN !!!!!! We again find ourselves a man down! I am sad to report that we have just lost our new keyboard player for as yet unspecified reasons, this is very sad as we had high hopes for him, the search resumes then !
CAPTAINS LOG, STARDATE 140106 Well it has been & gone. Christmas & New Year I mean of course & we are thankful to have survived it intact! Although no doubt the bank balances have been dented somewhat! Of course now that the batteries have been recharged & yuletide felicitations adhered to & imbibing aplenty engaged in, the time has arrived for Purple to return to the fray!! The first gig of the year will be at the Carlisle hotel Hastings on February 4th.Now; this was to be the first MACHINE HEAD showcase of the year! But we have had to postpone that performance, the album showcase I mean, not the actual gig which goes ahead, but as a normal gig! This is due to the fact that we have had a personnel change. We have a new keyboardist & we are very confident that Alan (for that is his given name) Nelson will enable us to continue to perform to the exceptionally high standard that you have all come to expect, can we get better? yes we can! We can get louder too! We are not about to be beaten by the great British councils putting obstacles in the way of those victuallers that are flying the flag for live music so to show our support for these brave men & women PURPLE JUST GOT BIGGER BETTER & LOUDER!!! I can now reveal to you that we were approached by a company by the name of Twofour Broadcast towards the end of last year, they had been commissioned by Channel 4 to make a pilot documentary all about ‘AIR GUITAR’,!!! I kid you not, the band (& I do use that word loosely) ‘SATAN’S UNDERPANTS’ who came second in the national championships in 2004, were in need of some tips from professionals! Now, ‘STANS DRAWS’ are the vehicle for the not inconsiderable talents of one Danny Robbins of Radio 1 fame & various other comic creations, he is also one of a team of writers behind such programmes as ‘ACCORDING TO BEX’ .So, as I say we were asked to help out,& we took along our friend Dean. Now this neatly brings me in fact to DEAN HOWARD! Dean is, as you all know a friend of PURPLE thanks to the children in need ROCK-A-THON held in Ashford last November at the Stour centre, where he generously brought down his band to play a set & all for NO MONEY !!!! They wouldn’t even accept a pint! Now apart from being a thoroughly nice bloke he is also an ex member of IAN GILLANS band REPO DEPO who trod the boards at the beginning of the 1990’s before Ian was asked back into the DEEP PURPLE fold once again, this makes us, by association a very small branch of a very big tree!! Something that I am immensely proud to be able to say! Dean is also an ex member of T’PAU & BAD COMPANY so you see he is certainly the ‘real McCoy’ when it comes down to credentials & don’t forget that it was Dean who supported DEEP PURPLE at WEMBLEY in November 2004,along with THUNDER & PETER FRAMPTON, exalted company indeed. Other associations that we are very pleased with are our friendships with St Cecilia of Ashford. Better known as STEVE MONK of ASHFORD ROCKS (check out the site www.ashfordrocks.com) Steve is indeed a saint in terms of rock music in Ashford & helps an awful lot of young bands gain a foothold on the circuit & believe me he has unearthed some gems along the way. Our relationship with the ROCK MATRIX is also a source of great satisfaction. For those that don’t know the ROCK MATRIX is a huge resource on the web & is a must for absolutely everyone, whether you are in a band or a fan you need the ROCK MATRIX, don’t take my word for it check out the site www.rockmatrix.co.uk. From now on our gig posters will carry the logo’s of our associates & very happy we are about that too! Ok so enough of that let me tell you about ALAN NELSON, new member of Purple & a very experienced talented keyboard player you simply will not come across! Alan has played in a Deep purple tribute band in the past but on their demise he has been seen on the circuit in various combo’s but he is now rightly installed in his rightful position namely behind the keys of the tribute to one of the greatest bands of all time. So as we move into what can now be safely called the MK III era of Purple (this makes me in particular very happy), I can only see great things ahead for us & indeed you, the fans. Our mission is to bring the sound of DEEP PURPLE to you on a regular & accessible basis because after all friends the real thing simply can not be in town every night can they. Lee.
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