Simon McBride
Photo by Jim Rakete
Legendary hard rock band Deep Purple is set to release their latest studio album, “=1.” This album marks the first studio effort featuring guitarist Simon McBride, who has joined the band following the departure of Steve Morse. Deep Purple has had an illustrious history of iconic guitarists, starting with the great Ritchie Blackmore, followed by Tommy Bolin, a temporary touring stint by Joe Satriani, and then Steve Morse. The addition of Simon McBride brings fresh anticipation and excitement for “=1.”
Ahead of the album’s release, music videos for “Portable Door” and “Pictures of You” have been unveiled. These tracks showcase Simon McBride’s unique guitar work, which not only retains the classic Deep Purple essence but also highlights his original style through precise backing guitar and emotionally charged, clever guitar solos.
We spoke with Simon McBride about his musical background, his encounter with Deep Purple, and the creation of their latest studio album, “=1.”
Interview / Text Mamoru Moriyama
Translation Hiroshi Takakura
Muse On Muse : Deep Purple performed in Japan in March 2024. How was the experience of playing live in Japan?
Simon McBride : I loved playing Japan; I love everything about Japan from the people to the food. Everyone is so nice, helpful, and friendly. The Japanese audience are very appreciative of music, and they listen which is a great feeling for a musician to know when we are playing live that they are focused solely on the music.
MM : Was this your first-time visiting Japan, including your private trips? Besides the concerts, what stood out to you during your stay in Japan?
SM : Yes, this was my first time in Japan, the thing that stood out to me was the appreciation for the country’s culture and history. I’ve always been a fan of Japanese food, so I was in heaven. We played various cities in Japan; I had my wife with me, so we experienced quite a lot of the tourist sights whilst we were there.
MM : Before we dive into your journey with Deep Purple, could you tell us about your musical background? What inspired you to start playing the guitar?
SM : I started playing guitar when I was age 9, there was music always playing in my home house as my dad was a huge fan of classic rock music. The first band that made me want to play guitar was ACDC, it was so simple and incredible the musicality of it. I grew up in the 80s/90s, so it was the time of the guitar heroes like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Van Halen etc. so all these guys where my teachers in a way as I learned nearly everything by ear.
MM : Ireland has produced legendary guitarists like Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore. What kind of music and which guitarists influenced you in developing your current style?
SM : My two main guitar influences would be Gary Moore and Steve Lukather. I loved Gary’s aggression and note choice. Steve Lukather is a genius to me as the things he plays every time always blows my mind. I liked Steve because he is a little different from the other guitarists out there. I don’t know what my style is, but no guitarist could really tell what their style is as we just play, we are all just products of our influences really.
MM : At the age of 16, you joined the hard rock band Sweet Savage, known for Vivian Campbell’s tenure, and played on the albums “Killing Time” (1996) and “Rune” (1998). Could you tell us more about that experience?
SM : Yeh I was very young when I joined that band, I’d known the guys in the band through other bands back home, they asked me to join and record a couple of albums, which for a 16 year old kid was a dream as I had never played in a band or recorded any records with other people as I had always just done my own instrumental music and played mostly guitar clinics for PRS guitars and Marshall amps. It was great fun and I still help them out with the odd thing now and again.
MM : You released your debut solo album “Rich Man Falling” in 2008 and have continued to build your music career with subsequent studio albums and live performances. Could you tell us about this period in your career?
SM : Yeh that album came because of musical frustration, I had spent so many years playing for other people and always being in the hired session dude, so after a while I wasn’t enjoying this, so I decided a change was needed. In 2007 I believe I started just writing, I had no objective in mind regarding what style, I just started writing music and that ended up being the album rich man falling. It was also the first time I started singing as the front man which was challenging. The rich man falling album was released through Nugene Record which was run by my manager at the time Richard Pavitt. I did several other albums since that, my most recent one is the fighter which was released in 2022 by ear music. I still have plans to do more of my own stuff but at this moment I’m focused on the Deep Purple music.
MM : Now, let’s talk about Deep Purple. How did you come to join the band as Steve Morse’s successor?
SM : Initially I was just asked to stand in for Steve for a few gigs, so I never really thought anything of it, of course it was great to be playing with Deep Purple even though initially it was only a few shows. It then got very difficult for Steve to tour as his wife was getting very sick and he needed to stay home and care for her, but the guys had to keep going as they just couldn’t take 6 -12 months off so they had to do something about it in which I got the call to join as a permanent member as they had agreed with Steve as this was the best way forward. It’s a great honor to be a part of this band for me, there was no auditions or anything like that as I played for Don Airey and Ian Gillan before so in their eyes I was the obvious decision.
Photo by Jim Rakete
MM : Deep Purple has had legendary guitar masters like Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Satriani (for a tour), and Steve Morse. How did you feel about stepping into the role of their successor?
SM : At the start with the media and fans commenting on who was I going to sound like ‘Richie or Steve’ was a bit annoying and confusing because I’m not either of them but I remember chatting to Don Airey about it and he told just to be myself as that is why you are here, Roger then told me Steve Morse had the same thing when he joined. The previous guitarists in Deep Purple are all legends so I find it best not to think about it too much as I just got to have that inner confidence rather than trying to be like them.
MM : Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Satriani, and Steve Morse each brought their unique styles and approaches to Deep Purple’s music. How do you perceive their different approaches?
SM : They are all just products of their influences, Richie has that blues meets classical background, Steve Morse has more of a rock American country background which you can hear in the recordings. Joe Satriani is just unique, it would have been cool if he done a record with them but at that time his own career was taking off.
MM : Deep Purple’s latest studio album “=1” marks your first studio album with the band. How did you approach contributing to Deep Purple’s music with your guitar on this album?
SM : It was very simple and organic, it was the 5 of us in a room just jamming, nobody knew what was going to come out of it. Of course, we all had some pre-constructed ideas in which some were used and some were not, but most of it was done in the first writing session.
MM : Ahead of the album release, “Portable Door” has been made public, showcasing your emotional and tasteful guitar play, which builds anticipation for the album. Could you tell us more about this track?
SM : Yeh Portable Door I believe was the first thing we wrote together, I had written the little guitar climbing melody, I started playing it and everyone joined in, and the rest of the song just fell into place very very quickly. I’m very proud of that one as it was the first with purple.
MM : Did you contribute to the songwriting on the tracks included in the album?
SM : Yes we all did
MM : Could you elaborate on the songwriting, arrangement, and recording processes for Deep Purple as a band for this album?
SM : he songwriting I’ve answered in the previous question, the recording was done in Toronto with Bob Ezrin in Noble Street Studios, then there were some overdubs done at my home studio for the guitar parts, but the majority was with recorded in Noble street played live as a band.
MM : The combination between the Hammond organ and guitar is one of the highlights of Deep Purple’s ensemble. Can we expect to hear this dynamic in the new album?
SM : Yes, Don and myself have played together for years so we know each other very well on and off the stage, so we kind of know what we are each going to play before we realize it ourselves, it’s just luck that its worked that well as the early deep purple with Ritchie and Jon lord worked the same, it something you can’t purposely try and do it’s just the chemistry between two musicians.
MM : During the production of this album, what moments or insights left a lasting impression on you?
SM : The whole process was a learning curve, especially working with Bob Ezrin, he’s such a legendary producer, he taught me a lot about the dynamics of recording a band like Deep Purple. One thing that really stuck with me was how he could take our ideas and really make them come alive in the studio, it was fascinating to watch.
MM : Can you tell us about the guitars, amps, effects, and pedals you used for the album?
SM : I’ve used PRS guitars for a very long time now, I have my two signature PRSs which featured heavily on this record. I also use a baritone guitar and a Smitty telecaster for a few overdubs here and there, but it was mostly my PRSs. I used my Custom Engl heads for the whole thing, I also used a Neural Quad cortex for some overdubs as well. I use lots of pedals for different effects, I have some boss, jam pedals, vahlbruch, Digitech, TC electronic, MXR and a bunch of other stuff, too many to mention.
MM : What are your plans moving forward?
SM : My plans are focused on Deep Purple, we have a very busy year of touring this year, but who knows what will happen after that maybe another record.
MM : Please leave a message to your fans.
SM : Thanks for all the support, I can’t wait to get back to your amazing country and play some live music again.
Simon McBride official website https://www.simonmcbride.net/
DEEP PURPLE official website https://deeppurple.com/
DEEP PURPLE / =1
1. Show Me
2. A Bit On The Side
3. Sharp Shooter
4. Portable Door
5. Old-Fangled Thing
6. If I Were You
7. Pictures Of You
8. I’m Saying Nothin’
9. Lazy Sod
10. Now You’re Talkin’
11. No Money To Burn
12. I’ll Catch You
13. Bleeding Obvious
