![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan2.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/airey3.jpg)
Music always comes around
In this interview dated April 2022, Simon McBride demonstrates the right mix of cocky and humble, while talking about the differences between being a session man and playing under his own name, fanboying with Ian Gillan, hairspray rock, and other things.
Thanks to Amit for the heads up.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Looks like he’s a good guy !
September 1st, 2022 at 18:08Simon seems like a friendly, down-to-Earth guy who understands the nuances of music.
September 1st, 2022 at 20:35Apologies to Simon…I couldn’t get past the presenters at the start, what a turn-off…
I’m sure the boys in the band know how to choose the right guy, & wish you all the very best !!!
Nb. A Stratocaster is a necessary axe in anyone’s arsenal…Hint, hint…
September 2nd, 2022 at 05:52Let us note and appreciate Simon’s t-shirt. 🙂 🙂 🙂
In other articles the comments already started to appear about Simon’s “workmanlike-ness”, which is weird and, IMO, wrong. Or is it the ricochet effect of “the new guy” thing? Those writing them should check what they were writing about Steve Morse in 1995-96… He seemed “workman-like” after Ritchie’s tenure, too. And it took him a fair while to get sorted out to an comfortable position and showing off his skills to his full potential. I hope that there’s enough of time for Simon to get to this point too, I still claim he’s the really nice fit for this job.
September 2nd, 2022 at 06:36Nice Black Sabbath Vol. 4 T-shirt !
September 2nd, 2022 at 10:17Yes he is a good guy and a great player as a live performer but if I am honest he is just filling the gap so unless he produce a record with DP I can’t really get excited too much about him.
September 2nd, 2022 at 15:36Peace ✌️
Yery sensible and pleasant, unassuming youngish man.
His new solo album The Fighter is well worth having, close your eyes and you can reimagine some of the tracks on it as not sounding out of place on a Purple record.
If they start writing with him, I have a hunch the results will please us all – yes, both estranged sides of the family, Blackmorites and Morseheads, collectively: the Blackmorsels!
September 5th, 2022 at 09:08Based on solo songs of his such as this little nugget, I have little doubt he could write with Purple. It would be a bloozier Purple, but still Purple:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgVIK7KVylg
That chromatic organ is Purple alright!
September 5th, 2022 at 15:17I really like Simon’s playing, dare I mention that I prefer it to Steve’s (oops, just did!). Steve is a truly great player, but I’ve just become a little tired of it I suppose, mainly because of there being too many notes at times (at least Bob Ezrin made him slow down in places), and too much gain so his sound lacked a certain amount of clarity. Simon has a great balance between being technical and having good feel, and less gain so you can hear the individual notes more clearly. He’s a PRS guy and I like it that he uses one equipped with humbuckers and another that has single coils. I really hope they write and record an album with him.
September 12th, 2022 at 22:51The Irish kid has piss & vinegar in his playing – I believe that this should appeal to most people missing Blackmore (and to Bob Ezrin) because Steve was never that kind of a player, you either are or you aren’t. It’s like asking Roger Glover to play like Glenn Hughes (another piss & vinegar player) or vice versa.
I might have missed something, but has there been an official announcement yet that Simon has morphed from “stand-in” to “permanent”? The new Classic Rock magazine article gives the impression that this is a done deal, but shouldn’t there be some kind of statement by the band and/or the management (and no more promo pics for the tour featuring Steve)? Or are the attorneys still brooding over the contracts?
September 14th, 2022 at 11:52