BLACKMORE'S
NIGHT
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Ritchie Blackmore is a person that
has created a myth around his name, since he managed to create some of
the greatest songs in hard rock and heavy metal music and yet he still
keeps a low profile and continues to prefer solitude than mass gatherings.
So, once again along with Candice Night who proves to be a really sweet
and talented vocalist and lyric writer, they managed to create an enchanting
album "Ghost Of A Rose". I can only say that it was a great pleasure and
honor...
1.WHY HAVE YOU RELEASED 2 ALBUMS IN
SUCH A SHORT TIME? WHICH ARE THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES WITH YOUR
PREVIOUS RELEASE?
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Candice: It took us only 3 months to
record the new album Ghost of a Rose. Most of the songs that are recorded
on the album were already written long before we went into the studio.
I find that the albums are a reflection of where we are in our lives, our
experiences and the spirits of the places we have been in the past year.
For example, 3 Black Crows was written while we were in Schloss Waldeck,
about to perform a concert there. Queen For A Day was written in Schloss
Rabenstein in Germany. And Dandelion Wine was written after a long cold
winter- it was inspired by the first day of spring type weather. The new
album still has our trademark mystery, magic and love of the romantic,
simple memories of the renaissance time, the honesty- but now we've
incorporated more organic instruments giving it a different dimension in
sound and texture.
2.YOU HAVE COOPERATED WITH SOME OF
THE GREATEST VOICES IN HEAVY METAL MUSIC. WHAT DID YOU FIND IN CANDICE'S
VOICE SO APPEALING THAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO HAVE A FEMALE VOCALIST?
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Ritchie: In Candice's voice I discovered
a warmth, a melodic interpretation, a sincerity and mystery.
3.YOU HAVE ADDED SOME ELECTRIC GUITARS
IN YOUR LAST 2 RELEASES. IS THERE A CHANCE TO USE THEM SOME MORE IN THE
FUTURE?
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Ritchie: We do this all the time. If
you listen to Written in the Stars off of Fires at Midnight or Way To Mandalay
or All For One from Ghost of a Rose you'll see that the hard rock elements
of electric guitars and other electric instruments have been incorporated
once again. The great thing about this project is that we can utilize the
hard rock elements if we choose to- but we don't have to rely on them because
its not all we can do. This band has many dimensions because we are capable
of doing a variety of different types of music.
4.HOW HAVE YOU DECIDED TO SING A SONG
IN GREEK? WHO DID THE TRANSLATION? BY THE WAY YOU PRONOUNCE GREEK VERY
WELL!
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Candice: Thank you- it always makes
me feel good to know that my pronunciation was correct! The record label
did the translation. They sent it to me on a tape. I then broke the words
down phonetically and re recorded them. I thought that it was the perfect
song to record in the Greek language. The melody line has a Greek tavern
type of feel so I could picture it being sung in the native language of
what I imagined it as in the 1st place. I find the sound of the Greek language
very romantic and it intrigues me. And I am always up for a challenge!
I only wish that more people in Greece had the chance to hear it. I really
thought that they would like it if they had the chance to hear it.
5.WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE LYRICS?
THEY ARE VERY ATMOSPHERIC AND POETIC...
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Candice: The lyrics come from a lot
of different places. I get so inspired by nature- the colors in a flower
or a sunset; the feel of the wind on my face and the rain; the feel of
grass beneath my feet can always stir up very deep emotions. Love is another
source. When I hear the music that Ritchie is working on as a song I can
just close me eyes and picture what the song is telling me it wants to
be about, most of the time. Even his instrumentals are so visual. Then
I try to paint that picture with words. It's part imagination,
part myth or legend, part experience, part reality, part fantasy with a
bit of nature, mystery, magic and days gone by mixed in. It comes out the
other side as a complete song. I can usually come up with the lyrics in
about 5-10 minutes. Perhaps its channeling-I'm not sure. I've always loved
to get lost in the stories of someone else. When I write I want the listener
to see through the eyes of the storyteller, feel what they are feeling
and be all consumed by the tale. Thank you for your compliment!
6.WHAT DO YOU THINK LEAVES AN ARTIST
THE MOST VULNERABLE TO HIS FANS? SONGWRITING OR LYRIC-WRITING?
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Candice: I think the thing that leaves
you the most vulnerable is the live performances. You are out on a stage
in front of thousands of people bearing you soul, live, at that moment
and you continue to do so for over 2 hours. Usually Ritchie and I split
the writing- he writes the music and I, the lyrics so the perception will
probably different for each of us. I always think that the words allow
a deeper look into a persons heart, possibly only because most people usually
need words to tell them what something is about. But many people are able
to feel exactly the emotions that an instrumental is portraying -in which
case that is a direct look into the composers soul without needing to be
translated into words. Its almost like asking what is more important, the
heart or the head. Both are equally necessary- sometimes to validate the
other. I don't think that songwriting or lyric writing
is particularly difficult- its like a flow of water that takes you on a
ride down a river. You are not following an equation, you are pulling from
your soul and emoting. You are constantly delving deeper within yourself.
Its an incredibly cleansing and spiritual experience.
7.THE FACT THAT YOU WROTE CLASSIC AND
SOME OF THE GREATEST SONGS IN HARD ROCK HISTORY, DOES IT CREATE ANXIETY
TO YOU? DO YOU HAVE THE FEELING THAT YOU "HAVE" TO WRITE GREAT MUSIC?
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Ritchie: Life can become a nightmare
if you lack sleep. The songs that I write are first and foremost for myself.
Those who choose to enjoy them can come along on the journey. Those who
do not like them can stay behind. We have amazing times on our journeys,
but there are always some who are not yet ready to take that journey.
8.AFTER CREATING SO MANY GREAT SONGS,
DO YOU FEEL LIKE BEING A ROCK STAR AND DO PEOPLE FACE YOU THIS WAY? WHAT
IS RITCHIE BLACKMORE REALLY?
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Ritchie: Most of the time I keep life
simple. I enjoy simple things. I enjoy solitude and silence. I am not a
rock star- I am a musician.
9.WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR INFLUENCE
TO COMPOSE MUSIC FROM?
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Ritchie: Tielman Susato is a great
influence in our music as are many composers of the 16th century. So are
rock formations, trees, the moon and sky, green fields, snow and the woods.
Candice and I live in those times as much as time allows.
10.SOME YEARS AGO WE HAD THE CHANCE
TO SEE YOU LIVE IN THESSALONIKI AND IT WAS GREAT. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS
TO COME AGAIN FROM OUR PLACES? DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OS USING ACTORS
ON STAGE WHILST PERFORMING YOUR SONGS LIVE?
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Ritchie: Yes, I now dance on stage
and Candice plays the instruments.
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Candice: Actually, our agent
is speaking with promoters right now, we are trying to come back and play
there but for the past 2 years the promoters haven't been able to get it
together. We really enjoyed Greece and would love to come back again. We're
trying for October.
11.ARE YOU AWARE THAT WITH YOUR FIRST
3 RAINBOW RELEASES YOU HELPED IN THE FORMING OF EPIC METAL? BY THE WAY
DO YOU LISTEN TO HEAVY METAL? ARE THERE ANY NEW BANDS YOU FIND INTERESTING?
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Ritchie: I don't really listen to heavy
metal however Kings X are great. Rhapsody is also a great band who can
play Renaissance music and then rock when they want to.
12.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT
WOULD IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
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Ritchie : Pain and passion. A drunk
in a Brueghel painting at the peasant's wedding.
13.WHICH IS THE BEST DREAM AND WHICH
THE WORST NIGHTMARE YOU'VE EVER SEEN?
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Ritchie: Dream: looking out of my mothers
womb and thinking "It does not look good out there!".
Nightmare: Trying to find Krakow from a burned down house.
14.THANK YOU! THESE LAST LINES ARE
YOURS...
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Ritchie: Onward and upward!
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Candice: Hope that you enjoy Ghost
of a Rose and we hope to be back in Greece to see you all very soon!
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis