2016 Preview: Deep Purple

For Deep Purple, 2016 will start in the studio.

The veteran British rockers plan to convene in Nashville with producer Bob Ezrin in January to work on the follow-up to 2013’s NOW What?!

“Right now, we have 14 or 15 songs ready,” says drummer Ian Paice, “but a couple more might be added and one or two others cut from the final list we’ll record. With luck we’ll have the whole thing wrapped up by late April.”

Purple hope to release the still-untitled album in the summer, to coincide with potential festival appearances. According to Paice, Purple’s next touring cycle begins at the end of May with shows in Japan, Israel and Russia. But the drummer refuses to be drawn on the rumours about a potential reunion of Deep Purple’s classic Mk3 line-up, featuring David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes and Ritchie Blackmore.

“It’s not something I think about. But I have gone onstage with a lot of tribute bands and played these songs regularly, so I am very familiar with them. And I am also extremely comfortable doing the Mk 3 material.”

Gary Graff is an award-winning veteran music journalist based in metro Detroit, writing regularly for Billboard, Ultimate Classic Rock, Media News Group, Music Connection, United Stations Radio Networks and others. Graff’s work has also appeared in Rolling Stone, Guitar World, Classic Rock, Revolver, the San Francisco Chronicle, AARP magazine, the Detroit Jewish News, The Forward and others. Graff has co-written and edited books about Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. A professional voter for the Grammy Awards and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Graff co-founded the Detroit Music Awards in 1989 and continues as the organisation’s chief producer.