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(Winter 2007) by George Dionne
Blackmore's Night recently celebrated 10 years in the music business. Not
to shabby for a group that defies convention with their own brand of folk,
rock, and renaissance music. Blackmore's Night is the brainchild of former
Deep Purple/Rainbow guitarist Richie Blackmore and the angelic vocalist Candice
Night.
Just in time for the holidays, the group has released a concert DVD
entitled Paris Moon (Win It),
and re-released their 2006 album Winter
Carols (CD review). Candice
Night talks all things Blackmore's Night in an e-mail interview with Rock
Is Life.com
RIL: If I knew absolutely nothing about Blackmore’s Night, how would you
describe the group’s music to me?
CN: That is always one of the hardest questions to answer. As in life, we don't
fit perfectly into any one box, we don't have a particular demographic, we kind
of just play whatever we feel so our direction changes. It's easier for me to
say what we're not than what we are. But I guess it would just go into the melodic
category if we had to have one category. That is one thing our music definately
is. Its castle rock. Renn/rock or fantasy music. Being able to play rock, folk,
pop, tavern music, instrumentals is all part of expression within music and we're
lucky enough to be in a band where we can emote through each different style
depending on our mood at the time.
RIL: How did you decide that you wanted to write and record renaissance
inspired music in today’s pop-culture driven society?
CN: We're just not the type of people who ever want to follow trends and fashions.
Its always some big corporation telling people whats in, whats new, whats hot
so they can make money off you and thats's just not our belief system at all.
We'd rather be true to our own individualty and our own personalties than to
follow what someone says you should be listening to or wearing. I'd rather
brave my own path through the forest than walk the paved road any day! As far
as renaissance music, I had never heard of it before I met Ritchie.
He was
always, and still continues to, be slightly obsessed by it. He is so inspired
by the historical and purist side of that music, which is not what we do
but it is what drives his inspiration. For me, I enjoy being able to reflect
on
the fantasy of other time periods so I can choose what to incorporate into
my life now from those times. I love the simplicity and the romantic visuals
of the renaissance. The bonfires on the hills, the star filled sky with no
neon signs blocking out the view, the castles on hilltops and the maidens
watching their knights ride away on horse back. Its a very different world-
and I think
the simplicty of it is beautiful.
RIL: Ritchie Blackmore is your partner in this venture, how did you
two meet and how did it lead to making beautiful music together?
CN: We met while I was working at a rock radio station
on Long Island NY where I lived. Deep Purple came to town and called us
up to ask if we wanted
to play a charity soccer match against them. But they stacked their team
with ringers and killed us on the field. So after the game I went over to
congratulate them and spoke to Ritchie. He asked me to meet him at a pub
later with his friends. We talked for hours about so many different things
on so many levels: spiritual, mental, emotional, historical- pretty much
everything but music! We were friends for a couple of years and he was always
in touch while he toured.
In 1993 he asked me to go on the road with him
and DP. I did and wound up singing backup for him in front of 15,000
on Czech as my first singing gig! After that he left Purple and reformed
Rainbow.
And while they were in the studio in Massachusetes, the singer was having
a hard time coming up with lyrics. Ritchie would call me and play the
backing tracks to me over the phone. The 1st time he did that I wrote 14
verses to
the backing tracks- the producer chose 4 verses and pieced together a
couple of others verses of mine for the chorus and it became Wolf to the
Moon. I
wound up cowriting 4 songs on the album Stranger in us All that way and
doing the backing vocals cause I was around them in the studio at the time
when
they needed a backing vocalist. Meanwhile, while the band members were
doing their tracks, Ritchie and I would be sitting by the fireplace watching
the
snow fall in the studio farmhouse we were all staying in.
We started
writing songs for ourselves, as an escape from the pressures of the rock
world and
the record company trying to pull creative liscense over the artist
at the time and all the stress that was going on and that he had endured
for
almost
40 years at that point. We never thought we'd put those songs out for
others to hear, but when we played them for our friends, they liked them
so much
they said that they would buy them if it was on a cd. So we thought
maybe other people might like it too. That was 10 years ago and the projects
still going strong.
RIL: You recently released a new DVD entitled Paris Moon.
How does this DVD differ from 2005’s Castles & Dreams?
CN: Castles and Dreams was performed in
a German castle. It also is a double DVD set. The 1st DVD is the concert,
the 2nd is all bonus footage, interviews,
TV performances, videos, home video footage, etc. Actually the show from
that night was over 3 hrs long. We had to cut a lot of the songs out of
the concert
DVD because it would have made it a 3 DVD set!
So, on Paris Moon, it was the
bands 1st time in France ever, we played in the famed theater the Olympia
which was great because in an inside theater setting we were able to use
our back
projection unit which allows you to see the animation that we do while
in theaters- in a castle or an outdoor setting we cant use it because the
light obliterates
the unit. Also, we reviewed which songs we had to cut out of Castles
and Dreams and we were able to put those into Paris Moon.
So you get to see a lot of the
songs that didnt make it onto the 1st DVD.
RIL: How involved were you in the production set up for the filming of the DVD?
CN: We try to be as involved as we can be in everything we do. After all, if
it is a reflection of you and your name is going ontoit you want to make
sure you are proud of that product and it represents you properly before
it goes into the market for the rest of the world to see.
RIL: Your 2006 album Winter Carols is being re-released for the holiday season.
Was it difficult picking a track listing when there are so many holiday
albums and songs out there today?
CN: Not really because we don't really pay any
attention to the music that is out there. We play what we want to from
our hearts and thats what keeps
our CDs true, honest ad pure- because they aren't effected by outside influences.
The songs off of Winter Carols are songs that Ritchie and I have been playing
for the better part of 18 years at our holiday parties, which we throw each
year. Theyre old favorites and a couple of new ones. But each with the distinctive
Blackmore's Night style. That looking through the veil of the ages past and
melding it with the present and on into the future.
RIL: While we’re on the subject of the “holiday season,” what
is you opinion on the political correctness today to call the Christmas season
the holiday season?
CN: I think everyone is so uptight about everything these days. I am not sure
who it is that gets offended by either being told to have a merry christmas
or being told to have a happy holiday. Either way, the sentiment is the same,
isnt it? Its a message of happiness of goodness and wishing others well. I
think everyone needs to loosen up a little- either that or they are extremely
bored. There are so many other things that seriously desperatley need our attention
and our help and we're going to get caught up in which words to use to wish
someone a good season? Come on... RIL: Are you planning any live performances in the winter months to revolve around
Winter Carols?
CN: Usually we have 1 very intimate concert with
a private invitation list of all our hardest working and most loyal street
team members and fan club
members. We invite them to a local restaurant and do a free concert that goes
on for hours- the longest one being over 4 hours long! And we leave a donation
box out for a local animal charity to help them to get through the holiday
season. It helps to rasie a few thousand dollars each time we do it so we feel
like we're helping if just a little bit around the holidays. Then we work with
many other animal charities year round as well. But we havent done any Holiday
tours for the holiday music as of yet. We'd like to at some point - a long
as we're home for our grand annual bash!!
RIL: On 2006’s The Village Lanterne (CD
Review),
you recorded 2 new versions of the Rainbow classic "Street of Dreams",
one of which featured a guest performance by Joe Lynn Turner. Did you
have
Turner
in studio to record
his parts or was this something that was done over the Internet?
CN: Actually, Joe has been so supportive of Ritchie
and his musical direction, telling us that if we ever wanted him to sing
on something to just ask. So
when Ritchie decided to remake Street Of Dreams the logical thing was to
ask Joe if he'd be interested in doing a duet on it. His voice still sounds
as good as in the early days of Rainbow. I did my part in the studio and
then the producer drove to NJ to meet with Joe and do his part there.
RIL: Is marketing your style of music difficult? I can’t picture
too many radio stations willing to give something progressive and unique
a chance.
CN: I think that if you have a major record label or someone backing you with
a million dollars, you will be marketed on radio and be seen everywhere. We
don't have that. Which in a way suits us anyway cause the people listening
to the radio arent really the people we want to reach out to anyway. We usually
get played by NPR or triple A radio but most importantly because we attract
the independent thinkers, we get our fans through word of mouth. And thats
the best because those people either like you or dont but they make the decision
based on their own judgement, not by being brainwashed through repetition on
radio. Our fanbase is the most loyal one because they choose for themselves
what they like or dislike. And if they like you they stay with your music forever.
RIL: Do you find that Europe and Japan are more receptive to
your music as compared to the United States?
CN: Europe is more open as a musical market because their radio stations are
more varied. We may have 10 rock stations in NY but they are all playing exactly
the same thing. If its 2pm it must be the Rolling Stones. 3pm? Pink Floyd.
In Europe you can listen to 1 station and you'll hear a rock song, then a folk
song then a pop song and theyre bands you'll never hear of in the USA. Yet
they also play our 'biggest selling artists' in Europe too. Its not really
fair.
In Japan they are all about melody. Thats why rap
and grunge never took off there. But the 80s bands are still big there.
Both of those markets have
been really good for us because of our melodic content in Japan and because
in Europe- a lot of these songs are based on melodies from their traditional
songs so they have a familiarity with them. Maybe its a bit of nostalgia
creeping in there, but with those songs we've added new lyrics, arrangements
and instrumentation-
and of course the famous Blackmore guitar- so we breathe a bit of new into
the old songs they already know.
RIL: Have you ever thought of a Candice Night solo album?
CN: I have a number of songs that I have recorded for a solo album, but as
always BN takes first priority. I get to put down a new track or two of my
own stuff when we arent touring or recording as Blackmore's Night so it doesnt
leave me much time to do that. But its slowly but surely getting there so...someday.
RIL: Have you ever discussed a Blackmore’s Night covers album?
CN: We already do a few cover songs per album, so we havent really disussed
doing a strictly cover album as such. We kind of mix the covers in with teh
originals so people always get new songs with each cd. And most cds we do have
about 16 tracks so there is a lot to listen to.
RIL: When not writing and recording your own material, what music
are you interested in listening to?
CN: I listen to a variety of music. I like everything from Stevie Nicks to
80's hair bands to Sarah Brightman; from Michael Oldfield and his works with
Maggie Reilly to bands you've probably neverheard of overseas like Lambretta
or All About Eve or in the USA like Mother Station. Depends on my mood. Which
changes with the wind...
RIL: Do you ever get tired of interviews that ask about Ritchie's
past with Deep Purple and Rainbow?
CN: Not at all- as a matter of fact I'm probably
the only one who has an honest perspective on the situations. I
have nothing to gain or lose by telling the
truth and I've read a lot of convoluted stories by bitter x band
members that I know are totally untrue. Its kind of sad to see
people stooping to those
levels, but I see things clearly and if theres something I dont
know or didnt witness I'll admit that too. But I may be the only
one who's got Ritchie's
back and will defend it with the truth no matter what. And he knows
that.
RIL: When can we expect to hear a new studio album from Blackmore's
Night?
CN: We have 5 songs already recorded and
head back into the studio in January. It should be out mid 2008.
RIL: After 10 years in the business, did you ever imagine in the beginning
that it would last this long?
CN: I never imagined in the beginning that I'd be doing this at all! So to
be able to create music you love with someone youre so close to and travel
the world and play the castles and historical places and to meet so many amazing
fans that become close friends...Theyre memories that last a life time.
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CANDICE
NIGHT
