DEEP PURPLE's DON AIREY to release new solo album in early 2025
04-09-2024
In a new interview with Roppongi Rocks‘ Stefan Nilsson, DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Don Airey spoke about his plans to release a new solo album. He said: “Well, I’ve always kept the solo… I had my own band. That’s how we found Simon (McBride, new DEEP PURPLE guitarist), ’cause Simon became part of my band, and a very big part of it. We started writing together, and it was a very good partnership. And I always had it in my head, ‘If Steve (Morse, former DEEP PURPLE guitarist) decides to leave PURPLE, we won’t have to look very far for someone.'”
He continued: “But we’ve got an album in the can that we did before lockdown. We did most of it before lockdown and we finished it after lockdown, put the vocals on after lockdown. And that’s in the can with earMUSIC. And I think that’s gonna come out at the end of March.”
Asked if the upcoming album will feature Simon on guitar, Don replied: “Yeah, yeah, but it’s under my name. It’s like a solo album, but, really, it’s just my band playing it. I think it’s gonna be called ‘Push To The Edge’.”
It is hard to find a name amongst all those that over the last 35 years have left their mark in the history of rock that has not utilized Don‘s keyboard skills at some point. The list includes OZZY OSBOURNE, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE, JUDAS PRIEST, Gary Moore, Brian May, JETHRO TULL, BLACK SABBATH and, obviously, DEEP PURPLE, the band of which Airey has been a full-time member for over 20 years.
In 2022, the now-76-year-old Airey told Rolling Stone magazine that there is no concrete plan for him and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates to stop playing live shows.
“We started the farewell tour in 2017. It was due to end in 2019,” he noted. “But the thing is, when you’re a musician in a band, you think you’re in control of it, but you’re not. The business is running you.
“Of course, there was so much demand for the band to continue from the promoters and agents that we said, ‘Okay, we’ll do one more year.'”
Regarding when he thinks DEEP PURPLE will finally call it quits, Don said: “The words of T.S. Eliot [the greatest English-language poet of his generation] come to mind: ‘This is the way the band ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.’ I think we won’t know it’s the last gig. We won’t have a clue that this one is going to be the last one. That’s how it’s going to end. It’s going to be no big scenario.
“I like what Buddy Guy said. He said, ‘Musicians don’t retire. They drop.’ You do have thoughts about being in the garden and bouncing the grandchildren on your knee, but it’s part of your blood system, playing and touring. It’s an addiction. I hope I keep playing for a while yet.”
DEEP PURPLE‘s latest album, “=1”, came out on July 19 via earMUSIC.
“=1” is the band’s first album with McBride, who seamlessly slotted in when longtime member Morse left due to personal circumstances. Since 2022, Simon has already played to DEEP PURPLE audiences totaling more than half a million people.
“=1” was released as a limited CD+DVD (digipak),CD (jewel case),2LP gatefold (black, 180g),limited purple 2LP gatefold (180g),limited crystal clear 2LP (180g) and limited box set (CD+DVD digipak, 2lp black gatefold, 3x exclusive 10″ vinyl editions feat. live recordings from DEEP PURPLE‘s 2022 tour, exclusive collector’s T-shirt, 2x exclusive guitar picks, 1x exclusive art print, 1x exclusive lanyard, and the chance to win a Golden Ticket giving access to all shows on the DEEP PURPLE “=1 More Time” tour). All LPs include a rich 12-page vinyl sized booklet. The bonus DVD features the approximately 60-minute documentary “Access All Areas” joining DEEP PURPLE backstage on tour and providing an exclusive look behind the scenes.
“=1” track listing:
01. Show Me
02. A Bit On The Side
03. Sharp Shooter
04. Portable Door
05. Old-Fangled Thing
06. If I Were You
07. Pictures Of You
08. I’m Saying Nothin’
09. Lazy Sod
10. Now You’re Talkin’
11. No Money To Burn
12. I’ll Catch You
13. Bleeding Obvious
With a body of work spanning seven decades, DEEP PURPLE has helped pioneer and define the hard rock genre while progressively moving into new areas, both keeping their sound fresh and attracting new fans to the legions who have remained loyal since the band’s inception. The celebrated MKII line up of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore were responsible for creating many of the defining rock albums of the early 1970s, including “Made In Japan”, universally accepted as one of the most important and influential live albums of all time.
In 2022 came the sad news of Steve Morse‘s departure due to personal circumstances, but DEEP PURPLE, never a band to let a set back throw them off course, sought out the masterful skills of guitarist Simon McBride and played the year out in style, exciting crowds with a new energy and excitement.
Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Simon McBride continue with renewed vitality, pushing the boundaries of hard rock to audiences around the globe, proving that DEEP PURPLE are very much here to stay.
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