Simon McBride is living his dream. “When I was growing up,” he says, “there were three giants – Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. If you had told a 13-year-old me that one day I would be in Deep Purple, I would have laughed.” But 30 years later, the Irish guitarist has ended up exactly there.
“I feel honored and privileged,” he smiles, “because every guitarist in the world has the dream of being in a legendary rock band, and here I am. I’m enjoying every minute of it. And to have my name linked to such a legacy is incredible.”
Certainly, Simon had big shoes to fill when he joined Purple in 2022. He replaced Steve Morse, a legendary shredder and Purple’s longest-serving guitarist. And when it came to playing live with the band, he faced an even more daunting task – playing the classic Purple songs from the ’70s, including Autobahn star, Black Night and of course Smoke on the water – and all bore the indelible stamp of one of the most revered guitarists of all time, Ritchie Blackmore.
But Simon had years of experience, including working with two of the guys from Purple, singer Ian Gillan and keyboardist Don Airey. With his trusty PRS in hand, he was up to the challenge. And now, two years later, his first album with the band is being released.
Titled =1It is the 23rd studio album in Purple’s long career, and its creation was remarkably stress-free for the newcomer to the band.
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“I didn’t really have to prepare for it,” he says. “I always knew I had to make a record and the prospect of making a record with Deep Purple was very exciting! But there was no pressure about what the other guys thought. We just got in a room together. From my point of view, it was very easy. I just jumped in and went for it.”
There was no pressure about what the other guys thought. We just walked into a room together
How much does it concern you as you take on a role previously held by Messrs Blackmore and Morse?
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“You just have to be yourself, you know? If you try to think of what came before – and that applies to any situation – you get a little overwhelmed musically. There’s no point in trying to compete with Steve Morse or Ritchie Blackmore. I mean, nobody can do it better than them. I certainly can’t! So my attitude is not to try to be like them.
“One of the things the guys in the band like about me as a musician is that I do my own thing. I have a lot of respect for the old songs because some of the parts that Ritchie and Steve played are big parts of the songs and you can’t change them. But when it comes to writing, it’s a combination of different influences from each band member. That’s what I’ve always loved about Deep Purple. There are no rules when it comes to the songs.”
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Was the album easy to create?
“Writing a song is as hard as learning to play guitar, but the more you can learn from other people the better. When I listened to Ritchie’s early stuff, I thought, ‘Wow, I would never have thought of that or done that,’ but now I would.
“Some of the stuff Steve did, he was a little more progressive, which isn’t really my thing, but I learned from it. I said, ‘Okay, I understand what he’s doing here.’ He’s coming from this skill or this mode, and I learned from it and use it. I’m like a sponge. I soak everything up, take something from everyone and use it in my own way.”
What sounds were buzzing around in your head?
“I use the same rig as my live rig, so Engl amps and stuff. I grew up playing classic and hard rock, so I’ll always have that sound in my head no matter what rig I plug in. If I plug in a Fender, I’m still trying to get a Marshall sound, and with a Vox it’s the same.”
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Is your board the same in the studio?
“Sometimes I use a DigiTech Whammy for different things, but in the studio it’s mostly just my Engl amps, a Vox AC30 for some overdubs and PRS guitars that I use all the time. I have two signature guitars (the 408) that PRS built for me – single cuts, and they’re very versatile. I also use a Quad Cortex, which is great when you’re recording digitally because it lets you get everything done quickly.”
About 50 percent of the record had the solos done in the first take. I just went in and played and it was done
How did you approach the solos?
“Solos can be done two ways, right? I’d say about 50 percent of the record, the solos were done on the first take. I just went in and played and it was done. The producer, Bob Ezrin, likes to do two or three different versions of the solo so he can pick and choose what he wants.
“But I remember saying, ‘No, I can’t do better than that!’ So there are solos that are very natural and improvised, but also others, like in the song Pictures of youwhere there’s a little more going on. It’s like a harmony guitar thing and there’s more melody.”
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And riffs?
“It’s a funny thing with riffs. I find it difficult to sit down and say, ‘I’m going to write a guitar riff and it’s going to sound like this.’ That never happens. I sit there for hours and just strum away and nothing but pure crap comes out! The coolest riffs I play are when I just listen, don’t think and start playing.”
Did you ever get stuck while recording this album?
“Oh yeah. I’ve been stuck in a dead end a lot of times. I get out of it by trying something different. I’ve also started learning different skills, like modes. I know a lot of theory, but there’s an infinite amount of it, so it always helps to try different things.
“Even if it’s just different positions on the fretboard or looking an octave higher or lower, you know? You have to start thinking outside the box and finding other ways to do it. It might sound horrible until you think of something else, but that’s all part of the process.”
Have you adapted your style since joining Deep Purple?
“Technically, no. It’s not that important technically, so it wasn’t a big challenge. But Steve Morse’s stuff is very different from Ritchie Blackmore’s early stuff. Steve had a slight wrist injury, so he doesn’t play like he did in Dixie Dregs. If I had to play what he played there, I’d give up!
“And with Ritchie, for example, there is a solo like Autobahn star that I can’t change. If 65,000 people sing the solo note for note, it’s like, “Okay, I’m so glad I didn’t change that at all!” But there are other solos, like the one in Smoke on the waterwhere I changed it and gave it my own touch.”
Have you made any exciting pedal discoveries recently?
“I do a lot of tap dancing on stage because I have so many different pedals. Probably the most obscure is a Boss pedal called the Slicer (SL-2), which is absolute chaos and mayhem. Some people find it useless, but I use it for some really crazy stuff in Black Nightand it’s just pure noise and a battle with my modulation.”
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Steve Morse often used a wet/dry system on tour. Do you do that too?
“Yeah, the main difference now is that I use a wet/dry system. I always used to have a stereo system, but the wet/dry system gives you more options. I also use some JAM pedals, like their chorus, the Analog WaterFall, and I have an old (MXR) Phase 90 and an (MXR) Octavia. My pedalboard is huge and people ask, ‘Do you use all of them?’ My answer is, ‘Yes!'”
You have to cover a lot of notes!
“I use every single pedal on the board. It might only be for a bar or two, but it adds a bit of color. It keeps it fresh and makes it more interesting for people. Plus, I’m a guitar nerd and we all love pedals!”
- =1 is now available via earMUSIC.
