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Candice Night on Deep Purple Adventures, Blackmore’s Night and Lullabies
Singer-songwriter Candice Night’s creative journey reads like an adventure novel with an international singing career that began in Czechoslovakia when she sang background vocals for Deep Purple, to her work as one of the forces behind the band Blackmore’s Night (with husband and legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore). So I was excited to catch up with Night for my podcast Whine At 9 to discuss her fascinating career and new solo album Starlight, Starbright.
She always knew that music was a central part of her life, but Candice Night never anticipated that her career would land her on stage. But life had other plans for the woman who had once predicted she might work for a record company or radio station. Looking back today, Night says it all seems to make sense.
“The amazing thing is, when you look at it from a distance, everything was a really natural evolution. So it almost seems like everything was this path that was really just simply meant to be. So we [Night and Blackmore] kind of evolved together as friends, and then a relationship blossomed. And then he took me on the road with him with Deep Purple. And he heard me singing around the hotel rooms and asked me to sing backup for some of his songs on the road with Deep Purple. And then he reformed Rainbow. And Rainbow was looking, you know, they needed a backup singer so I happened to be right there. At one point they needed some lyrics written. And I was always a closet poet, which means I basically just wrote for myself in my journal and scribbled away without sharing that with anyone. But Ritchie would see me writing all the time and he said, ‘Before I get a professional lyricist in, I’d like for you to try something.’ So they played backing tracks for me.”
Since then, Night and Blackmore have created their own unique musical genre rooted in Renaissance music. Introduced to medieval music by Blackmore, Night, the reflective musical poet and lead vocalist for Blackmore’s Night, calls the music “the perfect marriage of audio and visual. It kind of was the soundtrack to nature…it just heightens your experiences and your senses.”
Her new solo album of lullabies Starlight, Starbright seems the perfect project for the spiritual musician with the beautiful, soothing voice. The mother of two young children, Autumn, 5, and Rory 4, Night admits the album, inspired by her children, has been a bit of a family affair. Daughter Autumn wrote the song “Lullaby In The Night,” and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee husband Blackmore offered up guitar and collaborative talent on the album, co-writing some of the songs.
Night loves that Starlight, Starbright allows people to connect to the simple things. When adult fans mention that the album helps them unwind and unplug, she’s thrilled. “It’s not just for children…It’s just so nice to hear everyone being able to be relaxed through that.”
Life is good for Candice Night, and she couldn’t be more grateful. “It’s been an incredible journey….If you would have asked me years ago, when I was going to college for journalism and for communications, if this was the path that my life would have taken, I would have definitely not ever been able to imagine this in my wildest dreams. But sometimes your wildest dreams do come true. So here we are.”
By DR. NANCY BERK
JUNE 3, 2016
Interview with Mike Clemente (a.k.a. Earl Grey of Chimay)
Hi Mike, first of all thank you very much for this interview: the first question is very simple, how and when did you meet Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night?
Mille grazie Gaetano e SpazioRock! E congratulazioni per la nascita di tuo figlio Lorenzo!
I first met Candice and Ritchie through mutual friend and filmmaker J. Andrew Colletti about six years ago.
You were already interested in the nature and folk & renaissance music before entering the band?
I’ve always been interested in diverse styles of music, particularly renaissance, baroque, and gypsy music before joining Blackmore’s Night. Ironically, I was rejected from just about every school music program I ever tried out for so I primarily studied with private instructors, which gave me the freedom to attempt styles of music that I would have never been thoroughly introduced to in a mainstream setting. I also like to collect and play exotic instruments from around the world - it feeds my addiction to the constant challenge of learning and studying different styles of music on different instruments. My latest challenge is running on an elliptical machine everyday while practicing Highland Bagpipes.
Which thing convinced you the most to say “Yes, I will be in the band?”
They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
“Dancer and the Moon” is very delicate and touching, more intense than “Autumn Sky”, in my opinion. It seems that Ritchie has been deeply touched by Ronnie James Dio and Jon Lord’s passing away. What do you think about that?
Every album is like a chapter or time capsule into the lives of those who produce them. Ritchie’s performance and execution in “Carry On...Jon” and “Temple of the King” emotes a perfectly fitting and touching tribute. “The Spinner’s Tale” is also a moving tribute to the late Owain Phyfe. But “Dancer and the Moon,” in the tradition of the previous records, is a celebration of life, with an energy and charisma reflective of the spirit of the band, experiences on the road, and our incredible fans.
The Moon is a main and essential feature Blackmore’s Night discography. There are plenty of song and album titles, song lyrics, where the Moon is the main character: is there any particular event or memory related to it?
The Moon is integral, she is always watching over us.
By the way, talking about moon and nature and religion: the lyrics of the last cd (for example “The Last Leaf” lyrics) make me think about Neo-Paganism or Wicca. Can you tell us something more about this topic?
The songs are sculpted in a way to draw the listener into a world of simpler times; away from the headaches of computers, television, smartphones, and most importantly, New York Mets baseball. Candice is a brilliant vocalist and lyricist; always painting an intriguing picture filled with vivid imagery and metaphor.
In my opinion the best Blackmore’s Night album is “Fires At Midnight”. What about yours?
They’re all excellent records, it would be an injustice to the other records if I were to isolate and pick just one. As a member of Blackmore’s Night, I’ve spent many hours dissecting each one lol. Lately I really enjoy listening to and performing the songs off of the latest release “Dancer and the Moon”.
Which audience convinced you the most in 6 years of concerts around the world?
What makes a Blackmore’s Night concert audience so special is that no matter where we are performing, the Blackmore’s Night fans are always united to the cause of having a great time and reveling in an evening of music and magic. For six years, every audience has convinced me of this every time I walk out on stage.
All the guys from Blackmore’s Night Official Italian Fan Club keep on asking me and asking you when you’ll come back to Italy... I know you’re looking for a trustworthy promoter... But aren’t you penalizing Italian fans, who have been waiting for you for so long?
Mi dispiace tutti. Che ragione, non lo so. Spero noi ritorniamo a Italia presto.
You are already in the studio to work on a new album, as Candice twitted some weeks ago. Can you tell us something about it?
It will be full of surprises!
We all know that Ritchie has an intransigent personality, but he also likes joking and kidding with band members on tour. Did he ever do a joke to you or to other members of the band?
Ritchie is incredibly creative (and dangerous) when it comes to practical jokes. We’ve all been a victim at some point or another but it is all in good fun....most of the time.
Would you like to share with us any story about the “life on the road”, that you have never had the chance to tell?
Life On The Road: by Earl Grey of Chimay
It isn’t often that one encounters a road such as the one I encountered that late, cloudy and humid evening in July. Cloudy being an understatement; the air becoming so heavy you can feel the clouds graze the skin during momentary wind gusts. Air so heavy, one could take a bite out of it and taste it, saving the rest for tomorrow’s burdening leftovers. Yet, the moon was high on a perch in the sky, burning portraits of silhouettes amongst a blanketed canvas of muted stars. I suppose this road before me must look quite different in the daylight, for on this evening it appears to seem like a formidable road, full of dark turns and twisted embankments of unknown direction, riddled by the shadows of ferns and pine needles that line this hallowed pathway. This was my first time on this particular road, with anxiety blinded by the reflections of dewdrops that have collected on partially tanned grass stems within the vast fields that seemed to engulf and entrench the path that would ultimately take us away from all of this. The fields were barren, yet life was all around; crawling and existing in microcosms that would rival any large-scale modern suburban infrastructure. The heavy air was stifling; muting all outside interfering audible interference while amplifying the most delicate of songs - ants carrying twigs, trees swaying in the breeze, the delicate sound of owls gliding in the air, and hedgehogs crawling out to see what all the commotion was. I had never seen a hedgehog until that night, and I assure you, that hedgehog had never seen me until that night either. But it was a strange hedgehog, slowly hobbling its way across the road with monocle and cane. I suppose this was typical for the region, but marveled at the idea that this hedgehog was truly independent, amongst a complete society of other creature-dwelling inhabitants bearing characteristic traits that would rival a bowling squad. I, for one, can recall how it’s tiny fingers left tracks in the gritty dirt road that quickly materialized to clay once the prints had enough time to harden from the relentless humidity. “How does a hedgehog find its way through such thick air and hazy mist?” I would have stopped to ask him but he was on his way, probably with the sole purpose of avoiding any owls flying overhead, looking to rain on his parade. And speaking of rain, so it became, as this dark road turned to mud for the torrential rains decided to crash this naturally sophisticated party. And with the rain, the song of the trees was muted, along with the song of ants carrying twigs, owls gliding in the air, even the frogs had to take cover for fear that their song would be muted too by this awesome commotion of thunder. Lightning erupted, but only brief, to provide a snapshot into the distance of the external surroundings. My connection to this suspicious road was quickly hampered when the lightning quickly revealed the silhouette of a figure, sitting many kilometers down the road just as I was sitting, writing into a leather bound notebook with the quill of an ostrich just as I was. My last image before the lightning subsided was a silhouette of a hedgehog, hobbling down the road with monocle and cane towards this figure that was sitting many kilometers down the road just as I was sitting, writing into a leather bound notebook with the quill of an ostrich, just as I was.
Have you some parallel music-projects beside Blackmore’s Night? If yes, can you tell us more?
Nothing of the moment. I’ve written about 728 songs but I haven’t had the courage to record any of them yet. People keep asking if I will record any of the songs, maybe I will try. Many of the songs are about neuroscience so I don’t know how people will receive them. Those songs will probably be very popular at medical schools.
Would you like to leave a message to all Blackmore's night Italian fans? Thank you so much again for this interview… see you on the road!
Saluti e molte birre per tutti! Spero ci vediamo tutti presto! Mille grazie Gaetano e SpazioRock!
Article by Gaetano Loffredo
Published on: 29/10/14
Interview for the Blackmore's Night Ukrainian fan club
Oksana: The first leg of your first tour with Blackmore's Night is over. Please, share your impressions - in a few words.
Earl Grey: Some of my impressions include John Travolta and Edward G. Robinson.
O: Tell the truth, what do you like and hate about being on the road?
EG: On the road, I like the scenic landscapes and the variety of goods found at most rest stops. The thing I hate most about being on the road is being stuck in traffic.
O: What was the tightest situation for you on this tour? And also the funniest?
EG: The tightest situation was the bunk I had to sleep in on the bus. The funniest was hitting my head against the roof of that bunk every time I woke up.
O: Is there your personal favourite moment during a Blackmore's Night show?
EG: The moment of realization that my bass is in tune after striking the first note.
O: How did you meet with Ritchie and Candice? Did you come to them yourself or did they find you?
EG: We were introduced by a mutual friend, J. Andrew Colletti. Check out his upcoming film "House of Eternity" starring Candice Night at www.houseofeternity.com
O: You can play on a variety of instruments. What is your favourite? Any plans to add more instruments to your list?
EG: My favourite instrument is the glockenspiel... although I still question why because I've never heard one, let alone ever seen or played one. I've always wanted to learn how to play the bass, so that will probably be next.
O: Speaking of your past and present, what were are your musical influences and inspirations?
EG: Spike Jones and the City Slickers.
O: Speaking of Ritchie's past, do you prefer Deep Purple over Rainbow, or vice versa?
EG: I'm partial to his work with The Three Musketeers.
O: Speaking of Ritchie's present, how much were you familiar with a music of Blackmore's Night before joining the band?
EG: Familiar, but not as familiar as I was to his work with The Three Musketeers.
O: Blackmore's Night are very often using centuries-old tunes for their songs, like Fires At Midnight or Locked Within The Crystal Ball. I wonder, do Ritchie and Candice give the band members a listen to the tunes in an original arrangement (for example, performed by Des Geyers)?
EG: I never gave them the chance to play me the songs. I went ahead and conducted my own research with a group of well-credited interns.
O: Ritchie is famous by his practical jokes. Have you been his victim? And if so, have you ever tried to get a revenge?
EG: Let's just say that whatever happens in Bratislava....stays in Bratislava.
O: Are you good in soccer?
EG: From an American perspective, I'm absolutely incredible. From a European perspective, I'm absolutely horrible.
O: If you lived in the medieval times, you would be: a peasant, a knight, a craftsman, a cleric, a jester, a merchant etc, or still a minstrel?
EG: I would have most likely been a poor knight who built funny looking instruments that I unsuccessfully tried to sell to other clerics.
O: Let me thank you personally and in the name of the Official Blackmore's Night Ukrainian Fan Club for giving the interview!
EG: Thank you Oksana and the Official Blackmore's Night Ukrainian Fan Club!!!
Interviewer: Oksana Shkilnyak.
July 2008
Choir director and church organist by day, rock 'n' roll musician by night.
Meet David Baranowski, a highly skilled and gifted musician who is the music ministry director and organist at St. Joseph Church in Danbury.
While that day job keeps him quite busy, Baranowski, 40, also makes time to tour Europe and other corners of the globe with Blackmore's Night, a rock 'n' Renaissance band with an international following.
The group was founded by Ritchie Blackmore, lead guitarist from the pioneering hard rock group Deep Purple, a band known for guitar riff classics like "Smoke On the Water."
Baranowski attended Purchase College Conservatory of Music, receiving both his bachelor's and master's there. Purchase is also where he met his wife, Jennifer. They now live in Danbury with their son.
It was about 11 years ago that Baranowski was first contacted about playing keyboards with Blackmore's Night. Since then, he's been touring all over with the band. Baranowski will have a rare home area gig with Blackmore's Night when the group performs at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Saturday, May 24.
In a recent chat with Baranowski, we talked about how he landed the gig with Blackmore's Night, how he manages two different lifestyles (church music director and touring rock musician) and some of the rewards he gets from both.
Q: How did you end up playing with Blackmore?
A: There was a guy that was touring with them as a violinist that I went to college with and the keyboard player before me left for some reason or another, and they usually replace the members by word of mouth. So this guy suggested me, which was surprising because I didn't really know him that well. I went down and did three auditions and then that was it, we went on tour.
Q: How do you mix the different lifestyles of church organist and rock 'n' roll musician?
A: Very carefully. As rock tours go, it fits into my schedule pretty well because it's mostly summertime, which is really a down season for church.
Q: Any similarities between the job at the church and touring?
A: Yeah, I suppose so, music is music, but it is pretty different as well. The style that we're playing in the Blackmore band isn't so completely different than what I'm used to. But, the whole nature of the thing is different. We're playing a two-hour show where there's no music (sheet music) involved, there's no charts or anything like that, and you're relating to the audience a hundred percent of the time instead of at church where you're trying to play a service the best you can and have it be accurate and have the choir sing all together. It's pretty different.
Q: What are some of the rewards you get from touring?
A: You get to play for big audiences, especially in Europe. Last year we played in Moscow for 6,000 seats and it was sold out. So that's a thrill for sure and also I'm a character (Bard David) in the show. I'm myself but I am also somewhat of a caricature of myself I guess, so you get to create that character a little bit and you get to horse around on stage.
You also get to sort of create your own parts, it's a lot more improvised and it develops over time. Since I've been in the band, I think it's my 11th year, what I actually play in the show has changed dramatically just because I wanted it to and it fit. So that part of it is a lot of fun
Q: What are some of your favorite shows?
A: The best ones are the open-air shows in the summer in Europe, because if the weather is nice the atmosphere is outrageously great. Everybody's outside having a good time. One time we played in Rothenburg, Germany, and it's kind of a tourist town; it's a walled city. We played there, and I mean everybody just comes out of their houses, the place is mobbed with people from end to end and everybody's just having a great time.
Q: What is one of your favorite songs to perform and why?
A: I like "The Circle."
Q: Why "The Circle?
A: Well "The Circle" has a guitar solo break that just has an awesome groove to it and it's just so much fun to groove along, and Ritchie's a killer guitar player so when he is really cranking it, that's a lot of fun.
Levon Ofgang is a freelance writer in Connecticut
Saturday, April 12, 2014
