Steve Morse Band
Steve Morse
Dave LaRue
Van Romaine
February 15, 1997 Ventura Theater, Ventura, CA, USA
Man of Many Styles; Noted guitarist Steve Morse keeps honing the virtuoso role.
Nearly two decades ago, nimble-fingered guitarist Steve Morse came raging out of the South in
the band called the Dixie Dregs.
The group produced some of the oddest mongrel music ever committed to record: part brainy rock-
fusion, part down-home wailing.
While Morse's studied and also heated playing made him a guitar hero, he could have ended up
in the cult margins of the music scene where guitar virtuosos often go.
Who would have guessed that, in the late '90s, Morse would be one of rock's most versatile
side men? Several years ago, Morse was resident guitar wizard for the pop-metal band Kansas.
For the past two years, Morse has been happily ensconced in the reformed hard-rock band Deep
Purple, assuming the role originally filled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.
But Morse has never forsaken his own unique instrumental music, which he'll bring to the
Ventura Theatre on Saturday night.
Born in 1955 in Ohio and bred mostly in the South, Morse now lives in Florida, a single father
raising a 6-year-old son. Recently, he put out "Stressfest," his sixth album as a leader,
released on the High Street label, a division of Windham Hill.
Was there a significance to the title? "Yes, in a way. I was moving, getting divorced, didn't
have a place to live yet," he said. "Real quickly, my manager called and said, 'The record
company wants to know the title of the new album.' "
"Stressfest" it was. Morse explained, "The energy there says it all. Once you play that, it
takes the stress out of you." To hear him describe it, the music is a "very obvious mix of
bluegrass and heavy metal."
Part of what has made Morse such a unique figure in guitar circles is the fact that he has
never fit in. He straddles different musical genres, without ever settling in one place.
"It's kind of like I have this instinct so that lots and lots of people will hate what I do,"
he said, laughing.
After his brief West Coast tour, Morse will embark on an extensive South American tour with
Deep Purple, before going into the studio to record their next album. He also has been
performing in duets with the noted classical guitarist Manuel Barrueco.
The classical influence is never very far in Morse's own work. In fact, Morse--the hopeless
ambi-stylist--was studying classical guitar while in the jazz department at the University of
Florida, where the Dixie Dregs formed.
Morse's faithful following has inspired him to continue pursuing his own muse. The exposure he
gets now as a member of Deep Purple doesn't hurt his solo work.
Which of his musical roles, then, incur more stress? "The most stressful of all is my solo
shows, where it's just me.
"When I say stress with music, it's not like bad stress." He paused, searching for the right
phrase. "It's more a state of heightened arousal."
BE THERE
Steve Morse will perform Saturday at Ventura Theatre, 23 S. Chestnut St., Ventura. Tickets are
$15. Show starts at 8 p.m., with Storyville opening; 648-1888.
- The Los Angeles Times, Feb 13, 1997
February 20 1997, The Edge, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Bloodsucking Leeches
Vista Grande
Assembly Line
Dreamland
Golden Quest
Rising Power
Highland Wedding
Runaway Train
Delicate Balance
Foreign Exchange
The Easy Way *
Brave New World
Stressfest
Native Dance
Cruise Control
Tumeni Notes
* with Jeff Watson