SpazioRock has issued an exclusive interview with BLACKMORE’S NIGHT husband and wife team, Richie Blackmore (ex-DEEP PURPLE) and Candice Night. An excerpt follows:

Q: Everything started in 1996 shortly before Shadow Of The Moon was released. Back then, the “experts” didn’t believe in a Renaissance rock project, yet 15 years later you are still touring the world playing only the music that comes from your heart... supported by the most loyal, happiest fans in the world. How would you review these “first” fifteen years of Blackmore’s Night?

Candice: "It’s been an incredible journey so far. All the experiences have been amazing and we have learned from it all. We continue to grow as a band, as a writing partnership, as musicians playing unfamiliar olden instruments and our horizons broaden with each step."

Ritchie: "Challenging but very rewarding. It’s a new genre of music so you really cant just sit down and copy something like a lot of other bands do. You must be original. And no one is doing this music. People are either purists or they don’t get involved with this music at all. I dislike the lemming factor that involves so much of music today. Everyone copies what they hear other bands do just to be in the charts."

Read the complete interview at this location.

Blackmore's Night have confirmed a series of UK dates for September and October. The shows are as follows, with special seating areas reserved for fans in garb and medieval clothing:

September

30 - York, UK - Grand Opera House

October

1 - Buxton, UK - Opera house
5 - Birmingham, UK - Town Hall
8 - Salisbury, UK - City Hall
11 - Swindon, UK - Wyvern Theatre

Blackmore's Night released Autumn Sky on January 18th in North America via Spinefarm Records. The album was released in Europe on September 3rd, 2010. Recorded during Candice's pregnancy, Candice and Ritchie have dedicated the Autumn Sky album to their newly born daughter Autumn Esmerelda Blackmore.

Autumn Sky tracklisting:

'Highland'

'Vagabond (Make A Princess Of Me)'

'Journeyman (Vandraren)'

'Believe In Me'

'Sake Of The Song'

'Song And Dance'

'Celluloid Heroes'

'Keeper Of The Flame'

'Night At Eggersberg'

'Strawberry Girl'

'All The Fun Of The Fayre'

'Darkness'

'Dance Of The Darkness'

'Health To The Company'

'Barbara Allen'

The first video has been released for the song 'Highland' and can be seen below: