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December 30, 2004

SITTING IN THE SUN

So I made it into the desert for a few days. And its gorgeous out here. I went to Best Buy this morning and bought a wireless network hub for our laptops here, so I (of course) have a wireless DSL connection. Trust me to figure out an online situation WHEREVER I go!! I'm sitting on the sunloungers at the golf course, watching them play while I relax with coffee, cigarettes and a computer. I have ten movies on the shelf inside waiting to be watched - (If you havent seen Shaun Of The Dead yet....GO SEE IT NOW!!)

I spoke to Dave this morning who had a great idea to help in the relief for South East Asia. I think we are going to change the show on 27th Jan at The Key Club from being free, to being $10 to get in. That way, we can actually generate some help where it is needed, and the show still remains an open show for all you guys. We just want to try and give something if we can. I'll confirm this soon, but it seems like a good idea. Its still a really cheap show, and Camp Freddy get to play to a 'non-corporate' audience....the REAL people!!

I got some interesting news this morning. It seems I will be beta-testing the new Digital Les Paul for Gibson in January. It can be played as a real Les Paul, or can also be used as an 'individual string' digital guitar. Looks like I will be taking one to the Vegas show, and maybe use it at a Doheny show or two as well. And of course I will give the guitar a workout in the studio when Jon and I start work on these new tunes. Seems like it could be an interesting instrument. More news when I get my grubby little paws on it.

Oh and while I remember - Jezebel.....thats the only pic I recieved!! Thats why I didnt put it up straight away...cos I couldnt find you in the pic! Send me the other one again and I'll get it up!! If you want the kids to stay up there, let me know - I think its cool - we are hitting the pre-teen market already!!

Thats it for now - I think its time for a massage. Its cool to be relaxing finally, but equally as nice that I can stay in touch with the Doheny vibe while I'm here. I read on the main site's message board, that the UK Metal Hammer Interview I did a month or so ago is out. If anyone in the UK fancies sending me a copy of the issue, I would appreciate it. Billy Morrison, 8581 Santa Monica Blvd, #149, LA, CA, 90069, USA.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 02:02 PM | Comments (9)

December 29, 2004

BACK HOME....FOR 5 MINUTES!!

AHHH - My beautiful laptop!! I am in front of it once again, having got back last night about 2.00am from Dallas. And I am off again in a few hours to get away for the New Year. The whole Dallas trip was unexpected, but neccessary, and all's well that ends well. So now it really is time for a few days of rest.

But PLEASE everyone - say a prayer for the people involved in the devastation in South East Asia. I have spent a lot of time in that area, and it really is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The people are wonderful, and I know that they will be suffering greatly from these tidal waves. Help out if you can - make a donation to the Red Cross. At the very least, spare a thought or two for the 77,000 people that have lost their lives over there. I have been to those exact beaches in Thailand. It could have been me - it could have been anyone. My prayers go out to everyone affected by the disaster.

Although I am looking forward to a few days in the sun, I cannot WAIT to get started with Jon again on the new songs that we started before Xmas. A week or two without playing and I am definately going mad. Camp Freddy kick off the New Year with a show in Vegas for Sony, followed by our free all-ages show in Los Angeles at The Key Club on 27th Jan. And I feel good things on the horizon for Doheny. We had a great year in 04 - played some great gigs, became a tight, professional sounding unit, and wrote some cool tunes. We are definately ready to rock!!

So I am again moving into cellphone-posting territory. I'll try and check in from time to time - I hope everyone has an amazing New Year Celebration, and I'll see you all very soon. Big Love to the Doheny Family.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 09:40 AM | Comments (6)

December 27, 2004

DOGS, DALLAS AND DENNY'S

Well, as you might have guessed from the 'Xmas At Dennys' post, I didn't manage to get away this Xmas. A family crisis forced us to cancel our plans at the last minute and spend a few days in Dallas. Not exactly the health spa we had planned on, but its been fine. So tomorrow we will fly back to LA and resume our plans.....which means I still get a few days in the sun over New Year. Perfect. But I did get to hang out with Jen's family dog.....the cutest Golden Retriever ever. All cuddles and fur and walks and.........oh God, Billy's gone all stupid now! Work resumes the first week of January with a Camp Freddy show in Vegas for Sony Playstation, Doheny rehearsals and a show or two in LA, and continued work with Jon on some new songs. Right now it feels like 05 will be a good year for all of us. I think we have a lot of good stuff bubbling away in the cauldron. Let's see what's actually part of the bigger plan. Talking of 05, what are your New Years resolutions? And what hopes do you have for 05? I know some of you share my hope for a Doheny record! I want to try and sort out the health and fitness thing next year.......you know, eat healthy, smoke less, do more exercise..........yeah right. That'll last about a week. OK - my poor fingers are done from typing this on my cell. so I am outta here. Keep eating and drinking.....the holidays are not over yet. Take care people and I'll see ya soon. Peace Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 07:21 AM | Comments (9)

December 26, 2004

DENNY'S XMAS DINNER

ITS OVER!!!! I got through it all fairly unscathed - apart from the lunch at Denny's (which was THE only place open!!) it wasnt that bad. I'm away from LA, which means that anything that isnt 'White Christian' is frowned upon....no restaurants open, no stores, just movie theatres (forget Oceans 12 - we walked out!) and 7-11's.

My cellphone is acting up, and the computer access is limited so I was unable to get online yesterday. I hope everyone got all that they wanted, and now you are all going to spend the day in front of the TV, vegging out and eating every 2 hours! I'm going to do some of that myself, as well as checking out the sales for a few hours. By the way - I noticed someone comment on the size of the type. Bear with me - I am on an unfamiliar PC and I REALLY dont get the Microsoft way of working. Forgive me - I am a Mac man through and through. I've tried posting this one in a bigger type. I also cant figure out the pic attachments on this computer so until I am back in LA - no pictures either.

OK - Thats it. Just checking in. Hope some of you listened to the Xmas Special Radio show on Indie. I know it was a funny one. The New Years Day one was also a blast, so check that out next Saturday if you can. I'm outta here folks - have a wonderful day.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 07:32 AM | Comments (6)

December 24, 2004

FAT MAN IN A RED SUIT

Xmas Eve – the night when a big fat guy in a red suit and an unfeasibly large white beard gets on a supersonically powered bit of wood, and visits every child on the planet. With a bunch of reindeer. Hmmm…… I wonder if there’s a song in that?

As I’m typing this, I’m sitting in a hotel suite, with the Live Aid DVD playing on the TV. I gotta say that Queen’s performance that day was truly one of rock n roll’s greatest moments. And right now, Roger Daltrey and The Who are ripping up an amazing version of Wont Get Fooled Again. We HAVE to do that song with Camp Freddy one day. Roger….if you are reading this – lets DO IT!!

Finally, after an LAX nightmare, I am away from the City Of Angels, and feeling relaxed. I truly hope all of you are chilling out with yer Egg  Nogg and a ridiculously large bowl of candy. I don’t really care how this time of year came about – as far as I’m concerned, we all get to eat WAY too much, stock up on aftershave and socks, and watch loads of old movies. GENIUS!!

I think Jen and I are gonna hit the stores today – we both go in somewhere, point out some stuff that we like, and buy it for each other. By FAR the best way to shop for a loved one. Unless you are doing the diamonds thing, its too risky and too stressful to attempt the‘surprise’ thing. At least, we find it easier this way. So I think I’m going to drag her into Vuitton and get me some new luggage. I’m sure there will be a bag or a wallet in there that she will fall in love with – and that will be that. Job Done.

The internet connection is a little sketchy here so bear with me, but I will be attempting to post tomorrow – it is SO important to me that I get to wish you all a Happy Xmas on the actual day. The ever-growing  Doheny Family have become a big part of my life now. I read what you have to say every day – I get to speak to some of you on the phone when we do CFR – I have even met some of you now at the Doheny shows. I hope it continues. I’m off to relieve myself of some cash. Maybe we’ll hit a movie this afternoon….Meet The Fockers anyone?? Till the big day –

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 08:00 AM | Comments (10)

December 23, 2004

TRAVEL DAY

So first of all, I wanna say a big thanks to Heidi, who promised me some cool Cult footage of the Reading Festival mainstage performance we did in 2001. And lo and behold, true to her word, a CD appeared in the mailbox yesterday with that and more on it. Thanks a million Heidi – Reading was a very special show for me and it’s a blast to be able to watch it again. And I had forgotten how HUGE that audience was!!

Today is a travel day for me. Of course I am not packed and I'm leaving in a couple of hours. So its a quick one. I am just not sure of the internet situation after today, so I wanted to get one last love affair with my trusty laptop in, before I leave. Dave and I recorded the New Years Day CFR last night - what a blast that is......it ALWAYS has me in tears of laughter when I do that thing with him. If you can, listen in to Xmas Day and New Years Day. They are both taped but both VERY funny shows. Big shout out to all from dohenymusic and 6767 that got through on the phones and joined in the madness. Its always great to speak to you guys.

Its too late for me to get any more gifts, so Xmas shopping is officially over for this year. I have what I have, and thats that. The stores were packed yesterday, and I found myself staring at bin upon bin of marked down sale items, NONE of which were what I was looking for...... I ended up doing what I usually do, and grabbing anything. Whatever - its done now. NEXT year I promise myself that I will start earlier and put more time into the whole thing. (Yeah, RIGHT!!!)

Gotta get moving - need to get my intravenous drip of Starbucks plugged in, so I can get the motivation to throw a bunch of clothes into a bag and get out of here. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 07:36 AM | Comments (13)

December 22, 2004

RETAIL MADNESS

Despite all my good intentions, lists of things I need to make lists of, and promising myself I wouldnt leave it all 'till the last minute again, I find myself waking up this morning faced with one day to do all my Xmas shopping!! I leave town tomorrow, and I have bought nothing, mailed nothing, and yet again, I need to go out and do it all in one day!! Oh joy of joys. I get to participate in that phenomenon known as the last minute Christmas rush - which seems to involve every single human being in Los Angeles. Women pushing those baby strollers that hold five kids all in a row, deftly maneuvering through the aisles of Saks or Nordstroms. Hundreds of couples walking hand in hand, ambling through the mall, stopping at every store window, asking if "Auntie Kate would like that?" And THOUSANDS of children, seemingly detached from their parents, running frantically around the shops, randomly picking things up, shaking them, dropping them, and moving on to the next thing. Oh, how I love this day!!!

Karen has been a busy bee, and created todays pic of an obvious best-selling magazine, that will appear on newstands next year!! Nice work Karen. Maybe we'll actually get around to doing a mag like that once the record is made and we are on tour. Could be a cool way of keeping everyone in the loop - kinda like a fan club thing. NOW look what you've started.....Billy's brain is spinning again!!

I haven't done anymore work on the new songs so far. As much as I just want to keep working, and developing stuff for next year, I feel that I need to learn how to just sit and do nothing. How to hang out with my wife and my friends, and how to clear my mind of all things Doheny and Freddy. (Which is possibly why I did nothing yesterday, and have to go out into the Retail Madness of today!!) Its tough for me - I really do spend a lot of time thinking about how we can make the tracks we have sound better, and ideas for new ones. But patience is a virtue - Jon and I managed to get a bunch of ideas sketched before we broke for the holidays, and I know I can get right back to working on those after the New Year.

Ylais - You asked about my family at Xmas time. They are pretty scattered now - some in Australia, some in Africa (!), some in the UK. I make a few calls on Xmas day, sure. Its tough to talk about my family, as the drug years took its toll on a lot of my family. I stay in touch with my Parents. And I know the rest of my family wish me well. I think some of us drifted apart during the 'dark times' and we never fully healed the rift. Some write to me, some dont. And I also have a beautiful wife now, that I share the Xmas thing with - I think you get the picture.
And swiftly changing the subject....Skot....its ALL about the Brie!!

I'm gonna sign off for now. My laptop is coming with me tomorrow, so if I can find an internet connection, I will continue to post fully, with pics. But if I cant, then it will be quick check-ins from my cellphone. Either way, I wish you all Happy Holidays and a wonderful 2005. You have ALL played a huge part in Doheny and Camp Freddy this year. Oh - one last thing. Dave and I are in the studio tonight recording a Camp Freddy Radio show for New Years Day. We will be doing this from 6pm - 8pm Los Angeles time. So if you feel like calling up and being on the show, try dialling 1-877-4LA-1031. The phones will be open while we are taping so it will be like you are calling live. And while you're at it, lets start a new campaign to get Evergreen on the playlist over at Indie. Call up and request some Doheny!!

I'll be back tomorrow in some shape or form, so until then - ....

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 07:20 AM | Comments (13)

December 20, 2004

OVERWHELMED!!

Good morning everyone. I have to say that I was overwhelmed at the chat last night - I was wondering how many people would actually show up!! And you guys outdid yourselves. And you are all sweet, funny, polite and friendly. Very cool to see new faces there as well - I love that the Doheny Family is getting bigger. Spread the love, people!!

Its day one of my holiday time - and I dont know what to do already!! I can see it getting very expensive, as I start to buy things to keep me occupied!! Retail Therapy has always been my favorite pastime. I make myself laugh sometimes - I keep lists of things....all kinds of things....things I need to do, things I want, movies I want to see.....God, I really am weird sometimes!!

You know, I need to ask you all to spare a thought over the next week or so, for those that are less fortunate than us. For instance, we tend to forget that even having a computer is a luxury that many people dont have. So just the fact that we are all able to be a part of an online community, and have fun listening to music, posting pics, going to shows.....its all WAY more than a lot of people get to do. I'm not preaching - I just felt the need to express my gratitude for what I have, and who I have in my life, and wanted to ask you all to do the same. Doheny is not, and never will be, a negative band. There is enough of that already. We are about the positive, the good times, moving onwards etc. Cliched maybe, but true to our hearts. So be aware over the holidays - if you can, be nice to someone, buy someone a cup of coffee, give someone a smile. In other words - Spread The Love!! Er........ I sound like Timothy Leary!! Next thing will be me driving around the USA in a multicolored school bus, tripping on acid, and forming communes on waste ground. But I suppose we could all have naked love-ins!!

One bit of news - I spoke to Mike Clink yesterday (producer of the Camp Freddy album). He has been tied up for a couple of months, but he told me that he is freeing up now, and that work on the CF record can resume in the New Year. This is great news, as we already have a few guests recorded. I'm looking forward to getting the rest of them on the record, mixing the thing, and getting it out there. Its taken a while, but I PROMISE you, it is well worth the wait.

Well, I suppose I should get down to Starbucks. The Gingerbread Latte is calling me. Thank you all again for chatting last night - and I know that 2005 will be a good year for all of us. Came across this pic of me and Slash this morning. Hmmm....short spikey blond or long black? Not sure. I'll be back tomorrow with more 'thoughts from the left side of my brain'. Until then.....

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 08:14 AM | Comments (22)

December 19, 2004

CHAT ROOM TONIGHT

Its a quick post this morning to let you know that we will be in the Chat Room tonight between 7pm and 8pm tonight West Coast Time. Hope to see some of you in there (although it seems that either everyone has gone on holiday, or people have just become bored of my ramblings!!) Either way, we love you all and I'll see you in the Chat Room tonight.

CFR was a repeat last night because we were all busy elsewhere, but next week, Indie will air the Xmas Day special that Dave and I recorded last week. It was pretty funny, so try and listen in/tape it/get someone else to record it for you!!

Have a great Sunday

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 08:32 AM | Comments (11)

December 17, 2004

VIVE LE D.F.

Heeeeere’s JOHNNY!! I’m back again with my usual ramblings. Spent yesterday working hard in the studio with Jon on a couple of new tunes – it really is a great feeling when you slave for hours over something that doesn’t seem to work, and then you try some mad, random idea….and suddenly it all comes together. We’ve been messing about with a guitar riff that Sean brought in a few months ago, and we knew it had something. And finally, yesterday, Jon and I muted everything other than the vocals and drums, and wrote the music around the vocal melody. Not our usual way of working, but lo and behold, we came across some cool ideas. Tentative title is ‘Throw It All Away” .

My thoughtfulness of a day or so ago seems to have dissipated and my usual manic work schedule is back in full effect. (Thanks for the kind words) I feel productive again and I intend to make the most of the headspace while it lasts. Oh, by the way, the Modern Guitars site - www.modernguitars.com - now has a weekly Blog from my good self. It will be more of a 'technical' blog, concentrating on guitars, equipment and the music business, but check it out if you like. Its very new, but hopefully will turn into something fun if you are a guitar player, or a musician.

God knows what I’m gonna do over the Xmas week – I’m getting outta LA and won’t have my computers with me. Its going to be all about the cellphone – I’ll be posting what I can, when I can, but I think I’ll actually be forced to have a week long break. Lots of massages, the odd facial, and plenty of sunshine. Mmmmm, sounds good!!

The Camp Freddy show on the 27th Jan seems to be all systems go – the first ad appeared in the LA Weekly yesterday – I know we are all looking forward to doing a full-on, free, no guest list show. I hope some of you guys make it to the Key Club – we’ll be putting on the usual brand of CF madness. And I hope to be able to confirm a couple of Doheny shows when we reconvene after New Year. Working on a couple of ideas, but the business is shut down now until January, so I wont be getting any answers until then.

Today is the last Doheny rehearsal of the year. I think we all feel pretty good about the work we’ve done as a band this year. Our goal was to be ‘album-ready’ by the end of 04 and we achieved that. Lets all hope that 05 sees us able to record that record. The new songs that we have in the pot are definitely exciting to me, the band is just about as tight as it could be, everyone has progressed as players, and above all, I think we have all had a lot of fun working together. We’ll be doing the chat this Sunday at 7pm, and then its Holiday Time!!

We have tried to listen to your comments and feedback over the last few months. We have stickers being printed (the hats will come early next year), we have video posted from the Key Club, we have the chat scheduled…….PLEASE feel free to let me know what you would like to read about/see/hear etc. We will try and get another track up on the main site soon, but we don’t want to let all of them out before we finish the record. But let me know what YOU want me to write about in 05. What sort of things would be interesting to you. This Doheny Family will be a part of the band whatever happens and we listen to you guys. So don’t be backwards in coming forward. Be as interactive as you like. And we will try to accommodate. Vive Le DF!!!! Have fun, stay safe, and I’ll be back at the weekend.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 07:47 AM | Comments (7)

December 15, 2004

MORNING MEDITATION

First of all, I'm glad you all seem to like the movie clips. The Key Club was a great show, and I'm happy that we managed to get a few minutes of video up for you to see. Oh, and the address for Doheny is.....
Doheny
8581 Santa Monica Blvd
#149
LA, CA, 90069
USA

So I woke up a little thoughtful today. I realized that another year has gone by, and it has been a fantastic one at that. But how did it fly by so quickly? It seems like a few weeks ago that Doheny were just starting to play live, and here we are at the end of our first year of gigs. And then I started to think about how I have been concentrating so hard on both bands, that I feel like I am coming up for air - like I've been underwater all year, holding my breath, and I just managed to reach the surface. Now I can breath fresh air and look around. A lot of the past 12 months have been pretty hectic, with my schedule (of my own making) getting crammed with one thing after another. Have I missed the beauty of certain things because I have been blinkered? Have I had my head down so much that the world passed me by? A little dramatic perhaps, but I woke up early this morning and sat on my balcony watching the most amazing sunrise, thinking about these things. I dont have a point to all this - I just felt the need to put it down. Make of it what you will.

ANYWAY.....Eric asked how I was liking the Tivo.....and its AWESOME!! I turned it on last night and it was just full of stuff I never normally get to see - watched a killer documentary on the Tomb Of Imhotep (the guy from the Mummy films). The search for his Tomb in Egypt continues and they took cameras underneath the Pyramids and showed the chambers, tombs, mummies.....very cool.

BIg Up to Jezi and Jay who just keep spreading the International Word Of Doheny. And Amber - the Escort Girls segment of CFR was part of the Xmas Day Special. It'll air at the usual time on Sat 25th Dec. I'll try to get some audio from the show and post it, for those of you who wont be able to tune in.
And Linda - your re-write of Santa, Baby was absolute pure Genius!! Its too long to post here, but everyone needs to know that Linda deserves a well-stuffed stocking this year!!

Spent the day with Jon in our studio yesterday, working on some new Doheny ideas. Its always fun starting new tunes and working it all out. I am sure that we'll be back in Jan with a few great new ideas and some more shows. Today I am going to continue working on what we laid down and see if I can sort it all out into a full song.

Finally, I wanna remind everyone that we are doing another live chat, this coming Sunday 19th December, from 7pm - 8pm Pacific Time. It was a lot of fun last time, so hopefully some of you can join us in there. Thats it from me - there's always room for more artwork or Rogues Gallery pics if you find yourself at work, bored, and looking for something to do!! I couldnt think of anything to put up as a picture and I have been browsing the sneaker sites this morning, so todays pic is a selection of my Nike Dunks.....dunno why I chose that - my mind is elsewhere this morning! Take care everyone and see you soon.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 08:09 AM | Comments (13)

December 13, 2004

KEY CLUB MOVIE CLIPS

So first of all I wanna say a big THANK YOU to Karen, who has not only put up the movie clips from The Key Club show, but has also done a cool 'Television' thing on her page and made it look all 'Dohenylike'!
You can click here - http://www.rocknrollaccess.net/dohenymusic/ - or you can scroll down and click on the 'Doheny Video Clips' link in the Media Section. Thanks again Karen - it looks great. The clips can take a while to download, and the quality is not 100%, but thats the trade off, I'm afraid. If we put a 10 second clip up, the quality will be pretty good, but to put whole sections of songs up there takes a lot of space. So enjoy.

Dave has also been busy over on his blog, putting up some clips of CFR (thanks to Skot - Big Up Fella!!) and you can check them out here - http://www.6767.com/cfr.htm - they are VERY funny!! We had a blast on Saturday, and we stayed late to record a Xmas Day special, which features a new segment that we like to call "Girls From The Weekly".....where Dave and I call up the Escort Girls from the back of the local radio and chat to them!!! It came out really well, so I hope some of you get a chance to have the radio on while you're digesting the turkey dinner.

Doheny are back in rehearsal again today. More work on the 'Riff' idea we had last week, and I believe Jon and Sean have been cooking up something that we will be working on today. We are in good shape now, with every song demoed and ready to play live. So I feel like we will go in to 2005 ready to make a record, and armed with a full complement of live tracks for us to tour with - lets hope we get the chance. Either way, I am sure that Doheny will get some product out there next year, so that we can get out of LA and come and see you all.

I have to tell you that I have loved putting this Blog together this year. It enables me to get my thoughts out and share a lot of them with you each morning, and I have high hopes that, as the band gets out there more, we will see more traffic through here. But I need you all to know that everyone who has taken part in the Doheny Family with me this year is very special to me. To know that even at this early stage in the bands career, there are people who want to take part, who do artwork, post comments and thoughts, put up our video's for us, and generally get involved in a positive way......this makes me feel very humble and very happy. A HUGE thank you to every one of you.

I will be back tomorrow (and maybe I'll have a better question than "Re-do the 12 Days Of Xmas" which only Kim did!! That one went down like a lead balloon!!). Todays pic is of Tony and I obviously having fun onstage at the Key Club. Till next time

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 09:15 AM | Comments (11)

December 11, 2004

BAH, HUMBUG!!!

What up people - its the weekend once again. And I woke up realizing that, even though I dont really do the full Xmas thing (decorations, tree, etc), I do like to get my family and friends a few gifts....and I kinda have to do that TODAY, or not at all!! Where does the time go? I'm busy all week, and next weekend I am probably out of town. Which means that it has to be today. I'm not prepared!! The crowds, the noise, the insanity of Xmas shopping....aaarrgghh!! I'm breaking out into a sweat just thinking about it. And on top of all that, I'm terrible at actually choosing things. I'll go in to Niketown to buy a sweatshirt for someone, and come out with three pairs of sneakers for me......and no sweatshirt. Pop into Good Guys for a digicamera for my wife, and come out with a new surround sound system for me!!! Oh God, get it together Billy. I'll see how I do today - maybe I can get one of those personal shoppers who go out and do it for you!!!

Doheny rehearsal was great yesterday - California is in the set now (sounds great.....a live version of the Scott Humphrey arrangement) and we started jamming on a new riff-based song that could be really cool. Jon was lying on the floor, working out melodies etc, while we just jammed out on this Rage/Zepp type thing - really exciting to hear the band rock like that.
At the end of the rehearsal, the cameras came in and I did the Sky TV thing. Dont know how it turned out, but I think I did ok. I'll have a clip of it once it airs next year - of course I'll stick it up here when I have it.

Camp Freddy Radio is on again today - 6pm-8pm on Indie 103.1FM. Its just Dave and I as Matt is still out on the road, and Dono is in New York. We'll get Dono on the phone, as he really is The Kind Of New York!! But I am sure that Dave will, as usual, have me crying with laughter. Turn on, Tune In, and Drop out, Kids!!!

Let me ask you all this. Seeing as I should be trying to get into the Xmas spirit, and failing miserably!......What the hell is the 12 Days Days Of Xmas all about? Maids a Milking?? And whoever saw a partridge in a pear tree? Complete nonsense. So here's my idea - Re-write the lyrics. Send me your own 12 days of Xmas and I'll piece together the best 12 and post them on Xmas Day - a kind of Doheny Xmas Statement. Whaddya think? I know you all have a great sense of humor, so lets get a crackin'!!

Todays pic is a new version of one of Michael Muller's first shots of Doheny. He dropped a cd off with me the other day with all these new versions from the shoot at the beginning of the year. I love the painting. Just thought it was a cool shot. Anyway - I'm off to brave the madness inside Pottery Barn!!! If all else fails, its Barnes And Noble gift cards for everyone - Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 11:59 AM | Comments (8)

December 10, 2004

INTERVIEWS AND OTHER THINGS

Wow. That was a heavy day yesterday with the whole Dimebag thing. My thoughts go out to his family and friends, and may he rest in peace.

So yesterday was a busy day for me. The first part of the day was sifting through the new pics from photographer, Maryanne Bilham. She did the new Strip across the top of this Blog and I love it. I just added the logo’s and the name. Thanks Maryanne – lets do it again sometime.

Then I spent a lot of it working on demos with Jon. We are starting to get everything together – every track that we’ve done so far, and get a working demo of them, so that we can begin to think about the album. Its still a long way off, so don’t start asking when its coming out just yet!! But we are collating all our material, and sifting through it between us, and our managers. We’ll see what we all think should be on the record, and no doubt we’ll write a couple more while we are in studio mode. So Jon did a bunch of vocals in the afternoon, and then I spent a few hours editing and mixing. Just things like certain choruses that were on the original demos have changed now when we do them live. So we are kinda ‘updating’ the demos to match.

Evening rolled around, and it was time for me to go to the Guitar Center on Sunset to do a TV interview. It was the thing I mentioned for Sky TV. I got to the GC about 10pm, and waited…and waited…….and waited. They were having equipment difficulties and eventually, about Midnight, I couldn’t hang around any longer. So I left!!! I believe they will now send a crew to the Doheny rehearsal this afternoon and shoot the thing there.

Today is more Doheny rehearsals. I think it will be the day that we add California to the live set. Its been tough to get a cool live version, but I think we’re there. And Does It Really Matter (another new one, that we opened with at the Key Club) has also been sounding really good. We’ll probably also go through the complete list of tracks and see if there’s anything to knock into shape. The idea is to finish 2004 with every track demoed and ready to play in a live environment. That way we start 2005 with everything ready to go, and we have clear minds to write some more.

I also want to mention the Modern Guitars Interview that I spoke of a few days ago. Its been finished and you can read it at http://www.modernguitars.com/archives/000122.html
I wanna thank those guys for making it a really easy process. I might do a weekly column or a blog for them – we’ll see if it works out. But I was happy with the end result.

OK – well that’s it from me. Time to get into the day. By the way – your comments to Santa as he came down the chimney made me cry with laughter – some of them are just pure genius. Thank you all for those. Have a great Friday and roll on the weekend. Keep smiling and don’t forget……”Big Up Doheny”!!

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 07:55 AM | Comments (9)

December 09, 2004

DIMEBAG DARRELL - RIP

What can I say. Shot dead while standing on a stage, doing what he loved to do. I'm still in shock that this happened, and all I know right now is that Rock Music has just lost one of its most talented and productive characters. It doesn't matter if you liked Pantera or DamagePlan - what matters is that someone who spent their life playing guitar and making other people relate to their music is gone. And I also don't quite understand how someone can go to a concert and kill a member of the band .... ONSTAGE. Why do we have Security at shows? How did the guy get in the place with a gun? I am sure that these questions and many more will rage for a long while. Right now I dont feel like the usual light-hearted post, so it can all wait until tomorrow. Today, all I have to say is Dimebag - RIP.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 09:27 AM | Comments (9)

December 08, 2004

TIVO TIVO TIVO

Oh yeah!! My Tivo arrived yesterday after a long wait, and I spent most of last night surrounded by cables and manuals, trying to hook it up and figure out how to make it all work. I finally had it sorted out about midnight and started playing around with it. Its pretty fucking cool!! You can pause and rewind live TV, as you watch it!! Then fast forward back to live TV!! And obviously, you can record hours of TV, to watch whenever you want. Hey - little things please little minds!!! Anyway, I'm really happy with it, and I'm going to hook it up to the studio Wi-Fi network today, which apparently enables you to do a bunch of stuff over broadband. I know - I'm just a Tech Head at heart.

Anyway - I just got carried away with work yesterday, and then the Tivo arrived late afternoon, and before I knew it, I hadnt posted on the Blog. Naughty Billy. Bad Billy. Apologies - I just forgot!! So here I am with an update.
The Modern Guitars interview came out really good - its feature length, and has a bunch of great pics in it. I am waiting for a URL and I will post up the link when I get it. And I am doing another interview tomorrow night for Sky TV - its a thing called Authentic TV. I know nothing about it, but I will be doing the interview from the Vintage section of Guitar Center. If anyone knows what Authentic TV is, let me know. I'll find out when it airs in the UK.

We're still working on a final date for the free Camp Freddy show. We settled on one yesterday, and then found out that Matt is coming back for a week or two, so we want to move it, so that Matt can do the show. I'm going to work on it today - as soon as we know, I will let you know. And Pony - The LIT dates are not happening for Doheny. But there will be new dates for early 2005 announced as soon as we have them in stone. A pity, that one - I felt the LIT/Doheny bill would have rocked. Maybe next year.

What about Motley Crue? Well, the whole night was a mad one. WAY too many people trying to get in to both the Palladium and then the aftershow at the Whiskey A Go Go. I was lucky enough to have what I needed, but still had to wade through a sea of disgruntled Crue fans to get in!! The set was short - Five songs (one new one, and Feelgood, Girls, Shout and one I cant remember). Vince's make over was not that dramatic. He's still Vince, with the voice, punching the air, and running all over the place. Tommy Lee is just amazing. His kit sounded HUGE and he didnt miss a beat. It was cool to see Nikki and Mick Mars onstage with them doing the Crue thing. Outfront sound was a little.....lacking, and most people there felt they should have played a couple more - just to make the madness of actually getting in the building worth it!! But fun was had by all. The Whiskey aftershow was a LOT of fun. Tommy DJ'd, and I spent a couple of hours talking to loads of people I hadnt seen in a long while. Thank you Motley.

Today is phone and email day. Just work from home and catch up on all the stuff I've been putting off (and there is a LOT of it!!) How about an end of year chat in the chat room with Doheny? What about Sunday 19th Dec from 6.00pm - 7.00pm West Coast Time? I'll let the other guys know. It was fun last time so lets do it again. I wanna leave you with a thought - What are you going to say to Santa when he comes down your chimney? (Apart from the obvious....'Oi Santa. Get out of my fucking chimney!!) Best answers will win.........oh I dont know. Just give me some funnies!!

Have a great day.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 08:39 AM | Comments (24)

December 06, 2004

AHH...THE JOYS OF RADIO

Yep - we definately did agree to do a free, no restrictions Camp Freddy show early next year at The Key Club!! So I suppose I better start thinking about it. I'll call the club today and see if we can arrange a date. And I suppose we should tell the Management as well!! I'll start working on it and give you the details as we get them.

Its a gloomy monday morning here in LA and I just got through going over some photographs for an interview I did for Modern Guitar Online Magazine. I'll let you know when its up. And I posted four pics from the Key Club show taken by my friend, Robert Knight. They are in Doheny Pictures 3 - I will be adding more to that gallery throughout the week. I also just sent off a Camp Freddy site update so that should be up by the end of the week. A few choice pics from New York, Chrome Hearts and Activision, and some info update. Keep an eye out.

I am sending Karen some Quicktime movie clips of the Key Club show, along with a clip of one of the projections I did. I am sure she will get them up when she recieves them. And I wanna thank both her and WhitePony for the generous server space offers. I'll split it between you two as and when we get stuff to upload.

Today is more Doheny rehearsals. We have another new track to start working on, and we still have a couple of songs (California, and I Found My Summer) that we have had for a while that need to be worked up into a live situation. I would like the band to have about 14 or 15 tracks to choose from when we put our set list together. That way we can keep changing it up and keeping it fresh.
And I will be going to the free Motley Crew thing tonight at The Palladium. VERY interested to see how they sound, and of course, the big news item......how does Vince look after his MakeOver!! Full report tomorrow.

I am off to get my day started. Top of the list is to take my brand new Henry Dwarte black suede pants back, as they split around the crotch onstage, during the CF Activision show!! Henry is a wizard with leather and suede, so I am sure he will have them operational very soon. Have a great day everyone, and stay happy and healthy.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 08:33 AM | Comments (14)

December 05, 2004

REFLECTIONS

Good morning everyone. I'm sitting here reflecting on the last forty eight hours, and its amazing how much can happen in that time. The Key Club show was just a fantastic experience. Doheny played well, and sharing the stage with The Tints and TPC, and having such a great turn out just made the whole night something really special.

The Camp Freddy show for Activision Games on Friday night was absolutely amazing. I don't think any of us were expecting to have such a great show, or to have such a brilliant audience. Crowd surfing at a corporate Xmas party? Who knew??!! We played 14 songs, and had Mark MacGrath, Steve Jones, Duffy, Cantrell, Macy, Michael Des Barres, Leif Garrett, Terri Nunn and Doug Fieger from The Knack join us onstage. Everyone had a great time. And doing My Sharona with Doug was definately a highlight of the night for me. Man In The Box, as always, brought the whole place down, and to do it with Jerry AND Terri Nunn doing the chorus blew my mind. I sang Search And Destroy at the end, with Jerry, Steve Jones, Dave and Billy Duffy all playing guitar. SO much fun.

Then last night, on Camp Freddy Radio, we somehow agreed to put on a free, no guest list, no bullshit Camp Freddy show at The Key Club early next year!! Not quite sure how that happened, but we're gonna do it. And I'm really excited about it. Doing the private, corporate affairs is fun, and low key, but it will be VERY cool to do a real show. And I'm pleased that we are going to make it free, and open to everyone. More details as we make them up!!
We also agreed to fly two competition winners to Vegas in January. They won tickets to friday's show, and then, unbeknownst to us, were unable to get in!! So as we are nice guys and want to make it right, we decided to make it up to them in a big way. So they will get to come to a big CF show in Vegas in January. HUGE apologies to the people who were trying to listen to CFR on the net last night. I'm glad that Julia called in and told us the problem. It was beyond our control, but we felt bad anyway. It wont happen again.

I'm working on locking in a couple of Doheny shows in January, and I am also working on an idea to get us out on a small West Coast tour in March. I hope it works out, cos it will be so much fun. Again, more details as I get them.

The good news is that I have some good footage from the Key Club show last week. So if the lovely Karen feels like using up more of her server space, I will send her a couple of clips and we'll put em up. How about it Karen? If you are into it - email me your address (again! I lost it!!) and I will mail you some clips.

Todays pic is after the Activision CF show. Duffy, Michael Des Barres, Terri Nunn and myself. And check out the new stuff in Your Artwork 4 from Heidi, Skot and Sue. Skot has made me wish I had some room on my back tattoo!!! I'm off to have a relaxing Sunday - movies and Playstation. Thanks everyone. Take care.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 08:26 AM | Comments (8)

December 03, 2004

LAST NIGHTS KEY CLUB SHOW

Wow. Its over. That was such a whirlwind evening, I cant quite believe it! My day started off with a business meeting about other stuff, so it took a few hours to get my head into full 'Doheny' mode. But once I showed up at The Key Club at 1.00pm, it was all systems go. And I didnt stop until I got home at 1.00am!! The first thing was making all the equipment for all three bands fit on the stage, along with the four TV monitors. As The Panic Channel soundchecked, I was running around the venue looking for three barstools (for us to use during our acoustic song, Dust), fielding phonecalls from people wanting to be on the guest list (even though it was only one dollar to get in!!) and making arrangements for todays Camp Freddy show.
The visual projections that I had been working on all week turned out great. During soundcheck, I was able to take a good look at the stage, and it really did look amazing. We had the four screens onstage, as well as three 'pillars' of white fabric from floor to ceiling, stretched tight and light from the ground. A good, cheap production trick. Soundcheck was fine, and immediately afterwards, I went downstairs into the green room, to do the one-hour special CFR broadcast with Dave. We had Jon as a guest and the three of us messed about for an hour, played a few tunes, put Flea on the spot when he walked in while we were on air, and generally had a good time. Once the radio show was done, we then went and did a photoshoot, and it was time to go onstage.
By the time I walked out onto the stage, I was absolutely shattered!! SO tired from all the running about and the long days this week!! And I hadnt played a note yet!! But we opened with one of our new songs, called Does It Really Matter and everything was ok. The lights and TV's looked cool, we were playing well, and I relaxed into the show. The club was nicely full, and we went straight into Drive Me, followed by Watching It all Burn. Then we played Five Miles High. I love this song, but we dont do it at every show. It was a good choice and went down really well. Next up was Evergreen - seemed a little fast to me, but we played it ok. I was, by this time, struggling to keep my guitars in tune, as it was so hot on the stage. Swapped the Les Paul for an acoustic, pulled out the barstools, and played Dust. Jon and I definately sound good together, harmonizing the vocals on that track, and it was great to sit down for a few minutes!!!
The rest of the set flew by - Falling Through, So Right, Fade Away. And we were done. The crowd seemed to like it, and we were all pretty happy with the performance. A round of 'Thank You's', 'Well Dones', and 'You guys were great', and I went out to watch TPC. I have to say that those guys are so in control, so powerful yet melodic, and are just an all-around amazing band. I watched two thirds of their set, and was blown away by that amazing rythym section, Daves guitar playing, and Steve's ridiculously good voice!! Thanks TPC for finishing off my night perfectly.

So that was that. A good, fun evening of rock and roll, courtesy of The Key Club and Indie 103.1FM. Today is a private Camp Freddy show, so I am still with the 'Gig Head'. But the weekend will be a relaxing two days, before Doheny are back in the rehearsal room. More new songs, and more movement towards securing the deal that we want. A MASSIVE thank you to you guys who came to last nights show - I ran into a few of you, and it was nice to know that you were out there when we played. I hope you had a good time. I'll be back, as usual, tomorrow morning. And until I get some pics back from the photographers that were at the show, I have NOTHING to put up, so todays pic is from Wednesday's VH-1 Big In 04 show. I will get pics and video up from the Key Club early next week.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 09:12 AM | Comments (11)

December 02, 2004

THE KEY CLUB TONIGHT

Its funny how everything comes together at the last minute. As I type this, I am watching the last projection render on the screen, so all the hours at night spent trying to put the visuals together might just have been useful!! I dont know how they'll look but at least I've finished what I set out to do. I really hope that the ones of you that are coming to the show tonight enjoy yourselves. The Key Club on Sunset, West Hollywood. Tonight. Doors open at 7.00pm. The Tints onstage at 8.00pm, Doheny onstage at 9.00pm, The Panic Channel onstage at 10.00pm. And its ONE DOLLAR to get in, with a can of food to help feed the homeless at Xmas.

The Reindeer skin pants are awesome - I'll see what I can do about antlers and a red nose. I could make Rudolph green with envy!! And Skott - the tattoo on my back says "Scarred For Life" in Japanese. It took a long time to finish, but its one of my favourite pieces.

I went to the VH-1 Big In 04 thing last night at The Shrine in downtown LA. What an event that was!! Everyone from Puff 'P' Diddy, to Ellen DeGeneres was there!! Sharon Stone STILL looks fantastic, Velvet Revolver are the biggest rock band right now, and Bridget Nielsen is SO tall!! Those are the initial thoughts from last night! We went with Michael Des Barres and spent the evening hanging out, watching the 'Live TV' shenannigans and eating the excellent Sushi that was on offer. A fun night out.

For obvious reasons, I have to get my day started. I just wanted to check in. Hope everyone has a great day, and I'll post a FULL report on todays events in the morning.

Peace

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 08:42 AM | Comments (11)

December 01, 2004

THE DAY BEFORE THE NEXT DAY...

First of all, I have to say that the Camel Spider thing is horrific! See the size of those things? Imagine waking up with one of them hanging out in your sleeping bag!! And D-Wez....I have no idea how Rob got the Magic Roundabout thing, but I am sure he'll make a fine Dougal. Weird! (And yes, Sandy - that is me in a chain mail vest, playing an axe-shaped guitar in the video!!)
Kdee - Yes, I believe there will be Doheny Tees available at the Key Club show tomorrow.
Lisa - I think it would be cool to have a clip of the Visuals we are using at The Key Club on the site. So after the show, I will send the DVD to Karen, who will, I'm sure, upload a couple of clips for you all to see.
Jez - Glad you approve of the song - Eve Of Destruction is a fantastic track, and the time is right for a re-working, so thats exactly what we did. Not sure how it will come out, but right now, it is a stand alone track, not tied in with any compilation or such like. We'll see, but I am sure that Indie 103.1 will get the exclusive in a week or two. Stay tuned to the Freddy Radio show.

Today is another Doheny rehearsal day. And I am going to go down to the VH-1 Big In 04 thing at The Shrine tonight. Go see the VR boys do their thing. I think it should be a good event - just have to get the Reindeer Skin Leather pants (don't EVEN bother with the 'How Could You?' comments) picked up from my designer, Jenni Kayne, before I get dressed. She's making me these pants and I cant wait to pick em up - they should be awesome when they are finished.

Havent had time to play any PS2 this week - its all been a little too busy, and I think I'm withdrawing! Need to get the two shows out of the way and then spend the weekend in front of the TV. Of course, I still need to leave the house to do Saturdays radio show.......maybe I can have the guys come over, and we'll do it live from my living room, while we all play GTA San Andreas. THAT would be an interesting show!! Anyway - back to editing....I have five hours left to finish it all, before I need to be at Rehearsals. Better get a move on Billy!!

See you all tomorrow - Keep the Doheny flag flying. And todays pic has no bearing on Doheny, Freddy or anything at all to do with music.....Its a pic of me steering a boat around Lake Tahoe and its up there to remind me to book a holiday!!!

Billy

Posted by vivelerock at 08:35 AM | Comments (15)