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January 31, 2005
GROUNDHOG DAY
Do you ever feel like its Groundhog Day? You know, that feeling of waking up and doing exactly the same as you did yesterday.....and the day before.....and the day before.......Thats what playing a cool video game makes me feel!! I woke up yesterday morning and started playing this new game, The Getaway, Black Monday.......and got stuck on a particular level. I kept trying and trying and just kept getting killed. And I have woken up this morning at the exact same place in the game!! Aaagghh - Have to make some progress - need to get past this level. Obsessed? Me?.......hmmm....maybe!! But just look at todays pic - this game is awesome.
Saturdays radio show was a lot of fun - had Terri Nunn, Annabella Lwin and Leigh Gorman in the studio as guests and we did a couple of acoustic tracks live - sounded pretty good. Dave and I had a great laugh as usual. And afterwards I drove down to the Robert Knight exhibition in Santa Monica and signed a couple of prints of this fantastic picture that Robert took of me. I think they will go to Make A Wish. It was a cool gallery - ran into Willow (nice to see you - glad you got in!) and said hi to a bunch of people.
Yesterday, as I said, was a Playstation day, and I have to stop myself from making today the same thing. You have work to do, Mr Morrison!!
Its rehearsals today, and I need to get my shit together and burn some rough mixes of the three new songs that Jon and I have been working on, so that the other guys can listen to what we've been doing. I know that there are a couple of interesting business meetings this week as well, but we are going to stay out of all that, and just keep rehearsing and making sure we have the best live set we can. Talking of which, its about time that we did a show - I am going to talk to the band and our manager today and see if we can get a couple booked for February and March. I miss Doheny playing and its time to get back out there.
Questions - (wow Lisa - you went for it!!)
FlamingHeart - Feb 17th is a possible Tsunami Benefit at the Anaheim Pond. We dont have details yet, but I believe that Linkin Park, No Doubt and Blink 182 are doing a Benefit Show, and maybe Camp Freddy will be doing a few songs at the show. I will let you know when its confirmed.
Matt - I know what Limewire is, and I am just choosing not to comment on it. All I will say is that when a band release an album, they need people to actually pay for it, in order to get a chance to make a second album.
Mortisha8 - My first live concert was Gary Glitter at The Lyceum Ballroom in London when I was 8 years old!!
DaveC - Hmmm - I think the first celebrity I met would have been Dave Prowse (Darth Vader and the Green Cross Code Man!!) - I studied Martial Arts when I was younger, and he presented me with a Bronze Medal in Judo when I was a kid.
Ylais - Im gonna do your big list of questions as a band thing. I'll take them into Rehearsals and post everyones answers tomorrow. But I will tell you that I was on Jim'll Fix It, talking to Kevin Keegan (the Liverpool and England football player - famous for his perm!!) when I was young. These days, I'd ask Jim to fix it for me to scuba dive with Great White Sharks.
Enough from me - I'm gonna make those CD's for the band and take the list of questions in with me as well. I'll be back tomorrow and I wanna wish everyone reading this a great day. Thanks for being here - it means a lot to me and to Doheny. I'll see ya.......
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 07:32 AM | Comments (12)
January 29, 2005
THE WEEKEND COMETH.
Saturday morning. The sun is shining, the nicotine is flowing, and the new slimline PS2 is humming ......(well actually its not humming as its so quiet, but you catch my drift!). I started playing the new Getaway game, Black Monday, and its a good one. Its gonna grab me and pull me under for a week or so until I've finished it, I can tell. I'm fighting it, for sure - three songs in the studio need bridges and end choruses, vocals from Jon to be recorded......if I can just find the crack dealer hiding in the abandoned factory and arrest him, I'll put the controller down and work on some music!!
First of all, answers to your posts.
Eric - Juliette had to cancel at the last minute (not her fault, something came up) so she was unable to do the Key Club with us. And yes, I will be at Robert Knights exhibition tonight. 319 Gallery, Santa Monica Blvd.
Bobbi-O - The problem with releasing anything from a CF show is the sync rights and clearances involved with all the labels and managers of the different guests. One day, we will get a team of lawyers on it and put out the mother of all live DVD's.
Kim - A collect call??? Thats hilarious!! I wish we could accept the charges mate!
Matt - I dont think Freddy will be doing another show for a couple of months. Seems The Panic Channel, Velvet Revolver and Doheny will all be busy in the near future. Having said that, I heard rumors of another bigger Tsunami Benefit in Anaheim on Feb 17th. More details as I get them. And Limewire?...Dont know what you mean.....!!!
Jay - Yeah, Sanctuary was definately your addition to the CF set, mate. And Issacs KILLED it!!!
Jezebel and Tina - There are Tee Shirts and Posters left. But I have to figure out a way to sell them. The store on the CF site had to close, and we need to reopen it and have someone deal with the mailouts, paypal payments etc. Let me look into it.
Willow - I remember you!! Glad you had fun - see you at the next show.
Camp Freddy Radio is on tonight and Annabella Lwin and Terri Nunn will be joining us to talk about the show last week, and to pimp the upcoming Berlin/Bow Wow Wow show in Long Beach. They are bringing Lee Gorman with them as well. Lee plays bass in Bow Wow Wow and was the original bass player in Adam And The Ants......so I will be pumping him for info on how to get Adam over the water and into a Camp Freddy show.
Time for another coffee I think. Not a lot else to report. How about you lot thinking up some questions for me and the rest of Doheny. I'll print them out and get the rest of the band to answer them. No reason that we cant get them involved in our question and answer sessions. Have a great weekend everyone. Listen in to the show tonight if you can, and if you are in LA with nothing to do, come to the photography exhibition tonight. There will be some amazing Rock History photographs on display. The pic I used today shows just how cute and cuddly Dave and I can get!!
Time to see if I can find that crack dealer!!!
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:37 AM | Comments (17)
January 28, 2005
KEYS TO THE CITY
Wow - what a success. Last nights show at the Key Club was completely sold out and the club was rammed full from floor to ceiling. We had a fucking blast and played for over an hour. Slash, Courtney Love, Steve Stevens, Jerry Cantrell, Jon Clayden, Annabella Lwin, Lemmy, Steve Issacs, Michael Des Barres, Steve Jones and Linda Perry all joined us onstage throughout the night. So much fun, and all in the name of charity. I was so happy to see so many people turn up for the event - a huge THANK YOU to everyone, including Brent Bolthouse, Indie 103.1 and The Key Club for helping make it all happen. And thank you to Dave's lovely wife, Carmen, for bringing her new act, The Bombshells, and joining in the evening. I'm a little dazed and confused this morning - it was a long day, and a long set to play, but I feel good. Back into Doheny rehearsals this afternoon - more loud guitar please!!
The movie sequel thing was funny - my personal favourites are the The Lord Of The Rings and The Godfather 2 (although no-one mentioned the Harry Potter ones!! I love them!!) Electric Boogaloo being nominated for best AND worst sequel is hilarious!! I think my worst sequel is Oceans 12 - I LOVED the original, and walked out of the sequel. BUT - hold the press - the reason I asked is because my favourite horror/chiller flick, The Ring, just had a sequel made......The Ring 2!!! I am praying that its as good as the first one - please, when anyone gets to see it, post a review for me up here.
OK - does anyone have the new slimline Playstation 2? I got mine yesterday and it is TINY!!! Its so small!!! It came with the new Getaway game, Black Monday - cant wait to rig it up and start playing that thing - the first Getaway was so cool. Again - hope the sequel comes up to scratch.
Time, I think, for my magic liquid - the ol' Venti from Starbucks. Camp Freddy Radio tomorrow - God, the weeks just roll by so quickly!! We have a couple of guests on the show tomorrow, so it should be a good one. Have a great Friday everyone, stay safe, and I'll be back on the weekend. Thank you all who came out last night and for those of you who couldnt, I'll have them do a full Camp Freddy site update very soon.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 09:10 AM | Comments (15)
January 26, 2005
BENEFIT SHOW UPDATE
I know myself so well, that I just KNOW I wont get around to posting tomorrow morning, and I really miss it when I dont check in here. So I figured I would pop a quick one up tonight instead. The show tomorrow at the Key Club is sold out - I believe they might let a few in on the night, but its beyond my control now - its gonna be a madhouse!! I'm really looking forward to the show - I hope any of you that get there have a great time. Come and say hi if you see me.
Today has really been a day of last minute phone calls and emails......do we want candles on the restaurant tables, have the posters been delivered...that kind of stuff. Its amazing how many emails I get if I just leave the house to go get a coffee for half an hour. But its all in a very good cause, and we are all looking forward to it.
Ylais - The digi Les Paul is a strange beast, but really fun to play with. More on that one at the modern guitars website. Regarding what Gibson to buy......you know me.....its ALL about the Les Paul. They do different models, and some are quite cheap. You might also consider an Epiphone Les Paul - made by Gibson, but the cheaper version. Not sure about the Nighthawk, though!!
Cowboy Rob!!! So cool that you posted! You gave me the shock of my life when you shouted out of that white van!! We dedicated a song to you on the show that night. I'll check out your band for sure.
OK - I have a question for you lot. I just finished watching Die Hard With A Vengence (good ol' Bruce saves the day yet again!!) and I wanna know what you guys think the best movie sequel is, and whats the worst. The Whole Ten Yards doesnt count as it was so shit, it doesnt deserve to be counted!!! So get your thinking caps on and vote for...Best Movie Sequel, and Worst Movie Sequel. Oh, and by the way - the pic I've posted has nothing to do with anything! Its a beautiful example of an ULTRA RARE Vivienne Westwood shirt from the Seditionaries period. I just watched a thing I did for Authentic TV in the UK and in part of the interview I talk about my Seditionaries collection. So I looked at a few pics and found this one. Very cool collectors piece.
I'm off - going to try and get some rest before tomorrow's crazy schedule. Have fun, play safe, and dont do anything I wouldnt do........
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 10:03 PM | Comments (22)
January 25, 2005
KEY CLUB TICKETS
A couple of days to go until the Freddy show at the Key Club, and I just wanted to let anyone who’s interested know that the advance tickets have all sold out. There will be a LIMITED amount of walk up tickets available, so if that was your plan, I have to advise you to get there early. The show is a huge success and I am sure that we will generate some badly needed cash for the American Red Cross. So thank you if you bought a ticket already, and thanks in advance if you plan on coming down on Thursday.
I’m really happy that you all seemed to like Dust – I think it’s a beautiful song, and the lyrics move me every time. It’s in the growing arsenal of recorded tracks that we have, and each time we do one, we get closer to doing the whole record. And Ylais – you can ask me anything – I have always said that to everyone. What do you want to know about my guitars?
Bobbi-O – Mike is a true producer. He positions every mic (which is the most important part of the recording process. Half an inch to the left or right and the instrument will sound completely different). He talks about the lyrics, the arrangements, makes suggestions, and has a way of getting the best performance out of the artist.
Kim – Yeah, Whole Lotta Rosie are a great ACDC covers band……I think Metalskool are also fantastic – they are just a general 80’s Metal cover band. Do everything from Poison to Bon Jovi. Always a riot!!!
Today is a work day in my studio – Jon has some killer lyrics to a couple of the new tunes, so it’s my job to get a decent mix together for him to sing over. I’ll be doing that most of the day, so it looks like the Starbucks delivery service will earn their money today!!
Has anyone seen Desperate Housewives? I have it on Tivo season pass, and I got around to watching some of it at the weekend. Genius series!! Everyone is fucking everyone else, and everyone has a secret!!! I’m a sucker for it now – cant wait to watch the next few episodes.
That’s it – I’m off to start work. Have a great day everyone.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 09:10 AM | Comments (20)
January 23, 2005
TOO MUCH COFFEE...
Anyone listening to Camp Freddy Radio last night will have had an idea of just how much caffeine it takes for me and Dave to do that shit!! We were out of our minds on the show!! Both of us had such a great time doing last nights broadcast - and I played the Mike Clink produced Dust for the first time. What do you think? Its so great being able to debut stuff we've done on radio - I hope you liked the track. I believe that Camp Freddy radio will be turning into a bi-weekly affair. Dont quote me just yet, but it seems like we will be doing two shows a week, and the station will be re-airing at least one of those as well, so thats three times the amount of current Freddy on air. Should be fun.
I dont have a lot to say today - its business as usual next week, with the Camp Freddy show on Thursday, Doheny rehearsals, and some management meetings to work on that record deal. So today is a day of rest. No carpet being put in, no studio to re-wire - just LOTS of Tivo'd TV to watch!!!
Check out the new artwork in Your Artwork 4. Todays pic is of Tony and I working out parts in Mikes studio last week. The guitar I am using is this insane Gibson J200 Jumbo acoustic - it just sounds so amazing and has a beautiful matched AAA flame back. Have a great Sunday and I'll be back in the morning. Love y'all.
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:19 AM | Comments (14)
January 21, 2005
DUST IN THE MACHINE
After three days of starting work at 11.00am and finishing at 3.00am, my eyes are bleeding, I've forgotten how to write my name, and I have no idea how to speak!! But its totally worth it. We have a beautiful version of our track, Dust. (Yeah, Tina - thats the one that we played at the Key Club sitting on barstools). Its very simple, very acoustic and sounds exactly how I have always heard it. Mike Clink has been amazing, putting up with Jon and I sitting at the back of the studio.......'Mike, can you turn the hi-hats up just a touch?'..............'Actually Mike, you were right. Lets back those hi-hats down just a little!' I cant sleep for very long - its 8.00am and I managed to get four hours last night - and as I'm typing this, I have the headphones on, listening to the mix. Its a great song, great lyrics, and sonically, I love it. I will play it on Camp Freddy Radio tomorrow, so tune in and let me know if it touches you the same way. Thank you Mike, and thank you Rail (our wonderful engineer on that session). Oh, by the way - just to clarify for Stagger, who posted a question about the production - Mike Clink is the producer. Mike produced all the Guns N Roses records, so he knows a few things about making a hit record!!
Rehearsals again today - Sean, Tony and Colin havent heard the finished mix of Dust yet, so we'll be gathered around my car in the parking lot, with the stereo cranked. And we'll be working on more new material - we have a couple of new tunes that we are writing slightly differently - writing as a band in the rehearsal room - and everyone has been enjoying that process. So if I can just bring my brain into focus long enough to actually drive to the rehearsal room, we should be all good!!
I got my copy of the January issue of Metal Hammer UK yesterday - the feature they did on me came out really well. I am going to try and scan it in and post it up here for you to read. If you live in the UK - go buy it. Its a good read.
Right now, I just cant think I'm so tired - actually the thinking part of it isnt too bad.....its the next stage of having my brain translate those thoughts to my fingers trying to type this thats the problem!! Nothing a few gallons of Columbian roast and some Camel filters wont fix, but I should really stop rambling right now. I just had to get on here and post - the mornings just dont seem right when I dont have time to say hi. So thats it - have a great day, and providing I get to the rehearsal room and back without incident, I will be back tomorrow with another fun-filled, thrill-packed, too-good-to-be-true post!!
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:58 AM | Comments (8)
January 19, 2005
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN....ROUND 2!!
My body aches and my mind is mush. We started with Mike Clink yesterday at 11.00am and I got home at 2.30am - a 15 hour day. And we haven't even started on the vocals yet!! So its 8.30am and I am leaving here in an hour or so to go back and do it all again. We WILL finish the track today. But it sounds SO good. The song is a slow, haunting track with acoustic guitars that we have played live a few times, and Mike is doing such a cool job with it. I'm really excited by this one - I always knew it had potential - we just needed to record it properly. And now its sounding exactly like I imagined. Jon will do his thing today, and I will do all the backing vocals, and we will mix it tonight. Hearing it back as we packed up last night (just 6 hours ago actually!) I really think we have a winner with this one. The combination of Drive Me, Evergreen, California, Watching It All Burn, and now Dust gives us some great ammunition in the war to get this album made. Fingers crossed everyone.
Not a lot else to tell you - Sean shut his finger in the studio door last night and the tip of his finger immediately looked like a small table tennis ball.......but dark red!! I think he'll be ok, but I dont think he'll be picking his nose anytime soon!! Tony and Colin did a fantastic job and laid down their tracks in four takes - quick, accurate, professional. And Sean (before he decided to have a fight with the door!) was equally as pro, sitting around all day for 12 hours, and then doing all his bits at midnight. I loved working with those guys yesterday. And I know Jon will nail it today - he always does. Me? I spent two hours with the acoustic guitar, playing the same riff over and over until I was sick of it. Mike knows how to get a performance out of me.
Check out Skotts KILLER hand tattoo pic I posted today. That boy has great ideas and keeps coming up with cool Doheny artwork ideas....I LOVE it. More artwork from everyone please - its great to see everyone's ideas. Oh, and the wrong song lyrics topic is GENIUS!!! PLEASE keep them coming. I laughed out loud in the studio yesterday when I read Linda's sisters take on the Guns And Roses classic.......'Take me down to the very nice city'!!! And Lisa's Dad clinches the championship with that well known Clapton song about a girl that really is doing rather well.........'She's alright, she's alright, she's alright...........she's OK!!!!!' AAaahahhhaaa!!!! And by the way Lisa - I will be letting the band know of our new photoshoot idea immediately. "Right guys, now take all your clothes off and hold this tiny little sign in front of you!!!" Fantastic!
Thats all I got for you today - time to squish my brain into an even musher state. Have a wonderful day everyone. Just one more thing to do.....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!!!!!!!!!
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:59 AM | Comments (17)
January 18, 2005
CLINK IN CHARGE
Whats up everyone? How are we all today? Its an early start for us today as Doheny are in the studio with G n R producer, Mike Clink. Mike has stepped in to help us get one of our songs, Dust, recorded properly, and we are off to his studio in the valley to see what we can do with it. Hopefully it’ll sound killer – I’ll have to see if the rest of the guys will let me spin the end result on CFR. Having been working with Mike for a while now on the Camp Freddy album, I know how good he is, and I can’t wait to hear what he does with the song.
I spent the day yesterday frantically working on all these new ideas we have. I stopped for a few hours to go to rehearsal – California is definitely worked into the set now, along with a couple of other new ones. And we ran through Dust a bunch of times to make sure we were ready to record it. Then I came back and continued working at home until I fell asleep at the computer!!
Thank you all for the posts! I will get over to TPC’s community and have some fun with everyone at some point – I just don’t seem to have time to think right now. But you are all too sweet!
Alchemy – The TG stories will definitely come out eventually!
Tina and Lisa – I promise that all the lyrics will be in the sleeve of the album. I am a huge believer that they are important, and Jon writes such great stuff. Plus I hate when I’ve been singing the wrong words to a song for ten years and someone hears me doing it and says…..’It doesn’t say THAT!’ In fact – thank you girls. You have given me an excellent idea for a question for everyone.
Can you think of some lyrics that you got wrong for years? You know, sitting in your car with your friends, stereo blasting, everyone singing along, and suddenly your friends stop singing, look at you and say….’What did you just sing? What do you think they say there?’ And you find out that you have been singing the wrong words for years!!! I will have a think about this today – I’ve done it loads – and I’ll post some of my best classic moments tomorrow.
Gotta dash – Jon is picking me up in an hour (my BMW is in the shop – some crazy Hummer driver reversed into it in a parking lot when I wasn’t even in it!!) but that’s a WHOLE other post. Todays pic is of our mysterious drummer Colin – for those who have been complaining that they don’t see enough of him. Have a great day people.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:11 AM | Comments (23)
January 16, 2005
THAT SUNDAY MORNING FEELING
CFR was insane last night! Dave, Donovan and myself ran riot in the studio - I wish there was a camera in the studio so you could see how manic we get!! The phones are ringing, coffee is delivered, there's notes and bits of paper with reminder's everywhere, and we are just crazy for those two hours! Its like letting three 10 year olds into a toy store!! I played Bloody Mary, by The Panic Channel (which I just LOVE!!), Doheny's Watching It All Burn and Steve Jones solo album version of a Sex Pistols song (my favourite) Did You No Wrong. Dave played Abba (our new pick of the week!) and Iron Maiden, and Donovan brought the UK britpop with Placebo. Oh yeah......and we talked for a loooonnnnnnng time!!!
FlamingHeart - I LOVE the personal Starbucks story. I suppose after all this I really have to get one, dont I?!! I mean, life would really be complete with a smiley girl in a green hat bringing me a gingerbread latte every morning. I'd never leave the house!! And yeah, I'm feeling lonely now that Dave has that whole Panic Community thing going on!! Its very good over there. Maybe I'll just pop over and.................................................
Jezzi - Yeah, seems like NAMM is a guitar players magnet! Here's a tip, find out what guitar your favourite player uses, and then camp outside that brand's stall for four days!! You are bound top run into them eventually!! Seriously though, its pretty crazy down there - everyone goes and schmoozes all the manufacturers for free shit. I'll be spending the Thursday and the Saturday running around with the Doheny boys.
ElectricMayhem - Yes I really did spend a while at The Torture Garden back in the day. And yes I do have A LOT of pretty wild stories from there. I was heavily involved in that scene for sometime. Not sure its everyones 'cup of tea' though, so I tend to leave it in the memory banks.
Ylais - My apologies for what happened to you last night at CFR. First of all, I had no idea you were on hold. And I KNOW that Donovan did not leave you there intentionally. You have to understand how mad it gets on Saturday nights in that room. It was a complete oversight on our part and if you call again, we will DEFINATELY get you on. And by the way, inappropriate and naughty is the whole vibe of the show, so dont worry about if you offended him.....I guarantee you didnt!!!
Skot - The Pink Dot mp3 is awesome!! Can you post a reply to this and link it so that everyone can here it? You should have seen the Pink Dot guy in the studio - he was digging it!!
OK - stop rambling Billy. Time to get that juice flowing again. I hope you guys keep spreading the Doheny Family word out there, and please - if there is stuff that you wanna know, or read about here, feel free to suggest it to me. I want to make this place somewhere you can get what you want. Its all about you lot. Check out the mad pic of Tony I found today and have a great Sunday. See you next week.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:02 AM | Comments (22)
January 14, 2005
DREAM DUNKS!!
I'm so glad that I chose to play guitar when I was younger. Because having watched how hard people who lay carpet work, I could NEVER do that!! The place is still a bombshell, but it looks great now. I am putting the studio back together today, and then its off to rehearsal with Doheny this afternoon. I will be able to enter the weekend with a fully operational work space - I am very excited about this. Of course, now the work has piled up, with the studio being out of commission for two days. But I will get a ton of stuff done this weekend and catch up with myself. Oh joy of joys!!!
How are you guys doing? Its the NAMM show soon, and I will be going down there for a couple of days to see the people at Gibson, Audio Technica and a few other places. Its a HUGE place, if you havent been. If you have any interest in making music at all, you HAVE to go. Miles and miles of the latest equipment, tons of musicians wandering around playing Stairway To Heaven on flutes, pianos, bassoons.....such an experience! I will be around so PLEASE say hi if you are there. I know that Dave will be down there on one of the days, so no doubt I will pop over and annoy him for 10 minutes!!
Ylais - Step AWAY from the sneakers!! Dont even start - its like tattoos!! You get one pair, just the one. Then another pair slip into your closet unannounced. And before you know it, you're getting on a plane to Tokyo to try and find the elusive purple and white reverse '99's that are impossible to find. Maybe I should start a Sneakers Anonymous meeting!! And regarding the Robert Knight print - I cannot imagine anyone paying very much!! I sincerely hope someone buys it for the charity as it is a great cause, but I dont see it going for very much. I mean, who wants a nearly lifesize print of me in their house???!
I really should stop droning on here and start plugging things in. I am still surrounded by miles of cable! So I am going to get to it - rehearsals this afternoon - THAT makes me happy!! Have a fantastic day folks, and I'll be back at the weekend (probably all frustrated cos I cant get the studio to actually work!!) Peace and Love to all -
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:42 AM | Comments (9)
January 12, 2005
COULDNT THINK OF A TITLE!!
Oh my GOD!!! I am sitting in the middle of what used to be the studio, and it is completely empty. I am sitting cross legged on the floor with my laptop, waiting for ‘The Men’ to arrive and lay the new carpet. Isn’t it funny that whenever you have work done, or maybe the phone company is putting a line in, or sometimes you have some trouble with the plumbing, its always the faceless ‘men’ that come round. “What are you doing this morning Billy?”……”Oh I’m just waiting for ‘The Men’ to come round and and fix my…..” – You get the picture. Just a thought – show’s me that I need to drink another coffee before actually speaking!!
So today, I doubt I will get any work done. I got as far as I could last night, re-working our track, ‘So Right’ before I had to dismantle the whole studio and have it moved out. (‘The Men’ need a completely blank canvas to work from, apparently) It was sounding so good. Never mind – when the floor is done, I intend to put the studio back together in a far better way – all the cables will be top quality, and everything will make sense ergonomically. It won’t make the songs sound any better, but it’ll make me happier about sitting in there for hours on end.
I want to let you guys know of a great photography exhibition that takes place on January 29th at the 319 Gallery, 319 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica. It is by photographer Robert Knight, and one of the prints - a HUGE 30" print of yours truly, will be auctioned off and the proceeds will go to the Grammy's Music Cares program. It helps musicians in need. The print in question will be the picture I have posted for todays blog entry, and I will sign it. I will be at the exhibition from 9pm onwards on the 29th and there are wonderful photos on display of everyone from Navarro to Jimmy Page.
Work continues on the benefit CF show. We will be selling limited edition Posters and Tee Shirts at the show to supplement the $10 door fee. I think we can raise a decent amount for the charity, and any merch that’s left over will be sold on the site and again, all proceeds will go to the Tsunami Relief Fund at The American Red Cross. I think the poster is going to be the one I posted as yesterdays pic. I heard they are silk screening them and having the artist and the band sign them all. Nice!!
Questions -
Bobbi-O - I use Emagic's Logic 7. An amazing program and I find it to be the best (and logical!) music program out there. And your homemade triggers sound AWESOME!!! Well done!!
Jay - The 'business' side of the Music Business is tougher than ANYONE can imagine. There are thousands of bands out there, trying to get a deal, and most of the guys running the labels are so scared to take a risk that they actually only sign three bands a year!! Convincing them that YOUR band is the one that will make them the most money is the hardest thing to do!!
Abby - ALL the proceeds from the CF show on 27th will be donated to The American Red Cross. They have the quickest route for the funds travelling directly to Asia, and those people need the money NOW.
J.S.- No news on the track as yet. It is finished and its now in the hands of Jeff Greenberg at The Village Studios, who is sorting out actually releasing it. I'll let you know.
Electric Mayhem - Ha!! Great question. When the waters come flooding through the door, I would have my laptop under my arm, my black Les Paul Standard in one hand, and my wife in the other. Everything else can stay........except for maybe the original 1977 Destroy Muslin from Seditionaries.......oh, and what about the limited edition Nike Dunks in Louis Vuitton leather?......ah, and what about the new Chrome Hearts leather trenchcoat?.......oh shit, I'm in trouble!!!
Ylais - EVERY DAY!!! At least once!! A very important part of the day! And by the way, I am size US9 - the best size to get all the rare colors of Dunks.
Anyway – more coffee – waiting for the men – smoke another cigarette – gotta give this shit up. I’m outta here. Have a wonderful day!!
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:11 AM | Comments (25)
January 11, 2005
STAYING UNDER THE RADAR
Hi guys. I've surfaced briefly to check in here (cos I LOVE it!!) but I'm going back into studio mode after this. Its really hard to stay focused hour after hour - when I started playing music, I didnt think I would be staring at waveforms on computer screens all day long!! But these days, thats how you do it. So I have been trying to concentrate ob getting some new tunes demoed. I think they are sounding ok - its hard to tell at the moment. We cancelled rehearsal yesterday, as the rains in LA just made it too hard to get anywhere!! I also needed the time in the studio. But the sun is out this morning, so I I think the mad weather is over. Crazy shit going on here - houses sliding into the road, boulders blocking major highways.....I think, on reflection, I'm better off in front of the monitors right now!!
Wanted to post this pic of a poster thats being done for the Tsunami Benefit show on 27th. I think it looks really cool. We are still working on getting an address, or a method of being able to donate if you are not coming to the show. I think it'll be Indie 103.1FM's address but we have to confirm that. I will let you know.
Apologies if my posts have been less than enthralling recently - I really am having to concentrate on work right now. And Doheny are not booking any shows until we have the new demo's done. Its very important to us that we nail a deal in the first half of this year - we are ready to make the record, and we need to concentrate on the business side of 'music business'. So be patient, and all will be wonderful. Thats it - I'm gonna fire up the ol' G5 and see if I can get the bassline down that I was working on yesterday. Have a great day, and I'll be back soon.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 07:36 AM | Comments (18)
January 09, 2005
FUN, FUN, FUN.
Yeah - I love doing CFR. Last night was no exception. Dave and I had Mr Billy Duffy in as a guest for the evening and it was business as usual. Subjects included masturbation and the 'map of New Zealand', James Spader, Girls From The Weekly', and Ireland. We had a lot of fun and played some cool tunes. Duffy pulled out some old Theatre Of Hate, I spun a great track called Screamager from Irish band Therapy? and Dave (ahead of the game, as usual) put it all into perspective with Dancing Queen, by Abba. Pure Genius!!
So -
Amber - I am 'Old School' Ali G. Been watching since I lived in the UK and it first came out. LOVE it!! And I dont know about the re-runs of CFR. I do know that www.totalrock.com (the UK's premier Rock Radio Station) air an hour of CFR every monday night at 11pm UK time. Email them and see if they will be airing the Xmas or New Years shows.
Jay - My session work has been sporadic (as I am always working on a band of some sort) but I have written and recorded with Robbie Williams, Ashley Hamilton, played on Tommy Lee's new album, worked with Michael Des Barres nd Perk and Chaney on that Eve Of Destruction track, did the Ryan Starr stuff, played on some Cindy Crawford infomercial music.....I dunno, its too hard to think back!!
Jezzi - I have the Exies CD in my player right now (although I just have I-Tunes loaded and playing all day long. I picked up the guitar when I saw the Sex Pistols on TV and realized I could be getting laid if I had that thing around my neck! I met my wife in a bar in LA. She says she knew that night that we would get married! My favourite cuss word is 'Disco' and you better ask Dave again where we first met. He actually remembers better than I do!!
To everyone that mentioned doing a CD or a DVD of the benefit show: Its actually not possible, as all the guests need to get clearances from their managers and labels, and that can be a LONG process. Because of the amount of guests that Camp Freddy has, it just isn't possible to arrange. It's tough enough getting all the clearance for the Camp Freddy album (hence the time its taking to make the damn thing!) I think what we will do is a limited edition tee shirt - if there are any left after the show, we'll sell them on the Camp Freddy site.
And great question D-Wez. I chose to not regret anything, so I would say that my long journey through the drugs and addiction played a part in where I am now. I couldnt be as motivated, as honest, and as greatful as I am today, without having had the experiences that I had for all those years.
I hope you are all happy with these answers. I love letting you guys know about stuff. Always feel free to ask. I havent found anything (yet!) that I refuse to answer!!
OK - Its back to the studio computer again. I'll see you lot next week. Check out the Freddy Mash Up pic!! Rock meets Hip Hop - Morrison meets Tone Loc!! Have a great day folks.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 09:21 AM | Comments (7)
January 08, 2005
RAINY DAYS
It is absolutely miserable weather here in LA - which means I will be getting a lot of work done today! It seems like England out there - grey, wet and cold. So I intend to spend the day working on one of the new Doheny tracks that Jon has sung on already. A song called Throw It All Away - great lyrics, and a verse riff written by Sean. I'm tidying it all up and doing the chorus and bridge and generally making it into a cohesive arrangement. Rehearsal was great yesterday - we nailed California finally. We will be adding that to the next live set that we play. We also dredged up Time (which definately sounds cool) and a song called (I Found My) Summer - which is another tough one to get right, but sounds great when we nail it. Everyone was in good spirits and it felt good to be a band again after three weeks off.
Its Camp Freddy Radio tonight - not sure who will actually be attending, but I know I'll be there. Cant wait to get back in the swing of it. I really enjoy doing the show - its funny and we get to play whatever music we want. What more could you ask??!! We will be talking more about the Benefit Show at The Key Club on Jan 27th as well. I know that tickets are available from the Key Club Box Office now, and there will be a LIMITED amount of tickets left on the night for people walking up. But I advise you strongly to get your ticket in advance - I spoke to the club yesterday, and they have had a LOT of calls about this show. So do it now, people!!
Tina - Yeah. Duffy plays guitar on Should I Stay and I am the one who sings (shouts!) it. And thanks so much for thinking of me, but......you can KEEP the snow!!!!
WP - I'm not actually sure how people not attending the Key Club show can contribute. I will bring it up with Dave tonight on the radio show and see if we can figure it out.
Todays pic is from the recent CF Sony show in Vegas - Mr Weiland, Mr Sex Pistol, ......and li'l ol me!! I'm off to turn the big computer on and get editing. Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll be back soon. Get your thinking caps on and hit me with some questions if you like - I have time to answer some right now. Until next time - RESPEC' TO THE DOHENY MASSIVE!!!!!
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 10:18 AM | Comments (16)
January 06, 2005
IN AND OUT!
Now THAT is the way to do a show!! The cars picked us all up at 3pm, and drove us to a private aviation terminal in Burbank, where we walked straight on to a Gulfstream G4 Jet. No waiting about, the jet takes off, and an hour later, touches down in Vegas, where we are driven straight to soundcheck. We soundchecked for a LONG while, due to some of the new songs and different guests we had. Then a quick shower, hang out for an hour or so in the room, and then it was 'Showtime!!' Once the show was over, we hung out with everyone for an hour in the green room, and then we were driven back to the jet, and flew home. In and out in 12 hours!! Wonderful!
The actual show was such a blast. The full set list was as follows:-
Ballroom Blitz, 20th Century Boy, Brass In Pocket (Macy Gray), Rapture (Macy Gray and Tone Loc), Wild Thing (Tone Loc), Aint Talking Bout Love (Juliette Lewis and Tony Canal), Search And Destroy (Juliette Lewis), Should I Stay (Billy Duffy), Jailbreak (Jerry Cantrell and Billy Duffy), Man In The Box (Jerry Cantrell), Xzibit Jam (with......er.....Xzibit!), I Wanna Be Sedated (Scott Weiland), Bodies (Scott Weiland and Steve Jones), Pretty Vacant (Joan Jett and Steve Jones), Bad Reputation, (Joan Jett and Jerry Cantrell) and I Wanna Be Your Dog (with a stage full of everyone!!)
I used the digital guitar on a couple of songs (but used it as a 'normal guitar - ie, just plugged straight into my amp) and it was pretty cool. Its not my choice of color, so using a blue guitar felt a little stange. And if I was to use one seriously, I would not only need a black or a white one, but I would be wanting to change the pickups, as it sounded a lot different to my usual guitars. But it stayed in tune, the neck felt really good, and I'm looking forward to using it to its full digital potential in the studio.
Highlight of the night? Too many to really pick one, but I know that playing with Joan Jett was fantastic. That girl knows how to rock. And Wild Thing with Tone Loc was awesome. The jam that we played with Xzibit was cool - we just made it up at soundcheck and it worked a treat - he was on fire. But most of all, the highlight for me is just laughing so much with everyone during the whole trip. We really get on with each other, and it is ALWAYS such a laugh when we do this. I'm looking forward to the 27th show at The Key Club - I wanna see the whole place bouncing up and down!!
Gotta dash - need more sleep!! Take it easy everyone and see ya tomorrow.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 10:47 AM | Comments (19)
January 05, 2005
FREDDY VISITS VEGAS
Good Morning. The Freddy Family is off to Vegas today to do a show for Sony at Body English in The Hard Rock. Looks like it'll be a cool show - Joan Jett, Tone Loc, Scott Weiland, Billy Duffy, Xhibit, Jerry Cantrell, Juliette Lewis, Steve Jones.......I'll try and get someone to take some pics. Its a quick 'in and out' - we are back by tomorrow. I had a hard time motivating myself yesterday (probably watched too many movies over the holidays and now I cant get my head out of the TV!) so hopefully the act of getting on a stage again will light a fire under my ass. I really need to get back from this show and knuckle down to some studio work.
Not a lot to report today as I did nothing yesterday! So I'll keep this post short and sweet. Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:28 AM | Comments (9)
January 04, 2005
COMPUTERS AND CARPET
I'm back again! And since I got home from the holidays, its been pretty busy. I have a lot of work to do in the studio. Doheny have various songs in half finished form and Jon and I need to knuckle down and finish them. I have a couple of video projects that I would like to finish. And the new carpet is arriving any day!! That means that I need to dismantle the studio, have the place painted, get the carpet in, and put it all back together again!! So I am head in the screen, trying to do as much as I can before the disruption. The awkward thing is that this week gets disrupted even more tomorrow by the CF show in Vegas. Dont get me wrong, it'll be a great show, and its always a lot of fun. But I could just do with it being next week instead. Oh well - I'll deal with it!!
I'm looking forward to getting back into rehearsals with the band on Friday. And I took delivery of the digital Les Paul from Gibson, so I'll be trying that out in all kinds of situations to see what I think. Its a very 'pretty' blue color, with great brushed aluminium trim. And it comes with a weird box that enables you to........well, I'm not sure what it enables you to do yet!! But when I figure it out, I'm sure it will be fabulous!!
Jezzi - Congrats with the 13 years away from the speed. I can certainly relate to that kind of thing, and I know what it takes to sort out your life when its going down the pan. So well done girl!!
Bobbi-O - Your Mob party sounds crazy!! I have had a similar experience in New York in an Italien restaurant. I was fascinated for hours, listening to the conversation, and running scenes from The Godfather in my head. Probably why I now Tivo Growing Up Gotti!!!!
Mortisha - They did actually edit out the masterbating stripper from CFR New Years Day. They had to!! It was BEYOND the line by miles. But I can tell you that Dave and I had a great time talking to her!!
Kim - I have been there. I understand. And you have to fight it Bro. Your true friends will help you through (respect to Arch) and I for one am glad that you are still here and still an integral member of the Family. Stay with us mate.
OK peeps - Its time for me to turn on the G5 and get started on the days work. I am gonna try and finish this idea that Jon sketched out before the holidays. Great melody - fast guitar riff - I think its a good one. I'll be back tomorrow before we get on the plane to Vegas. Have a great day everyone and see ya soon.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:00 AM | Comments (7)
January 01, 2005
HAPPY 2005 EVERYONE
So here we all are - the start of another year. I hope everyone had a great New Years Eve. What did you all do? Any funny stories? How many of you are nursing huge hangovers this morning??!! I truly hope that 2005 brings us all health, happiness and good vibes. Its going to be a good year folks.
So, thanks to Tina, I have created another section to the Blog. Web Banners. I want to start pushing the Blog and the main site more - lets get the word out and start linking folks. Anyone who feels like creating a web banner can send it in and we will have a section that people can download from and use to link to their sites. Tina has started the ball rolling with some nice and simple designs, including some animated gifs. So get your Picasso heads on, and lets see some more. And if you have any sites that you think might want to link up to Doheny, let me know....or just go ahead and link us up.
Resting up out here has been nice and all, but I am itching to get back to work now. I have ideas for songs, my fingers are bored and need to play guitar, and I wanna get back on a stage!! I've got a day of treatments at the Spa booked for today, and I know that'll be nice. And I think a couple of friends are driving down today to spend a couple of nights with us here, and then Monday, it'll be business as usual. I want to start working on a full Doheny Video to Drive Me. The one thats up here is just a 'home movie' version. I think I'd like to have a go at a full quality, hi-def version so I'm going to start that when I get back to LA. And I want to get some shows booked for us as well.
Not a lot to report - I'd love to hear what you all got up to last night. I'm out of here. Have fun this weekend ( the taped New Years Day CFR is airing tonight - hope it sounds funny. I know we didnt play much music - Dave and I were too busy on the phones!! We'll get back to playing music next week, I promise!!). See you on Monday people.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 06:37 AM | Comments (15)