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January 29, 2006
THE CAFFINATED V-BLOG
When I was watching this one back this morning, and messing about with all the filters etc, I started to smile at the 'over-caffinated' vibe I was picking up from the movie! We were in the studio for a long time, and the coffee intake was a little much, and I think it comes across. Today I will make a concerted effort to drink a little less!! It was fun yesterday, and we pretty much got the bed of two tracks down. That is drums, bass guitar and a couple of rhythm guitars to each song. We are back in today, and I think Matt will track at least one more song, and Ricky will do as much of his rhythm guitars as we have time to do. Also Billy will begin doing his thing later, so we should finish up this weekend having made a nice start on at least three of the four tracks we have left to do. The vibe in the studio is great - everyone is laughing and relaxed. Probably because there is absolutely no pressure doing stuff like this! Normally there is a manager or a label breathing down your neck to get 'a single' and put some fluffy strings on that ballad or something. With Circus Diablo, its just us, doing what we want. Nice!
So I tried to get through the questions in the video blog, but I was tanked up on Columbia's finest (coffee, not coke!!) and Matt was hitting drums very loudly for most of the day. So I hope I got through them all. I will take a few pics today and maybe a bit more video - this time, I'll try and actually film some of the recording process - maybe get Ricky doing some guitar or whatever. Its kinda cool to be able to post diaries as we go through the days in the studio.
The acoustic thing at On The Rox was fun - but very short. Ricky and I jumped up with Rolan Bolan (Marc Bolan's son!) and did 20th Century Boy with him, and Jumpin Jack Flash with Brett Hellings. They all played on Ziggy Stardust (which I sang) and that was it. I was home by midnight, watching Invasion on Tivo. LOVE Invasion - its really getting good these days. Unlike Lost - which has lost me! Surface is also a good watch, and 24 ...... now THAT is some shiznit television right there!! Netflix also finally snagged me, so the movies are piling up at the front door. After this weekends studio stuff, I have three days to catch up on all of them, before we go back in next Thursday. Oh, and by the way - the question about what my first ever band name was ..... I remembered ...... we were called Vital Bodies!! And we were 11 years old. Ah, the memories come flooding back - the local church halls, the Sears guitar that wouldnt stay in tune, the secret cigarette smoking at rehearsals (in the drummer's front room!!) - wonderful times.
Gotta go. Gotta get to the gym before we hit the studio again today. Its kinda busy, keeping up with all this stuff, AND trying to make the Camp Freddy album, AND trying to record the Circus Diablo EP .....AND spend time with my wife!! But it will all be worth it in the end. Hope you enjoy todays diary. Back with more of the same real soon. Til then - Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:17 AM | Comments (23)
January 26, 2006
VIDEO BLOG - PART TWO .....MAYBE!!
Lets see if this works. Not only did our very own Karen offer me some web space (which by the way Karen, I will most certainly take advantage if you don't mind!!), but my new web guru Yury came to the rescue tonight, and if all has gone according to plan, you guys will be none the wiser!! Just click on it as usual, and there I am in all my tired, drawn and freezing cold glory! Usual large file size warning applies, but it seems as if I am back in the V-Blog business. let me know if it all works, and providing we have no problems, I'll do a weekly round up of all your questions at the weekend. Maybe I'll do the Sunday Selection from Matt's studio, where Circus Diablo will be recording. Lets see if its all smiles and laughter on the day!!
I am out here working hard to continue expanding all the sites so hopefully we have found a solution to the bandwidth problem. Back at ya on the weekend.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 10:03 PM | Comments (24)
BANDWIDTH, NETFLOW, BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!
I dont really know how a kid who just wanted to play guitar and get laid ends up knowing about things like Bandwidth and Netflow packs and HTML transfer codes ..... its kinda weird! But I have ended up needing to understand these things, and through MUCH trial and error I seem to be getting there slowly. The whole video thing is only a temporary problem. The solution is to have all my large files (like the video stuff) on another server and I believe that a friend of mine can do this for me. I have to wait a few days for him to be able to meet up with me and show me how to do it, but in theory, when you click on a V-Blog in future, it will download from a FREE server and won't be counted in my bandwidth figures. Seems logical to me. What's crazy is that I have the maximum size account available with my server (before moving into corporate, business size accounts) and its STILL not enough. So the V-Blogs will continue - just let me get my shit together and work with this guy to move it all. A few days. No more.
In the meantime, its back to the good ol' type written posts!! The pics today are from NAMM - what a crazy place that is. The second one is obviously me, with J J French (Twisted Sister), John Sykes (Thin Lizzy/Whitesnake) and the Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitars, Mr Henry Juszkiewicz. There are more pics from the show on www.modernguitars.com. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICTURES. Because I was so wiped out from the whole Sundance/NAMM/CFR weekend, I have laid low so far this week. Its basically been working from home on the Circus Diablo logistics - what songs to record, firing ideas for artwork back and forth, working on a few ideas to get the music heard - talking with CF managers about the 'balls that are in the air' and trying not to get too involved with where they might land - and watching TIVO, Netflix movies and generally staying out of the way. 24, LOST, INVASION, SURFACE, COMMANDER IN CHIEF - I have become a real TV Drama Junkie. I blame that Navarro character!!! And now there are movies arriving at my house every few days thanks to Netflix. I dont wanna ruin LOST for the UK people, so all I am going to say is ....... Charlie ..... SORT YERSELF OUT MATE!!!
We (CD) are back to recording, starting this weekend over at Drac Studios and I'll get some pics for the blog while we are there. A few more songs to do, and we are all really happy with the way it sounds. Its kinda nice recording in a studio owned by a drummer, because the kit is permanently set up. This means that you dont have to have the usual two days of someone beating the shit out of a snare drum, tuning it, micing the kit, testing the kik drum..... its just ..... there. Ahh - so nice!! It also probably means that I wont be doing CFR this weekend. I know Dono is going in. so expect plenty of 80's cool sounds and a few random weird tracks thrown in for good measure. No doubt he'll have some fabulous Supermodel type guest with him as well!!
We need to give Dave The Lurker a huge welcome!! He seems to have been drawn out of the darkness by my last post and I love that. Hope you stick around mate. V-Blogs will be back soon. And I LOVE the following that was sent to me by Beth. Due to my interest in shooting, I just found it hilarious. Read it and weep!!
This is a portion of National Public Radio (NPR) interview between a female broadcaster and US Marine Corps General Reinwald who was about to sponsor a
Boy Scout Troop visiting his military installation.
FEMALE INTERVIEWER: So, General Reinwald, what things are you going to
teach these young boys when they visit your base?
GENERAL REINWALD: We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery,
and shooting.
FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it?
GENERAL REINWALD: I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the
rifle range.
FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous
activity to be teaching children?
GENERAL REINWALD: I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle
discipline before they even touch a firearm.
FEMALE INTERVIEWER: But you're equipping them to become violent killers.
GENERAL REINWALD: Well, Ma'am, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but
you're not one, are you?
The radio went silent and the interview ended.
YES!!! No matter what side of the fence you sit, you gotta admit thats genius!! OK - enough from me. Questions will hopefully be answered at the weekend when I put up the Part Two V-Blog. If you are around Sunset Strip on Friday night, pop up to the On The Rox bar above The Roxy. Ricky Warwick and myself are due to wander up there and do a couple of acoustic numbers with Rolan Bolan (son of Marc) and Brett Hellings. Very loose, no rehearsal, but an intimate fun night nonetheless. Might be a laugh. So see you guys soon, and have a great day.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:13 AM | Comments (9)
January 24, 2006
A QUICK UPDATE
Just wanted to get a quick post in here. First of all, it seems that the video blog thing has been very successful. So much so, that I actually cant put another one up until I move all the video to another server!!! I have exceeded my bandwidth maximum already this month!! Basically, what this means is that I will be continuing to do the V-Blogs, but give me a few days to get the other server up and running. Then I'll stick up Part Two of the Sundance/NAMM blog. This site is getting good hits these days. Hopefully some more of you lurkers out there will decide to post and join in the fun.
Work on the Circus Diablo site is beginning, and the new Camp Freddy site should be up in February, so there will be plenty to look at and browse through shortly. I just have to figure out the whole server thing, cos right now, there's no room for ANYTHING!!! But thats good - it means we are growing.
Gotta dash, but I will do a full post in a day or so, and I'll get the V-Blog up as soon as I have space. Thank you all and keep it right here.
Peace
Billy
PS - GOTTA love Fred's point of view about Macs. Tell it how you see it mate. Rolls Royce or Bentley. Gibson or Fender. Salt or Pepper. The best thing?....... ALWAYS have one of each. So I do!! I have both Mac AND PC in my network. Now if only I can work on that Rolls/Bentley thing ........
Posted by vivelerock at 06:24 PM | Comments (18)
January 22, 2006
TOO MUCH FUN!!
Sunday morning. And it has been a crazy few days. First the laptop drama, which STILL hasnt been resolved! The brand new computer I bought ..... doesnt charge up! So its back to Mac Hollywood tomorrow for a replacement. Will it never end??? Then we had the crazy Sundance trip, followed by the NAMM experience. Then it was straight back to LA for CFR, followed by a 3.00am bout of food poisening!! I promise you people, I feel just a touch fragile this morning. But let me tell you all about the video diary first. I did get bits and pieces from everywhere, and I have too much to put up in one V-Diary, so I am gonna split it all up throughout the week. We have stuff from the plane, some cute 'Duffy and Morrison being snow bunnies' stuff, the Gibson tour bus, some NAMM footage and your Sunday selection questions. So todays diary is the usual Big File Size warning, and I will put two more diaries up during the week. And by the way - is everyone able to view them? I logged on with a PC up in Sundance and it wouldnt view the videos. Just wanna check that all is ok. And again, apologies for the crazy video filters and colors! Still messing around and learning stuff!!
SO - Sundance. Its a crazy place. Absolutely beautiful, set at about 9000ft in the mountains. Snow everywhere, its the archetypal Winter Wonderland. And FULL of free stuff. It seems to be the major reason that everybody goes up there. We did a five hour Swag run, and ended up with so much stuff that we had to leave people behind in order to fit it all on the plane!! The gig itself was OUTDOORS at the base of the mountain, and about 2500 people showed up and watched us do our eleven song jam session. At that temperature and altitude, it is almost impossible to play. Your lungs cant get a decent breath, so singing is tough, and your fingers literally freeze onto the strings, making playing guitar very .....interesting! Matt, Donovan, Chris and I were joined onstage by Billy Duffy, Stephen Jenkins (Third Eye Blind), Benji (Good Charlotte), Kenny Aronoff (Smashing Pumpkins) and Skunk Baxter (Steely Dan) and we all had a great time trying to keep warm! The last song was I Wanna Be Your Dog, and Kenny took over on the kit, leaving Matt Sorum to pick up a guitar and play with Duffy and Benji!!! Yes, you heard it here - Matt SORUM on guitar, ladies and gentlemen!!!! A good time was had by all.
The next morning I woke up in LA, and it was off to NAMM. What an assault on the senses that is! - Anything remotely connected with music, all jammed in to the Anaheim Convention Center, and turned up to 11. I did an hour on the Gibson booth, hanging out signing, doing pictures etc, and spent a couple of hours in the corporate booth upstairs checking out the guitars, talking with the people from Gibson about a few things, and generally being a part of their vibe for a while. Then I had to jump into the car and race back to LA just in time to do the CFR show. Dave was unable to make it so I called Ricky Warwick (guitarist in Circus Diablo) who saved the day and came in to hang out with me and play a few tunes. It was a LONG day!! After the show, I went out for dinner, came home and crashed. And about 3.00am, I woke up sweating bullets, and with a stabbing pain in my stomach. An hour later, and four trips to the bathroom, I realized that I had some mild food poison going on!! Horrible feeling and not what I needed to finish off those few days!
So I am here this morning, feeling a little tired and fragile, and very thankful that I have nothing to do today. I will rest up, and knock around the house, and prepare for next week. A round of meetings and phone calls, and some preparation for more Circus Diablo recording at the end of the week. The pics today are from the Sundance show, along with one that Lisa sent in - South Park Billy!!! I love it! Keep it here during the week for episodes 2 and 3 of the V-Blog, and have a great day everyone.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 07:40 AM | Comments (21)
January 19, 2006
STIMULATOR RISE!!
I couldn’t wait. I had to fix the situation, and it needed fixing NOW!! So rather than wait until February for the new Intel Mac, I bought a new laptop yesterday, and I am back in action. HUGE shout to the boffins at Mac Hollywood who just dropped everything and made it all work. I hung out there for a while and I gotta say that those guys have some stories to tell. I really need to suggest to Dave that we call them up on the show, because they all listen to Indie 103.1 anyway, and if we can get this one guy on the phone with all the stories ….. oh never mind. Tune in to CFR on Sat and we’ll see what happens.
So – business as usual. Off today for a gig in the snow and I am excited to take the new computer and do a blog from Sundance. I’ll attempt to grab Duffy for a quick word or two as we are going up together. Maybe he’ll shed some light on The Cult reformation. And by the way – how cool is that? More news – hopefully from the proverbial horses mouth. And I’ll try and sneak some NAMM footage in there as well. Lets see how I do remembering to do all this!!
So I have been getting the old Stimulator tracks together for this proposed album that I wanna stick out in a little while. They really were pretty hardcore! Its great to listen to them again – I can pick holes in the mixing and hear all kinds of stuff that I would do differently now, but my plan is to put them out exactly as they were mastered in 1998. I’m hoping to add the Doheny tunes as well, and basically release everything that never came out. If the music business doesn’t wanna play ball, then I’ll do it myself! So to that end, I have dragged out the video for Strike Number One (the second Stimulator single), transferred it to NTSC DVD, ripped it, saved it ….. and here it is! CLICK HERE FOR STIMULATOR VIDEO. I intend to put everything Stimulator on the Stimulator page on the King Mob Music site, and of course I will link it here. That is where I’ll have the record when I put it all together. But I wanna talk about what the band was, who was in it, how we got signed to Geffen, and why the album never came out. I’ll get around to doing that soon – maybe put a few pics up, and have the video and the record up as well. Be aware that the video is not the best quality and the usual large file size applies (I kept the sound in Stereo on this one, so its about 48Meg). It is a seven year old VHS video that has been transferred to US NTSC DVD format. It has obviously suffered in the transfer, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. And keep an eye on the King Mob Music site as I am trying to keep that updated.
Gonna throw a few things in a bag and get moving here. I’ll answer any questions already posted from up in Park City, and post them as the Sunday Selection. Final reminder for NAMM – Saturday at the Gibson booth at 1.00pm – and Dave and I will be running back to LA to do another CFR afterwards. And while I was searching through old Stimulator pics, I came across todays shot of me getting tattooed. I LOVE it!!! I’m off and running – peace everyone.
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:49 AM | Comments (22)
January 18, 2006
DIAGNOSIS
Wow. From the emails and posts, to the candle-lit vigils and the naked girls dancing the 'sick laptop' dance, you guys stepped up to the plate!! And the end result is a mixed one. The laptop officially passed away late last night. Hard drive failure and a corrupted logic board were the official causes of death. They did manage to rescue most of the data from the machine, so I will be transfering that over to this computer after Sundance, and I consider myself lucky to have other machines around, so that I can continue everything. Its funny - I was trying to justify buying one of the new Mac laptops that come out in February. Now I dont need to justify anything. I have to buy a new laptop anyway! So I'll be without portable computer power until they are released (Oh NO!! what will I do for three weeks!!) I do have alternate methods for doing video blogs, so they will continue to arrive as and when I get around to filming them. Which brings me to ......
Sundance. I am really looking forward to that. We fly out tomorrow, and play outside, at the base of the mountain in Park City, Utah on Friday night at 7.30pm. Its right outside The Canyons hotel, so if you are up at the Film Festival, stop by and hang out. Its not a Camp Freddy show, but a few of the usual suspects will be there, and we are all doing it as a reason to spend a couple of days in the snow, maybe a bit of skiing or snowboarding, and some rock and roll thrown in for good measure. We fly back late Friday night and I have an early morning call for NAMM the following day, so I will be the one in the corner at Gibson's booth on Saturday with shades on, getting a quick nap behind the Les Pauls!!
I'll be with Matt up at Sundance, so hopefully we can schedule another week in his studio to finish off the Circus Diablo tracks. As soon as they are done, I can begin the process of getting them out. We plan do do a few licensing deals to help get the EP out to a few different places, and of course, once the website is functional, they will be available on there as well. I'll talk to Billy about some shows at the end of the year, as he will be busy with The Cult for a while. More news as I get it.
A new video blog will appear on Sunday (hopefully shot on location in the stunningly beautiful winter wonderland of Park City, Utah, and maybe even a glimpse from the madness of NAMM - now there's an idea!) so I hope you have a great few days, and I will be back when I can.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 07:06 AM | Comments (19)
January 16, 2006
DRAMA
As of 4.30pm last night, my laptop computer (which holds everything - and I mean EVERYTHING) is down, and is not looking good. Its in the Laptop Hospital as we speak, on life support, and I am waiting with baited breath for a phone call from the good people at Mac Hollywood. Applications, documents, all my websites, thousands of pictures, all my email settings, passwords ..... this is a major problem. So I need you all to send up a prayer or two for my sick computer. If things can be rescued, then its just a new laptop. If things cant .... well, .... I'll deal with that then. For now, dont expect too much from me - I need to go sit at the bedside and hold its hand. PATHETIC how much of my life is inside that machine.
Fingers, toes - all body parts crossed. I'll update you as and when.
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 10:53 AM | Comments (32)
January 15, 2006
THE SUNDAY SELECTION
Good morning everyone and welcome to the Sunday Selection. The new video blog is up - questions are answered, and I made it into CFR last night with everything I needed. And talking of Camp Freddy Radio, what a great show last night. Dave and I were on fire, and we had an absolute blast. The two hours went by so fast, we were ready to do another hour by the time we finished! But all good things must come to an end, so we finally tore ourselves away from the mics about ten minutes after we should have gone off air. Its a lot of fun doing that show. Hope you were able to tune in. I have been tweaking away at the Morrison TV page - its nowhere near finished and I have to figure out a few really hard 'headscratching' html things - but at least its starting to look a little cool. By the time I have finished with it, the videos will play inside the TV. Its all probably simple code for a professional, but for a guitarist with a passing interest in website design, its a fucking nightmare!!
A couple of questions that were posted after I did the Video Blog -
Matt S - With the whole gym/getting fit thing, it does take a little while to see a difference. Maybe three or four weeks. But once you get there, it really gets noticable fast. Just like you can see a huge difference immediately when you stop!!
Daniel - Great question. I first met Steve Jones years ago at a show in LA, and yes, at that point I was a little nervous. But mainly because I didnt want him to be an asshole! When you meet someone that changed your life and they turn out to be an idiot, it ruins EVERYTHING! Luckily Steve turned out to be a real, down to earth, lovely guy and we ended up being friends. Once at that point, I actually had that conversation about the Pistols, and told him he was the reason I started playing. Its kinda sweet really! And he KNOWS the kind of effect he and his band had on everything.
Jezzi - Self promotion should really stay here - on the sites that are built for you guys. Occasionally we do throw a little PR in I know - but it feels right to keep it all here. Regarding the Raiders ...Ha! Yes I do still follow the team, but not really a lot to shout about right now!! Old Japanese proverb say ...."In times like these, better to keep mouth shut!!!"
Getting back into the gym has been hard since the holidays, but I am trying! I have cardio and Pilates this morning, and although I'm not looking forward to it, I'll feel great when I leave, I know. Trust me - if you finally start some kind of New Years Resolution and begin getting fit, DONT STOP!!! And then the rest of the day will be spent relaxing at home. I think I'll continue messing with the sites and trying to learn a few more things. Its frustrating to be able to see the end result, but not have the skills to make it happen. Trial and error baby!!
Thats about it from me. Watch the video, let me know what you think (please forgive the film effects! I'm just playing about!!), send more artwork, ask more questions, get more involved. See ya during the week. Cant wait to do a blog from the ski slopes in Utah next friday. Until next time.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:23 AM | Comments (8)
January 14, 2006
SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL
Another weekend, and its been a strange week. So much stuff going on and the truth is I just dont know what will happen. The old analogy of the cards are up in the air and we'll see where they land rings true right now. All good stuff, so lets see how it goes. I can tell you that right now, the plan for Circus Diablo is just to finish recording a few tracks and put them out ourselves. We'll do our best to make sure that they are available as easily as possible - for sure on the website, and hopefully a few other places as well. And that is the extent of it right now. Online merchandise for sure. Live shows at some point but not any time soon as all three of us have a lot of previous commitments and plans for 2006. But we love the songs, so we will finish what we are doing and get them out in some form. For now thats it. Camp Freddy seems to be taking meetings right now, so whatever the results of those are, we'll let you know soon.
There will be another video diary tomorrow, and I will answer all your questions from the last couple of days in that. But for now I have put up the trailer for Tripping Forward. The usual 'Large File Size' warning applies, PLUS - BE AWARE - the trailer is an R-Rated one, with adult language, nudity and subject matter. You have been warned. Having said that ...... its fucking funny!!!
Tonight is an all new CFR and I am dying to get down to the station. Last week I didn't feel that great but I am on top form today and looking forward to getting on the air with Dave. What a blessing it is that we get to do this every week. Play whatever music we like and do pretty much whatever we want to do ..... and call it a radio show!! Very lucky guys.
I can also tell you that next friday night, a few friends and I will be playing a free show ...... at the bottom of the ski slopes in Park City Utah!!! Its NOT Camp Freddy, so don't get carried away. But it will be fun. The Sundance film festival takes place in Park City every year. In fact Camp Freddy played a storming show there a few years back. And this year, I have been invited to play an all-star jam that happens by The Canyons Hotel, right at the base of the mountain. OUTDOORS!!! They promise that the stage is heated. So a few of us are flying up on Thursday for a couple of nights in the snow, and will play a few songs there on the Friday night. Very low key, but if you are at the Film Festival anyway, come on down around 7pm and see what's going on. FOR SURE it sounds like an awesome place for a video diary!!! In fact with NAMM the following day, it looks like a pretty busy time for me then. I have also been invited to hang out at an acoustic jam, happening on Friday 27th January at On The Rox, the club above the infamous Roxy on the Sunset Strip. Hosted by the Queen of the Sunset Strip, Dayle Gloria, it'll be a low key, intimate affair. And although I am not sure what my schedule is like, I am planning to try and make it down. If you are around, come on down.
As I said, I'll answer all your questions in tomorrows personal video diary. In fact I might make Sunday a "Question Day". Once a week, I could go through all the posts from the previous week, and do a personal question and answer diary. How does that sound? The other diaries during the week will be the usual mixture of stuff. I think I like the sound of it. The artwork I have posted was done by our very own Lisa. Kind cool, dontcha think? I love it when I see artwork that you lot have done.
OK - I think thats it from me. Enjoy the trailer, check back tomorrow for the video diary, and have a great weekend. By the way - keep checking www.modernguitars.com - I do a sporadic journal for those guys over there. A very cool web presence for everyone into the guitar. Right. I'm done.
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 07:35 AM | Comments (15)
January 12, 2006
LETS GET IT STRAIGHT
OK - lets get this straight already, so that no one runs away with any silly ideas. First of all, as I have already written, Matt Sorum is NOT in this new project. He already has Velvet Revolver and Camp Freddy. He does, however, own a studio, so he has been helping us with the recordings. Co-producing etc. And secondly, why does the term 'supergroup' get so widely used? Circus Diablo is nothing of the sort. Billy, Ricky and I enjoy writing songs together, and we are enjoying the process of recording. There is nothing 'Super' or 'Group' about it. Its a few friends making music. So lets not label it as such. Finally, this project band will not be getting in the way of any Cult related happenings, VR stuff, Camp Freddy shows or anything else. Nuff said.
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 04:09 PM | Comments (22)
January 11, 2006
NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE
Here we are again, with another Video Blog and another rambling post from your host! Another large file size, so PLEASE BEWARE, all you dial up users. It’s a beautiful sunny day here in Los Angeles and I will be spending it indoors, in front of a few computers. I have a bunch of work to get done that involves sifting through about 4000 Camp Freddy pictures, trawling through about 100 hours of video footage, and compiling it all so that other people can understand it. I made a start yesterday and realized that this will take TIME!! So I’ll do a few hours a day until its done.
So – here we go. Circus Diablo began with some songwriting sessions with Billy Duffy, Ricky Warwick and myself. For no reason other than to write some rock songs and have some fun. We ended up writing quite a few tracks, and we have begun to record a few of them over at Drac Studios, owned by Matt Sorum. He has been playing drums on the recordings (as well as co-producing the tracks with us), Billy and Ricky have been recording the guitars, and I have ….. well, I appear to be the singer! It feels good to be able to express myself in this way. (I haven’t done that since Stimulator). All three of us have a myriad of other commitments, so this is just a homegrown, cottage industry-type affair. But we have enjoyed writing music together, and we are definitely enjoying recording music together. If schedules permit, we might even go and play a few shows together. But we are doing everything ourselves, and are not out there thinking about deals, tours, release dates etc. Take it for what it is – a reason to be creative, a reason to make music. So there you have it.
What else is going on? Well, I should have a trailer for Tripping Forward that I can post soon. It really is a funny movie, and they have now introduced a website. Click HERE to see it. My role is a small one, but it was great fun to do, and it really gave me the bug. More movies in 2006 please!! And I am having a few bits of video from the UK transferred to NTSC so that I’ll be able to post them on the sites. Does anyone have any interest in seeing me have my eyebrow pierced live on UK TV??!!!! Its quite funny – the piercer talks about how there wont be any blood at all, and then promptly puts a needle into my head and blood starts flowing!! I’ll get it up here soon. And check out the pic, taken by Camp Freddy’s manager, Brent Bolthouse. It captures the moment perfectly – Brandon and myself, frantically running through a song, just minutes before going onstage to perform it. Ahh – the beauty of Freddy.
Also, I want to give a shout out to Dave and Jenny over at www.bandweblogs.com - they are flying the Blog flag high and have been linking this blog and giving it love. Go over and check out their site. Done for the love of music, and championing music blogs in general. Way to go guys.
OK – questions have been answered in the video blog, I have rambled on long enough, and there is work to do. I’m gonna fire up the new Flavia coffee machine (hmmm….think I’ll select a Mochachino with a creamy topping!!) and get to it. See you all soon, and keep watching the sites. In the immortal words of Arnie ……”I’LL BE BACH”
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 11:22 AM | Comments (33)
January 08, 2006
ANOTHER ABORTIVE ATTEMPT
Well, this time, I tried to do a video diary from the Camp Freddy Radio studio ...... and took everything I needed except a power adapter! So my battery ran out and of course I didnt get anything! What an idiot I am - but never mind. I'll try again next week. So I thought it might be nice to put up the old Breathe video that I made while we were on the road during The Cult 2001 Beyond Good And Evil tour. Like I have said before, this wasn't anything official - I just filmed a bunch of the shows and had a lot of fun editing the video together in the back of the bus. It still looks pretty cool, and is a great reminder of a really fun time. I am also attempting to get the old Stimulator stuff transfered into NTSC so that I can put some of that up here as well. Just a word of warning - this video file is 25Meg so it really will take a while to download. Just be aware of that if you are on dial up.
So on to the questions:
Beth - My time slot for the Gibson Booth at NAMM is 1.00pm. I know that Keifer Sutherland is also doing that Saturday afternoon, so I will be picking his brains about the new series of 24!!
Jay - Celebrity Swag can be ridiculous! The Oscar and Golden Globes bags contain thousands of dollars worth of free shit! I would say that, although they didnt come out of a gift bag, my solid gold Ear Plugs that were made for me by Geoff Thomas would be the ultimate gift.
Lisa - Would I go on Celebrity Big Brother? Absolutley ..... NOT!!!
Spencer - Great idea about the video with my pedals etc. But I am afraid that it would come out looking like a Paul Gilbert Instructional DVD - and the problem with that is I cant play like Paul Gilbert!!
Daniel - Laid back? Me? Never!!! Outwardly I might be a little chilled, but if only you could experience the twenty seven voices inside my head that speak to me constantly!!
Jezzi - No Film Festival for me. I had my own Film Festival in the house - rented just about every recent DVD from the local store and watched them all!!!
Terri - Influences I have done many times before. Bowie, Pistols, Iggy, Velvet Underground. Regarding my life story ...... one of these days, the book will HAVE to be written!!
So check this new piece of art that Tina sent me yesterday. I just love it when you guys mess about and do this shit. The more the merrier, so please feel free to come up with stuff. Maybe use the new King Mob Logo (www.kingmobmusic.com) as some fresh inspiration. How about taking that logo and seeing what bizarre places you can think of to put it?
And I can tell you that all things being equal (and providing people dont change their minds between now and the end of the month!) I should be able to give you some info on the Circus Diablo site thats had a coming soon page on it for months! For those of you who haven't found it yet, just click around on all the petals on the flower that appears when you type in www.billymorrison.net. That is a portal page for all things that I am involved with. So the www.circusdiablo.com address should see some action soon. Fingers crossed.
I am back in the studio next week to work on a couple of tracks that I want to include on the Unreleased record. The idea is to put some Doheny, some Stimulator, even an Into A Circle track onto one album, with a couple of brand new tracks and a cover. So next week I'll start work on the two new ones and eventually I'll put it all together and get it out. And by the way, as well as the Breathe movie, I have put up a 'Reel' on the King Mob Music site - not really a reel, more of a collection of clips. But there is a scene from Tripping Forward included in the video. Again, the file size is big, so be aware before downloading. You'll find it on the FILM page of the www.kingmobmusic.com site.
Enjoy the Cult home movie, have a nice, relaxing Sunday, and I will be back early next week, hopefully with a video diary from the shooting range. Lets just hope I don't put a bullet through my laptop!
Till next time
Peace
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 08:05 AM | Comments (28)
January 05, 2006
BUSTED AT THE SPA!
So the idea was that I did a Video Blog entry from inside the Spa. I was in there all day yesterday and figured it might be fun to sneak the laptop and the camera inside the place (its what they call an 'exclusive' health spa, which basically means overpriced!) and have some fun filming. Well, that lasted about 10 seconds - I got all the shit inside, got changed and went outside into the 'quiet garden'. I pulled the laptop out, connected the camera, started filming ...... and almost immediately someone came around the corner! ....'Er, excuse me Mr Morrison but we dont allow cameras inside the Spa'. No amount of back-peddling or excuses from me helped matters, and the whole idea was shot down in flames before it began. It did, however, make me realize just how much trouble I can get myself into with this stuff!! So today is another golf course entry. I am, of course, still testing it all out. Once I get back to LA, I can make the entries more interesting. But its cool to be able to answer all your questions personally. I expect I will do an entry from Saturdays CFR with Dave. That should be fun. I have decided to keep the video diaries as they are - downloadable. If I go to Streaming Video, only the people with a High Speed connection will be able to get them. What that means is that for those of you with Dial Up, its gonna take a little time to download the diaries. For this, I apologize, but I think its better that way. Any other suggestions to minimize the time of download are welcome. Oh and whilst I remember - I have to give a huge shout out to Don. I have never met Don, but I have stood behind him in line at the Starbucks in La Quinta. Don is in his 60's, completely normal looking, and was by himself when I witnessed the following ........ "We have a venti Americano with five shots for Don". FIVE SHOTS!!! I have met my match. Don walked up to the counter, picked up his equivalent of a half gram of speed, and took a huge swig. He thanks the staff of Starbucks and walks out. ALL HAIL DON. Now THAT is a coffee!! Enjoy, and I'll be back at the weekend with a new diary from LA. Peace. Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 09:55 AM | Comments (27)
January 03, 2006
VIDEOBLOG A GO GO
I have no idea if this is going to work, but I am sure I'll figure it out. The video blog is finally here. The idea is to continue with the usual text ramblings that make up this site, but to add a video diary as well. The potential to shoot a diary from anywhere is huge, so I am testing the whole concept with this quick 'Hello from Me!' movie. If it works, then we can all go anywhere. Camp Freddy shows, movie sets, CFR ... anywhere I can take a laptop becomes a diary. I am well aware that I haven't got it all as I want it just yet. So please be patient. I'll need to get 'the experts' to fine-tune the way I put it up here. Robert and Allison ..... expect an email or six!!! But I just wanted to try it out. Simply click the picture to access the VBlog movie. Back later. Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 09:39 AM | Comments (32)
January 01, 2006
2006 STYLE BABY!!!
Well, what can I say? HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone. Its a brand new year and I hope we all take advantage of the fresh start and work on our dreams and designs. I hope we all help someone along the way, and maybe make a difference in some fashion. I intend to get some music out there this year, homegrown style. Plans for the ever-in-production Camp Freddy album continue, and there are ideas for both the Billy Morrison:Unreleased album, and some new music from the 'project' to be available in 2006. Lots of fun things being talked about but as no one goes back to work until next week, it seems nothing will be set in stone for a little while. But I have faith that as another New Year begins, so will yet more good, fun, creative stuff start to unfold. This blog (and now the King Mob Music site) are integral parts of my outlets, and I love it all. There are more Cult diaries up at www.kingmobmusic.com, and I will be working on that site while I am in the Desert for a few days. Also, if anyone has some simple, easy to understand instructions on how to include a Video Podcast Blog as part of this site, let me know. Thats something I wanna add to this site in the Morrison TV section, along with some short clips of various other stuff. So much to do, so little understanding of how to do it!!!
Beth - The whole NAMM thing seems a little jacked up. Seems like its only industry thats allowed in. But I have seen tons of real people wandering around, so maybe there is a way. Heads together guys - lets figure this one out.
Last night was spent up at a friends house, and Dave, Carmen and Billy Duffy were all part of the proceedings. The New Year was ushered in with party poppers, WAY too much silly string, and kisses all around. A great way to see in the New Year of 2006. I wanna thank each and every one of you for all the many Xmas and New Year greetings, and wish you all a happy and prosperous time in the coming months. In short, I love you all.
Business as usual by this time next week. Peace.
Billy
Posted by vivelerock at 12:09 PM | Comments (14)