Bill’s recent interview with clashmusic.com details his six steps on how to survive the biz side of the music industry, which can be a “writ” (har har har). Anyway, Bill’s steps are:

1. You Don’t Have to Be Cool
2. You Don’t Have to be Fit
3. Cherish Your Band
4. Read your Contracts
5. Power to the People
6. Have a Laugh

It’s a pretty cool article, where Bill talks about such concepts as letting the audience react, not carrying around a lot of angst & pain like some musicians do, and to just have fun. Check out the whole article here.

A couple of new “behind the scenes” type pictures have been put on the website. They’re both from the July 2009 Rock 50 episode. One shows Bill in the Rock 50 studio, and the other is a picture of Bill arriving at the studio with friend Richard Johnson. You can check them out at the Bill Ward photo gallery here.

Well, they’re new to the web, the pictures themselves are on the average a couple of years old. The majority of them are from the recording sessions for Bill’s long delayed solo album, “Beyond Aston”. You can check them out here, or via the slide show below. There are two others not from the sessions which you can view here and here.

This coming Saturday night the 4th of April, Bill will be on the XFM Radio show with Ian Camfield from 10PM till 2AM in the UK.

If you are in the UK, you can listen to Ian’s show on 104.9 FM, on digital radio, and anyone in the world can listen online at http://www.xfm.co.uk! Make sure to tune in and check out Bill’s latest appearance!

With a new website comes new stuff, right? While Bill is still not ready to present any new music, we had a quick look around into the archives and found a couple of small nuggets we wanted to throw out there. First is a picture (shown here) of Bill from 2005. This was taken inside his trailer while on Ozzfest 2005. He’s also wearing a T-Shirt from one of his favorite bands, “In Flames“.

The second is an mp3 of an interview Bill did several years ago with Craig Nunenmacher of Black Label Society. This was going to be the launching point of a series of interviews that never got off the ground, but we thought now was a good time to get the interview out there. If you listen to it, the interview refers to itself as “Part 1”, and said there was going to be a “Part 2”. Part 2 never happened. 🙂

Anyway, you can download the mp3 here, or you can listen to it via the embedded player here in this post. Enjoy!

Thanks to all of you who sent in questions for Bill’s year-end Hails & Horns column. Be sure to pick up a copy of the Nov-Feb double-issue when it hits the stands to see if he answered your question. In the meantime, you can check out Bill’s current column “The Royal Iris” in the Sept/Oct issue on newsstands now.

Calling out to all the inquisitive!

I’ve been reminded that I’m not answering the mail as we have in the past. So, for the next Hails & Horns column, send in your questions – any subject – except sex – I don’t go down that street. I know…”Boo, ya bastard.”

We will take questions between September 4 and September 24. Please send the questions to: bward@billward.com with “Hails & Horns Question” as the subject line.

OK. Rules:

No Stupid Questions, e.g. body part sizes; favourite food; vegan: Asian; times married (4). Why didn’t you play the first Reunion Tour in 1997? I wasn’t asked. What was it like to be sober again in’84? Terrifying! Personal questions about Ozzy, Geezer, Tony, and is that you singing on “Planet Caravan?” No, that’s Ozzy.

OK. Enough. I hope you know I love you all, and I’m fucking around. Send in music questions, drum questions, or send anything you want. Even “Hey, Bill, Fuck off,” will work!

Hey, stay strong. Stay safe.

–Bill Ward

If you’re a regular listener to Bill’s appearances on the Rock 50 show, then you know that the most recent episode (from early May) was a special one. It was a show where Bill celebrated his 60th birthday by playing basically whatever he wanted.

There was one unplanned moment though where instudio Bill was surprised with a birthday cake on the air. We’re bringing you a small two minute download where you can check out Bill’s surprise at the cake. He also tells a short story about how when on tour by himself or with the Sabs, how a Rainbow song is instrumental in his touring routine. Check out the audio file here:

https://www.billward.com/sounds/bills60thcelebration.mp3

Additionally, the Rock 50 page has been updated. The next show date has been posted, as well as the playlist archives for April and May now both being available.

Thanks for listening!

H! Everyone.

Thanks, Joe, for reminding us it’s been ten years since Cozy died. I think about him from time to time. I’ve always been grateful that our last phone conversation ended on a high note. I felt we were both sincere with each other, sharing mutual respect when touching on our individual histories in Hard Rock/Metal.

Over the years, death has sometimes come quickly to old friends, and I’ve felt the pain and dilemma of not returning a phone call as I would have liked to, but didn’t; not being able to say a proper good-bye in life; being upset, or undone, or unresolved from the last conversation, then feeling the loss of that end. With Cozy, I felt we had the perfect ending conversation. We talked from the heart. In hindsight, our conversation seems gift-like, fitting perfectly into the great order of things. Cozy died about ten days after he and I spoke, maybe sooner, I’m not sure.

OK. Drum students – listen to this man. Check out the band Rainbow. Listen to “Stargazer.” Cozy is a master. Listen to the top of the song – that’s Cozy Powell playing. Discover this giant of Rock drumming. He lives forever on records and in our hearts.

Thanks, Coze – nice work.

–Bill

H! Everybody,
It’s Bill.

I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

I’m looking forward to, hopefully, a few days of quiet over the holidays. The year has been long and bittersweet. Musically, it’s been a great year. However, in saying that, I have failed to get the album “Beyond Aston” finished. I never experienced ever being part of a project with so many stops and starts. June 2nd – that was the date I singed off to start mixing. It felt at times that we were doomed not to progress. Technical problems and production loss gradually ground us to a halt. I even started another album at Keith’s home studio (Keith Lynch, Bill Ward Band guitar player), in early November. We have six songs done so far on that album, untitled as yet.

I do regret that “Beyond Aston” didn’t become available in 2007. We’re in the action of re-setting up a production team to finish up in Jan/Feb 2008.

Highlights of 2007:

My daughter, Em graduated, and I was there. I missed my youngest son’s graduation (I was on tour), so seeing her graduate was a first-time experience (my oldest son didn’t graduate – he dropped out and joined a band). I sat with my grandson in my arms and watched her graduate – brilliant.

I saw Ronnie, Tony, Geezer and Vinnie in Fresno. It was very nice to see them. I’ve definitely missed walking with Tony this year, and I always miss playing with them (Tony and Geezer). I watched the show and found myself taking a walk down memory lane when they played “Heaven & Hell.” The show was great, and I’m still thinking about Geezer’s bass playing. That night, he played brilliantly, I thought. I’ve never watched him play before, not even with Oz. I’ve never seen him live, not since the Rare Breed days. When I’m playing with Geezer, it’s a totally different experience, so watching him perform on stage as I stood in the mix area was very powerful visually, and sound-wise, demolishing. He’s just brill, period. His chops were tight, I’m honoured that I know the bloke.

Our cats have taken over the house. I’ve finally surrendered to their will. For me, I have become their walker, waiter, scratcher and general servant, doing the most meaningful labour, some of which is too sordid to mention.

I didn’t go anywhere this year – Fresno, but I think that was it. Nearly all of my time was spent either writing or being in the studio. My wife went traveling. My oldest boy, Aeron, flew in from the UK. with his girlfriend. He did a quick visit/trip up and down the west coast, and headed in no time at all, back to Blighty (GB.).

I’ve been walking and working and struggling and overcoming and laughing and getting past it; healing, speaking, singing, playing and talking to a lot of other people and musicians (there’s a difference). I’m alive, and I’m not roaming the streets anymore like I was doing in December 1983.

I can appreciate Christmas can bring heartache and financial worries (above the already possible existing financial worries). I hope you find solace among the shortfalls and anxieties. The healing focus to the suffering rich and poor alike, I hope, will always be thoughtful and strong. I hope that the misery of mankind stops or becomes less. I hope that all nature’s animals and creatures will reign in prosperity. My Christmas wish is that our eyesight and hearing will continue to better detect the truth of any matter. I hope that we all grasp a little tighter to understanding the words “objectification” and “should.”

Merry Christmas.

Love,
Bill

Place your head upon whatever you’ve been chosen to call bed. ©