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. ©

As the Christmas season begins, Bill is participating in a new series by the website classicrockrevisited.com. Bill’s contribution is a reading of the classic story, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”. It’s quite cool to listen to. You can grab yourself a copy of it by downloading this mp3.

You will want to check out the rest of the series over at crr’s website. Here is their press release for the entire series:

ROCK STARS RECITE TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. A CLASSIC ROCK REVISITED EXCLUSIVE

Tis the season to be jolly and at Classic Rock Revisited that means bringing something cool and unique to our readers. This year we asked several of our musician friends to recite the classic Christmas poem Twas the Night Before Christmas. They did an amazing job! Check out Bill reading the poem here!

First up is Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward. He did a great job! Every few days during the holiday season we will add to the list. We have members of the Heart, Boston, Uriah Heep, Krokus, The Tubes, Tower of Power and more all coming your way.

Kevin DuBrow, Quiet Riot

On Monday, November 26th, I was saddened and shocked to hear the CNN News report announcing the death of Kevin DuBrow.

Sincere condolences to Kevin’s family and friends. We shall make an announcement of his passing on our Christmas radio show on December 8th, and also dedicate the show, in part (as we sadly do far too often these days,) to Kevin’s family. In January, during our Metal show, we’ll play two Quiet Riot songs as an acknowledgment to Kevin’s work.

His voice was like no other – an original artist aligned to passion, mayhem and verse.

–Bill Ward

Bill did a half-hour tribute to veteran KNAC DJ Tawn Mastrey during his monthly “Rock 50” radio show on Saturday, October 27. He spoke about how Tawn was so helpful in promoting his first solo effort outside of SABBATH — “Ward One” — and how important a figure she was to all of the metal community.

You can listen to that segment of yesterday’s show at this location.

Tawn Mastrey was a disc jockey, music video producer and one of rock radio’s top media personalities. She hosted a daily show on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Hair Nation Channel 23 and was also heard nationally on Westwood One Entertainment’s “Absolutely Live High Voltage”. Mastery also hosted, wrote, produced and syndicated her own radio specials, “RockZone” and “Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Happy Hour”, through Mastrey Productions, Inc. She did voice-overs, has owned her own video production company, Ladies In Production Services, and has written a cookbook, “Eat This”.

Tawn Mastrey died October 2, 2007 in Minneapolis at the age of 53. She had been suffering from the effects of hepatitis C which she contracted as a child.

H! Everybody,

Our Halloween show this year is two hours of extremely extraordinary bands. Here are some of the bands we’ll be playing: Mnemic, Type O Negative, Rob Zombie, Murder Dolls, Dimmu Borgir, Job For A Cowboy, Korn, Arch Enemy, The Used and The Black Dahlia Murder.

Check us out.

Stay strong.

Peace,
Bill Ward

PS. The Halloween show is our last 100% Hardcore show of ’07. The Armistice show on November 10th and the Christmas show on December 8th, both contain incredible music, but not necessarily all Metal or Hardcore. Given the solemnness of November 11, you can be sure there will be classic songs in keeping with remembering the dead and fallen. The Christmas show will reflect the passion of the season, and I’m not talking about Christmas trees, presents or killing turkeys. Our Christmas shows try to reflect and focus on those without and the hardships at Christmas. Our show will try to bring some solace to those suffering.

H! Everyone.

September 8th, we have another Hardcore Metal show, and in the last half hour of the show, we’re playing songs dedicated to 9/11 and for the guys out there in harm’s way everyday.

Bands we’ll be playing: Slipknot, As I Lay Dying, War of Ages, Carnal Forge, Nile, Converge, Death Breath and many more.

Bands being played in the 9/11 dedication: Ministry, Deftones, Slayer and Anthrax.

Check us out.

Stay Strong,
Bill Ward

H! Everybody.
It’s Bill.

Featured artists on our radio show for this Saturday, August 11th are as follows: Candlemass, Mastodon, Dark Tranquility, Old Man’s Child, Ministry, Korn, Celtic Frost, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Killswitch Engage and many more. Check us out if you enjoy Metal PERIOD.

Stay Strong,
Bill

Due to technical difficulties with the college’s web site, Rock 50 will not air live today.

It will be available on the alternative stream on WPMD.org beginning at 7.00PM tonight through next Saturday. Times each day: 11.00AM, 7.00PM and 3.00AM. All times Pacific.

Please visit http://www.wpmd.org to check out the stream.

H! Everybody.

Check out our radio show this Saturday June 23rd — it’s Hardcore all the way with Killswitch Engage, Dimmu Borgir, Devil Driver, Ozzy and Deathstar X. Check us out.

–Bill

OK. The July 21st show will be a “Best Of Hard Rock/Classic Metal” and a “Best Of Summer Touring Hardcore Bands ’07.” First hour, Classic Rock, second hour Hardcore summer bands. That’s it.

Stay Strong,
Bill

Today we bring you something cool from the archives. It’s the music video for the track “Children Killing Children” from Bill’s 1997 album, “When the Bough Breaks”. We’re glad to finally be able to bring this video to you as it’s been in the vaults unreleased for some time now. This video was the only video produced from Bough Breaks, and we’re glad that you can finally see it.

Bill still sells the Bough Breaks album direct on his merchandise page. If you haven’t heard it before, or just want another copy, you can buy it on Bill’s Merchandise page.

We will be having more video and audio downloads available in the future, so make sure to keep it tuned here. Coming shortly will be a jukebox player for Bill’s site here with some cool audio clips.

Here are the lyrics for Children Killing Children:

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