Author Archive
Ronnie Ciago’s drumming book is released!
by Joe on May.28, 2005, under Misc Items
The Bill Ward Band’s drummer, Ronnie Ciago, has a new book out! It’s entitled “A Natural Development In Drumming Technique”. As the title suggests, it’s about drumming technique, and this book will expand your knowledge of rudiments and can prevent you from injury in hands and arms.
If you’re an existing drummer, or an aspiring drummer, you should check it out. We have more information on this title, including cover art, further information, and ordering links available on this page.
In other solo band member news, Paul Ill & Ronnie Ciago both appear on the new album by Reeves Gabrels entitled “Rockonica”. You can also get information on this release on the same page as Ronnie’s book.
Bill Ward’s Audio Diary Available
by Joe on May.03, 2005, under Bill Ward
Bill Ward has left the States to head to England for rehearsals for the European Black Sabbath shows and Ozzfest. As a present, Bill has recorded an audio diary for you, his website visitor. The diary talks about a bevy of topics. Some of the topics he talks about are:
Bill’s radio show Rock 50, The start of Sabbath rehearsals, how he gets in shape for Sabbath’s drumming and his exercise regimen, some of the things he does offstage on tour, some of Bill’s favourite music, the other bands on Ozzfest, Ozzy’s bike accident and his recovery from that, what it’s like playing with Geezer Butler, updates on Bill’s new record deal, future things on billward.com, various Sab members’ solo albums, and of course the prospects on a new Black Sabbath album!
The entire audio diary entry is 21 minutes and 15 seconds long. You can download the file here. It’s an m4a (aka mp4) audio file.
https://www.billward.com/sounds/diary050305.m4a
(Right click and select “Save As” or “Save Link As” and save the file to your hard drive, don’t just click this)
You need one of any number of free audio players (Winamp, iTunes, or Musicmatch Jukebox) to play this file.
The plans are for Bill to continue these audio diaries once the Sabbath tour starts, so make sure and check back during the summer for more from Bill! In the meantime, download and enjoy Bill’s audio diary!
You can discuss the audio diary in this thread on Bill’s forums here on billward.com. A short note, if you have Windows Media player, you may have to rename the file extension from m4a to mp4 to get the file to play right in that player.
DISCLAIMER – NOT THE STICKS I USE
by Joe on Apr.21, 2005, under Bill Ward
A few months ago, a drumstick became available in the marketplace. The stick is made by Vic Firth (the same company I use for my own sticks) and has Black Sabbath printed along the length of the stick and the Sabbath logo at the butt end of the stick. The drumstick is licensed by Signatures Network.
Buyer Beware. Sabbath fans, drum students, fellow drummers, or anyone who thinks that by purchasing this stick they1ll have an authentic pair of drumsticks as played by yours truly, Bill Ward. These sticks are not used by me, and I have no association to the making, endorsement, or promotion of this stick.
Thank you,
Bill Ward
Billward.com site Update
by Joe on Apr.06, 2005, under About the site
As you’ve already noticed by seeing this news entry, there’s been an update to Bill Ward’s website, and it’s this new news system. Folks who are familiar with my Black Sabbath website should be familiar with this, as it’s the same software I’m using over there. I’ve converted the news system to blog software, which has the benefit of making the news more flexible to you. You can now view old news entries by category, and best of all, you can now search through old news entries by using the search box.
Rock 50 dates through October posted
by Joe on Apr.06, 2005, under Rock 50
The latest dates for Bill’s monthly radio show have been posted to the Rock 50 page on the website. The newly posted dates cover from May through October of 2005.
This is Bill’s last live show for a while, as he is scheduled to depart to Europe on April 20th. While Bill is away, the summer shows on Rock 50 May, June, July, August and September will all be pre-recorded with plenty of hardcore metal, classic metal, hard rock and blues, and surprises. The July show will be a “Best of” show, playing Bill’s all-time favorite rock & hardcore songs.
Bill’s on the road with Sabbath again
by Joe on Mar.29, 2005, under Black Sabbath
Sabbath will be touring during the spring and summer, and Bill Ward will be back out on the road again playing the drums for Black Sabbath. A list of tourdates is now available for both the European tour, and the US Ozzfest tour. They are:
Black Sabbath European Dates:
Jun 09 Dortmund, Germany
Jun 11 Derbyshire, UK
Jun 14 Leipzig, Germany
Jun 16 Munich, Germany
Jun 18 Nijmegen, Netherlands
Jun 20 Vienna, Austria
Jun 23 Sofia, Bulgaria
Jun 25 Athens, Greece
Jun 29 Prague, Czech Republic
July 1 Roskilde, Denmark
July 3 Stockholm, Sweden
July 5 Helsinki, Finland
July 7 Oslo, Norway
July 9 Bergen, Norway
Ozzfest 2005 Dates:
Jul 15 Boston, MA
Jul 17 Hartford, CT
Jul 19 Camden, NJ
Jul 21 Buffalo, NY
Jul 23 Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 24 Washington, DC
Jul 26 New York, NY
Jul 30 Chicago, IL
Aug 02 Columbus, OH
Aug 04 Detroit, MI
Aug 07 Minneapolis, MN
Aug 11 Seattle, WA
Aug 13 Sancisco, CA
Aug 14 Sacramento, CA
Aug 16 Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 18 Phoenix, AZ
Aug 20 Los Angeles, CA
Aug 23 Albuquerque, NM
Aug 25 Dallas, TX
Aug 27 Houston, TX
Aug 28 San Antonio, TX
Aug 31 Nashville, TN
Sep 02 Charlotte, NC
Sep 04 West Palm Beach, FL
For further information and for tickets, please visit http://www.ozzfest.com.
Rock 50 Summer Update
by Joe on Mar.17, 2005, under Rock 50
The Saturday April 2nd radio show Rock 50 featuring Bill Ward and host Mike Stark, will feature American Head Charge and more Sabbath material to celebrate their 35th Anniversary in the U.S.A. Also, Bill¹s playing his favorites Type O Negative, Manson, Mnemic, Priest and Soilwork, and answering your e-mail.
This is Bill’s last live show for a while, as he is scheduled to depart to Europe on April 20th. While Bill is away, the summer shows on Rock 50 May, June, July, August and September will all be pre-recorded with plenty of hardcore metal, classic metal, hard rock and blues, and surprises. The July show will be a “Best of” show, playing Bill’s all-time favorite rock & hardcore songs. If you haven¹t heard the show, check it out on Saturday, April 2nd, 11:00 AM 1:00 PM Pacific Time at wpmd.org. The summer show dates will be announced soon — keep checking billward.com for all the latest details.
March 12th Rock 50 Show Details
by Joe on Mar.09, 2005, under Rock 50
Traffic’s drummer, Jim Capaldi is remembered and highlighted on the next “Rock 50” show, March 12th. Bill will play a special segment of Jim’s work with Traffic and two tracks from the 40,000 Headmen Tour of 1998.
Also, while it’s short notice (blame the webmaster for being sick for the last week and a half), if you have any questions for Bill for Rock 50 show, email them to rock50@billward.com. Bill will answer some of them on the air!
Bill has a few words to add about Jim; check it out:
JIM CAPALDI
For those who don’t know, Jim Capaldi, songwriter, drummer/percussionist and vocalist extraordinaire, died recently on January 28th at a London clinic from stomach cancer.
Jim Capaldi, probably best known for his creative work with Traffic, was for me, an inspiration. As a teenager, I would sit next to the stage at Birmingham’s all nighters and study Jim’s technique. At that time, Jim played with a Worcestershire-based band called Deep Feeling, which also included Luther Grosvenor, later of Spooky Tooth, and Chris Wood, later of Traffic. Jim was a unique player, and back then at the all nighters he had a heart of many talents.
I got to know Jim, and he gave me a most precious gift. A gift that as a teenage drummer, I probably needed more than anything else. The gift was validation. He validated my playing. At that time, this meant a lot to me. During the heady days of the all nighters, Dave Mason would visit, and in what seemed no time at all, Traffic with Steve Winwood, was born. Traffic’s journey is rock history now.
I’ve admired Jim’s work over the years and up until today. Jim Capaldi was a giant in music. I believe he took musical risks that are so important to do. He knew how to play in a band, and that requires in part, listening techniques and selflessness. His rhythms were always cutting-edge, and his songwriting was powerful.
I thank you, Jim, and pay my respects to you. I will never forget what you gave me and how much you’ve brought to music.
On Saturday, March 12th, we’ll play some songs Jim wrote and recorded as a tribute to the man, legendary and very important to rock’s history.
Thanks, Jim.
–Bill Ward
What is your favourite Black Sabbath Song?
by Joe on Mar.08, 2005, under Rock 50
2005 marks the 35th anniversary of the release of Black Sabbath’s first two albums. To this, Bill wants to know what your favorite Black Sabbath song is. Please email it to him at rock50@billward.com – the votes will be tallied and will be divulged in a future Rock 50 show.
Bill wants your questions
by Joe on Jan.28, 2005, under Rock 50
As regular Bill Ward site visitors know, Bill has been doing a monthly radio programme over the Internet. Well, with 2005 being the 35th anniversary of Black Sabbath’s first album release, Bill wants to do something special with his programme.
To this, he wants to collect your questions via email and will read and answer some of them on his show. So, if you have a question for Bill Ward, please email it to the following address: rock50@billward.com. Just make sure the question is about Black Sabbath. 🙂
Then make sure to listen in to the February 5th edition of “Rock 50” and see if Bill reads your question on the air!
Bill will stop taking emails on Thursday Feb 3rd at 4PM EST, so get your questions in!
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Hi Everybody.
It’s Bill here. First off, I want to thank you all for the support you’ve given me throughout the years. I love to play– whether it’s playing drums in Black Sabbath, making music with my own band or working with other musicians, period. Being able to do what I love for my whole life, pretty much, has been an honour and privilege.
When I started playing in Sabbath, there was an energy of truth about us. We believed in what we were saying, the music we were making and the lives we were living. As time has moved on, I’ve nurtured and tried to save a lot of what I learnt playing in Sabbath. During the more recent years at the Ozzfest concerts, I’ve found myself immersed in the musical rewards of playing in such a unique and devastatingly, powerfully effective Metal band. Sabbath have been, and are, my greatest teachers, and I am forever grateful for the musical journey so far.
Today, I love what’s happening in music. I’ve been given the rare opportunity to play bands I like – Classic and newer Metal – on our Rock 50 radio show. These bands energize me.
I am humbled to know many of you. Music lives and brings and maintains life. Music has always brought me through.
Stay strong, safe and live. Enjoy the site.
Long Live Metal.
--Bill Ward
