Modern Guitars. All about that wonderous plank of wood that gets a few strings and a bit of electronics thrown on it, and then, when handled correctly, changes lives. Puts a smile on a face. Causes revolution. And I haven’t picked one up in weeks!! I hate the holiday season. It gets in the way of Rock and Roll, and any kind of creativity. And I cannot help but get dragged into the melee in some form or another. However I try and whatever I do, I always spend two or three weeks without even picking up a guitar, let alone getting any better at playing the damn thing!

But its all over now – the Fat Lady has sung, and we are all back for another year. The offices are full again, the shitty, unwanted presents have been sorted into two piles – the Charity Shop pile (for those items that are just too bad to do anything with) and the E-Bay pile (for those items that might claw back a dollar or two). And that means that I can now safely start to play again. Studio time has been booked for the end of the month (to continue work on the elusive Circus Diablo project that we have been working on) and Camp Freddy have an engagement or two being lined up. I am also to begin work on a few songs in another studio that will be included on a very homegrown release that I am planning – Billy Morrison:Unreleased. It will be an album of songs that I am fed up with having on my shelf. The songs are the best of Stimulator, Doheny, and a couple of other things that just never came out. And I have decided that I don’t really care about sales or numbers or deals or any of that shit. These songs are sitting there, finished, and there is no reason why I cant press them up and stick them on my websites. So I will. Absolutely no expectation or motive behind it, except that I would love them to see the light of day. It IS all about the music, after all …..isn’t it?

The NAMM show is gearing up here in So Cal, and I will be doing the Saturday at the Gibson booth. It’s the 21st January and I will be there from 1.00pm onwards. Please stop by if you are at the show. Come and say hello, and shoot the shit. I’m down there to meet and talk with other guitarists. So swing by the Gibson stand on Saturday and hang out for a bit. Oh, and while I remember, today's pictures were taken by Camp Freddy’s manager, Brent Bolthouse. Not only can he look after a bunch of demanding musicians like us, he takes a mean black and white as well! He gave me a load to go through for the new site, and I picked these cos they seem to capture the event well. Running through a song with Brandon, minutes before going onstage. Feet up, resigned look on my face, thinking ..;well if I don’t know how it goes now, I’ll never get it!’ And then onstage, happy, rockin and getting it right. Thanks Brent.

I spent the holidays with my head in a laptop computer while I was traveling, and I have been working on a couple of websites. www.circusdiablo.com will be the new project site, and although there is nothing much up there yet, I will be loading up content before the end of the month, with all the details of who is involved, and what the vibe is all about. And www.kingmobmusic.com is a site that is pretty much for everything I am involved with that is not Camp Freddy, or any other rock band. Its for my artwork, diaries, info about any TV or Film I might do – a kind of ‘extracurricular’ home for me, and I have been learning about web design by doing that site. So don’t expect an ultra flash website folks!! I’m still learning this shit!!! And as always, the constantly updated blog, www.billymorrison.net is still my place for a daily ramble, a picture or two, and most recently, some Video Blogs (I FINALLY got me an I-Sight camera!) Finally, there will be a brand new site for Camp Freddy launched in the next few weeks at www.campfreddy.net so with all that net stuff going on, maybe I should just pick up a guitar and turn it UP!!!

I did get a bunch of new pedals from Dennis over at ProTone pedals, and not only do they look amazing, they sound great as well! So a big thank you to Dennis – keep making that shit mate. I also picked up a white Navarro signature Yamaha acoustic (and yes, I paid for it!!) which is just a beautiful guitar. I suppose I’ll have to buy one of his PRS signatures as well – he is my boy, after all, and if Gibson eventually do an all white Standard and my name is anything to do with it, then I shall be expecting Dave to shell out and support the cause!! One can dream, can’t one?

I seem to have rambled on long enough now. Again – come and hang out with me at NAMM if you are around on Saturday 21st January at 1.00pm on the Gibson stand. I hope everyone had a great New Year, and here’s to lots of guitars, lots of noise and lots of fun in 2006. Till next time people.

Peace

Billy