So, the kind folks here at Modern Guitars are allowing me to continue my sporadic ramblings, even though it has been literally months since I last wrote a column And I am not really sure where to begin! – All the various bands and projects seem to be doing really well, and I have to stand back, take stock, and remove myself from the minutiae – the details – to see just how much I am achieving with it all. And nothing helps more than posting, writing, blogging etc. When I am into the details on a daily basis, I am concentrating on what is not yet locked in, what is not going according to plan, what I can do to get it sounding better, working better, earning better...and yet when I step back and outline it all, I see how much progress is being made.

Camp Freddy has been going for five years now – and we honestly didn’t expect it to last five minutes! It has remained fun for the whole time, and the last show a few weeks back, in Miami, was just fantastic. Over 10,000 people were out in full force for an evening of music that included DJ Am and Travis Barker, Paul Oakenfold, and our good selves. An open air show right on the water, we played for over an hour, had the whole amphitheatre jumping up and down, and ended with some good old fashioned equipment trashing. We plan on putting together something special for our five year anniversary later in the year. And we are STILL recording the album – taking our time (over two years and still working on it!!) but now starting to get a little impatient with ourselves. We need to finish it and get it out. But we did release a Xmas single in December last year, along with a couple of tracks in a movie – dial into I-TUNES and search Camp Freddy for more details.

Circus Diablo just completed their record deal, and now we move full steam ahead for a summer album release and tour. We will be doing this years Ozzfest (dubbed the ‘Freefest’ because thanks to the genius of Sharon and Ozzy, its absolutely FREE to get in this year!) as well as some extra club dates while we are out there. A single will be released to radio before all that, and I have to say I am excited to get out there and play these songs. We have really enjoyed writing and recording this record, and now its time to do it live. Check the sites – www.circusdiablo.com and www.myspace.com/circusdiablo for up to date details. Guitar solos aplenty when we hit the road!

I have also landed another movie role (this time a horror film) that begins shooting in May. Luckily the timing is perfect and I can shoot this before getting into tour rehearsals for the summer. I am really happy to have been asked to do another film – I really do enjoy the process, and this time its three WEEKS of shooting, not three DAYS!! I might feel differently after all that sitting around, but I doubt it. I just like being around crews of people, flightcases, leads, cords ... it feels like a show – everyone has a job to do in order to bring the finished product to fruition. And as long as I am able to be creative, I fit in just fine with that process. So I’ll let you know how it goes once I am on set. All I know is that I get to kill people ….. lots of people!! Ha!!

Before I start to wrap up this ‘catch up’ episode of Sunset And Vine, I have to tell you about this awesome new Gibson Acoustic I have – it’s a single cutaway Songwriter. It is absolutely beautiful, and the perfect guitar for …..well ….. songwriting! The fretboard is a smaller scale than the jumbos and it sounds great plugged into a decent front end like an Avalon or a good Focusrite. I have been taking it to traditional ‘songwriting sessions’ in recording studios and do not have to mess around to get a good sound. I plug it in and I’m ready to go. It plays like a dream with low action out of the box, and looks beautiful with its gold hardware and its split cube inlays on the fretboard. My advice – sell the wife and by one of these!!

In other local news – I quit smoking (after 25 years), cut my hair, took up DJ’ing at events in Los Angeles, started working out every day (and lost 15 pounds!) and continue to do Camp Freddy Radio with Dave Navarro every Saturday night from 6pm to 8pm West Coast time (www.indie1031.fm). Now I am committing to adding my Modern Guitars column to my lists of ‘must do’ items. My life is full to the brim of good stuff, and had I not written this journal, I would still be lost in the details of how to make it around America with only three crew guys, or how to make the hi-hat on this track I am working on sound just a little more aggressive. So the sermon for today is – step back, take stock, smell the roses and appreciate what we have today. Amen.

Billy