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.

Hi, everyone!

Our next radio show will take place on Saturday, November 7, 2009. Normally in November, we dedicate our show to those who have fallen in war and to their loved ones, we pay our respects. We will be playing a lot of Metal songs, however, as in our 9/11 show, we’ll be temporarily breaking away from our allegiance to Metal by playing other artists whose songs are well-suited for the Armistice show. Check out the show if you can. Some artists appearing: Disfear, Anthrax, Slayer, Celtic Frost, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, A Perfect Circle and many, many more.

Stay strong,
Bill Ward

H! Everyone.

The radio show airs on Saturday, September 19th. Because it’s September, we will be playing songs as a tribute to those who perished and suffered during and after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. Besides our hardcore songs, we’ll also be playing some opera, folk, rock and pop songs.

Our show has always been quick to support what we consider to be honorable gestures, and to divert slightly from our normal hardcore show is the least we can do to bring a wider selection of music to this sad anniversary. To not preserve the memories of that fatal day would be to render us amiss and without respect.

–Bill

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.

In contemplation over these past few days since the tragic news of Michael Jackson’s death, I have reflected on other occasions when some of my heroes have died. I know how I felt at the time. I can’t help wondering how those who loved Michael Jackson are going to heal and overcome the loss. My heart feels passionate to all who are feeling loss for Michael Jackson today.

I can’t help regurgitating the emotions and absolute numbness I felt when John Lennon was shot. I felt completely devastated. It’s taken me years to come to terms with John’s death. I felt robbed. I think we all did. Sincerely, my life has never been the same since his passing. There’s an emptiness in the world and in my soul. My first trauma of those I idolized was when Buddy, Ritchie and the Big Bopper died. Again, I felt numb, heartbroken, and didn’t understand why.

For those in heartache today, I wish you all wellness in healing. A great entertainer has died. I think those who experienced and heard his heart are more enlightened people for it than before. I believe you’re all most fortunate to have connected to Michael Jackson.

— Bill Ward

There’s a recent audio interview with Bill Ward out and about. If you missed it when it was first published a few weeks back, you should give it a listen. It’s Episode 24 of “Shockwaves Skull Sessions”. The specific episode title is “Ozzy & Black Sabbath”. You can check it out here:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/music/view.aspx?songID=2495

Here’s a description of the episode from their site:

This episode features a 4-way discussion with legendary Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, Roadrunner Records VP of A&R Monte Conner, and metal enthusiast David Tedds as they join Skull Sessions host Bob Nalbandian in this mesmerizing and historic exploration into the first decade of Black Sabbath, commonly referred to as the “Ozzy-era.” The four discuss the entire catalog, from Sabbath’s groundbreaking 1970 debut leading up to 1978’s Never Say Die release. This is perhaps the most compelling Skull Sessions discussion yet. A MUST LISTEN for any Sabbath fan!

The latest edition of Bill’s monthly Rock 50 radio show happened a few weeks ago. We hope you had a chance to listen in. If you did not (or if you did anyway), the track listing from the show is now available. You can check it out here.

In addition to that, we have an mp3 widget available where you can listen to sound samples from all the songs Bill played this month. That is available at the bottom of this news story (save for two that weren’t available in mp3 format).

FREE MP3 BONUS: One of the tracks Bill played in the June show was “More than Meets the Eye” from the band Testament. The Amazon.com MP3 store, which we link to for mp3 purchases is offering this mp3 for free. It is unknown how long they will be doing that, so if you’re interested in a free legal copy of this song, click this link to be taken to the song in Amazon.com’s MP3 store.

If you have any comments on the tracks Bill played this month, please let us know by commenting on this story. You can do that by clicking the “Leave a Reply” link at the bottom of this story.

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.

H! Everyone,

I wanted to let you know that in our radio show Rock 50 this month (June 20th) besides the Hardcore Metal we normally play, I’m starting a show within a show. The show within the show will be called “The Classics,” and if the idea works, I’ll feature it each month in the second hour of the Rock 50 Hardcore show.

Metallica and Rob Halford will kick off “The Classics” portion. “The Classics” portion will be about 20 minutes long.

Other bands featured this month will be Machine Head, Ministry, Exodus, Lamb
of God and Rob Zombie.

Check us out.

Stay strong,
Bill Ward

This Monday, 13th April, you can hear Bill talk about the recording and re-release of Paranoid, what the album means to him and the history, and possible future of the mighty Black Sabbath. That’s the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show with Daniel P Carter on Monday 13th April at midnight to 2am.

You can listen live in the UK on 97-99FM and online worldwide at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/listen/index.shtml

And listen back from Tuesday AM, all week, on the link on the Rock Show homepage; http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/rockshow/