It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Ginger Wildheart and all his various personas and projects. From the first time I saw The Wildhearts in a shitty bar in Camden, I was slightly confused as to just HOW anyone could write music like that? Time signatures that seemed to be random and non-sensical… and yet they made perfect sense. Chords and riffs that came out of left field, unexpectedly… and yet fit the song like a glove. Harmonies everywhere, big chunky guitar tones and choruses… oh my God, choruses for days. Huge slabs of poptastic wonder, but with caustic, abrasive lyrics that made everyone sing along in a unified, metaphorical “middle finger in the air” kinda way. I know I sound like a music journalist right now, but quite simply, along with the Sex Pistols and David Bowie, The Wildhearts completed my unholy trilogy of life-changing musical experiences. So when, in 2009, Ginger called me and asked if I wanted to play a few shows in Los Angeles with a set list comprised of all Wildhearts songs….hahaha!!….does the Pope shit in the woods? Yeah, it was awesome. But while we were doing those shows, we squeezed in two days at a recording studio, with producer Mike Clink at the helm. And I got to experience Ginger as a songwriter – the guy is a fucking machine, with riffs and lyrics flying out all over the place! The first thing he said when we sat down to write this song together is…” I think we should write a song that’s just pretty much all chorus. Let’s have a chorus, and then it goes to a different section that’s also a chorus, and then we do it again with another section”… OK Ging! Whatever you say!!! It was a great experience and one I hope to repeat at some point. The track was available on ‘The Haiti Project’ charity album that the wonderful Gav put together. But we decided this track should be out there and available to everyone – for free. So here it is again – The Mystery Song – enjoy. And I think it’s about time we did another Ginger And Friends in Los Angeles, so start hassling him, people!!

THE SONIC GRAFFITI – “MYSTERY SONG”

Every so often, I find myself lying around early in the morning (thanks to some weird insomnia thing I’ve developed in the past few years) and reflecting on certain things. Certainly I wouldn’t wish the inside of my head on my worst enemy… it’s a strange and colorful place full of contradictions, uncertainties and opposing thoughts. Occasionally it spits out a great song, or a good performance but a lot of the time I long for a volume control for my brain! It’s interesting – my creative drive comes from the same dark corners that drive me crazy from time to time. That’s why I have a blog – because guess what…. I can throw my random shit out there in some kind of cathartic haze, and in the process, clear my mind and maybe connect with someone else that feels the same way. Yesterday I was a judge at the SHRED KIDS CANCER event at the House Of Blues, along with Franky Perez, Shavo Odadjian, DJ Lethal and Dave Kushner. It was incredible to see so many parents actually encouraging their kids to play music, to be in a band, to rock out on a stage and to write their own songs. And it got me thinking that when I was that age, I had the same confusions and contradictions running around my brain as I do now, but nowhere to direct it all – no way to figure out that it was normal, that others felt the same, that those thoughts and feelings could be turned into music, film, art, text…. and speak to other people. The event was heartwarming and mind-blowing – those kids are amazing musicians and great songwriters, and Teagan Stedman (the kid who STARTED the charity and ORGANIZED the whole thing!!) is a huge inspiration, not only to his peers and his friends, but to me and the other judges and anyone else that was in the building yesterday. Thank you to everyone involved for making it an amazing day.

I’ll be hitting the European stage again this summer with Billy Idol and the boys, and I’m looking forward to getting started with the rehearsal process. I recently wrote the following to describe how I feel, being a part of Billy’s band… “Playing rhythm guitar for Billy Idol is as satisfying for me as lying on a sandy beach in the Seychelles, getting fed slices of fresh coconut by a naked, suntanned young lady while listening to ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ and watching dolphins frolic in the crystal clear waters”. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up! And we’ll also be doing a few songs at the eighth Annual MusiCares MAP Fund® Benefit Concert, honoring Jerry Cantrell and Neil Lasher at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Thursday May 31st. The event is always a good night out, with loads of faces showing up that I haven’t seen for ages, great bands, raising money for a wonderful organization…. and this year we get to perform and be a part of the whole thing. I did it a few years back with Camp Freddy and we had a blast doing a few songs with Steven Tyler and Slash, so it’s an honor to be heading back this year with Billy.

While I was shooting the movie K-11 last year, I got the opportunity to write a song for the closing credits of the movie. The song is called ‘My Liberty’ and was an interesting and fulfilling departure for me, musically. The movie is a dark and twisted journey through a world behind bars – a world full of sexually ‘left-of-center’ characters doing time in a special unit of the LA County jail. So the song that came out of me (out of that same place I described earlier in this blog entry!) is a more ethereal, acoustic/percussion type piece and I am really happy with the finished thing. We made a video for the song (directed by K-11 director, Jules Stewart) and the song, video and 8 page booklet will be released on I-Tunes Worldwide on June 12th. I also have some tentative plans for another summer release… an EP of six songs with a couple of friends of mine… but lets see if we can finish it before we start talking about it, right? If the plan actually DOES come together, you’ll read about it first right here.

Finally, I can tell you that on May 19th, a special line-up of Camp Freddy will be performing at Linda Perry’s “An Evening With Women” event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. As Dave and Chris will be out on the road that night, we will be joined by Linda’s bass player, Paul Ill and my brother in arms on lead guitar, Mr Steve Stevens. And I can tell you that the guest singers that night will all have something in common… I, for one, am very excited to play this one!! To find out what that is, I suggest that you get over to their site, purchase yourself a ticket (and a few for your friends) to support the cause, and enjoy a fine evening of dinner and dance!! That’s all I got for you guys right now – today is the opening day of the MotoGP season in Qatar, and just like a lot of you do on Football or Basketball season opening games day, I intend to crack open the chips and dip, ignore the phone, and cheer on my boy Ben Spies to the podium. If you think you don’t like motorcycle racing but have never ACTUALLY watched it…. try it. You might like it! Have a good weekend, be happy, play nice, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Hahaha!!

Billy

I’m very happy to tell you that I will be performing with Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, Derek Sherinian, Stephen McGrath and Jeremy Colson at the eighth Annual MusiCares MAP Fund® Benefit Concert, honoring Jerry Cantrell and Neil Lasher at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Thursday May 31st. The concert will raise funds For MusiCares’ Addiction Recovery Services and all proceeds will benefit the MusiCares MAP Fund, which provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment regardless of their financial situation. Also performing will be Duff McKagan, Mark Lanegan and Alice In Chains. Steve-O will host the event and Moby will DJ. The MusiCares Foundation® is very close to my heart, Jerry is a friend and deserves this night and I’m so happy that we will be part of the event this year. The photograph above is just one of my favorite moments with Jerry on a Camp Freddy stage. The MusiCares Foundation® offers programs and services to members of the music community as well as nationwide educational workshops covering a variety of subjects, including financial, legal, medical, and substance abuse issues. This special dinner and concert offers Living Room Sets that seat 10 for $12,500, Individual Floor Seats for $1,250 per person, and VIP Balcony Seats for $100 per person. General Admission Balcony Seats for $55 per person are available only through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.