THE ALMIGHTY frontman / CIRCUS DIABLO guitarist Ricky Warwick has issued the following update:

"I'm in the Best Western Hotel on Division Street in Nashville,TN - it’s 35 degrees and snowing like you wouldn't believe. I kinda like it! It’s a good day for writing songs...in fact any day is a good day for writing a song. There is a saying in Nashville that goes 'A bad day writing a song is better than a good day diggin' a ditch.' McGuinness’s Irish Bar is across the street in case I get homesick...it’s funny whenever someone finds out here in the USA that I am from N. Ireland, the first thing they usually say is 'I know a great Irish bar in NY, Chicago, LA etc, that you must go to...' I can't wait to get my own back when I am in Belfast and take my American buddies to McDonalds.

I have had a pretty good week here and written some songs that I am very happy with and inspired by. Every night at the bar in the hotel they have an open mic, which means anyone who wants to can get up and sing a few songs...just try stopping me! I have met some very interesting characters with great stories to tell. I played a great venue last night here in Nashville called Douglass Corner as a special guest of my good buddy and brilliant writer Rob Crosby.

So okay I know, seven months and no word at all.....

So let me give you my reasons. Somebody once wrote 'Don't talk so much when you have nothing to say…' - oh that was me! Let me explain. I was talking to a friend the other day about how when we were kids, the joy and the feeling of belonging we had when a Saturday morning would come, and we would get the bus into town, go to the record store and buy that piece of black vinyl etched with the sounds of what ever artist was blowing our minds that week. On getting home, we would run to our record players, take out the record and put it on the turntable, hold the album cover and study the artwork and read every word of the sleeve notes as if our spotty lives depended on it. We would then listen to the album 1,000 times in a row. Usually the music would have the effect of making us want to tell everybody over the age of 30 to fuck off and our school teachers exactly what part of their body they could retrieve our homework from. (A friend of mine after purchasing Repeater by Fugazi was so visibly excited by the record that he had an epileptic fit...true story!) Sometimes the album sucked because back then the only way you could judge it was by the one song that the radio was playing or a friends recommendation before buying the album and taking a gamble on the 9 songs you had never heard. Come Monday morning before school started we would all meet up and discuss what albums we had bought and what was great or bad about them, we would then offer to tape the albums for each other. Keeping bootlegging alive and well (Hello Napster!) A magical time indeed!

So back to my friend who said he felt great sadness that today’s teenagers would never know that feeling and that a great era is gone for good. Well I disagree. The fact is, last Saturday morning I woke up and I decided I needed to buy the new Lucinda Williams album, West. This involved getting out of bed (no bus into town required!) and walking still half asleep over to my Mac. Logging into iTunes, typing in Lucinda Williams, checking out the samples of each track, deciding they were great and hitting the purchase key on my laptop. Within 5 minutes, I was in the bath cranking the new Lucinda Williams album (complete with downloaded artwork) out of my speakers. I then got on-line and talked with my buddies about what albums we had bought, went on the web and found out loads of cool stuff about Ms. Williams’ - tours, album facts etc. There's your sense of belonging.

We have greater access to music than ever before. New artists and bands can now get their music heard without spending money they don't have on expensive demos and 10 hour bus rides from Glasgow to London only to be told by some record company dickhead that 'You suck and have no chance.' (Yes. I am talking about myself here.) Now that same Record Company dickhead can just email you and inform you that you suck and have no chance.

But you don't need him.

Now getting your music out there has never been easier. We can now send and listen to music all over the world and communicate our opinions and feelings with each other on a global basis. What's so bad about that? Doesn't every band or artist want to get their music heard by as many people as possible?

It’s normal to be apprehensive of change, but it’s either grow, or pay. Music will always be in demand and be a part of peoples’ lives and the way we access it and listen to it will continue to change. Record companies have now finally embraced the internet. There will always be bootlegging as there always has been. I still get the same waves of excitement when I buy an album that blows me away. Magical times indeed!

One thing I believe the internet has done, is made the artist more accessible to the people who buy and support their music. Most bands and artists now have a blog where they keep their fans updated on what their daily goings on are. Now... that’s not for me, (personally!) I find it incredible boring and insulting to read about some musician that is so self conceited that they feel compelled to let us know what they had for breakfast, then they took the dog for a walk, what night club they went to, basically those blogs should be titled 'WHY I'M GREAT BY ME.' When I read a blog by an artist I admire, I wanna hear the stories about their songs, how they came to write them, where they were recorded, what got them into music, shows they are about to play and stories. I wanna hear stories! Everyone has them, sometimes its hard getting them out of your head. I wanna hear their views on politics and the world even if I totally disagree with them. I wanna know what drives them to make the music they make...is that asking to much? But hell, this is just my opinion. Some folks like to know what kind of cereal their favourite rock n’ roller had this morning! (I had Porridge or Oatmeal as they say here Uncle Sam Land by the way.)

I am back in LA now, its been about six weeks since I started this rambling back in Nashville, and the stuff I have been waiting to finally get confirmed looks like its all systems go!

Okay, so I am still blabbin' on, what have I been doing??? Good Question?

Well... writing mostly, going out to the desert, getting drunk and pissing all over my laptop, fighting and enjoying this wonderful journey called life. I have written over 25 new songs. I have been to Nashville twice and also been writing with Frankie Lee Drennen from a very great band called DEAD ROCK WEST check 'em out! I feel these songs are more raw and soul searching than anything I have done before. I can't seem to write songs when I am bored or content....it seems anxiety, traveling, experiences and of course love (Everybody needs a love song....right?) bring out the best in me. Basically If there was no drama in my life there would be no songs worth writing.

I am well aware of the fact that it has been two years since I put out any new music...time to rectify that! With the new www.rickywarwick.com up and running, I am planning a full onslaught of downloads, merchandise and website only exclusive material. And of course a brand new solo album. There will be lots of solo touring - check the news/tour page for all the details.

I will be out on the road this summer with my bro's in Circus Diablo as part of the Ozzfest...can't wait for that! The Circus Diablo album is coming out this summer, so if you are a fan of pure, hard straight ahead rock n’ roll you will love it...if you are not, what are you doing reading this?

And best of all, my beautiful wife Tina and I are expecting our first baby in November (told ya I had been busy)!!!

Once again thank you to all of you for your continued support, it means everything to me. Looks like its gonna be a busy year and in the words of Mr. KC and his Sunshine band 'That's the way un huh un huh I like it.'”

Love,

Ricky.