Livin’ the Dream

Many times, when we are out in public, and we greet someone, or, someone greets us, with a “hey, how’s it going…how are you?”, our response is, “Livin’ the Dream”. We say it with cynicism, and it adds a little light hearted humor to our exchange. For most of us, it is a phrase that reflects the daily battle we fight to make ends meet, or to endure the hardships that we have to face in this world. And yet, for some, the veil of sarcasm will often reflect a touch of optimism, because we know that as bad as things can get, they could be worse, and we really should be grateful for every blessing we have along Life’s path. This song, I hope, reflects that optimism, as well as, the frustration, by recognizing that what we value and what we should value are often two different things, and when we focus on what we should value, we are closer than we think to Livin’ the Dream.

Over the past few years, I’ve been churning out a lot of individual recordings, and using those recordings to create videos that I post on YouTube, in hopes that there, they might gain a growing audience of listeners, followers, subscribers, etc. But I find that unless I am extremely persistent with promoting these efforts, the response rate on these videos is minimal. I appreciate what views and comments I do get, but I would like to see some growth in that area. My immediate goal is to boost my number of YouTube subscribers to 1000. Hopefully, that will begin a cycle of stimulating more views, and ultimately, more shares and more subscribers. I’m only focused on YouTube at the moment, because it has become my primary means of exposure. So, please, if you happen to land on my YouTube channel, and you like any part of anything you see or hear…subscribe.

Invisible: Featuring the Street Photography of Renato Rampolla

I recently stumbled on to a Facebook post announcing that the Arts Council of Hillsborough County had awarded a Professional Development Grant for 2019 to an artist by the name of Renato Rampolla. Something prompted me to dig a little deeper into who he was and what it was that landed him that award. It didn’t take long to find the answers I was looking for. He is an exceptionally talented photographer whose whose still images come to life right before your eyes. His recent work explores some very dark, but relevant issues…issues that many of us would prefer to bypass and ignore. He has dared to step out of his comfort zone, and into the trenches of our city’s homeless population, to listen to and tell the stories of the downtrodden…the hopeless…the destitute…the fallen. His objective: to make sure that we remain aware of and compassionate towards those who have had to endure these hardships. Each photo tells an incredibly detailed story of dreams deferred, denied, derailed, and/or sidetracked by unfortunate circumstances; some within the individual’s control, and some far beyond it. Renato has published a book of these photos titled “Dignity No Matter What”, which is available online, and at a few select locations in the bay area. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to a local, hands-on charity called Blanket Tampa Bay. For additional information on where to purchase the book, or how to donate directly to this worthy charity, visit Rampolla’s website at:

https://www.renatorampolla.com/

Sounds of Sunday Morning: Swimming in God’s Love

When Father Carlos Rojas arrived at St. Joseph Parrish in 2014, it was evident that he was quite different from the pastors that we’ve had in the past. For one thing, he was very young. And with that youth came a great deal of exuberance for his work, and an outgoing, animated personality, that shone through in the way that he addressed his parishioners, as well as, in the manner in which he delivered his homilies. He was also innovative and open to new ideas…modern methods of teaching and preaching. One of those methods involved recording his homilies and posting them on a website called Soundcloud. There, he was able to share his spirited words with a wider audience, and to archive them, for those who either missed a mass or simply wanted to listen to a replay. One of the first homilies he gave was about the role of imagination as it pertains to spiritual growth. He spoke of water as a metaphor for God’s love and asked us to imagine what it would be like to swim in that love. I was able to sift out a few of the main ideas from that homily to create a song I called “Swimmin’ In Your Love”. It took a few months for the writing, recording, and production of the song to be complete, but I finally came up with something that I felt had captured the essence of his thoughts. I was ready to share it with him.

One Sunday morning, while my family and I were greeting Fr. Rojas after mass, the subject of fishing slipped into our conversations . We actually ended up making an impromptu fishing date with him for that afternoon. He, my grandson, Julian, and I would later drive out to Redington Beach where we were able to spend a few hours together, in a much different setting than church. On the way back that evening, I had the opportunity to introduce Fr. Rojas to the song I had written. I slipped the CD into my car stereo, and he attentively listened to it. When the song finished playing, he expressed a genuine enthusiasm and appreciation for what I had created. He seemed flattered by the fact that I took the time to turn his thoughts and words into a song. Upon subsequent meetings, he would sometimes remind me of his fondness for the song by randomly blurting out the chorus. Then, a few Sundays ago, my family and I stopped to greet him after mass again, and a comment that my wife made about patience, prompted him to mention “Swimmin’ In Your Love”. This time, though, he came up a with a rather creative suggestion, one that I should have thought of on my own. The idea he had was to infuse segments of his homily into the song, a process that I was very familiar with in past works involving the spoken word. I went home, downloaded the homily from Soundcloud, and proceeded to dissect it into parts that might fit within the format of the song. I found that there were two distinct moods in the homily, each with its own discernible pitch: one of energetic emphasis; and one of quiet reflection. I aligned the parts I selected with the refrains of the song, with the bridge, and with the ending. I tried to make them as clearly audible as possible, so that the lyrics of the song and the parts of the homily would compliment each other as much as possible. Finally, when I arrived at the mix that I wanted, I added that version of the song to some photos and created the video posted at the beginning of this story.

The following link is where you can find and listen to the homily that inspired my song:

https://soundcloud.com/frcarlosjoserojas/sounds-from-sunday-morning

You will find many of Fr. Rojas’s homilies at this site, in both, Spanish and English. I encourage you to stop by there frequently, and listen to Father’s uplifting words. His interpretations of scripture are vibrantly imaginative, yet well grounded in the conventional wisdom of the Bible, and his passionate presentations are inspiring. We are blessed to have him at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Foolish Pride

“The humble live in continuous peace, while in the hearts of the proud are envy and frequent anger.”

Exciting New TV Documentary “The James Marvell Story”

Checkout the made for television documentary on the life of James Marvell airing on Thursday September 8th at 7 PM CST on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC8vO3XZuLk&feature=youtu.be. His story moves from hits in the late 60s with the group “Mercy” that topped Billboard with Elvis, Sinatra and the Beatles to his current hit single “Summer Winds” on AirplayExpress and Colt Records written by Dennis DiChiaro and the 45 years in between. The story includes stints with the popular 70s duo The Country Cavaleers, trendsetters of the country outlaw movements and his days on the road. Marvell worked with Willie Nelson in Branson, Missouri and designed collector jewelry for Willie, Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe The Father Of Bluegrass and June Carter Cash. The special also covers James Marvell’s composition “Prophecy” written over 40 years ago but very timely for today.
About the songwriter of “Summer Winds”

Dennis DiChiaro is an American Songwriter/Publisher who is delighted to have teamed up with recording artist James Marvell for the release of his new song “Summer Winds”. An additional release is coming mid-November with James who is joined by Joanne Cash, Johnny Cash’s sister. Dennis is an esteemed member of The National Music Publishers Association. He has been affiliated with BMI as a writer for 26 years and also has his publishing company Song of America, established in 1993. Dennis composes 9 to 12 songs per year and cuts them in Nashville and at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals Alabama.

Rest in Peace

 

The world lost an artistic genius and I lost a good friend on December 9, 2015. For whatever complex and difficult reasons there were, Carl Anderson Clingempeel decided to check out of this world, and hopefully, into one where he can find the spiritual peace that we all long for. I’m saddened…but I’m not angry at him. I don’t feel it was a selfish act, but one of unimaginable desperation. As brilliantly illuminating as his highs were, so must have been the darkness in his lows. I have no clue as to how much pain he was going through. And I will not pass judgement on him. Besides, how can I be angry with a man who spread so much love in his 67 years on this planet…who created such beauty, despite whatever demons haunted him? I just wish that something or someone might have swayed him one more time…in the final hours…the way he must have been swayed before. Maybe if I would have sent him another video…another reminder of his life’s value…at the moment when he was at his lowest…maybe it would have lifted him up and above the decision to follow through with his plan. I don’t know…I guess I’ll never know. So now I have the video…now I’ll post it. Unfortunately, instead of being the third in our series of collaborations, it becomes a posthumous tribute…one clouded by what ifs and whys. But I won’t let that stop me…I can’t…I have to go forward…while I can…in memory of my friend. And though I couldn’t reach him in time down here, I have to believe that I am reaching him now, and that every time someone sees, appreciates, comments, likes, or shares this latest spiritual union between us, he is looking down, smiling, and thinking, “Hey, I did make a difference. Thanks, Mike, I’m humbled…love it, man…awesome work.” That’s just the way he was…encouraging…supportive…imaginative…and above all, inspiring. Rest in peace, AC.

Hatred Hurts, Love Heals

Baluja and Small | Tight Connection | CD Baby Music Store

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Baluja and Small | Tight Connection | CD Baby Music Store.

Reviews on CD Baby…

TIGHT CONNECTION

A must listen
Great songs, wonderful chords, melodies. Amazing vocals and lyrics

Steve Inglis

Persuit of happiness
We live in difficult times. All things seem full of doom and gloom. Music is a different world. If you want to release yourself from the stresses of life you have found the right album TIGHT CONNECTION by Baluja and Small have written an album of songs that will truly uplift the most downhearted of souls and inspire the rest of us. This is no mean feat. These are incredibly written. Intelligent, thoughtful observations on life. Songs that will rock your soul. Songs that are poignant and truly beautiful in verse and harmony. These are songs about life, yours and mine. This a worth every penny. Its FANTASTIC.
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Throdgie

Meanderings of an idiot…
if you’ve been searching for storytelling in the great tradition,music that paints for the imagination, with a voice soaked in truth – well,crack open a relieved smile! ‘cos here it is… Baluja & Small “Tight Connection”

Tom Hedrick

Baluja… Real songs are alive and well
In this age of sanitized radio and music as a commodity, it’s pure delight to find artists like Baluja who compose, perform and record music of such heartfelt clarity. What most impresses me about this music – beyond the profound song craft – is the unique appeal of Baluja’s voice and the spot on arrangements. In some ways, I think of him as a modern day Sixto Rodriguez. Instrumentation serves the song, humbly and effectively, while keeping the focus on the core melody. The songs are easy to relate to: you can absorb Baluja’s world and insert his lyrical images into your own experiences. The greatest singer-songwriters create this sense of listener participation, and this makes Tight Connection more than an album. It takes you on a journey all your own.
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carrie

AMAZING!!!!
These guys are simply amazing…that’s it!!! Perfection!! The lyrics are outstanding and the vocals simply blow me away…and the tunes…..just gorgeous….

Tom Hedrick

Baluja… Real songs are alive and well
In this age of sanitized radio and music as a commodity, it’s pure delight to find artists like Baluja who compose, perform and record music of such heartfelt clarity. What most impresses me about this music – beyond the profound song craft – is the unique appeal of Baluja’s voice and the spot on arrangements. In some ways, I think of him as a modern day Sixto Rodriguez. Instrumentation serves the song, humbly and effectively, while keeping the focus on the core melody. The songs are easy to relate to: you can absorb Baluja’s world and insert his lyrical images into your own experiences. The greatest singer-songwriters create this sense of listener participation, and this makes Tight Connection more than an album. It takes you on a journey all your own.
Read less….

Sharon Rachman

Like nobody else!!!
One of the most intriguing things is that “Tight Connection” album sounds authentic, doesn’t remind me of any band or song including vocals color and its delivery.

Fernando Garcin

this is the real thing
Listening to this work by Mike Baluja and Small you feel you are in your room or walking around, no matter which town or country you live. You feel the real thing. Raw powerful sounds, astonishing delivery by the great voice of Mike Maluja, words telling you what’s going on in the world, far from mainstreams, close to the ones whose lives are the hidden heart of the cities and its beating the reason we keep on keeping on. Excellent!
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“da boi” derinho

Tight!!!
“tight connection” is such a poignant song about loneliness… on par with John Prine and Dylan… a universal experience captured… by the genius observatory powers of Messrs. Baluja and Small… musically it’s like a fresh “one more cup of coffee”… a brilliant triumph… your huge fan, and humble errand boy, da boi d
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Les Boyko

Tight Connection – Baluja and Small
I know Mike Baluja although, I’ve never met him. I grew up in Tampa with Baluja. Felt the same winds, ate the same foods, listened to the same radio stations and heard the same songs played live by musical giants.
Tight Connection is an album not to be missed. This albums shines and should be a classic from Tampa’s finest citizen and musician. The stories told, music played; is raw, played well, polished, profound and as good as it gets.

Small

Baluja

Ybor City: The Sounds, The Sights, The Song

Digital copies of the song, Ybor City, available at Bandcamp:

Ybor City is filled with a rich history of architectural, culinary, industrial, and cultural distinction, reflective of its multi-ethnic composition. The man singing its song, Tony Garcia, has been involved with this community his entire life. Many who have known him are unaware of the talent that he’s been blessed with. I have known him for nearly 40 years, and until a year or two ago, I had no idea that he was a gifted vocalist. After seeing him live for the first time at the third annual Flavor of West Tampa, we sat down and talked about our respective passions for music. I found out that he just began singing publicly about 5 years ago. I asked if he had any recordings of his work and was surprised to find out that he did not. I suggested that we get together and lay something down…something we could share online, and perhaps archive on one of the many music sites for independent artists. We started with the Bobby Caldwell’s hit, “What You Won’t Do For Love,” because it offered Tony a chance to showcase the warmth and range of his voice. While working on that cover, Tony suggested one of my songs, Ybor City, for the follow up project. Naturally, I was very excited about the prospect of having him interpret one of my works. We got together once again, and the results surpassed my expectations. Tony was able to breathe new life into my song, and after mixing and listening countless times, I am certain that it will be well received by local and national fans of this historic community. Do yourself a favor, though. Make sure that you listen through a decent set of speakers or headphones. It’s essential. It’s the only way you can get the full effect of Tony’s dynamic rendering. Now, sit back, and enjoy the soothing sounds of Tampa native, Tony Garcia, as he pours his heart and soul into “Ybor City”.

To Carla…

Here is the latest version of the song that was written shortly after you left us. I keep coming back to it, and it feels so natural for me to do so, because it always seems to bring me closer to you. Today, you would have been 35 years old. I knew I had to do something to mark this solemn, but very special day. So here is your new recording, baby. Happy Birthday, from all your family and friends down here. We all miss you terribly, we love you, and we will keep living life to the fullest to honor your memory.
Keep watching over us….

Love Always,
Dad