Back In The Dave

In this episode, walk with me from my early childhood beginnings watching my opera-singing mom perform on stage, through the 1980s limited technologies, to present day real-life sounding instruments. The Awakening is my first attempt at composing and recording a classical-sounding song using contemporary orchestral libraries.

I've been on pens and needles since 2017 to release this song! "The Awakening" goes back to my childhood, the years my siblings and I spent watching our mom rehearse the leading role of Daphnie Byfield with a full orchestra in Irving Burgie's original play- Ballad for Bimshire. The Awakening is the culmination of my childhood influences growing up backstage, watching my amazing mom sing, and the artist I have become today. Initially, I wrote The Awakening as a traditional orchestral piece. But not being a trained classical musician or composer, my love for Barry White kicked in, and I turned a pretty cool classical-sounding piece into a funk dance orchestration! I love The Awakening! I'm proud of it. I believe it will open my creativity across areas of music I never imagined! Come, listen to The Awakening with me as I release the single and premiere the video!

The relationship between the piano and me is a story that feels like a coming of age. I smile in amazement when I think back on how it all started.   The piano was the first instrument I was introduced to. I remember my siblings and I gathered around the piano one Saturday evening, watching my dad play Chopsticks and another song I can't remember the name of. I was amazed! My dad was making music right in our living room!   The piano was not my instrument of choice. Yet, it has become a staple in everything I do musically. I do not know what I would have done without it!

Some songs continue to top my list for bringing up my emotions. I can't explain the reasons why. I can only explain how they make me feel! I genuinely know the connection between the vibrations of music and the vibration of the human body and our soul's energies are one. I sincerely believe it is because music comes from us, and we come from music. I pulled several songs together to share with you; the stories and how each one affects me on multiple levels of feelings.

Today, April 11th is the 48th anniversary of the passing of my brother Marc. I like to do positive things on this day now as it was a traumatizing and painful experience for me, my family, and our friends and neighbors.  I have a short story I want to tell you that took place between Marc and me in the back seat of my mom's car while driving out to Long Island to visit our grandparents. It wasn't funny at the time. But has become a fun memory for me and something I now do to drive my family nuts, LOL! 

Ah, the feelings of young first love! Having lived for multiple decades, I appreciate my youthful experiences of falling in love. Well, "in like" is more like it at that age. 1974, as I approached my 12th birthday. A new classmate entered Horizon School. Her name was Peri Belleman.  I think every hormone in every part of my body came alive! Every move she made, I watched, every word she spoke, I listened. But in those days. I was shy when it came to talking to girls. Somehow, I found a way to talk with Peri, and a friendship started. And that rolled into her and me, becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. What I could have never known was our hormones were about to be put on blast!

Music is healing. It's a powerful healer. It's an essential part of my healing practice. Along with music, there are six essentials that I use every day.  I created three of them and will share with you, and three have been recognized by doctors, gurus, healers, herbalists and coaches from all walks of life.  They are the BedRock of my life and what I know, and have come to believe to be the cornerstones of mental, emotional, and physical health.

oin me on this episode as I drop my latest single "Take It Higher"! 🎶 But wait, there's more! Right after the premiere, don’t touch that dial. I’m here for an exclusive celebration of the song. 🎉 I'll be delving into the creation process and all the behind-the-scenes stories. It's not just a release; it's a journey into the heart of the music. This marks my first release in three years, and I can't wait to share this special moment with you. Your presence will make it even more memorable! 🚀 #TakeItHigher #PodcastCelebration #BehindTheMusic

I've lost count of how many times my grandmother told me I have diarrhea of the mouth! She was right. I love to talk! I was so excited to do this episode. I talked and talked until I was exhausted, and then I talked some more!  It's 2024. Let's go back to the times and music of 50 years ago to 1974 when Michael Jackson was 16 years old, and Barry White had the biggest hit in the nation!

I believe that each year, life should move ahead in love and peace. Our life experience should not be of pain, anger, and enrage. I'm not suggesting we should all be tip-toeing through the tulips all day. But make a weekly conscious choice to find peace and joy. The holidays bring a sense of peace, calm, and joy. Folks are nicer and less stressed. The energy of love throughout the world is felt by most. My dream is for love, calm, joy, and peace to continue long after the holiday season ends and into everyday life. What does it take to make this a reality? An awareness that it's possible. And the belief that you can do it. Happy Holidays

It's that time of year! Time to be happy, full of joy and peace. Yet, Many of us easily fall into deep thought, thinking about those we love who have passed on. I'm there with you! For me, it's my dad, my older sister, my little brother, my grandparents and many more. And with all these holiday feelings bottled up inside of me. This year is compounded with local and global unrest.  Israel and Hamas, the war between Russia and Ukraine. Africa fighting back from oppression and colonialism, will there be another Civil war in America? Disease, healthcare, global warming, mass shootings, and growing inflation. These are the thoughts ruminating in our minds. For the first time since the existence of man, we have created a perfect storm of multiple simultaneous global self-destructive conditions.  How do we enjoy Holidays or celebrate a New Year with mankind spinning out of control around us?  I wish I had the answer. I prefer to share my thoughts, dreams, and things I do to remain sane and calm.

We are so entangled in our cultures that breaking free from the script seems unimaginable. We've bought into the idea that culture defines us. Don't get me wrong; culture is fantastic for connecting, but it shouldn't be our default setting. The subject matter in this Back in The Dave episode is particularly sensitive, and my perspective may not align with the mainstream narrative. I'm aware that I'm asking people to challenge deeply held beliefs and consider a different perspective for what I believe is a greater good. Despite wrestling with self-doubt, I found the courage to put this episode out there. It wasn't just a personal revelation but also the encouragement I received from various sources, including a serendipitous YouTube video, a heartfelt conversation with my wife on an unrelated topic, and a thought-provoking movie. It felt like the universe was urging me to share this message. So, in the end, I decided to put it out into the world, allowing you, my fans and listeners, to engage with it and draw your conclusions.

Picture this: I'm on the sales floor demonstrating a stereo system for a customer back in the day; I'm rocking fresh out the studio music from my band Chace to show off the system and my music, LOL! Suddenly, disaster strikes. This is an uproarious story of how a crazy mishap turned into an epic workday tale.

In late 1983, I began to sense tensions within the band. Clearly, there was a pink elephant in the room. I denied there was a growing issue. Instead, I did what I always did. I went to my bedroom and came up with a bassline for another dance tune, as if music would solve our problems! We felt success was on the way. And all of us began to live as if it had happened already! But in early 1984. Everything went wrong!

Transition; is a word that often refers to the passing of life, a change, a shift, the old to a new. After months of trial and tribulation trying to figure out our sound! Chace experienced a transition between late 1981 thru 1982.  There were so many steps along our journey. As always, defining and taking the first step was our priority. And to me, that meant coming up with a dance song, a funky bass line.  It is a long episode, so hang in there. Our story will amaze you as much as we were living it! And if you're not dancing by the end of the episode, I'll be shocked! 

The fall of 1981 was insane! As a band, we could not find songs that we felt could compete with the top forty artists of the era. Musically we had to stand with Luther Vandross, Rick James, Chaka Kahn, and Tina Marie. And that’s just scratching the surface! Clearly, this was no laughing matter, LOL! We needed to define our sound. That was the key that would separate us from the immense top 40 billboard talent facing us!  The only way to create “our sound” would be to write songs to spotlight our unique talents. And that’s where our heartaches started! We threw out song after song. They were good! Just not good enough; some just sucked! Maybe we should not have compared ourselves to other artists. But we knew that's what the record companies would do. As a new band, we were wet behind the ears. And it showed in the music! We had two things in our favor. Raw talent and a Ballard that gave us hope! 

During high school, I was dead serious about being like the commodores. I modeled myself behind Lionel Richie and wanted to follow in the band's footsteps. I knew the first step was to go to college and start a band. Let me be clear. Not so much to learn music. But to start a band! Like the Commodores did. I did just that in the winter of 1981. Chace became so promising. I dropped out of college to focus on songwriting and growing the band. Then the unexpected happens. Chace broke up in January 1984. Leaving me hurt and confused. That experience, amazingly, started my music career and my life. It is a bittersweet story for me, but what you’ll hear is how we grew from jamming around the family piano in my family’s living room to recording in one of New York City’s major recording studios and preparing to take over the world with our funky, dance sound! 

Do you recall a moment in life when you were struggling with something? No matter how hard. It didn't click! Then out of nowhere. A stranger comes along and teaches you a little something, and bam! You got it. This month's "Back in The Dave" podcast episode tells the story of my struggle learning a challenging style of bass playing called "thumbing."Then five years later, a crazy twist happens! 

I have a new artist and an old friend I would like to introduce to you. His name is Aaron "Bionic" Brown. Aaron and I met twenty-five years ago. It is hard to believe so many years have gone by. His love for jazz and his eclectic taste for so much music surpasses my comprehension.  A few months back. I took a couple of hours to catch up with Aaron. He played his new songs for me, and we talked some studio talk. I was also interested in digging into Aarons back in the day life growing up. Like me, he was a young musician in New York.  I also wanted to know his thoughts on life today, health wellness, and how he juggles it all!  In this episode, you will hear Aaron's new music and learn how to follow him. He is worth every listen.

Benjamin N. Cardozo high school 1977, a new school, and new friends. The tenth grade was the bomb! Not because I was so in love with school, my grades surely told another story! But it was the time in my life when I'd begin to meet musicians from all over Queens,NY. My older brother Anthony had been attending Cardozo high two years before me. Once I arrived at the school. He began introducing me to as many people who were into music as he could. Little did I know. He would introduce me to Julio Herrera. A keyboard player that went on to have an awesome career in music!