Walking the fine line between light and dark

This is a tribute to all the great story tellers who had come before us and all those who continue to enlighten and inspire lightness.

There are two basic ways to tell a story. 

One is to live it. The other is to tell it. 

It is an art to be able to live and tell.


There is a place for holy grounds, godly leaders and ministries for the many who seek solace and guidance. As with songs, art and poetry they hold vast informations and they serve as spaces of contemplation for enlightenment. These are the cup bearers; And then there are those who(for a time) are called to walk the fine line balancing between shadow and light in order to bridge the gap into the pits of despair. Artistes(performers, painters, composers and writers) are as such creatures that navigate the two realms summoned by an inner compassion to suffer the testing and documentation of this long winding life journey. When there are no instructions manual to life, perhaps the closest thing we have are live artistes as walking, talking testimonies to the omnipresence.

If storages(museums, universities) and stories bear the elixir of life then its creators represent the alchemy process that produces the potion. Some people will only take the potion if they see the alchemy process with their very own eyes. In many cases the faithless absolutely require this 'live' connection in order to overcome their loss of trust.

The point here is that there are those who are inspired by a beacon of light while others will only ever trust another who is walking the same path of redemption.

Life is full of contradictions and so are the scholars who dare represent these polarities. If you seek answers in art and spiritual forms you will find that artistes write, paint and sing both stories of sufferings and tales of joyous celebrations in mix assortments. And likewise, all scriptures are riddled with dualities. In the Holy Bible, the Old Testament sets the law and then the man(son of God), Jesus came to fulfill it in the New Testament. The contradiction of the two testaments confuse many, whilst those who have walked the line understood.

It is indeed a blessing and a burden to walk this path and I will never wish it upon anyone who isn't up for the task. He/she will suffer much judgment and opinions from both sides. It is a road paved with heartaches and many times, doubts. It takes great focus and unbreakable commune with the holy spirit to not get lost along this road. And most of all, it takes enormous strength and the ability to stand alone in confidence to overcome persecutions, oftentimes by your closest ones.

But yeah... There are those who walk in the light and there are the enlightened ones who are guided from within the shadows. I have come to appreciate the intricate balance that both ministries play. Most of the younger ministries will misunderstand the importance of that balance but the matured who comprehends this will just have to be patient with their counterparts.

Deceased rap artiste, Tupac Shakur once said, "You've got to enter into somebody's world in order to lead them out." It is an absolute mastery to be able to walk into the dark whilst at all times holding on to the faith that the light will lead you back out. Tupac knows this and so does Jesus. I commend those who walk this path or otherwise. What matters most is that we all keep our eyes on the light always.

Peace be.

(Reposted from colorfulblac.blogspot.com.au)

Trippin' down the 80's (with Bobz)

I was with a breakdance crew in the mid-80's. It was a time of great development for me in terms of philosophical and musical directions.

In the early days, out of pure boredom we use to teach ourselves to do flips and somersaults after school, out in Birdwood Square, Highgate. It was pretty much what I did with my crew everyday without fail, so we mastered the moves quickly and soon we were bored again. As hyperactive teenagers go, we were sooner looking out for new stimulation again, and that was when Berry Gordy's "The Last Dragon" hit the cinemas and got us on our feet again. Our introduction to routine dances soon extended to community centre performances and unbeknown to us, the dancing bug has begun spreading.

So, when breakdancing finally landed Down Under in the 80's, my crew(Turbo Mix) spruced up our act and rocked up to Forrest Chase, Murray St.(before it was a mall) to battle on massive pieces of cardboard boxes. We honestly had no idea what we were doing back then except for what we learned from the movie, 'Breakdance 1 & 2 - The Electric Boogaloo'. However, we quickly gained much valued street credibility by incorporating our martial arts/gymnast agility into the art of breaking. (There was a lot of rascism and fights back then and it is true to say that dance help to ease off a lot of our youthful passion and energy.)

It was at that time, that a teacher from our high school realized and channeled our talent by managing and promoting us for paid gigs. I remembered that our first stint was at the Sheraton Hotel ballroom - we were a hit! From there, as I continued dancing, I began taking up modelling stints for private functions at(Rumours, Gobble's, Chicago's & discos throughout the metro. Things happen and before I knew it I started promoting myself as one of the event organizers and had wine glasses and cigarettes hanging off me. I experience plenty and learned swiftly. From the wheeling dealing that was happening around me, I can see clearly that life in the entertainment business is a musical chair charade of cons and counter-cons with players dancing like vultures around each other. It was a dizzying dance.

Somehow, I was blessed with good sense, and so sooner than I had started, before I even begun having fun with the offerings, I became totally bored of the whole fakings and makings of the industry.

Coincidentally, that's when the ol' music bug caught up with me. I recall sitting alone as a little boy strumming on my guitar contentedly - days where there was no one to impress, no show offs to perform and no schedule to keep to. I quit my failing relationships, quit my job, quit the glitz, quit it all and ended up simply with a guitar on James St. in Northbridge outside the Wespac bank.

Thinking back, that decade was a whirlwind with temptations of fame and fortune. And boy! Was I glad that I gave up showbiz and got on with the business of making soul music. But yeah! The 80's were unforgettable!

The Blissful Couple - Be Careful What You Wish For.

What makes a good marriage union?

Most times when I am asked for my opinion, the first thing that comes to mind is that the enquirer is looking for supporters to give them the reasons to execute what they've already set their mind upon. Having said that, I will share with you my stories and hope that you will consider the opinions that follows with an open mind.


Once upon a time, most people have engaged themselves in that silly Cinderella story at some innocent point in their lives. They want to fall in love with a handsome prince or beautiful damsel  and live happily ever after in a blissful, crazy sex life. Sadly, in these stories as you may have noticed, they usually skip all the dreary bits about their tiresome royal duties after marriage; the endless arguments that ensues because the royal couple is too overwhelmed with press meetings, sports & cultural events to have time for each other. Fable tellers also conveniently forget to mention the time when they stopped talking to each other for two weeks because neither can get a winning vote from the other on whether to go to a P. Diddy jam or a Justin Bieber concert.

Now, let’s bring the story still a little closer to home. One of my closest girl friends, Jacqui(we’ve been in touch for 20 years) fell in love with her dream man. Good education, strong looks and charming to the teeth. She decided to help him migrate from South America and so they committed themselves into a de facto relationship in Australia.  She told me that in the time when they were together, she paid their rent and they shared a joint account in which she gives him the money for regular deposits. That is some serious demonstration of faith there. And may I add that she was thoroughly convinced and reassured me that he was completely in love with her. They even go to church together on Sundays!

In this time, the boys from immigration had followed him around for a number of years to make sure that the relationship is legitimate. Unfortunately, just recently they found discriminating evidence to prove that he had been cheating on her with a few other girls and this has been an on-going thing. So, last I heard he had been deported. He had used up in excess of $15 000 from their joint account and still he tried to win her back into forgiveness because getting deported would mean that he wouldn’t get a chance to amend the relationship with her.

So, what’s the point of this story? I am not here to say that he had victimized her - I've never met him so it really isn't up to me to judge. The point, on the contrary is that their love exists for each other despite of it all. If you ask me, I am sure that he loved her to a substantial degree. How else would you be able to share your life with someone on a daily basis without getting called out on your fake? My take is that the cheating is a sign that they were highly mismatched in some considerably significant areas. So what really went wrong?



This brings us back to our original question… what makes a good marriage union?

Everyone has different take on what is good marriage material. We all make personal choices for all kinds of reasons that to others, defies logic. Some like hot bodies, some like money and status, others like a simple minded or minimalistic individual, and then there are those who would rely on their friends and parents’ stamp of approval. In the end we all know that it just boils down to your personal choice of experience. It is only worth it if YOU think it is worth it.

But whatever your choice, be warned that real life scenarios like the aforementioned story happens all the time. Personally, I have been through the ‘she’s the one’ epiphany numerous times through a few long term and serious relationships which didn't end up being so ideal. From those I have learned that mere physical chemistry and being with a kind and understanding person are not the only factors to consider when it comes to marriage. Truth is, we will fall madly in love with a number of people in this lifetime and not necessary be able to live with each one of them. So one day, I sat myself down and asked my heart what is important to me.

Here are the three criteria that I came up with:
1. She must love God - and I am not talking religion here but a genuine respect for a higher truth that takes utter honesty to reveal. In the course of your courtship you will have discussed personal values such as work ethics, what money represents, types of friends to keep for company, children, quiet time, drugs, etc. It is likely that you may not agree on all things right away. But the key trait that I would look out for is this; that she demonstrates the willingness to invest time into researching those topics with the aim to uncover a higher truth and not so much rely on whose opinion is right or wrong. A marriage after all is a life-long journey together into the discovery of life in its entirety. She must possess the dedication to put in the time. If you as much as smell superficiality, walk away this instance. It might just save you from a bleeding heart a hundred times over.

2. She must share my passion (for music) -  I am not saying that both partners have to love the exact same things. I am asking if our lifestyles compliment each other? I am just saying that your chosen directions in life could either keep you together for the distance or lead you apart eventually. For example, if you are a vegetarian, it will be difficult to live with a butcher. Or if you are in the entertainment business it would be very hard to live with someone who has a 9-5 job as your working hours wouldn't allow much time left for you to stay strongly connected to each other. Or if one likes to involve in humanitarian work while the other is a ruthless salesman. Once I was with a Navy girl who maintains that she will shoot to kill without questions if ordered by her superior and that relationship certainly didn’t last for this one gentleman. Bottom line, if you share common loves and beliefs, you will have lots of fun exploring them together for many years to come.

3. She must look pleasant most mornings - How is this person consistently like first thing when they wake in the morning? If I am to marry this person, I would want to make sure that I can stand waking up to this person pretty much everyday for the rest of my life. I have seen some of the hottest people on earth being unpleasant. And trust me, they look unpleasant.

I imagined that if I can match these three characteristics closely enough to a lovely damsel, chances are we would go very well together and I should incontrovertibly dive into the deep end of the pool with her. Shortly after, it happened. The match lit up. So I bungeed into the Pacific Ocean with this pleasant looking singer with an incessant search for truth. We opened a joint account and she migrated to Australia a year later. I thank God that so far, I’ve been proven right. I’ve been in a blissful, crazy 10 years relationship with her to date. But who knows? Maybe it's just luck. Maybe it's just a writer's over-imaginative derivation. Whatever it is, I will leave you with this quote from Buddha: "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

Colorful Blac - The story of us.

Colorful Blac - founded 2003

Money can’t buy me life.
As children, we both loved books. But more, much more than that we loved music. Words and melodies were our way of learning about the world. It helps to drown out most of the falsities in our dreary childhood. So we sang the words and we worded the songs. And we continued singing till our voices grew so enormous and true, that our timid little hearts felt ripe to take on even the wild wild world. Soon at 17-18, we packed our sandwiches and left home to tackle the foxy entertainment industry where billboards and fast-talking executives were said to rule.

We met back in 2003, formed Colorful Blac and in the following years achieved a relatively modest albeit remarkable success with our covers act. Meanwhile, we had also begun self-schooling on the art of sound engineering via google to prepare ourselves for the recording of our personal tales onto a song album.

We worked plenty and played some, and did our best to stay out of trouble. Even so, life did not offer us the little monotony we had envisioned without a barrage of temptations. With chance occurrences we came to live amongst and witness the hazardous and whirl-wind paths of profiled entertainers often littered with drugs, alcohol and depression. Playing festivals and prominent venues in Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Singapore, we also found ourselves frequently haunted by wicked witches with delicious apples, pimps in gold chains with carrots-a-dangling and all the worldly enticements for the eyes’ feasting! Luckily, each time they prodded at us, every time the little voice in our hearts triumphed us to fix our eyes on our art and leave the rainbow be.

Street Culture

Real life, not unlike Hollywood T.V. offers numbing sensations with instant success-out-of-a-can that leaves the eyes wide and highly dilated. Forewarned earlier by what we had witnessed of the risqué price of a hurried success, the question begs us, do people really mean it when they say, “I would give ‘anything’ to have that kind of success!!?”  We  formulated our answer swiftly before the speedy buzzer timed-out, and to cut a long story short we have sooner committed ourselves to staying low and avoiding all kinds of short-cut trappings. So together for nearly 10 years now we have grounded ourselves, utilizing street performances to hone our craft and earn a modest living whilst enjoying the richness of street culture.

What if a recording/distribution deal turns up? Well, we’re definitely keen, if only to share our music to a wider audience around the globe. Truth be told, we have had substantial offers throughout the years (with various songwriting / recording / reality-t.v. deals in Australia, Canada, Singapore). But because we value the vital groundworks which we artistically cannot overlook, we maintained that there is no rush to move forward. We were enjoying our process and we figured if we keep brewing our songs patiently, the right time will come to see the right person for the job. As they say, you can’t keep a good man down!

Meanwhile, we get to live like the flower-child of the 70’s, work hard and travel freely with no hurry to compete in the world. So we did! And in this way, we have found that the privilege of meeting just any people is priceless, and learning to discipline the self in hard-work is liberating.

            Wedding couple, Ali & Mark still keeps in touch.

So how do we manage this anomalous lifestyle which most would deem unstable and insecure? The key, is that we work diligently(fr Latin diligere, "take delight in,"), live frugally and give sincere gratitude to our fans for their appreciation of our work, cos whether it be a monetary expression or a physical gesture it all comes from a place of value! There’s a saying that sums it up for us - “Gratitude turns what little we have into enough”. We have had fans who have offered us a roof. We've been given hand-warmers for the cold winter. Some bought sushi and others brought us delicious home cooked meals and even baked us cookies. How cute is that?

We truly believe that every breathing moment in life should be celebrated with thanksgiving and so naturally we’ve produced ourselves a motivating, positive and appreciative album as our first release. We started in 2003 with nothing. Fast track nine years and today we are the proud owners of a personalized LP recording that will always serve to remind us of the peace in knowing that more does not equate better.

Currently, we’re moving our CDs steadily one at a time, each weekend we’re out on the town. Although you may not have heard it yet...;) on television or the radio, we have many happy listeners to vouch for our success. So if this is your kind of success story, and you would like to hear more about our adventures, get your Colorful Blac CD and join all the other happy campers on our side of the fence in celebration with songs of real life - and real love...

The kind that money can’t buy!

A few words by our fans:

Thank you! I won a gold medal with your motivation (swim 4km in 20mins & sing your song)!- Tanja Engels(GER), World Masters Championships

An amazing album by two of the most soulful singers in Australia, if not the world - 87.6 kissFm, Australia, DJ Eddie Mac & Cam

Amazing sound on this album! Ingenious! I recommend it. - 98.9 fm Melbourne Musos with James Morrison

Two words… Mont Blanc - Eddie Nigel, Singapore, Award Winning Producer/DJ

Soul filled album… always puts me in such a fantastic place! - Big fan, John J Antonic


Support us:
You can preview and purchase our CD or mp3s at: http://www.colorfulblac.com

LA RUMBA

Strolling in Melbourne's Bourke St. mall on any one day is remarkable. Besides the glittery shop displays, there are strips of cafes in the alleyways and tram passengers waiting fashionably in their seasonal garments. Perhaps the show stealer amongst all these distractions are the wonderful performers that never fail to take a passerby away to a place where the world stands still for a while - a moment to feel the sound vibrations that takes one back into the roots of the soul where peace overshadows pace.

One of such performance is La Rumba, a Latin infused Melbourne band. I work in the mall, and sometimes when I am on my break I would follow the rhythmic beckoning to a different place on earth - well, at least that's how I feel when I hear these guys! A tight band, with a steady bass-line that is never too intrusive and fingers that move rhythmically with the grace of a ballerina's feet this band is fronted by a set of vocals that will turn your head faster than your lips can manage to say the exhilarating "wow' that races through your veins!

As with many of the other premier acts in the mall, they have graced many of the popular circuits around town and still enjoy the freedom and spontaneity of playing on the streets. So, many of you may have seen these dynamic boys in one place or another. Now, let's take a glimpse of their timeline and get to know a little more about the soul behind 'La Rumba'.

Pictures from top: Jarrod Rojo, Michael Rahab, Jaime Francisco Carrasco & featured guitarist, Nathan Slater.

1. How did you guys get together?

La Rumba was the brainchild of Michael Rajab and Toby Hack who had years of experience playing together and apart in different groups. They decided to go on their own and involve other musicians. La Rumba started off as a real gypsy band with anyone who turned up on the night playing. Initially we also had a drummer, trumpet and piano accordion! Jaime and I (Jarrod) joined and it was then narrowed us four as the core lineup with an occasional percussionist.

2. What are your backgrounds and would you like to tell us something that you think is particularly interesting about it?

Jarrod Rojo (Lead Vocals)
Born and raised in Melbourne, La Rumba's voice, Jarrod has enjoyed the rock side of the music scene and headed well known cover bands (The Reckoning, The Children Of…) With a yearning for the big stage rising above all else Jarrod has gone back to his Spanish roots and is now front and centre with La Rumba, booming his earthquake style he is so renowned for.

Michael Rajab (Guitar/Backing Vocals/Cajon)
Michael was born surrounded by music. With a father, a professional Lebanese drummer, and a mother possessed with flamenco, Michael's family influenced him greatly. This was the beginning of a life-long love of Arabic and flamenco music. In his 20's he turned his attention to the guitar and using his percussion background, fused the sounds of flamenco guitar with Arabic and gypsy rhythms and has never looked back.

Jaime Francisco Carrasco (Bass/Vocals)
Jaime is a multi instrumentalist with over a decades experience in the music industry. Migrating from Chile with his family at a young age he soon discovered a passion for the music of his Latin American heritage and quickly began forging a career along this path. In his late teens he began touring around Australia and overseas. He has collaborated on many albums and has consistently performed in all major world music festivals on the circuit.


3. Describe your style and tell us why it appeals to you.
Rumba Flamenca is a vibrant style of music unlike any other that people can’t help but be amazed by including the ones who play it! Its fun, loud, creates joy for all who hear it and relies on minimal musicians to make a big impact. It’s one of the most simple and raw forms of music with no artificial influence which is why I think it has the appeal that it does. It's just like we are deep down, raw and simple!

4. Every musician has gone through some form of struggle to get to where they are. What are some of your toughest battles?
I guess for me (Jarrod) the toughest battle musically is the constant one that faces all musicians with the amount of work available and the importance placed on music culture in Australia. Due to Australia being a very young country culturally, it makes it hard to make a living out of it without the country having large traditions and culture steeped in music. It affects musicians playing at venues who would rather pay a DJ to play because it’s cheaper but they just can’t create the same atmosphere. I’ve been working fulltime in other industries for 17 years and have only been able to live off music full time for the past 12 months due to street performing. I have been playing in bands on weekends for most of my life but one or two gigs a week generally isn’t viable to live off unless you’re in the corporate scene or have built a large fan base to which most musicians still can’t unfortunately make a living from.

5. Tell us about the happiest experience that you have had as a musician.
I (Jarrod) don’t know if I could pinpoint the happiest experience I’ve had. I’ve had some pretty unforgettable experiences with moments in music and played with some of the most amazing musicians I have seen or met! If I was forced to pick one, I’d probably say being able to get back to my roots and begin to understand my history more was and is still the most satisfying but I think being a musician and being able to enjoy and feel music itself is the happiest experience of anybody’s life!


6. What is the core message that you as a band would like to send out?
La Rumba is all about energy and having fun which reflects how life should be!!


7. If there is one truly useful advice that you can give to anyone in the world what would it be?
Don’t ever give up your dreams of creating and sharing music, life would be boring without people like you who dare to do so!! Music is different to every individual who hears, plays and appreciates it so there is an audience for you out there somewhere!!

Inquire about their album CD at:

www.facebook.com/La.Rumba.Gypsy.Flamenco

www.larumba.com.au

Press contact: management@larumba.com.au

Booking agent: bookings@larumba.com.au