Meet Gede. From Bali. From a very small village (pop. 118 ) in the mountain rainforests of Bali, about 20 kilometers northeast from Ubud. And a huge talent.
My partner, Mark, a travel photographer (markpaulda.com), met Gede on an early trip to Bali several years ago. He was so impressed by this young man that he began tutoring and guiding him on photography. In the course of relatively short time, Gede has now had 3 photographic exhibits of his own, and had a photo used for the cover of a magazine. Pretty damn impressive. In fact, the cover photo Gede took for this single is from a Balinese ceremony.
As perhaps fate would have it, one night after the two had dinner in Bali, Gede asked Mark if he would like to hear one of his (Gede's) recorded songs. Of course Mark said "sure". Long story short, Mark was blown away. He had no idea Gede was also a talented musician as well as a photographer. Mark then proceeded to pick up the phone and call me from Bali and tell me the story. He also emailed the recording.
After I heard it, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I was astounded. Great melody, Great dynamics, Great song. They had spent $25 for 3 hours in a small studio to record this version; I immediately knew time in a real studio would bring this song to life. I had been thinking about joining Mark on his next trip to Bali, and hearing this recording sealed the deal. I was now on a mission.
Of course, the entire trip to Bali was nothing short of amazing. In fact it's the only place I've ever visited that I didn't want to leave. While we were there I of course, fulfilled my mission by taking Gede and his band, Hinduisme, into a professional recording studio and producing a proper recording of "Calonarang". All the musicians were close friends, most were relatives, and all from this tiny village deep in the Bali rainforest. Mark was there to document it, as well as enjoy the music (below: Mark, Gede, and shaved headed me during a break in the studio).
I think the result is fantastic. The song is now being played on radio stations in Bali. I was so moved by this experience that I gave Gede my traveling guitar to continue his musical journey, which he now uses in live shows. I can't tell you how good it feels to help such a talented deserving young man pursue his dreams. It certainly fulfilled some of Mark's and my dreams as well.
You can watch the video ,"The Making Of Calonarang", at CardoTunes.com
or at The Cardo Channel
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