Carl Baldassarre talks about his new album duo and the B-side track from Led Zeppelin

perfect combination to create a timeless piece of music.

“Nothing Left to Give” – Baldassarre

GM: The album concludes with “Runnin’ Down the Road,” another track with a strong narrative.

CB: This is a story of a young man on a journey to begin his life, but he is not prepared for the struggles and pain he is about to face. This song takes us back to when my buddy, singer Russ Parrish, and I in Abraxas would write songs on tour. We would talk about everything from girls to cars to life on the road. These storytelling songs are so compelling to me and are a big part of who I am creatively.

“Runnin’ Down the Road” – Baldassarre

GM: Now onto the second album released this year, Deep Grooves Volume 1.

CB: This album was a cakewalk compared to Retroduction. For this album, we needed to stay in a focused direction of some very good tunes, grooving like Peter Gunn, if you know what I mean. It was a blast to record, quite honestly. I was sent an article about a horn section in England, featuring some of the horn players used with The Beatles, and I immediately thought that we needed a strong horn section. A friend suggested tenor sax player Mike Douglas, based out of Nashville, who had horns and rhythm tracks for our use that he had recently worked on with Wilson Pickett, putting us right on a groovy highway! We decided to take the songs as far back in the mix as we could, with folks who were leading the industry back when it counted. The Earth, Wind & Fire feel of “Manhattan Masters,” better known as the song from the Tower of Power School of Game, and the song “Chinook Off the Great Lakes,” reminded me of walking the streets in downtown Cleveland in the ‘70s. Jacob’s groove celebrating the bass with Nick’s magic rhythm and the horn section’s big band sounds made it an extremely fun recording.

“Manhattan Masters” (featuring top players from various original artists’ stage bands in Nashville and LA) – Baldassarre

“Chinook Off the Great Lakes” (with Jacob Dupre on keys and bass and Nick D’Virgilio on drums) – Baldassarre

GM: Thanks for speaking with us about both of your new albums.

CB: Thank you for inviting me to speak with Goldmine on both Retroduction and Deep Grooves Volume 1. It is nice to speak with those who understand what music means, not just in Cleveland, but all over, and it was a pleasure sharing my music with you.