We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Ubaldini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
It was a matter of it being in my DNA – I never really chose to pursue it -I just knew when I was a small kid its who i was-I knew I was supposed to be a musician and songwriter – I’m talking five years old-It definitely chose me -like some divine inspiration put its hand on my shoulder and said this is who you are- It was a natural thing for me to pursue what I already knew I was.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets me apart from others who can say really?. I’ve always done my own thing ,I watch people come and go like tumbleweeds on a dusty trail- I never followed any trends – sometimes more than often trends would catch up with me where I’d been standing for a while then the people when they arrived would try to act ultra hip as if they were there all along -I never pay attention to that because I know they will later on be working some job taking orders and I’ll still be making music and writing songs.Ive always stood out in a crowd without trying- its weird some people seem defensive when they say hello try to be witty about anything a pair of boots or anything not relevant – I notice others who are individuals in a crowd -they notice me -its like an unsaid thing between us,But that’s life, ,Look at Facebook threads- ,everyone’s a critic – if people don’t dig you on social media you are doing something right ,Its one big high school campus no one ever left .- I notice it but pay it no mind.

What I am looking forward to is I’ve got a brand new album coming out this year ‘Rabbit Foot Carnival’ with a great revamped band I put together The Starshakers -2 Guitar ,Bass /drums,B3- Steel and female back up singer – it’ll rock ya’ and the words got somethin’ to say.- also the way I record with a band in a studio sets me apart – we record live in a room with the band playing all at once -me singing live with the band – The way it was done for years – Its revolutionary and risk taking these days and freaks out engineers -they have to move mics and leave leakage in which is great and deal with feel over sterilization- Bruce Witkin Grammy award nominated producer mixed and engineered it .the right man for the job.He gets it. People cant believe how great the sound sonic wise is on it -I’m like well Muddy Waters records were recorded the way I do it and that approach still sounds ballsier then the new safe multi track ,click track people not in the same room sitting in front of a lap top approach.So that’s what ya got.

The lessons I’ve learned is to believe less of what you hear and half of what you see and in the end just be who you are -the right people will eventually find you or vice versa. The challenges Ive overcome are insane -told I’d never walk or play guitar again after a brain bleed going though all that to make a full recovery ,or when I died on stage only to come back to life and survive like Lazarus -Take nothing for granted- You can overcome the odds but trial and tribulations are a daily thing we all go through .. And another lesson is don’t fall for when someone offers you ”constructive criticism”- remember there’s no one there to critique their constructive critique so without that dynamic it puts them in a place of power usually set up to make you fall .If you agree they feel a wise guru but if you don’t like their suggestion you are close minded – talk about set up!. Kinda like when a girl with pretty hair is convinced to cut her locks off by her girlfriends cause they tell her she will look better then she does it and then say “oh it’ll grow back” secretly happy she cut it all off..You’ll know when someone is truly constructive and it wont start with “Can I give you some constructive criticism ?”- I just tell em’ No

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to Bogart’s Coffee houses in Seal Beach and Also Sabor Y Cultura in East Hollywood where I hold my Monthly Outlaws Of Folk music Series -even on a night when we are not there – legit music places not with the Hollywood Velvet rope attitude even if there is no velvet rope -plus its more of an underground scene -that’s where its all happening -its a legit folk roots scene .Food wise I’d have to say Harbor House cafe to eat -not a lot of places to hang anymore – a bit cliquey -California needs to loosen up again.LA could use a good club again for original music without promoters making bands sell tickets and then hold them accountable for the unsold tickets .Orange County needs them too -way to many tribute bands .-Sawdust Fest is always a cool place to go in the summertime.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All I can say I was divinely inspired without knowing why -. There were things for sure that were catalyst hard to pin one – My dad showed me Hank Williams and Ray Charles songs on guitar at age 7 – my family was and is a bit arty or eccentric my mom painted ,my sister had some great records to listen to .. I had a teacher Carol Cooney who let my band play in the high school classroom when most others doing counseling in high school were not encouraging and actually now that I’m older see they should have never had their jobs.-other than th0se I mentioned no one ever was encouraging and I had no mentors-most people put up roadblocks and were and are competitive in the bad sense of the word for some reason- It never bothered me because I don’t expect much from people then again when someone is truly sincere it means more and that’s inspiring-of course there have been a few key people who were there for me I wont forget- My real mentors I guess were all the old records -the Blues, gospel, folk and rock n roll , country records -old movies writers like Nelson Algren ,Poe ,Kerouac or visually things that I saw that resonated in my youth the way a building looked or some broken down shack in the middle of nowhere or the smell of airplane taking off.In the end it all goes back to God the only mentor I ever need..

Website: www.rocknrollpoet.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelubaldini/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelUbaldinirocknrollpoet

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIGb8ej_htijenNj9huP5eA

Other: https://www.facebook.com/Outlawsoffolkmusicseries https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-ubaldini/259609987 https://open.spotify.com/artist/4OIUUz6uDgUwkw21VF8oyU

Image Credits
Photos -Lori Brystan ,Donovan Wilde,Jolene Williams,Debbie Ubaldini

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