New Release Friday!

https://linktr.ee/benvelascoandflashimages

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am very proud to announce the "Official" release of this record…I called it “CLOUDS IN THE NIGHT SKY”, for a few different reasons…mainly because throughout my life, I have always paid attention to the “Hidden Messages in the Sky” (lyric from the last track “Tearing It Up”.) If you look and listen closely, I believe the Universe/God talk to us in this way.

This album, took all in all, about 4 years to complete, with the bloody pandemic interrupting life for all of us, right in the middle. Somehow, though, we were able to find a way to keep plugging away at it, with odd weekends, evenings, and early mornings here and there, and hurdling countless other obstacles trying to jump out at us. We did it, though. Many of these tunes are indeed decades old, but after many years of attempts to make (and most importantly, RELEASE) a full-length album…alas, “Clouds In The Night Sky” was born.

All I can really say, is that it is a team effort, and what a team I was truly blessed to work with, and be a part of. So many new friendships have happened along the journey…new family in fact. I am proud to be a part of the Thirdfire Records family. My producer and brother Joan Velez made it as easy as possible when it comes to capturing the best part of you given the timeframe, etc. I have to say that making this album saved me, and tested me…as it was started at a very low point in my personal life. Some might say that a divorce/separation can sometimes feel worse than accepting an actual death…and I would have to agree.

For me, making music, even when I simply didn’t feel like recording, let alone leaving my lonely apartment on really cold (I mean COLD) days; well…it just…saved me somehow. All of it came together in the most natural, loving way…a true document in time and space of our lives in music, and life in general. It lifted me up in the most therapeutic, natural way…and having so much encouragement from all of my dear friends and family, my fellow musicos, co-workers, strangers who became close friends/family along the way…It just brought me back to the world of the living and I thank God for that.

I’d love to personally thank every single soul who worked on the album, helped make it possible…and IF I forget anyone; it is definitely not personal, I simply spaced in all of this madness! Lol!

Joan Velez, Ingrid Velez (and whole family), Gordon Gidluck, Mike “Roscoe” Drabouski, Mark Martinelli, Phil Chester, Ryan Caldwell, Jerry Rivera, Cristian Velez, Kurtis James, Daniel Izaaks, Johan Sebastian, Tim Pienkowski, Jonathan Basco, Daniel Holloway, Tim, Peter Damiano (and all the guys at the shop), Mom & Dad (my whole, extended family), Joel Cikowski, Peter Crocker, Nathaniel Johnston, Lenny Magnifico, Nick K, Daniel Lynn, Mary Sunde, Tea Kinsington, Fletch Towell, The Tuckers, all the other bands and musicians I love and admire, and really…ALL of YOU, who helped encourage me along the journey over the last multiple decades! LOL! 😆 I love you, all…hope this finds you well. THANK YOU!!!