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For new album, Rick Baluck took his time
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Rick Baluck has had a decades-long career as a musician, songwriter, television-show host and producer.
Not surprisingly, the Youngstown native picked up a few insights about life and relationships along the way.
On his new album, “About This Time,” Baluck shares them.
The folk-pop album features eight songs written by Baluck at various phases of his career.
He sings lead vocals and plays acoustic guitar on all songs, and is backed by a group of musicians and backup singers who are graduates or otherwise associated with the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University.
Baluck and his band will unveil the album at a show Friday at Cedars West End.
The songs dabble in different styles, but they flow together both musically and lyrically.
“These are songs that I wrote over the years, and I selected the best ones,” said Baluck. “On the surface, they are about personal relationships, mainly love songs, but on a deeper level, they have a lot of philosophical content.”
The songs, he said, explore one’s relationship to the world, humanity and life in general.
His recording band consists of David Lynn (lead guitar and bass), Ed Davis (drums), Fred Burazer (alto saxophone), Al Moss (steel guitar), Clay Colley (keyboards), and Meridith Anderson, Megan Seivert, Tyler Lisko and Jim Weltman (harmony vocals).
“In terms of style, people compare some of it to Steely Dan,” said Baluck. “Some songs have a Crosby, Stills and Nash kind of feeling. It ranges in terms of genres. Some have a country flavor, others more jazz ...”
Baluck performs regularly in area pubs and in Cleveland, often as a duo with Lynn. He is taking steps to get the new album before other artists who might want to record the songs, or music publishing companies.
“I’ve gotten some great responses from the songs,” he said. “People say, ‘I can’t get it out of my head.’ The material is good stuff, and I would like to see some more popular artists perform it.”
Baluck certainly has connections in the music business and a long list of credits.
His career began in the late ’60s when he formed a vocal/acoustic guitar group while a student at Cardinal Mooney High School with classmates Barry McNally and Kathleen Callan.
In 1971, Baluck moved to New York where he spent several years performing regularly at clubs, including the Bitter End in Greenwich Village and the Improv comedy club.
He returned to Youngstown in 1974 where he served as co-host of “Celebrate,” a weekly local entertainment show that aired on 21 WFMJ-TV.
He also produced and developed soundtracks for documentaries and advertisements for agencies. Most notable was the radio and TV jingle he did for Idora Park.
Baluck moved to Chicago in 1979 where he worked in television and music production and also was active in the folk-music scene as a performer.
He moved back to the Mahoning Valley in 2000, where he has continued as a performer. Baluck works for First Energy in Akron as a software programmer and website designer and analyst.
For the show at Cedars West End, Baluck will be backed by Lynn, Davis, Moss and Cooley, plus Tim Wideroder on bass and Mitch Lawrence on sax.