Music by Ivo Ballentine

It is amazing who you can meet sometimes. I started talking to a guy in Ingles the other day named Ivo Ballentine. During the course of our conversation, he mentioned he was a musician and had just released a CD of original compositions.

Naturally, I had to mention the fact that I was a published author with two published works, and finishing up a third. The upshot of the conversation was that we made a swap. I traded a copy of my book, Adirondack Bear Tales, for his new CD, titled Mind Explosion.

There are 10 songs on the CD. I really like several, including Cadillac, Let Me Hear Your Song, and Doesn’t She Know, but they are all pretty darn good.

Quite a strong Beatles influence

To me, there seemed to be a strong early Beatles influence, and I thought I could pick up on a touch of Johnny Cash as well. I am not sure what genre Ivo’s music would fit into; maybe something like pop-folk-rock?

A few days later, I ran into Ivo again, this time at the Starbucks in Ingles. When I mentioned the Beatles influence I had picked up on, he laughed. A local radio station had just played his CD in its entirely the previous day, saying it reminded them a lot of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Ivo also mentioned how much he enjoyed Adirondack Bear Tales. It seems he grew up in Maine, so he identified with the North Woods; he just didn’t remember hearing about so much bear activity in Maine. I think that maybe because most of the tourist activity in Maine centers around the coast and seafood!

So how do you get a copy?

Well, for now, that is a bit tricky. Ivo doesn’t have a website. He is planning to make the CD available on SoundCloud shortly.

You could also hang out at the Starbucks in the Ingles located on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville, NC. He is a frequent customer there. Look for the gentleman with the plaid Scottish-style hat. He may also be wearing an Ivo Ballentine for Mayor button because he is considering a run for Mayor of Woodfin, a friendly little community just up the street.