Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Colombini.
Hi Matthew, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Well, before we get things in gear, I’d like to give a big thank you to the Voyage Group of Magazines, and the VoyageOhio team specifically. I truly appreciate this opportunity and hope my words can help bring some value to you and your readers today.
Hello! My name is Matthew Colombini, I was born on the Ides of March 32 years ago, and I go by the name “Call’em bini” when making music. I was born in Santa Rosa, California, and moved to Barlow, Ohio with my parents before I was one; I moved to Marietta, Ohio, around 2015 and have lived here since. I’ve been a creative basically all of my life, as far back as I can remember. I’ve loved the arts, music, and storytelling since a very young age, but as time moved forward, it became more than just passive enjoyment. I wanted to create these things myself, to make my own diverse worlds and moments captured in time. I just couldn’t identify my feelings to manifest any of it yet, that is until I heard Blink 182. They were a huuuge inspiration to push me towards the pursuit of music; I suppose that’s just what came along and happened to inspire me first. The universe is a wild RNG kind of place
I got my first acoustic guitar around the age of 13, details are a little blurry, but I do know that the first song I learned by ear was picking the vocal melody from Eiffel 65’s Your Clown haha true words. It took a long time to really get on track though, and find a groove I felt comfortable in. I needed practice to decide how I wanted to create and fuel my music, so I learned how to read guitar tablature and experimented with different cover songs to find a vibe I liked; then, used the good ones when I started playing local open mic nights in my early twenties. I shifted focus, left the alcohol behind, placed all that emotion, thought, and energy into my music, and began paying my dues. I played at gatherings or house parties solo, with friends that also made music/played instruments/sang and did open mic nights at other establishments as I got more confident in my abilities. On many occasions at the beginning, I performed late or not at all. So, in turn, there were plenty of “play on the sidewalk after closing because I have already waited away my whole weeknight of the workweek” kind of evenings. I played with bar house bands, entered local singing/playing competitions, and on occasion, even had chances to jump on stage with local musicians/bands I knew to perform a song with them. Those were my favorites 🙂 But, soon came other opportunities as I grew, for it didn’t take long to prove I could play music well enough to draw a decent crowd and deserve to get paid for it.
I performed mainly at The Adelphia Music Hall, our local concert venue, bar, and general hot spot establishment. One gig turned to a few, then I was playing on regular rotation, and before I knew it, I had switched up my primary genre to Hiphop and was opening for Afroman with an hour-long set to a nice big happy crowd. It was all a surreal journey looking back, filled with friends, family, growth, experience, and a lot of emotion; I wouldn’t trade one moment of it for anything though. I currently have not performed for about 4-5 years due to physical limitations, aKa regular Fibromyalgia flare-ups. But I can still make as much music as I’m able to in the small home studio I’ve put together, and I do that every single morning to start my day. Been releasing something every month this year, and I’m on course to meet that goal by December’s end; not a moment is wasted here.
If anyone is curious to hear in more detail, I actually made an audiobook a few years back called, From Conception to Call’em bini that lives exclusively on my Bandcamp. It’s roughly an hour long and goes over significant and defining moments throughout the course of my life up until age 28, as well as the ups and downs of a journey on how to find self-help when it seems you are unable to help yourself. It’s all narrated by me and set to music I composed that helps it digest a little easier since there is quite a bit of information. But be aware, even though it’s a positive story, the content can be pretty heavy at times. So don’t forget that the Parental Advisory sticker is there for a reason. Listen or download for free at:
https://callembini.bandcamp.com/album/from-conception-to-callem-bini-audiobook
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road, parts and pieces in ways, yes, but it’s kind of like the roads in Ohio, a liiiiittle rough all around haha in all seriousness though, have you ever been off-roading? Or hiking/skiing off the beaten path? It can be frightening at first, but with a good attitude through time and repetition, the adventure and exploration of it all can make those bumps in the road less impactful; and at a point, even enjoyable. Because let’s be real, it’s not IF, but WHEN those bumps come along, that throw us off course. I want to succeed not only to make my life and other’s lives around me better in the process but to do what I know for a fact I’m supposed to be doing on this planet, and that’s creating gold from my pain, through self-expression and music.
Unfortunately, not long after I played the Afroman show in 2017, my acute back issues became worse and more frequent. So much so actually that I was visibly crooked and crawling to get around the house on bad days. Over a year of testing, scans, appointments, pokes, prods, many rounds of physical therapy, and muuuch couch-time later, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. This is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness in localized areas. Brutal honestly? Part of me was happy to finally have an answer, a diagnosis to educate myself about, but as I learned more and pressed onward, it became a personal purgatory. That was back around 2018, and even though it continues to inhibit my rate of progression in life a great deal, I have learned so much and won’t give up on looking for any and every way to make my life a little bit better. I’m blessed that most of the time, I can perform basic daily tasks around the house, cook, and still make music in my home studio. I may not be able to play live shows for now or even be able to travel too far away from my house or couch; but anything is possible with the right attitude, dedication, and perseverance. It takes more than a hit of inspiration and a good outlook though; it takes every ounce of our belief, our deepest faith in ourselves, and a lot of hard work. To truly overcome, we must build our own path back, so it helps on any journey to find purpose in our lives; for when times get tough, it is this purpose that helps us push forward and advance exponentially.
Fortunately, I do believe that what I and many others struggle with daily can be improved upon, even cured. Mental and physical alike is but a temporary sickness from my perspective. The mind-body connection can be a complex acclimation, but with greater knowledge comes greater growth, and with greater growth comes greater strength to face the trials we are fated to endure.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a creative at my core, plain and simple, without a doubt, and I express that in many forms, such as: music/audio, video, editing/film, drawing/painting, digital art, and writing, amongst many others.
I mainly focus on making positive conscious Hiphop, or as I like to call it, motivation music 🙂 with a consistent theme of not only addressing mental health and its stages of growth/evolution; but discussing those stages and potential solutions from a proactive and optimistic perspective. I still incorporate acoustic guitar-based music into my projects from time to time, but that genre has a longer turnaround than most of my Hiphop ideas do, so the albums are farther apart. I really don’t try and limit myself by genre though, rather just make what I’m feeling, and if I have an idea and wanna make something different? Go for it! That’s a major benefit of being independent and can be utilized regularly to improve in ways we wouldn’t expect. Now that we have access to this new age of tech and education/know-how through the internet, blogs, forums, YouTube, etc., ANY kind of music we wanna listen to and/or manifest is literally at our fingertips. I mean, I am a Hiphop and Singer-Songwriter/Acoustic musician primarily, but that didn’t stop me from putting out a 3 song Hey Arnold/Dino Spumoni cover project on YouTube at the start of this year. Big band/jazz/swing style, all mapped out on MIDI instruments by ear. The future for musicians is truly amazing! So blessed to be a part of it at all. To know my place and purpose in this world is as humbling as it is soothing, but to be fortunate enough to actually love what I’m meant to do? Is a gift worth celebrating every day by simply doing it. Since I’m always working on something, I regularly release new music on most major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc. My most recent release is called Reefer Madness and dropped on August 10th of this year, 2022. 3+ years in the making, it’s a full 15-track (skits included) Hiphop album sampled from the late 1930s film of the same name. It’s definitely a Hiphop-head style project, three tracks in, there’s no doubt about that, lol, But I have many other releases in the Hiphop genre that are more modern, as well as other music in different genres like pop, acoustic, and instrumental/orchestral pieces to name a few, so there’s generally something for everyone to enjoy.
I think what I’m most proud of, over the memories, shows, achievements, over certain projects, concepts, and songs I make is the subsequent question itself. What sets me apart from others is what makes me most proud. Not necessarily the individual parts of myself subjectively, but the idea that we are all comprised of unique parts. That after we embrace them through acceptance or alter them through change, can then connect these pieces together to create the sum of ALL parts, which is who we are and who we choose to be. As many other creatives, I was a weird kid lol, but another way to say that is, I was, and still am, a very unique individual, and am very proud of it. I do every step of the process myself in whatever I create, with few exceptions; so, throughout each step, the song/painting/writing becomes more and more in a sense, a piece of me. Looking at creating this way accentuates what makes us naturally stand out and can even help to define a solid foundation for artist/project branding. There are so many different kinds of people in this world, and that is a beautiful thing. Agree or disagree, friend or enemy, similar or differently; there is no need to dull the shine of who we are because of outer or inner forces. For I am the only one of me, and you are the only one of you that ever will be for all of time. Don’t deprive the world of the gift that you instinctively are. I try and remind myself of this when I’m writing an album, designing digital art/album covers, brand building, doing research, production, engineering, or the dozens of other things an independent musician is responsible for. It helps me to not get too overwhelmed or doubt my creative choices, and it always lets me embrace myself for who I am, usually when I need it most.
What does success mean to you?
Well, I like to think there’s not one solid meaning to success that, like many words in the English language, it’s versatile, and we are all responsible for finding and setting up our own ideas and definition of what that word can mean. So, in turn, there are billions of potential translations for the concept that not one singular perspective, nor even a multitude of perspectives combined for that matter, could set in stone what success means from one person to another. For me personally, success has meant a multitude of things in my short time here thus far, and even when I have achieved “success”, it did not always bring me the joy or peace I truly believed it would.
I’m only 32 at this moment in August of 2022, but after those 32 years, living in this moment? I believe success would look something like making a solid career being a studio musician, to make not a survivable but a thriveable income so I can grow into other monetizable creative areas I aspire to be a part of, aside from music. To make a wage that I could support myself and my girlfriend Shanna with. And once those goals are met? I can finally take steps for my life that I want more and more with each passing day; like buying a house to call our own, marrying the woman I love, and spending more time with family, nurturing those bonds that are most important in life.
Committing to my relationships as they are now and as they will be, is also another form of success to me.
Relationships, no matter what kind, are hard work, and every day you spend with each other, good or bad, is more success accumulating towards the long-term success those relationships are slowly attaining. It could also be in the form of completing anything from small goals to large projects; in art, music, literature, or in our day-to-day lives at home, work, or something as simple as an interest or hobby. Success is truly everywhere at different strengths and levels, and once we become aware of it, it can’t be unseen.
Don’t get me wrong though; I’d love to find financial success by being a creative; I mean all of us who pursue it daily hope for that in some way or another. I guess my point is that success has many forms and many faces, not just the conventional and obvious. I think the key might lie not in success’s definition but rather in learning the process of how to identify what success means to ourselves as individuals, then finding a way to implement those thoughts into action and reach that goal. Be it financially, physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally; the list goes on like the digits in pi, haha
So, since I think this is the last question, I just wanted to take a moment to again thank the Voyage Group of Magazines at its many locations all over the country, VoyageOhio specifically, David Tan of the VoyageOhio team, who reached out to me so kindly with this offer, anyone who listens to my music or any independent/local artist’s creations, everyone reading these words right now, and lastly, whoever out there found and recommended me for this interview. Please know, that singular moment of selfless action means so much to me. It not only helps me get myself and my music out there more, but it also helps others get to know me a little better as a person; and hopefully, what I do helps them in some way through the process. Aside from listening to my music, that is. As with any creator, the best way to get to know them is to consume their work, but opportunities like this are truly important and necessary to get a perspective unattainable from the music alone, a pure unfiltered version of the creators themselves.
People and groups, such as VoyageOhio, are vital to a creative’s survival, and I appreciate these efforts more than words can properly articulate. So, thank you to those who see music as more than background noise to life, as more than a catalyst to financial growth, or as more than how music can be treated in a bar scene all too often. To those of us who create, it means so much and adds that small boost to keep going in pursuit of our many dreams and future careers. Sometimes all we need is a nudge, the tiniest bit of selfless energy from another, to help get us where we need to go.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/callembini
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callembini/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCdVzuF9dX3BtN74I3MqDMjg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1SZwCyhmdLTozCdVIvdYak?si=eXQxbE_DT4eZsBO-K_tY2g
Image Credits
Brian Guiler
