I AM...

Really Only Dust.
 
 
The name comes from Psalm 103. There, the LORD says He knows our frame; He remembers that we are but dust. And so it is with me... I'm just a heap of dust apart from Jesus. Having said that, I'm a singer/songwriter/musician/producer of original contemporary Christian music.
 
I was born in Havana, Cuba. And then I was born again in Hollywood, Florida, the place I now call home. As a child, I was coerced by my parents into studying classical piano. I am now grateful for that because it gave me a musical foundation that I have often drawn upon since then. But to my piano teacher's disappointment at the time, I was much more interested in writing original music. 
 
I remember being obsessed with Strauss waltzes and Cha Cha Cha records from my parents' LP collection. And I was fascinated with audio gear and recording. I didn’t go to school for any of it, but I read everything I could get my hands on. Since my parents were of modest means, the money for musical instruments and recording gear had to come from my own pocket. But by the time I was in college, I already owned semi-pro recording gear and was experienced in basic editing and mixing techniques. I began to produce my first demos, mostly of songs that I had written, although I did collaborate with other songwriters. I was not a Christian yet.
 
Once I was out of college, I got my first musical "foot in the door" selling high-end audio. After that I was a keyboardist and synthesist for several local top 40 bands, and later on I became a recording engineer and arranger. Formerly of Sound Design Studio in North Miami where I worked with hundreds of South Florida artists for over a decade, I got exposed to many influences: Dance, Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, Latin, Reggae, Caribbean... you name it. And I drank it all in. By this time I was so busy running a studio and raising a family that I had not seriously thought of becoming a recording artist for a very long time. 
 
Then the Lord interrupted my life in a drastic way. He allowed my personal life to fall apart. The woman that I loved became unfaithful to me. Later on she moved out, taking the children with her. Now the Lord had my attention. I broke down, fell on my knees and prayed to a God that I didn't even know. I had heard the Gospel before, and it had gone in one ear and out the other. But the next time would be different. The next time I heard the alter call, I believed the Gospel. Now I knew I had lived a sinful life of fornication, blasphemy, covetousness, idolatry and wickedness. I knew I had broken every one of the Ten Commandments in thought, word and deed. My heart had been hard towards God, and He had to take away the things that I was living for in order to show me that. He had to soften my heart so that I would turn to Him.
 
I knew I deserved punishment in Hell. I needed to repent. I needed forgiveness of my sins and salvation. In short, I needed Jesus to save me. I'm so glad He did!

Being a Christian doesn't make all your problems go away, and my life was no exception. But knowing Who I was living for made all the difference in the world. Knowing that Jesus would be with me for eternity filled me with hope and peace that carried me through every trial I faced.

When I got saved, I was a “baby” Christian. Even though I no longer had the desire to write secular music, I didn’t feel confident writing Christian lyrics because I didn’t know the Bible well enough yet. And I didn’t want to write something that would misrepresent my Lord and lead others astray.

But that was years ago and I am now a bit more mature in the faith. And I believe all those years of secular music making prepared me for this time. It gave me a different perspective and interpretation that only comes from having been on the other side. I believe that God hears all types of music from all over the world, and any kind of music can be Christian as long as it glorifies Jesus in word and spirit. So I combine a lot of the styles and influences that I was exposed to.
 
If my music encourages you or lifts your spirit or speaks to you in a way that draws you closer to Jesus, I have succeeded. Please write to me and tell me what you think. Join my mailing list so I can keep in touch with you and let you know about upcoming events and new releases. Finally, tell me if you need prayer (don't we all?). This is God's ministry and I am honored to serve Him by serving you. Blessings!