Beauty in Chaos- a Throwback to Better Times

As I get older, I find myself saying things that make me realize I’m becoming an old curmudgeon. I’m becoming that guy who claims that things used to be so much better when I was growing up: staying out all day playing, drinking out of hoses, cruising the strip in high school, and actually hanging with friends in person. I realize this and can usually temper my thoughts with the realization that our past colors our current reality. Things are different now; not better, not worse, just different.

One thing, though, that I can say with absolute certainty is that music used to be more important, more tangible. Growing up in the 70s, we would listen to vinyl records. We would pull that disc out of its sleeve, pop it on the turn table, adjust the levels on the receiver and lay on the bed with the insert and read the lyrics while listening to the record. The whole record- the album. Because back then, albums were important. Albums truly were a singular work of art.

Then we moved to the cassette. It made music mobile. (Remember those orange ear pads and the walkman?) We still had cool inserts and lyrics. We still listened to a complete album. From there, the natural progression was to the CD. It was an improvement in sound quality as the cassette would degrade over time. Still, though, it was a tangible piece of music. Everything was important from the music to the packaging.

The cool thing about vinyl, cassettes and cds was that with those came an experience. We would shop at Karma, MusicLand or Sam Goody. As you flipped through the music, a really cool attendant would be playing something that would perk your ear. That would lead to a conversation about music and typically a new band to check out. For me, the best times were those after giving plasma to earn some money. I would stop by Discount Den to look for Imports of my favorite bands. For the kids, an import was a cd of rarities or live music from a band. You would probably find that on YouTube now. But then, it was a hunt for these gems. Something lost on youth today.

All that to say, that music used to be more tangible. It was a thing you held, you listened to, you ingested and you gathered around with friends. The album was an experience: the opener mattered, the song order mattered and the closing track mattered. Music today seems driven by singles with only streams in mind. There is less attention to artwork, concept and a true album experience. For the listener, digital streaming makes it easier to listen, but harder to be involved. Streaming makes it cheaper to listen to music and far more mobile with cell phones. But, of course, that comes with a cost.

For the artist, streaming music in the digital age makes it easier than ever to produce and deliver music. However, in a sea of music, and a pay system that favors the streaming service over the artist, it is more difficult than ever for an artist to make a living making music. So, if an artist is not established, why worry about an album? Why worry about a concept or an album as a work of art? There isn’t much payoff here.

Enter Beauty in Chaos

Has this sad reality stopped Michael Ciravolo, curator of Beauty in Chaos (BIC)? A resounding NO. In fact, Ciravolo has seemingly doubled down. While toying with singles, Michael’s heart is with the album experience. He has worked on his latest release with co-collaborator Michael Rozon for a full year. In regards to creating the album experience, Ciravolo says, “I think it is an age thing.  To me, I always loved the concept of an album.  The liner notes, the deep cuts.  Going to record stores was such an important part of my teen years.  I guess I refuse to let that go.   I know in most peoples’ lives , who seem to have decreasing attention spans, don’t devote the 45+ minutes to hear an album in its entirety.  So, what do we do?  We will cram 76+ minutes on the CD version of “Dancing With Angels”!!!  Ha, that is the punk rock kid in me :)”

In the course of creating these records, the idea of singles did sound enticing. “This is coming from a guy whose first BIC album was a double album!!” Ciravolo explains, “Honestly, before this album, (new album releasing in July), I thought about doing the modern world , and doing single songs, but it just felt wrong and in a way, disjointed and uninspiring.   Will we ever do that?  Maybe,  but it would be only due to my own impatience, not any effort to being part of this Tik-Tok world.  I still love everything about the 12” album concept.  The cover (which was a big inspiration to me on this new record), the lyrics, the liner notes, the track order … all beautiful elements of the 12 inch piece of plastic.”

Those of us in the Beauty in Chaos family are glad he feels this way. We have been the recipients of some really special music. Back in 2018, Mr. Ciravolo and company introduced us to BIC with its first release, “Finding the Beauty in Chaos.” It is a 14 song behemoth featuring amazing musicians. Ciravolo created songs with Robin Zander, Ice T, Al Jourgenson, Dug Pinnick, Wayne Hussey, and Ashton Nyte among others. He followed that with a follow up called Beauty Re-Envisioned, an album of remixes from FBIC. He invited others to play in his sandbox.

Two years later, Ciravolo and company created a seven song album called “The Calm Before the Storm.” Ashton Nyte and Wayne Hussey return here with Curse Mackey joining the family. New comer Kat Leon of Holy Wars really shines here. Shortly after the release, an ambitious Michael Ciravolo issues a 25 song album of remixes based on “The Calm Before the Storm.” I love that he opens his catalog for others to play and give each song a different treatment. There is a maturity and confidence here; clearly Ciravolo believes that his songs are strong enough on their own merit to stand up to alternative treatment. ( A year later, Michael would open all his songs to remixes; they were released under the name “Bonus Re-Envisions.”

A year later in 2022, Ciravolo released his third BIC original album called “Behind the Veil.” This one was unique in that it featured an all female front. Ciravolo worked with his wife, Tish, Elena Alice Fossi, Pinky Turzo, Whitney Tai, and Cinthya Hussey. The album was brilliant and showcased amazing voices. And, as usual, this one followed with remixes on “Further Behind the Veil,” 12 in total. Over the past year, Michael has released a fun Concrete Blonde Halloween remake called, “Bloodletting.” Fun song and video. Following that, Ciravolo released another single called “Kiss Me (Goodbye) featuring Julian Shah-Taylor.

Michael Ciravolo isn’t slowing down. He, and his musical partner Micheal Rozon, have a new album called Dancing with Angels in store for us in July. They are releasing the first single June 4; it’s called Diving for Pearls and it features the talent of Wayne and Cynthya Hussey. If it is any indication of what is in store for us, we are in for a big treat.

Releasing an independent album is a big risk. There are numerous hours and costs that go into producing a piece of art at this magnitude. So why do it. Ciravolo explains, “BIC started as something I needed to do.  To prove to myself (and to a much lesser extent others) that I could do it. It really could have been a one-and-done deal, as ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’ would not be a bad swan-song! However , Michael Rozon and I do have a blast creating together, and it is still creatively inspiring and rewarding to me. BIC has brought a lot of genuine and talented people into my life.  I also get to make music and videos with my wife!
God willing, I hope to continue to be able to do this …. And to continue to add to our growing BIC family.”

Beauty in Chaos truly is a family affair. Since the release of “Finding Beauty in Chaos,” Mr. Ciravolo has brought us into his family and graciously shared his time on our podcast, Wanderings and Woolgathering Music Podcast. Those involved with his records have joined us as well, all with wonderful things to say about being a part of his project, and by extension his family. If you are like us, a Gen X’er who loves a good post-punk vibe ( you will know it when you hear those guitars), give Beauty in Chaos a listen. Join the family.

Enjoy the new video: Diving for Pearls and some behind the scenes content about the making: Post-Punk.com