I am a story teller and a songster…
I am a creator of another world…
I insist on remaking reality…
I have opened up my mind…
I am on a quest for truth…
Now I share, with love…
The best I have to offer.
Matthew Rondeau has always been a creator of stories and worlds, as well as a seeker of spiritual truths. His character, Ramelan, inspiration for the songs of Ramelan music, became the answer to many of Matthew’s queries. Ramelan, a deity from Matthew’s own created world of magic, offers startling inspiration and wisdom more profound than may at first seem apparent.
Let’s go back to the beginning…
Matthew must have been four or five when his first song came to him one day when he woke up. The song was forgotten, but the feeling remained, and the impulse to write more songs never left him.
He was merely seven or eight when he drew the first map of his fantasy world, inspired by the books and games he loved. That world has been evolving and expanding ever since.
All the while, lying awake so many nights, his young mind would ponder grand concepts like God, the life and death, the afterlife and the nature of reality itself.
It’s no small wonder, then, that Matthew’s adult pursuits in creativity have blended all these aspects together, forming the basis for his songs and stories.
With his head in the clouds and his hands putting words to paper, Matthew has continued to craft his world, his characters, and his song-making skills. He’s been practicing and improving his lyrics and his musical ideas for decades, as well as the epic unfolding of the story he’s crafting for his novels.
Matthew’s first and only official musical training was with the drum section in his middle school band. And he continued to tap out beats wherever he could find a surface to drum on. Since then, he found his true passion for songwriting with the tones and rhythms of his 5-string acoustic bass, dubbed by Ramelan as his “desert bass,” due to it unique tones and timbre and Matthew’s playing style.
A strange melding of interests began to unfold as a fictional character—inspired by the brooding sounds of the bass—emerged from the pages of a fantasy world to assist in the writing of the songs. The songs of Ramelan music, therefore, are from the character’s perspective, not the author’s. Though often there is a communication between the two thats helps inform and push the music forward in new directions.
Matthew’s interest in rock formed the foundation of the music, and his “desert bass” set the tone. But his rebellious nature urged him to forge his own path with the music and create something never before heard. No guitar. Instead violin. No drum kit. Hand drums, shakers and bells (and a gong for good measure). The sounds of Ramelan music took shape.
Life changes led Matthew into a profession in the healing arts and years of spiritual growth. The Ramelan project went underground. This profoundly transformational time prepared Matthew—perhaps more than ever—for the plans he has always wanted to enact: to share his stories and songs.
And now, with Ramelan Reborn, Matthew begins to reveal his great story.
The Ramelan band is now open to acoustic guitar and drum kit for this new phase of the music.
I am here. I offer myself, my words, my music in service to the world and to the greater good for all.
Many blessings to all,
Matthew