He worries that Ukrainian refugees are being forgotten; website set up for two organizations
OCEAN CITY – Ocean City resident Gabriel Maciocia wrote and recorded a song to help raise money for Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to flee from the Russian attack that began more than three months ago.
“Yellow and Blue” is a song of hope dedicated to the brave Ukrainian people who suffer under the brutal Russian invasion, he said.
Maciocia was motivated to do the song after watching the news and seeing a woman, whose house was destroyed, holding a baby under one arm and a bag in her other hand – the only things she could take when evacuating after a Russian attack.
“That touched me,” he said. “That night I couldn’t sleep so I wrote the song, ‘Yellow and Blue.’ It is someone looking out at their neighborhood after the destruction took place.”
He said it didn’t take long to write the song “because it came from my heart. The words just came to me.”
Maciocia said he doesn’t want anything but to help the people of Ukraine.
Those who go online to yellowandblue.net can listen to the song and there are links to donate directly to two organizations helping with refugees. One is St. Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Woonsocket, R.I. The other is to the International Fellowship fo Christians and Jews.
Donations made on the website go directly to the organizations. He said he contacted the organizations to get their blessing on being linked to the website. He was born in Rhode Island, which is why he got in touch with that particular church.
“If anyone goes on the website they can look at either one and investigate what the organizations are all about,” he said. “It’s all self-explanatory. People can decide if they want to donate to one or both.”
As people view the website, Maciocia’s song is playing. People can scroll down to the bottom of the website to listen again.
The BMI writer wrote and produced the song for the sole purpose as a fundraiser. It was recorded at Trunoyz studio in Fort Lauderdale. It was engineered by five-time Grammy winner Carlos Yael Santo, he said. Radio remix was done at Poloygon Studio’s New Jersey by Rob Federicci.
All the production costs were donated.
“I wrote the song and he engineered it,” he said of Yael Santos. “He donated all of his time.” Maciocia noted that the song “touched” the engineer because his wife is Ukrainian.
Maciocia lives in Ocean City. He retired from the music industry. He said he used to be an entertainer who performed in Las Vegas and has worked with some famous groups, including the Four Tops, Gloria Gaynor (“I Will Survive”), Wilson Pickett, Gary U.S. Bonds and Tommy James and the Shondells.
Laughing, he added, “I like to say I write songs nobody listens to and write books nobody wants to read.”
He worries that over time news organizations aren’t covering the story about all the Ukrainian people getting displaced and he worries they will be forgotten.
“Where are they going? You’re talking about hundreds of thousands of people or more,.” He said. “I think a lot more should be done.”
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff