Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

River City Session Episode 2 featuring The Big Burly Man!

28/02/2020

In celebration of our 25th anniversary, last month we announced our new YouTube series the River City Sessions. The River City Sessions give us a chance to support the kind of musicians that help build our company and share their work with a global audience. This month features Donald Gelpi aka. The Big Burly Man, performing his song Holy Ghost.

You may be curious about where the name The Big Burly Man came from (so were we) so we took some time to get to know the man behind the beard and more about his songwriting and this haunting song.

Big Burly Man performs original song Holy Ghost

Tell us about yourself. How long have you been making music? Who are some of your inspirations? Who did you grow up listening to?

About 18 years now. My inspirations span all over the place. From Fats Domino, Nick Drake, Van Morrison, Louis Armstrong, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, The Beatles, Bob Marley, and Led Zeppelin to newer artists like Damien Rice, Gregory Alan Isakov, Ray LaMontagne, Iron and Wine, The Tallest Man On Earth, The Lumineers, Jose Gonzalez, Ben Howard, and many, many more.

Besides my rap and alternative rock stage, I really had my first musical shock listening to Led Zeppelin around 16. I was really into them, and still, love them today. I had also gotten into other classic greats like Jimi Hendrix, which got me into, Bob Dylan from loving All Along the Watchtower. That kind of started the whole folk-singer songwriter thing for me.

Where did The Big Burly Man come from? It's a great name!

Thank you! Some years back I had written a song called The Big Burly Man. It was about me, and at the time it was kind of a hidden moniker. It had been on my mind to possibly start performing under it for a couple years. Some of my favorite artists go under stage monikers, and it was a lot more common for artists to do it back in the day. A lot of those old blues players did it too. It's almost like being a character, as a part of this whole creative idea. I don't know, it just seemed fun and cool.

Tell us about the song you performed for the River City Session. When did you write it? What's the inspiration?

I wrote it towards the end of October of 2019. It's got this haunting sound to it, and it was around Halloween, so naturally, I was thinking about ghosts and things like that. I've gotten a lot closer to God over this past year, and I thought how great would it be to have this haunting sounding song referring to the most epic ghost or spirit of all. Holy Ghost, I thought. I love it.

What's the best song you've ever written? Why is it the best?

It's difficult to say. Holy Ghost is up there. Another song that I would naturally think of first is C'est La Vie. It's a very upbeat and catchy song soaked in heartfelt lyrics and truth. It's a local fan favorite too.

Tell us about a successful show or event you were a part of.

It wasn't without mishaps, but this past October. I had the honor of putting together my very own music festival. It was called Baton Magique. It was an Indie Folk Festival at Tin Roof Brewery. It was a lot of work, but we had a pretty great turnout for its first time around, and I received a lot of fantastic feedback from folks which made it all worth it for me. I was also very fortunate to have a few local musicians who were involved pitch their ideas and help with the process. It's a beautiful thing.

Who is your dream collaboration?

Just one? Ha! It would have to be Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Damien Rice, or Gregory Alan Isakov. There are many others, but you don't have all day.

What do you enjoy most about making music? What do you hate most?

The magic of it all! It truly seems that way. When I write a new song, it's like getting a new toy or something. I just can't put it down. It feels like Christmas morning. It's an absolutely thrilling experience! God is the creator. He loves to create. It's not too far fetched to imagine why we love to create different things too. Mine just so happens to be simple folk songs.

I wouldn't say I hate it, but the only part that feels like work is promoting my music, and trying to get folks to come out to a show. There's also always a lot of it's who you know gets the good show going on behind the scenes. I know that happens everywhere though, but it's tough sometimes. That's why I'm super grateful y'all chose me. Y'all didn't know me, or owe me any favors. Thank you!

If you could change anything about the music industry, what would that be?

I'm not sure I'd change too much. It is what it is. And the way it is is due to many factors and reasons. I'm thankful just to do my small part as big as I can do it.

What advice do you have to anyone getting into the music scene?

Create the kind of music that inspires you! If you feel that lantern being lit and burning from the inside, you're doing it right.

Watch his performance here:

Learn more about capturing The Big Burly Man's intimate sound from the engineer Kyle.
LINK: https://blog.presonus.com/index.php/2020/02/27/river-city-session-epis...
See more stories from presonus

North America Stories

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: Bridge Technologies Adds Blackmagic IP10 Support to VB440 Production Probe

Bridge Technologies will announce at IBC2026 (Booth 1.A71) that its VB440 produc...

01/09/2026

DAZN to Acquire EverPass Media to Expand U.S. Commercial Venue Distribution

DAZN has announced an agreement to acquire EverPass Media, a commercial sports distribution platform serving bars, restaurants, hotels, and other venues in the ...

01/09/2026

Kalshi Named Official Prediction Market Partner of the US Open

The USTA and Kalshi have announced a multi-year partnership making Kalshi the Official Prediction Market Partner of the US Open, beginning with the 2026 US Open...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: MASV to Showcase Sports Video Transfer Workflows

MASV will exhibit at IBC2026 (Booth 5.B40, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14). CTO Majed Alhajry will appear on a panel session, A Tale of Two Feeds: Automation o...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: FingerWorks Telestrators Partners with Broadcast Rental for European Distribution

FingerWorks Telestrators has announced a partnership with Broadcast Rental to ex...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: FOR-A Expands viztrick AiDi into Two Dedicated Products

FOR-A has announced the expansion of viztrick AiDi into two dedicated products: Go Vertical! AiDi and AiDi Sports Hub. Developed by Nippon TV and delivered glob...

01/09/2026

Sony Launches Live TV on PS5 with Free Ad-Supported Streaming in the U.S.

Sony Pictures Television has launched Live TV on PS5, a free ad-supported streaming experience available to PS5 players in the United States. The service is acc...

01/09/2026

Friedrichstadt-Palast Installs Riedel Production Infrastructure

Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin has installed a Riedel production infrastructure spanning video, intercom, control, and I/O across the venue, implemented in col...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: Arkona Partners with BFE for Arkona-Branded Control Panels

Arkona technologies GmbH has announced an OEM partnership with BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH to offer arkona-branded control panels for its SDI-IP routing ...

01/09/2026

Cricket Australia Launches Cricket TV Streaming Service on Eluvio Platform

Cricket Australia has launched Cricket TV, a direct-to-consumer streaming service built on Eluvio's Content Fabric platform. The service is currently in ear...

01/09/2026

Eluvio Selected to Power Pasifika+ Streaming Service for Pacific Island Communities

Eluvio has announced it was selected to power Pasifika , a new direct-to-consume...

01/09/2026

Layercake Names Jon Marquard as Director/Chairperson

Layercake, the company behind the intelligent media workflow platform Streamcake, has appointed Jon Marquard as Director and Chairperson. The appointment marks ...

01/09/2026

Gravity Media Extends Powercor Stawell Gift Broadcast Agreement Through 2031

Gravity Media has announced a multi-year renewal of its agreement with Stawell Gift Event Management to produce the complete broadcast of the Powercor Stawell G...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: Beam Dynamics Makes Debut with License Intelligence Module

Beam Dynamics will exhibit at IBC2026 for the first time (Stand 14.FT29, Hall 14), introducing License Intelligence, a new module for managing software licenses...

01/09/2026

ZOO Digital Selects Interra Systems BATON for File-Based Quality Control

Interra Systems has announced that ZOO Digital has selected BATON for file-based quality control across its media workflows. ZOO Digital delivers localized ente...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: Bridge Technologies Deploys VB330 Monitoring at Sunrise

Bridge Technologies has announced the deployment of its VB330 monitoring probe at Sunrise, supporting the Swiss telecommunications provider's IP-based telev...

01/09/2026

Riedel Expands Coach Communications Partnership with Scottish Rugby Union

Riedel Communications has announced the continued expansion of its managed coach communications partnership with Scottish Rugby Union, now entering its third se...

01/09/2026

Behind The Mic: Football Season Approaches, as Networks Name On Air Talent for NFL, College Broadcasts

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

01/09/2026

IBC 2026: SMPTE Brings Full-Day Software-Defined Infrastructure Roadshow

SMPTE today detailed the centerpiece of its IBC2026 program: the SMPTE Roadshow: Future of Media Infrastructure, a full-day workshop on Monday, 14 September, th...

01/09/2026

Nielsen Announces New Local Methodology Enhancements

New York August 31, 2026 Nielsen is announcing four new local methodology enhancements that will be activated into Local TV currency data starting today, Au...

01/09/2026

Broadcasters Gain Flexibility in Pursuit of 5G Multicasting

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

Winning the Fight Against Churn

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

How Multiviewers Are Evolving Into Information Hubs'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

IBC2026: New Audio Tools on Tap from Telos Alliance

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

SMPTE Roadshow to Examine Media Infrastructure at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

Roku Debuts Its First 4K OLED TVs

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

Mark Vinten Joins ASG's Audio and Postproduction Team

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

Pronology Introduces New StreamFile Core Capabilities at...

Pronology, a developer of cutting-edge broadcast workflow solutions, showcases the newest capabilities for its StreamFile Core platform at the 2026 IBC Show (S...

01/09/2026

PROTON Unveils Next-Generation FLEXY Camera at IBC 2026

PROTON Unveils Next-Generation FLEXY Camera at IBC 2026 Brie Clayton September 1, 2026 0 Comments 10-metre serialised coax unlocks new perspectives an...

01/09/2026

Hulu Drama The Season Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio

Hulu Drama The Season Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton September 1, 2026 0 Comments Senior Colorist Mark Kueper of Picture Shop crafts ...

01/09/2026

Pluxbox Launches CoreOC to Transform Mission-Critical Media Operations

Pluxbox Launches CoreOC to Transform Mission-Critical Media Operations Brie Clayton September 1, 2026 0 Comments A vendor-agnostic operational control l...

01/09/2026

Layercake Appoints Former FOX SPORTS and Network Ten COO...

Layercake, the company behind the intelligent media workflow platform Streamcake, today announced the appointment of Jon Marquard as Director and Chairperson. T...

01/09/2026

Actus Digital Unveils the Future of Broadcast Monitoring...

Actus Digital, a LiveU company, will unveil the next generation of its Actus X platform at IBC2026 on LiveUs Stand 7.C24, demonstrating how broadcasters can sim...

01/09/2026

Studio Automated and Egripment Power the Tactical Feed fo...

Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, delivered transformational technology a...

01/09/2026

OTV turns to Quortex to replace legacy video hardware

Quortex, the intelligent video technology company carved out from Synamedia by Lumine Group, today announced that Odisha Television Network (OTV), the leading r...

01/09/2026

Zixi and Ateme Deepen Strategic Alliance to Accelerate Hy...

Zixi and Ateme today announced an expanded strategic partnership to help broadcasters and content owners accelerate the transition from satellite to resilient I...

01/09/2026

CBS Boston Debuts New AR/VR Technology-Driven Studio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

FCC Raises Regulatory Fees for TV Stations

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

For-A Introduces Go Vertical! AiDi and AiDi Sports Hub

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

T-Mobile Continues to Dominate Ooklas Fixed Wireless Speed Tests

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

Carr Announces New FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/09/2026

New Products, New Workflows: Telos Alliance Heads to IBC 2026

New Products, New Workflows: Telos Alliance Heads to IBC 2026 Search CLEVELAND, Ohio, September 1, 2026 Telos Alliance , trusted global leader in broadca...

01/09/2026

FOR-A Introduces Go Vertical! AiDi and AiDi Sports Hub Under Expanded viztrick AiDi AI Technology Brand

On-device AI platform gives broadcasters and content creators purpose-built tool...

31/08/2026

Pixotope Consolidates Virtual Production Tools into Unified Platform

Pixotope Technologies has announced a unified platform offering all Pixotope capabilities across three editions, available with the Pixotope 26.3 release in Q3 ...

31/08/2026

FingerWorks Telestrators Expands European Presence Throug...

FingerWorks Telestrators, the industry leader in software-based telestration and live sports analysis solutions, announces its new partnership with Broadcast R...

31/08/2026

ARISDA Bridge Launches: DaVinci Resolve Timecode, Studio Clock, and Work-Time Tracking in One Windows App

ARISDA Bridge Launches: DaVinci Resolve Timecode, Studio Clock, and Work-Time Tr...

31/08/2026

Short Film All That's Left Shot with URSA Cine 12K LF

Short Film All That's Left Shot with URSA Cine 12K LF Brie Clayton August 31, 2026 0 Comments Intimate drama edited and graded in DaVinci Resolve ...

31/08/2026

Bridge Technologies Announces Support for Blackmagic IP10 Codec

Bridge Technologies Announces Support for Blackmagic IP10 Codec Brie Clayton August 31, 2026 0 Comments Both booths will showcase each other's tec...

31/08/2026

Creative COW Roundtable, August 23, 2026- AEAI

Creative COW Roundtable, August 23, 2026- AEAI Brie Clayton August 31, 2026 0 Comments COWs from around the world assemble to discuss Using AI to Beat...

31/08/2026

Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Susan Tedeschi

Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Susan Tedeschi The Grammy-winning singer and guitarist talks about finding her voice at Berklee ahead of her Homecoming performan...