Blue Wave Revival

I dedicate this album to all of my fellow Armed Forces Radio broadcasters who sat behind microphones in Vietnam and around the world — and especially to my fellow Army 71R Broadcast Specialists who knew what it meant to put on the headphones, turn on that microphone, watch the red ON AIR light come on, and somehow make our voices sound calm no matter what was happening outside the studio.

We played the records. We read the news. We took the requests. We talked into that microphone, never really knowing exactly who was listening on the other end.

And to those of you who listened to my broadcasts from Da Nang and Monkey Mountain all those years ago, this album is for you too. Maybe you were sitting in a bunker. Maybe you were pulling guard duty, working a night shift, lying on a cot trying to sleep, riding down a dusty road, or just sitting somewhere thinking about home.

I’ll probably never know most of your names. I’ll never know which songs you heard or whether something I said on the air made any difference. But I hope it did.

I hope somewhere along the way I played a record that made you smile. I hope a song brought back the face of somebody you loved. I hope for three or four minutes you could close your eyes and see your hometown, your family, your girl, your wife, your kids, or that familiar front porch waiting for you back in the States.

Most of all, I hope that for a little while the music gave you some peace, some relaxation, and a reminder that there was still a world waiting for you beyond Vietnam.

Back then, I thought I was just a young Army broadcaster doing my job.

More than fifty years later, I understand it differently. We weren’t just spinning records. Sometimes we were spinning a little piece of home.

To my fellow broadcasters and to every soldier who ever heard my voice coming through a radio in Vietnam — thank you for listening. It was an honor to be there with you.

— Specialist Rick

MOS 71R, Broadcast Specialist

Armed Forces Radio Vietnam

https://bluewaverevivalband.com/album/4166237/spinning-a-little-piece-of-home    

Why the Music of Blue Wave Revival Is Changing.

I want to talk to you personally about a change you may already be hearing in the music of Blue Wave Revival. For a long time, many of our songs were political. They came from things I was angry about, worried about, or believed needed to be said. I don't regret writing those songs. They represented what I was feeling at the time. But something has changed in me. Maybe it didn't happen all at once. Maybe it has been happening for a long time and I just finally started listening to it.

I'm a U.S. Army veteran. I served two tours in Vietnam, and more than five decades later, parts of that experience are still with me. Some of them always will be. I've lived with the nightmares, PTSD, and depression. I know what it's like to carry something inside that the person standing next to you may never see. And I know I'm far from the only veteran carrying it.

That made me start asking myself a pretty simple question: What do I want our music to accomplish? Do I want to write another song that makes people who already agree with me nod their heads, or can we make music that reaches a veteran sitting alone at two o'clock in the morning who needs to hear that somebody understands? That question hit me hard.

That's why you're going to hear a different Blue Wave Revival. We're going to tell more stories about veterans, military service, PTSD, depression, families, sacrifice, brotherhood and sisterhood, coming home, and the invisible battles that can continue long after the uniform is put away. But not every song will be about the military. Veterans have lives beyond our service. We fall in love, raise families, laugh, screw things up, grow older, lose people, remember being young, and sometimes simply wake up grateful that we made it through another difficult night. Those stories deserve songs too.

You're also going to hear less music telling Americans which political side they're supposed to be on. That doesn't mean I've stopped caring about our country. Quite the opposite. My military service taught me that the person standing beside you doesn't have to look like you, believe everything you believe, or vote the way you vote for you to stand beside one another. When we served, we learned to watch each other's backs. I think America could use a little more of that again.

This new direction is also closely connected to The War Followed Me Home Initiative. I want our music to do more than entertain. If one song reaches a struggling veteran, starts a conversation about PTSD or depression, helps a family understand what their veteran may be carrying, or simply makes somebody feel less alone, then we've accomplished something worthwhile.

At this point in my life, I want the music I leave behind to mean something. I want a veteran somewhere to hear one of our songs and think, “Somebody gets it. Somebody remembers us. I'm not standing watch alone.”

I'd like to personally invite you to visit bluewaverevivalband.com and get a taste of the new Blue Wave Revival. Listen to the songs, read the stories behind them, and share something with a veteran, military family, friend, or anyone who might need the message. As always, our music is free to listen to, download, and share. We're not asking you to buy anything. We're simply asking you to listen.

This is where Blue Wave Revival is headed now: Music With a Message. Music about veterans. Music about life. Music about the battles people see and the ones they don't. And most of all, music that reminds people they don't have to face those battles alone.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for walking this new road with us.

— Rick Gaspa

Blue Wave Revival

Founder, The War Followed Me Home Initiative

https://bluewaverevivalband.com/single/201359/it-s-a-crime

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“THE WAR FOLLOWED ME HOME” is probably one of the most personal and difficult songs I’ve ever written.

I wrote this song after coming off almost a week of nightmares night after night, followed by one of the worst periods of depression I’ve been through. I was still in a pretty terrible place when I sat down to write it, and something inside me said, Put it into words now. Don’t wait until you feel better. - So I did.

I didn’t want to write about these feelings later, when they were easier to explain or when I could make them sound prettier. I wanted to write them while I was still feeling them.

This song is about something many veterans understand: coming home doesn’t always mean the war is over. The uniform gets put away. Decades pass. You build a life, you grow older, and the world keeps moving. But sometimes the war follows you home, and memories you thought were buried can suddenly feel like they happened yesterday.

In this song, the young man I once was and the older man I am today sometimes become the same person. More than anything, “THE WAR FOLLOWED ME HOME” is my message to my fellow veterans who may be carrying their own memories, nightmares, pain, or battles that nobody around them can see.

If that’s you, I hope you listen to these words and know that another veteran understands. Please listen with headphones if you can. Listen closely to every word. The melody matters, but this song was never really about the melody. It’s about the words. It’s about the story. And most of all, it’s about the message.

We'd Love Your Opinion! 🎶

Can I ask you a favor?

As the Blue Wave Revival Band keeps writing and recording new music, we're trying to decide whether it's worth continuing to make CDs. We know the world has changed, and most people stream their music these days, but we also know there's something special about holding a real album in your hands.

So we're curious...

Do you still have a CD player at home?

Do you have a CD player in your car?

Even if you don't regularly listen to CDs anymore, would you buy one as a keepsake to support the band, collect the artwork, or have it as a souvenir?

Your answers will really help us decide what to do with future album releases. We don't want to make CDs that will just sit on a shelf, but we also don't want to stop making them if they're still meaningful to our listeners.

Please take a minute to complete our short survey and let us know what you think. Every response matters, and we truly appreciate you taking the time to help shape the future of the Blue Wave Revival Band.

Thank you for being part of our musical family. We couldn't do this without you! ❤️🎵 

1. Do you think the Blue Wave Revival Band should continue making CDs?

* Yes, definitely
* Yes, but only for special albums
* I'm not sure
* No, digital music is enough

2. Do you currently have a working CD player at home?

* Yes
* No

3. Does your current vehicle have a CD player?

* Yes
* No
* I don't own a vehicle

4. How do you usually listen to music?

* Streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc.)
* YouTube
* Digital downloads (MP3, FLAC, etc.)
* CDs
* Radio
* Vinyl records
* Other

5. Would you purchase a Blue Wave Revival Band CD as a keepsake, even if you rarely play CDs?

* Yes
* Maybe
* No

6. What would motivate you to buy one of our CDs? *(Select all that apply.)*

* To support the Blue Wave Revival Band
* Signed by the band
* Beautiful album artwork
* Collectible keepsake
* Exclusive songs or bonus tracks
* To give as a gift
* I probably wouldn't buy one

7. How much would you be willing to pay for a professionally packaged CD?

* Under $10
* $10–$15
* $16–$20
* Over $20 if it's signed or a special edition
* I wouldn't purchase a CD

8. If we released a limited-edition signed CD, would you be interested?

* Yes
* Maybe
* No

9. What do you think we should do?

* Continue making CDs for every album
* Make CDs only for special releases
* Offer CDs by pre-order only
* Stop making CDs and go digital only

10. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about CDs or how you enjoy our music?

* *(Open text response)*
 

Well... it happened again. Somehow, I managed to survive another year! 🎂😄 At my age, every birthday feels a little less like getting older and a little more like winning the lottery. So instead of counting candles,  I decided to write myself a song. "Still Standing (One More Birthday)" is my way of celebrating the laughs, the bumps in the road, the amazing friends and family who've been with me through it all, and the simple fact that I'm still here making music. I hope it makes you smile, laugh a little, and maybe even sing along. Thanks for being part of my journey—you've helped make every birthday worth celebrating.

Hi,

As one of the Blue Wave Revival Band's most loyal supporters, I wanted you to be among the very first people to hear our newest album before it's released to everyone else.

This album is unlike anything I've written before. In fact, it isn't political at all.

It all started as a single song. But as I kept writing, something unexpected happened. One song turned into another, and before I knew it, I had written an entire six-track album. It honestly felt like the music was taking me somewhere I hadn't planned to go.

My hope is that you won't just listen to the melodies—you'll really listen to the words. Every song was written to tell a story and share a message that's close to my heart.  

Over the past couple of months, friends have asked me the same question over and over: "Why did you write an album about Jerusalem?"

The answer is actually pretty simple.

Jerusalem is one of the most important cities in human history. It's sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. With Jerusalem: Under One Sky, I didn't want to write songs that took sides. I wanted to tell human stories—stories of hope, loss, faith, forgiveness, and the possibility that peace is still within our reach.

Every instrument and every musical arrangement was chosen with care. I blended Middle Eastern musical influences throughout the album because I wanted the music itself to help tell the story and make each lyric feel more authentic.

More than anything, I hope this album reminds us that beyond politics, beyond religion, and beyond the conflicts we see on the news, we're all part of the same human family.

If these songs inspire you to learn a little more about Jerusalem's incredible history—or simply start one meaningful conversation—then I'll feel like I've accomplished exactly what I set out to do.

Thank you for believing in our music and for being part of this journey. Your support means more than you know, and I can't wait to hear what you think after you've had a chance to listen.

With gratitude,

Rick Gaspa
Founder & Songwriter
Blue Wave Revival Band  

/album/4048874/jerusalem-under-one-sky

Just thinking out loud.....  Voting is a lot like driving. Every election is really a choice about direction. Do we move forward, tackle new challenges, and keep building for the future? Or do we put the country in reverse and head back toward old ideas, old problems, and old divisions?

No political party is perfect, and reasonable people can disagree about the best path ahead. But one thing is certain: elections have consequences, and the direction we choose today shapes the country our children and grandchildren will inherit tomorrow.

So stay informed. Make a plan. And most importantly, vote.

Choose D to go forward. Choose R to go backward. The choice is yours.

“Dictator’s Dream” is one of those songs that came straight from the gut. It’s about what happens when power turns into control, when fear gets sold as patriotism, and when ordinary people are expected to stay quiet while democracy gets chipped away piece by piece.

But this song isn’t about surrender — it’s about resistance.

It’s about the people who refuse to kneel, refuse to be silenced, and still believe freedom belongs to all of us, not just the powerful. The lyrics capture that tension between authoritarian dreams and the unbreakable spirit of people who keep standing up for truth, liberty, and each other.

Musically, we wanted it to feel like a protest anthem you could shout with a crowd — raw, defiant, emotional, and alive. The chorus is meant to be a rallying cry: a reminder that democracy only survives when people stay awake, stay involved, and stand together.

“His dream ends when we wake up” might be the most important line in the song. That’s really the heart of it.

This is Blue Wave Revival Band doing what we do best — mixing music, conscience, and a little fire in the soul.