Music FridayLive!

Locos Por Juana is a Grammy and Latin Grammy nominated bilingual band formed in Miami, FL, in 2000 that blows away audiences with what the Miami Herald calls “eareld calls the beloved master of “the Latin-Reggae-Hip-Hop mashup” .  The band rocks stages with electrifying dynamism, collaborations with stars of Latin music and hip hop and reggae, high energy dance numbers,  and a unique music style. The current line-up consists of vocalist Itagüí Correa, guitarist Mark Kondrat, and drummer Javier Delgado, who form the core of the group, along with trombonist Lasim Richards and percussionist Carlos Palmet. The band released its first two albums,  Locos Por Juana in 2003  and Música pal Pueblo in 2005, on the indie label Musical Productions (MP) Records. In 2003 they were nominated for a Premio Lo Nuestro and in 2005 for a Latin Grammy.  In 2007, Locos por Juana signed with Universal Música and released La Verdad, nominated for a Grammy. In 2010, Locos por Juana returned with a new EP, Evolución, nominated for The Shock Awards in the Best Alternative Album category in Bogatá. Their next album "Somos de La Calle" will be released in the fall and the single "Se Fue La Luz" is available now on Billboard.com.

Music Friday Live is moving to Mexico in July and will  disassemble the studio for moving next week. This Friday is our last week on the air before we move to Mexico. We will begin broadcasting again in August, interviewing Mexican bands and American bands touring in Mexico.

Sarah Burton’s career started in 2006 with a broken heart, a broken down vehicle, and a haphazard tour across Canada in a van named Lucky -- an artist driven by adventure, spontaneity, and a desire to connect with people from all walks of life. Three Minivans, and several greyhound trips later, Sarah has played 200+ shows a year, released 4 albums and played festivals across North America. Rooted in folk, and skirting pop, rock and country – Sarah’s music is a collage of her own adventures and the people she meets along the way. Her songs have made their way to the big screen, earned college radio charting in US and Canada and commercial radio play in Canada and Europe. Now, after the bad breakup, two robberies, a few trips to the ER, and moving to the West Texas desert she has produced her fifth studio album, Give Me What I Want and it is a knockout.

RAMEKEGA is a California-based alternative band formed in 2007, comprised of three women with 3 full-length albums and two West Coast tours under their belt.  The Pozon Sisters  Kelli  (rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals), and Gabrielle  (drums, percussion, vocals),  were joined by younger sister Kaira Pozon (bass, vocals) in 2011. They are getting radio airplay locally in California and internationally in the UK and Australia and  have  played in some of LA’s top music venues like the Roxy and the Ebell Theater, along with in festivals and fairs throughout  California.  They appeared on Time Warner Cable programs “Yourself Presents”,  A18 TV, and AXS Live - along with the Hansons, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Art Alexakis of Everclear. Their musical style  is a smorgasbord that includes pop, rock, indie, jazz, ballads, and retro, and blues, and whatever else ‘just sounds right for the song”.

Taína Asili is a New York-based Puerto Rican singer, filmmaker and activist combining powerful vocals and social justice lyrics in a fusion of Afro-Latin, reggae and rock. For over 20 years she has brought the music of love and resistance to venues across the globe – from the Women’s March on Washington to the nationwide Rock Against the TPP Tour. After the 2016 election, a bigger audience has caught up to the artist the Huffington Post named one of “12 Freedom Fighting Bands to Get you Through the Trump Years.  Asili’s first album War Cry, 2010, and her latest album Fruit of Hope, 2014, show the growth and power of a talented, dedicated artist and activist. Asili  also works in other media: her music videos “No Es Mi Presidente” ,  “And We Walk”,  and the stirring  “Freedom” received national acclaim and media attention. Recently, she has launched a podcast with her new show The Rhythm of Rebellion, featuring interviews with social justice artists from around the world. Truly a talent that our times demand. (photos by Mike Morgan, Shannon Straney, Sun Angel)

"The Blue" by Southern California singer/songwriter Alice Wallace from her new album, Into the Blue, released on Rebelle Road Records, has been named one fo the 10 Best Country and Americana Songs to Hear Now - along with songs by Blake Sheldon.  That is pretty good national company for a woman who is is pure California country music. Her fourth album, Into the Blueharks back to the 70’s artists like Joni Mitchelle and Jackson Brown who did not have all the answers but knew how to sing the questions.  Folky, romantic, soulful, and always melodic, Alice is eclectic Americana, organic, probing but understanding and often topical. Winner of an LA MUSIC CRITIC Award, Alice has performed at LA’s legendary country venue the Palomino Club,  as well as many others in her average 200-gigs year. The album marks her debut on the brand-new Rebelle Road label, an imprint founded by a trio of women dedicated to strengthening the California Country music community and expanding visibility for female artists in the Americana/roots genre. The song, is pure gold, as Rolling Stone reminds us.

And, theirrepressible Trevor Douglas will drop in to let us know about new shows and new music.

Alicia Blue is singer-songwriter who uses a folk tradition to tell modern stories. And she knows her stories - she's done just about everything to tell them, from cleaning houses, to waiting tables, to sleeping on couches, and taking care of an aging soul singer. Her hard work and perseverance has taken her to the heart of LA’s folk-singer-songwriter scene, . telling tales of not so pretty realities and some  heart-breaking truths, s.  Along the way she explores culture, race and identity in her music. Her  debut single, “Incognito”  tells  a cryptic tale of Alicia’s experience as a “passing” Latina.   She sings at clubs and events  throughout Los Angeles including appearing at the Hotel Café and NAMM.

Jerrica Alyssa is a Canadian Pop/R&B Artist.  Born and raised in Vancouver and now lives in Nashville, TN.  A conservatory trained pianist at ARCT,  the Royal Conservatory of Music, she is an accomplished singer/songwriter, and a professional Polynesian dancer.  She is now writing, recording and performing as a solo artist, creating a voluptuous mix of pop, funk, and R&B, with industry veteran Joseph Magee (Pitch Perfect, Miley Cyrus, Metallica, Whitney Houston. In her spare time she records voice sessions in film and TV. Jerrica has toured in China, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, UK, Ireland, Hawaii, Polynesia throughout Canada and the USA.   She has appeared on the Voice, Canadian Idol and Variety’s Got Talent. Her new single, “Ride,” is out now.

SJae (aka Sammy Jay), the UK’s first female music producer, has been called  “the best in the business” in the US by many of her peers, including some of the world’s biggest music stars and producers.  The Mercury-nominated artist is an advocate and prominent representative for women in music technology – producing, making beats, mixing, mastering. She works to increase the opportunities for women to produce and work on the technical side of the music industry while she herself is a smash success at doing so.  Her debut 4-song EP, FIRST,  is due out March 22 and includes collaborations with acclaimed songwriters, producers, and artists Raphael Saadiq ,Sam Sparro, and Dria Thronton, and Hilaire. We are proud to interview her on International Woman's Day

Tourist Company, the Vancouver-based musical duo of Taylor Swindells and Brenon Parry, met in 2009, and found it easy to work together to create unique indie music.  But they did not decide to make it official  and form Tourist Company in 2013 and went on to release their debut record Apollo, to critical acclaim and toured it relentlessly across Canada and the world, playing shows in the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Both also took a break from touring together and their own music to lend their talents to touring with other groups before finally coming back to their primary project, retreating to the  studio to experiment and create in what became a 2 year writing process and their new single, “Conflicted Restricted.”

For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the title, "The Godfather of British Blues". After decades of touring and recording, in 2013 John signed with producer Eric Corne's label, Forty Below Records, and has since been experiencing an artistic and career renaissance, including a Blues Hall of Fame induction in 2015.  This Friday Forty Below Records will release Nobody Told Me, Mayall’s  new studio album. Born in the UK in 1933, Mayall first became attracted to jazz and blues through  his father's 78s  record collection, listening to guitarists like Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, Josh White and Leadbelly. However once he heard the sounds of boogie woogie piano giants Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis, he was hooked.  As a young teen, he began learning the guitar and  later, the harmonica, inspired by Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter. The rest is history: mentoring future stars like Paul McCartney, Mick Fleetwood,  and Eric Clapton, moving to Los Angeles, more live and studio albums, and world touring his band The Bluesbreakers. Never stopping, he recently recorded albums in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and began playing live as a trio. His 2017  European tour resulted in the critically acclaimed live recording Three for the Road that showcased his skills on organ, piano and harmonica. In 2018, he recruited Texas blues guitarist Carolyn Wonderland -- the first female guitarist in his permanent lineup- for recording and touring in 2019.   Mayall also has a  new studio album in the works which features a full blown lineup with guest contributions from an impressive list of extraordinary, well-known guitarists.