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Ozomatli was founded in 1995 when the core members worked together on organizing a farmworkers union in Los Angeles.  They didn’t win recognition for the union, but the band that came out of that effort, named for the Aztec astrological symbol for the monkey, has been recognized worldwide for its joyous, high energy, activist, multi-genre music. The band's first album, Ozomatli, was released in 1998 on Almo Sounds with the band's trademark mix of bilingual lyrics and Mexican music styles like norteño, along with Jamaican ska and reggae, a heavy dose of American hip-hop and funk, merengue and cumbia, often mixed together in the same song.   That album charted and led to tours with Santana and Maná. And they have not stopped. They just released a new single, “Libertad”, their 2107 album Nonstop Mexico to Jamaica  has gone global, and their 2019 tour dates are already booked into March for performances from Colorado to Cuba.

Rebelle Road, a music platform/label/promotion and production organization founded by industry executive Karen Rappaport McHugh, along with artists KP Hawthorn and Adrienne Isom, to expand support and touring opportunities for women in country music by assembling knowledge and resources and putting together events and other opportunities with women as the main attraction. Rebelle Road organized a gathering as part of 2018’s South By Southwest festivities in Austin, released its first album last month -  a country stunner by Alice Wallace - and is heading to SXSW2019 to further its agenda of blazing new trails for Americana and Country music, especially California country music.

Salvador Santana writes music that is both fun on the surface and deep in meaning.  He throws himself into projects that bring a positive spin to the world, and make a lot of people not only better off, but happy.  No wonder that at a young age he has accumulated more praise and accolades than most people ever do in their lives. He comes by his music honesty – his family has long been a creative force in music, especially his father, the Hall of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana.  Salvador’s instrument is not the guitar, it is the keyboard and the lyric, which he wields with deft skill and unbridled joy.  He is working on new projects and has new songs out and we are so happy to have them and to welcome an old friend v- and new father – Salvador Santana is tunes

International artist Nominjin started her music career at the age of 12 in her native Mongolia, going on to become Mongolia’s first and only pop teen idol. A solo artist who sings in 15 languages, Nominjin has performed and toured in more than 15 countries across the world in front of audiences of up to 70,000 people. She has been featured on John Lennon's tribute album Peace, Love & Truth,  and her hit single “Take Me To Your Heart”  was  included in the EMI album “Love: Best of Ten Years” alongside artists such as Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Norah Jones, and Ricky Martin. She is bringing her soulful R&B to the US with her new EP, Free Soul,  recorded at Radonai Records in Los Angeles, California.

Indie synth pop soloist SISSTER, born in Chula Vista CA outside of San Diego, is a composer, songwriter, producer and singer. From an early age SISSTER showed musical and artistic talent, and as a teen,  she  picked up the guitar and focused on singing and composing original songs. She has performed in acoustic pop, rock bands, blues and rockabilly and synth pop concerts. She has shared stages with artists such as Enjambre, Siddharta, Julieta Venegas, La Santa Cecilia, Flor Amargo, among others in both the US and Mexico. Her debut EP features songs produced by herself, John Avila (bassist Oingo Boingo) and Anton Soder. Her debut album is set for release February 6 in Los Angeles.

Southern California singer/songwriter Alice Wallace’s new album, Into the Blue, to be released this week on Rebelle Road Records, is pure California country. Her fourth album, it harks back to the 70’s artists like Joni 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.

Screamin’ Rachael – Rachael Cain --  named the “Queen of House Music” by Billboard Magazine,  was the first house artist to sign a major label deal. She launched the Hip House sound when she recorded Fun with Bad Boys with Afrika Bambaataa and has collaborated with  artists including Bambaataa, Marshall Jefferson, Colonel Abrams, Grandmaster Melle Mel.  An early signer to and now President of Trax Records, Rachael returns to her strong Chicago alternative roots with Don’t Make Me Lonely  while working on the production with Van Christie of Die Warzau.  She released a new single I Am House,  and celebrated the release of the soundtrack to new film series, The Vamp Bikers Trilogy, which Cain coordinated and appears on and which includes the original “Boom Boom” from TRAX, source of friction with Kayne West for his sampling.

Lisa Bouchelle  is a renaissance woman -- one of those rare artists whose songs can make you cry, laugh and  put them on repeat.  Her music sounds loose and casual, but it’s actually very precise  -  the product of playing and singing from a very early age. And she is unstoppableaveraging over 200 shows a year. She's dueted with Jon Bon Jovi and sung backup for Bruce Springsteen, and toured with and/or opened for Blues Traveler, Meat Loaf, Ingrid Michaelson, Bryan Adams, The Wailers, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and many more. She has appeared on theTV show "Gossip Girl," and placed songs in TV  and movies in the US and Japan, plus she hosts her own  TV show Rock Star Kitchen. Her latest EP, Lipstick Tomboy,has passed two million streams on Spotify, and the first single, a video  of the duet with John Popper,  "Only The Tequila Talkin',"  currently has over 100,000 views on YouTube. 

Matíasis a young, bi-lingual  LA- based multi instrumentalist, producer, composer, performer, and educator with  stunning guitar chops and unique approach to Latino fusion music and classical Brazilian guitar. She identifies as a transfemme Latinx angel and is currently producing EDFemme tracks and composing boleros, bossas, and other traditional Latin music on her guitar. Her live shows range from bossa novas to percussion-laced guitar solos, to stories with a touch of humor.

One of the strongest women I know and one who is renowned throughout the indie music community as "Aoede The Muse," is the award-winning pop-folk singer, songwriter, artist, playwright, and author, Lisa Sniderman. She has recently released her memoir of creating music, plays, performances in face of a debilitating disease and it is a must read for anybody in the music or creative communities. She joins us to talk about A Light in the Darkness this week.  In it she discusses the Gift in the Curse. The curse is her disease, a debilitataing condition that she lives with every day;  the Gift is that because of her experience,  she can feel compelled to share, connect with and inspire others and offer a path towards healing and hope despite hardship and struggles. As long as I have known her, she has been a source of joy, creativity, and strength - no wonder she has won so many music awards! Maybe next is a book award?.

 Trevor Douglas is a singer, songwriter and musician from Fort Worth, Texas.  A finalist on American Idol and Dallas winner of Hard Rock Rising 2017, he has opened for the Jonas Brothers, sang at  The Dallas International Film Festival,  and played The State Fair of Texas.  Texas even awarded him "The Most Entertaining Singer" in The Texas Top Ten competition, solidifying him as a musician to watch in the region. Trevor was also invited to give a TED Talk for TEDxSMU titled “Creativity: What Makes Us Different”.  As a songwriter, he gravitates towards a subtle pop style, sensitive lyrics, sweeping melodies, and hooky choruses, using his guitar as both an acoustic and percussive instrument, creating live backing tracks and vocal harmonies with his loop pedal.

David Messier is a  multi-talented artist and music industry powerhouse based in Austin, Texas. A Trustee of the Recording Academy, Messier is an accomplished producer, entrepreneur, singer and songwriter hailed as “ a hurricane force of music.”   He has served as President of the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy and as a Governor of the Academy. Messier was the front man of the Boston-based band Papermoon, and after moving his studio and himself to Austin and working both in music and in philanthropy, received the “Austin Under 40 Award” in the category of Arts and Entertainment. He recently released his new album, the self- reflective Time Bomb, which took only 22 days to write and record at his recording studio in East Austin, Same Sky Productions.  Always alert to music and the workings of his lyrical mind, the album’s guitar heavy title  track is based on a Wurlitzer lick from one of Messier’s many phone recordings.

The Living Roomers , a new punk band comprised of Tru, Lucky and Rico,  started in the living room of the band’s home in LA in late 2017 and just self-released their first single, “Screw You” along with a video for the track. Influenced by the Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Ramones, Velvet Underground, X, The White Stripes, Joy Division and Courtney Barnett among many others. The trio calls their title song, “Screw You” a call to action. It pushes back against those who try to put people, women in particular, in boxes, something totally foreign to the fresh sound and deep energy of this trio making a name for itself in LA.

Growing up in a musical family, Devin Kennedy knew there was only one path for him in life. As a kid, he taught himself to play drums, bass, guitar, and piano and wrote songs, but he began writing and releasing music seriously when he was accepted to Berklee College of Music. Devin released critically praised Love Language EP to much acclaim and an indie album. He has also toured across North America with former Big Time Rush member James Maslow, appearing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival and the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball.  

With chart-topping singles, prime TV placements, and international festival appearances, María del Pilar continues to carry the torch in the U.S. Latino bilingual movement. Equal parts pop-lover and punk-rocker, María del Pilar mixes her DIY riot grrrl roots and bilingual lyrics to create melodic, sweet, and pop anthems. As the lead singer of Los Abandoned, she planted the seeds for what blossomed into the current new wave of U.S. Latin Alternative sounds.  An immigrant Latina, María del Pilar has been collaborating live on the road with Chicano Batman, Las Cafeteras and Francisca Valenzuela. This past summer, María del Pilar also shared the stage with former labelmates Tegan & Sara, and Tune-Yards invited her to sing backup vocals for their TV performance on Conan.

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, Amanda Abizaid is best known as the captivating vocalist on the theme song "A Place In Time" from Paramount's The 4400, the featured song "Dreams in Ashes" from Lifetime Television's Odd Girl Out, as well as other lead vocal appearances in songs appearing in Smallville, Ed, One Tree Hill, Felicity, and Charmed, and many others. A prodigious live performer, she appears regularly in clubs and concerts around the world. Winner of numerous awards, she is  Amanda also inspires and encourages her fans to respect and value all cultures through their shared love of music to create a more peaceful world society and support women in music. Her most recent album, Walking Two’s has already won awards and her Bollywood Remix single will be released shortly

West Texas-born Sydney Wright grew up learning and loving music, crafting songs and amping up her skills as a performer as a teen playing country and rock. She developed her stunning performing skills with an impressive knack for looping tracks during live performances  with a huge voice that often gets her compared to Florence and the Machine and Sara Bareilles.  Post-college, in 2015, after recording at the famous Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, Wright moved  to Austin and took up sound engineering in town. But she also started performing,  making her way through venues as a formidable, usually solo, performer.  A hit-and-run accident put her in the hospital for 10 weeks, but with the help of  Health Alliance for Austin Musicians she has fully recovered and is back playing and recording, launching an indigogo site, creating stunning videos and, of course,  sound engineering.