Studio City Now

This episode is dedicated to the front line workers.

I had the pleasure of interviewing singer/songwriter Nancy Kelel. In this podcast, Nancy and I start out chatting about her influences and why she got into music. More importantly, we speak about the pandemic, and her dedication to Front Line Workers. Her song, Front Line Strong, is linked below. Nancy talks about her inspiration for the song, the viral photo of two nurses holding signs in a hospital window (in her video and used with permission of the family) and her struggle with H1N1 many years ago. She was in a coma for 3-1/2 weeks and talks about her recovery and rehab from this. As mentioned below, we also speak about being grateful. Nancy met the doctor who saved her life in a Costco gas line and had the opportunity to thank him.

Proceeds from Front Line Strong go to the Brave of Heart fund. The fund provides charitable grants to eligible family members of frontline healthcare workers and volunteers who lose their lives to COVID-19.

Of interest is the Songs Alive contest to write a song about water, which brought awareness to the lack of water and resources on the Navajo reservations in Arizona. She wrote a song called “The Water Song” that she would like to produce.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCml9tS7oaw

https://www.braveofheartfund.com/

https://www.songsalive.org/ (check out testimonials)

One of the subjects we touched upon was “being grateful”, and Nancy has a lot to be grateful for, as mentioned above. Nancy also mentions “Songs Alive”, and is the recipient of their 2019 Songwriter of the Year !!

What can I saw about the Licatas? Jimmy and Tony are two of the nicest people you could ever meet. And two of the most talented performers to hear.  Not only did I have the pleasure of interviewing them a few weeks ago, I've seen them grow up performing.  During this podcast, I had the pleasure of  having them perform two songs on the show. One is an original – Rainbow for Rain, and the other is a cover of Don’t be Cruel.

Jimmy and Tony talk about their start at Coffee Gallery in Alta Dena, California, at an open mike, going on to being an opening act to being the headliners. Especially impressive when you consider how young they are!

Jimmy went on to study communication in England and Tony went to Musician’s Institute  and studied audio engineering.

Their website is: thelicatabrothers.com, instagram, twitter and Facebook other social media: @thelicatabrothers and of course Amazon, Spotify, and wherever you can find music.

Since the Covid lockdown, Tony and Jimmy have been posting zoom appearances. Check out their Facebook and get on the mailing list – you won’t be disappointed.

Also, shout outs to our late friend, Duane Thorin, and our living friends, Larry Wines (who introduced me to the Licatas), Bea Broda and Bob Stane at Coffee Gallery Backstage.

Their biography is as follows: (taken from the website).

As a sidenote - their website shows photos of Jimmy and Tony starting out.  They were so young and the talent just shown through.  

The Licata Brothers, Jimmy and Tony, are a growing musical phenomenon in Southern California. And “growing” is the only word for it. Jimmy, born July 14, 1997 and Tony, November 30, 2000, began making melodious music together about the time that they could walk. Introduced by their parents to a wide range of musical styles, from Classical to Classic Americana and Pop, the brothers took to all the styles like bees to honey. Jimmy proved to be a guitar prodigy by the time he was 11, whipping out Jimmy Page like licks that blew everyone who heard him away.  Meanwhile Tony could do a mean imitation of AC/DC’s Brian Johnson at age 10 and was already turning into something of a tunesmith.  They are both multi-instrumentalists and display the confidence of old pros on stage.  One admiring veteran dubbed them “The New Traditionalists” because they see the value in the great river of music that has been flowing since before they were born, and are eager to jump right in.

Their collaboration began in earnest around 2010. With the unflagging support of their parents and the wise guidance of local songwriters, musicians and performers, they began to develop a style that showed a deep admiration for the many musical masters that had come before them.  Now 21 and 17, they have “that sibling thing” one associates with the Everly Brothers.  They seem at times to be two guitar playing vocalists occupying one soul, and they result is nothing less than astounding. The Licata Brothers have been regularly thrilling audiences with a unique combination of heartfelt vocals, infectious acoustic guitar and a multi-lingual song catalog that spans the past 100 years. Their 2015 four-song debut CD “Grizzly Bear”, a tribute to some beloved tunes from the 1920s and 1960s, has received rave reviews. This was followed up in the summer of 2016 with “Gift for the Soul”, an intimate and powerfully-uplifting series of original acoustic guitar and vocal arrangements set to prayers found in the Sacred Writings of the Baha’i Faith. The Licata Brothers’ clever performing and arranging skills have been on display at numerous venues throughout the Southland, and now, with a new CD set to come out in the summer of 2021, they are poised to become what they have always been at heart:  Musical Citizens of the World.

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No introduction necessary, just chatting with Joe Iaquinto.  We had a fun time :)   

What an incredibly talented and funny guy.  We talk about his early childhood in New York, losing his parents at a young age, how he got into music, and the music he wrote for some very adult themed movies!    He is just an all around cool guy who knows all my friends and I can't wait to interview him again.   Next time, he will be in California and we can open a bottle of tequila !

I had the pleasure of speaking with the incredible Marc Platt recently.

Marc’s credits include managing the Tearaways, working with The Plimsolls, Elvis Costello and Steve Earle. He has been a singer-songwriter playing in and around Los Angeles since 1980. He fronted Los Angeles Power-pop band The Real Impossibles in the 1980's and had chart success with that band and several other projects since. His new record is 'Big City' and I’ve attached a link to the youtube video.

Marc is revolutionizing the music industry with block chain. He explains it fully in this interview.

Marc has artists on several indie radio stations in the US and the UK.

To submit music to him, please send an email to [email protected], and the subject line should read music submission.

Website: radiocandy.media and radioradio.media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyb7L8wL33Y&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1o1DmRbeS5pvTijKA6bSjIOe1HcnDLHPT5OTSQdAmpvQ-T8VxaC878IMQ

What can I say about Michael Zarnock? The man has done everything. He is a musician, actor, writer, World Record Holder, Race Car Driver, Author, Race Car Driver, is in the Guiness Book of World Records he gets paid to play with Hot Wheel cars, and has a YouTube show (Hot Wheels TV).

We talked about meeting, my brother Tony Wood (RIP), Barris Kustom, George Barris (Batmobile creator) and the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

I felt like Mike was sitting across the table from me – you could hear our dogs barking, eating and making their presence known!

Mike’s knowledge and his massive Hot Wheels collection has earned him notoriety around the world. He is the leading authority on Diecast and Hot Wheels – the ultimate Super Collector.

Of note – he holds 3 Guinness World Records for Hot Wheels and is the world authority in Hot Wheels and Diecast cars. Michael has worked with EBAY authenticating collectors’ Hot Wheels/Diecast cars and appraising collections for insurance cases and divorce cases. Yes, these collections can be worth upwards of $500,000.

On February 5, 2020, Michael earned a Guinness World Record for the most gravity fed loop-the-loops on a Hot Wheels Track. The track measured 34 feet and was built as part of the Jaguar Land Rover display at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show.

His collection has earned him two different World records – first in 2003 and again in 2007. Both were for owning the largest collection of different model cars.

Mike’s books sell out almost instantaneously. The books can be purchased through his website, mikezarnock.com.

Mike’s YouTube show, Hot Wheels TV takes his audience deep within the subculture of Hot Wheels collecting.

Check out his website, YouTube channel and books. You will like what you see !

I had the pleasure of speaking to one of the most talented, and busiest people in this industry, Diego Garcia.

Diego has been writing and performing since he was 18 years old, and now performs in his band, Stage 11 as the lead singer. Stage 11 released their first CD in 2017 and you can find their music at stage11music.com. Diego is also part of High Noon Whiskey. Since quarantine, Stage 11 has been streaming rooftop concerts in downtown Los Angeles. Their next rooftop concert will be in December 2020. Can’t wait to hear it !!!!

I had the pleasure of seeing, and hearing, Diego sing at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) for Best Male Vocals in November 2016 singing Halleluiah. Just incredible. Heard him again at a house concert and was amazed.

As an actor and voiceover artist, Diego has been in over 80 commercials, and numerous television shows including The Shield, Entourage, Brothers and Sisters, Dirt and Surviving Suburbia to name a few..  The most recent commercial is for Geico, as a new neighbor.  Fun commercial :)

His websites are: diegogarciaactor.com and stage11music.com

I had the pleasure of speaking with Cris Franco recently and WOW – he is one interesting and super cool person.  And please excuse the recording quality.  Sometimes no matter what you do .....    :)  

In high school, he and and our mutual friend, Micki Furr (shout out to Micki !!!) were understudies in Guys and Dolls. He started his career as a singer in Disney World, and left it to come back home to California for the most romantic reason, his partner, now his husband. He and Casey have been married over 40 years! Cris then went on to work at Disneyland, went to Cal State Northridge, and by a twist of fate, wound up in Zoot Suit.  That changed his life forever.  

Cris was a tour guide at Universal Studios for awhile, and has some 

Cris Franco has combined his bilingual-bicultural Mexican-born roots with a desire to entertain and educate by creating engaging, humorous television that enlightens the viewer to the unique "American-Latino" experience. For his outstanding work on PBS, Cris has received 3 Los Angeles Emmy Awards, 2 Southern California Golden Mike Awards, The Imagen Award and The Nosotros Golden Eagle Award.

One of his youtube videos is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hThBQavf64c

His shows are: The Cris Franco Show, East LOS High – a telenovela for good looking teenagers, Café California, To be or not to be Latino.

I had so much fun talking to Cris. I can’t wait to talk with him again and once lockdown is over, we will do coffee. Can’t wait to meet Casey.

What can I say about Michael Zarnock? The man has done everything. He is a musician, actor, writer, World Record Holder, Race Car Driver, Author, Race Car Driver, is in the Guiness Book of World Records he gets paid to play with Hot Wheel cars, and has a YouTube show (Hot Wheels TV).

We talked about meeting, my brother Tony Wood (RIP), Barris Kustom, George Barris (Batmobile creator) and the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

I felt like Mike was sitting across the table from me – you could hear our dogs barking, eating and making their presence known!

Mike’s knowledge and his massive Hot Wheels collection has earned him notoriety around the world. He is the leading authority on Diecast and Hot Wheels – the ultimate Super Collector.

Of note – he holds 3 Guinness World Records for Hot Wheels and is the world authority in Hot Wheels and Diecast cars. Michael has worked with EBAY authenticating collectors’ Hot Wheels/Diecast cars and appraising collections for insurance cases and divorce cases. Yes, these collections can be worth upwards of $500,000.

On February 5, 2020, Michael earned a Guinness World Record for the most gravity fed loop-the-loops on a Hot Wheels Track. The track measured 34 feet and was built as part of the Jaguar Land Rover display at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show.

His collection has earned him two different World records – first in 2003 and again in 2007. Both were for owning the largest collection of different model cars.

Mike’s books sell out almost instantaneously. The books can be purchased through his website, mikezarnock.com.

Mike’s YouTube show, Hot Wheels TV takes his audience deep within the subculture of Hot Wheels collecting.

Check out his website, YouTube channel and books. You will like what you see !

I had the pleasure of chatting with Gedina a few weeks ago.  She is incredible.  I binged her YouTube videos and she has an incredible jazzy vibe.  Gedina talks about her blind audition on The Voice, her musical background, her mermaid pop and most importantly, 4th Door Records.  Gedina has been an indie artist during her entire career.  She can be found on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube @iamgedina.com.  Since live music has been shut down this year, she has been playing on Rogue Nation.  Her last Rogue Nation was October 26, but keep checking back for more appearances.  Her biography is below.  Please check out her website at http://www.gedina.com.

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Gedina is proof of all the wild magic that comes from living with utter boldness and crystal-clear intention. Not only an accomplished singer/songwriter, the L.A.-based artist has fearlessly forged her path as an entrepreneur, martial-arts instructor, and fierce advocate for women’s advancement in industries of all kinds, with each endeavor engaging her force-of-nature energy and firecracker spirit. And with her magnetic brand of mermaid-pop—a sound shaped by her lifelong status as a salty-haired surfer girl—Gedina makes music that uplifts and elevates while leaving a life-changing impact.

On her 2018 debut album Tell’em, Gedina introduced the world to the raw passion and uncompromising honesty essential to her mission as an artist: instilling women with the courage needed to rewrite their own stories, and to build a more beautiful reality for themselves. “There are so many women who struggle with self-esteem, who believe they’re not enough or they’re too much,” says Gedina. “What I strive to do with every song is help women find their voice, to stay in their power, and to dismantle all the things that no longer serve them.”

Gedina discovered her love of singing as a little girl, thanks largely to the Little Mermaid soundtrack and to the golden-voiced icons she finds infinitely formative. “I didn’t have a mom in my home, but what I did have was Mariah, Christina, Celine, and Whitney,” she says. “They were all my sisters, they were my mom and my godmom and my aunties—they were the women who raised me. What they gave me was that sense of self that empowered me to get onstage and use my voice in a way that could make a difference.”

Graduating from high school at age 15—after spending her early-teen years busking and singing in local clubs—Gedina later enrolled at UC Irvine and gigged in nearby blues bars. Heading to L.A. once she’d finished school, she spent the coming years navigating the music industry and—in 2012—landed a blind audition on season three of The Voice. That same year, Gedina released her debut single “Shame,” revealing the depth of her warm authenticity and spirited songwriting. By 2015, she’d scored an international hit with “First Time, First Love”—a track that’s now amassed over 2.2 million streams on Spotify.

With Tell’em arriving last June, Gedina recently released a luminous new single called “Future Soulmate.” Recorded at Angelhouse Studios in Torrance and produced by Drew Kapner (who’s engineered records for artists like Jason Derulo and Twenty One Pilots), the track gives a rarely-glimpsed look into the power of self-belief. “The message is that the universe is rigged in your favor, and you can create whatever you truly want to have,” says Gedina. “And because connection is at the core of what we desire as human beings, a soulmate can come in any form. It could be your neighbor, your mailman, the older woman you sit with at the bus stop. As long as you have that connection with another human, you can create miracles together.”

What can I say about Larry Hudson?   He is one of the nicest guys in this business.   AND

Larry Hudson is one of the most talented voice over artists around. Chatting with him was amazing. He talks about his journey from professional big band drummer, to commercial real estate and then voice over artist. Larry created his job as a voice over artist when his job in commercial real estate came to a standstill. He was announcing the shows at the California Mart in downtown Los Angeles, and one thing lead to another ....

Larry is an incredible instructor in Adobe Audition and Audacity (Audacity is a free program, Adobe Audition is part of the Adobe cloud family), talks about the microphones to buy (condenser not dynamic), and where NOT to go to buy your microphones.

He can be reached at larryhudsonvo.com, and a partial biography is below.

Aspiring Voice Over Artists - please check out Work Out Wednesday. All information is on his website !

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Larry is a voiceover actor in Los Angeles with a professional recording studio and has been active in the industry since 2009. He provides his voice daily to a wide variety of voiceover projects including Commercial Ads for radio and TV, Narration on Documentaries and Corporate projects, Political Ads, as well as eLearning/tutorials for corporate web presentation.

His list of client credits includes Disney/Picture Head, TOYOTA, Lexus, Kubota Tractor Corp, Quaker Oats, Tropicana, Apple, Google and WarGaming.net, just to name of few.

Larry provides a clear concise baritone sound that embodies strength, power and sincerity. His signature sound is relaxed and conversational. Listeners are drawn in by Larry’s versatility which enables him to bring light hearted fun to character pieces or deep sincerity to roles of a more solemn nature. The client’s needs are always the first priority with Larry. His intention is clear… to bring to the project what is necessary for the client to achieve their vision. He looks forward to the opportunity to provide you with the voice and performance you envision.