Guitarist and vocalist, August Zadra, shares his story of YouTube discovery which lead to him playing guitar and singing with founding member of the band Styx, Dennis DeYoung. He explains how he got from his small town in Alaska to the big city of Los Angeles. He talks about the formation of his current project, Waiting For Monday, and how he started his weekly Facebook Live performances. August also talks about the profound influence Eddie Van Halen had on him and his playing.

Dennis DeYoung, 26 East, Vol.1:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3tu3ITF5KFk6kNSKXU7LAj?si=3QnmUOZDRsGLGcrOqjexTg

Waiting For Monday:

https://open.spotify.com/album/764loqGIi3sdSlSARDkadp?si=0ltEZyxAT9-Mb8W7ydoZ_A

www.divebarrockstar.com

Keyboardist, Noriko Olling, explains how she came to the U.S. from Japan and became a top call keyboard player in Los Angeles. She talks about the joys of living in a recording studio and reveals where the inspiration came from for her newest album, “My Path”. She shares some of her experiences as a woman in an industry dominated by men and what it’s been like working for legendary artists. Noriko also shares some tips on making great charts.

www.norikoolling.com

Noriko on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gpiKq3p87Km2Oy5b8aVLm?si=yneQYstyQPWJWpgBaOsfUA

Noriko on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Noriko1595

George Shelby plays saxophone, clarinets, flutes, penny whistle, vocoder and many other random wind instruments. He explains that this is the plight of the modern day saxophonist. He also shares his insight into the Los Angeles session player world and talks about the modern horn section studio experience. He talks about being on the road with pop legend, Phil Collins. He reveals his secret to being a great reader and tells his story of meeting Barack and Michelle Obama.

www.georgeshelby.com

Real Men Wear Pink:

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/georgeshelby

Multi-instrumentalist and musical director, Cory James, reveals his favorite instrument to play. He talks about his experience as musical director for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner, comedian and singer/songwriter, Trixie Mattel. He provides some insight to the life of a young musician just coming up during, arguably, the worst time to be a musician. He discusses the importance of chops and when to use them. Cory also talks about growing up with a musician for a Dad.

Trixie Mattel Live:

https://youtu.be/EaPphXUWsVY

Creative director, artist representative, manager, guitar player, singer, Gary “Gig” Grantham, dives deep into the world of tribute bands. He talks about the origins of his band TLR- Experience The Eagles Music and his concept of what makes a good tribute band. He describes the show “Dark Desert Highway" that he’s created which takes the tribute show to a whole other level. He reminisces about his travels in Asia and shares his thoughts about the future of music during the pandemic.

TLR- Experience The Eagles Music

https://tlreagles.com

Bass Player, vocalist, producer and author, Bill Cinque remembers his time on the road with Neil Diamond and explains how he got the gig. He describes how he came to his unique way of playing the bass (upside down and left handed). Bill and host, Eric Baines, reminisce about they’re first meeting. Bill tells stories from his book entitled, “The Amazing Adventures of a Marginally Successful Musician”. He also shares his experience as a public speaker.

The Amazing Adventures of a Marginally Successful Musician:

https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Adventures-Marginally-Successful-Musician/dp/1440115672

www.billcinque.com

Keyboardist/vocalist/musical director, Steve Ferlazzo, gets real about his experience during the lockdown, missing out on a whole summer tour. He talks about his time at Berklee College of Music and the unique lessons he learned from the experience. He takes you behind the scenes of the Soundcheck Live jam in Hollywood, CA, the jam that he’s run for the last several years. Steve also talks about the importance and sometimes burden of social media.

Let It Be-

https://youtu.be/Qrkc640GsPI

Music Cares-

https://www.grammy.com/musicares/donations

Keyboardist, songwriter, musical director, Loren Gold, talks about his time as musical director for Hillary Duff, Demi Levato, Selena Gomez and more. He recalls his audition for Roger Daltrey and how that eventually lead to his current job, keyboardist for The Who. He explains how he recorded his second record on a laptop and how he wrote two instructional books. Loren reveals his long time love of the bay area and for the San Francisco Giants. He also gives some free golf tips.

Loren Gold on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/29yur1VaVHx6TJuE33Xv1h?si=olLPT2GvQzm1ch8WewkqJQ

Taylor Hicks Live:

https://youtu.be/6EMWyw4o2bs

Bass player, Mike Hill, recalls his experience working in a hit show at a Disney Park.  He talks about how he was able to turn that fan support into a kick starter campaign that earned over $40,000 to make his “Love and War” album and documentary. He explains in-depth how he put together a team of players, singers, writers and a producer to create and record an album of all original music. He shares the lessons he learned from the process and the dynamics between producer and artist. Mike talks about his time on reality TV. He also opens up about the trials and tribulations of living and working in Los Angeles.

Love And War Album

https://open.spotify.com/album/70Y7fgBG0zG0NQierUZNwl?si=3vL3nS__Rkioi0mGfdEG7w

Acquiesce (Live)

https://youtu.be/e1n3B8SoVO0

Love And War Documentary

https://youtu.be/z-W9eEhwR1E

Post Modern Jukebox Open Letter

https://aristake.com/black-at-postmodern-jukebox

Amanda Palmer Ted Talk

https://youtu.be/xMj_P_6H69g

Keyboardist, producer, singer/songwriter, Michael Bluestein, gets deep about the path of the artist and sideman. He tells the story of his audition for the legendary rock band, Foreigner and what it’s like playing with rock stars. He reminisces about his days at Berklee College of Music and how that helped him step up his playing. Michael announces the release of the new single with his duo, Tina Blue, which is a really cool cover of the Rolling Stones classic, “Paint It Black”. He also discusses some current ways to distribute your music.

Tina Blue- "Paint It Black" Video:

https://youtu.be/G_3lNGyPJ54

Tina Blue- “Paint It Black” Single:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3CYurq20faVkmtn3LxOeKw?si=MWSyI6jMRSmOBGp23FgZJw

Michael Bluestein Solo Artist:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3lGrfajNh2erBB5l3G3fRJ?si=ZZ6VhUK6SkKWIT0BVXlUlw