In this episode, I sit down with Jonny Tarr, San Diego singer/songwriter, saxophonist, and producer. He just won the San Diego Music Award for BEST POP ARTIST 2020 and headlined the NAMM show’s D’Angelico Stage 2020 with his band The Jonny Tarr Quintet. He describes his current album as “highly personal and vulnerable” and has been live-streaming the material regularly to gauge his fans’ reaction as he counts down to the full album launch.

Meet Derrick Harris, better known as “D. Harris,” on stage. He’s an emcee, singer/songwriter, recording artist, entrepreneur, and marine veteran. A graduate of Musicians Institute, Hollywood, CA, Derrick has 26 years of professional music experience and has shared stages with musical legends such as Babyface, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Kahn, and Sting, just to name a few. He fronts the San Diego based Undercover Live Entertainment Band known for their vibrant weddings and corporate events performances. Wearing many hats, including specializing in vocal technique, stage presence & choreography, hasn’t stopped Derrick from pursuing his other passion - working with differently-abled & autistic children. This work has allowed him to marry his love for music education with advocacy, enabling him to impact lives positively.

Meet Natasha Kozaily, singer/songwriter from San Diego. Natasha writes, records, and performs music under the moniker NATULA. She calls her music “third-culture pop” as a nod to her third-culture identity, which leads her to explore elements of traditional folk music in a pop context. She also runs the Kalabash School of Music and the Arts in La Jolla, California, where she teaches music and inspires students to write their original material. Natasha founded and fronts for Baby Bushka, an all-female, eight-piece Kate Bush experience.We chat about what sparks her creativity and inspires her live performances as an artiste.

Meet Cedrice Ce, singer/songwriter from San Diego, CA, and known by many as the goddess in Season 18 of The Voice. Her soulful style, genre versatility, smooth tone, and musical retention made her a huge standout in the show. She’s now embraced as an inspiration and light to those with alopecia. Diagnosed at age ten after losing chunks of hair, she endured severe bullying and fell into depression. She tried wearing wigs, but always felt she was hiding her real identity. Along her musical journey, Cedrice decided to embrace what made her unique and began shaving her head. With the power back in her hands, she boldly took the stage and started singing publicly in her natural hair. She has a brand new single out called “Room to Grown” available on various platforms. In this interview, we got to talking about her musical journey and how alopecia has impacted her as an artist.

In this episode, I chat with Draeh Jirnea, singer and songwriter from San Diego making a creative living. Being a preacher's kid, it was only natural that her musical journey would begin in the church, where she sang her first solo at the tender age of three. By high school, Draeh was signed to Warner Brothers but moved on from the deal to protect her artistic integrity, a move that proved to be a wise choice. She got another chance to shine as a contestant on Season 3 of American Idol, making it all the way to the Hollywood group rounds. She got a powerful jumpstart into life as a working singer when Doug Booth, one of the band members of Rockola, heard her singing behind the barista bar at Starbucks. Since then, she’s fueled the front line of top bands like Big Time Operator, Kicks, Lucky Devils, and many others. Since the lockdown started, Draeh has been focused on health and fitness as well as home-schooling her two children. 

Meet Rina Cervantes, the effortlessly soulful Latin American songstress, also known as Rain Bisou and lead singer of neo-soul/ R&B cover band, The Stonecutters. Although she’s a classically trained soprano, Rain seamlessly blends her powerful voice into almost any genre, delivering a unique neosoul flavor as chilling, refreshing, and seductive as a perfect storm. As a mother, educator, and most importantly, a creator, Rain is continuously geared towards creating a positive impact on her audience, not just by making beautiful music, but by also stirring the human spirit and elevating it to a higher plane of consciousness.

This is Daneen Wilburn, a San Diego based singer. She's known for her trademark tone and gospel sound, which can be traced back to her roots in gospel music, and for daring to dream big. By age seven, Daneen was the lead singer of the family band, and by the time she turned 19, she was singing at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, along with some of gospel music’s top names, including Edwin Hawkins, Darryl Coley, and Ricky Grundy. After a 20 year hiatus during which she married and started a family, Daneen triumphantly returned to music, and has opened for Graham Nash of Crosby Stills and Nash, Credence Clearwater Revival, and sang background for music legends like The Pointer Sisters. In 2018, she released her debut, self titled album, produced by Grammy winner Kamau Kenyatta, who says, “When Daneen sings, you will believe every word.”

Meet Eden Casteel of Wakefield from Rhode Island. She’s a pro with online music platforms, a multifaceted performer, pianist, producer, and independent studio owner. Eden holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory Of Music and a Master of Music degree from The University of Maryland. She’s also a past president of the Rhode Island chapter of NATS and a charter member of The Speakeasy Cooperative. We got down to business talking about high-fidelity and low-latency online music platforms and the promise they hold for the future, and discussed the extraordinary opportunities she’s created in her teaching studio for singers during the quarantine.

Meet Singer/guitarist, Lorraine Theresa, from San Diego. She’s all about blues, jazz, soul, R&B, and Latin-influenced music - most of the time. Currently, she’s revisiting her classical guitar passion and working on a new album with members of her trio - the Besos de Coco. The album features some original tracks as well as some standard covers. Lorraine's singing career path began when she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music as well as a Music Teaching Credential from San Diego State University. She’s also studied under the tutelage of Fred Benedetti. In this episode, we caught up on what it’s like to rebuild our careers amidst a world-wide crisis.

Meet Clay Colton, leader of the Clay Colton Band. They play an eclectic blend of Classic Rock Covers, Alternative Rock favorites, and authentic Americana/Southern Rock. They've invented their own sound that is at the heart of American culture. It's simple, play rock, with any adjective you prefer to put in front of the word. He also fronts a 1950s Rock 'n' Roll project, The Jukebox Kings. You'll normally find him performing up to five nights per week at a San Diego venue and-- during the pandemic-- Facebook live concerts. Clay’s also working on a new album which he plans to release online. In this episode, I had a great talk with him about live streaming and connecting with your audience.