MASUMI's sultry, sweet contralto voice has a message to tell:

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Japan, singer-songwriter MASUMI was inspired to seize life and follow her ambition of creating music that brings hope after living through the frightening natural disaster that hit Japan in 2011.

In late 2014 MASUMI performed in several venues and radio stations around Tokyo to promote her self-entitled EP. The EP release party, that also took place in Tokyo, had the support and presence of Grammy-nominated artist NATHAN EAST. During 2014 JAPAN tour, MASUMI performed in several venues around Tokyo, including the legendary ASTRO HALL and SHIMOKITAZAWA ERA.

"Bloom" is the result of a partnership with Swedish singer-songwriter Mona Najib. The duo's debut EP was produced and recorded by Dorian Holly (Michael Jackson, The Tonight Show, American Idol) and Grammy award-winning producer and engineer J.J. Blair. The duo MASUMI+MONA toured in Sweden in early 2014 to promote the EP, which was also released on the same year.

MASUMI works with the independent band from Sweden, Melpo Mene, whose music has topped international music charts and has been featured in film and TV.

Listen, Subscribe and Follow MASUMI:

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Katherine Eva is a singer, songwriter, and performer, living in Los Angeles, California. Originally from Seattle, Washington, Katherine Eva began studying music at age three and grew up singing in numerous vocal styles. She has performed at many venues throughout the Seattle area, as well as in New York City, Japan, Nevada, and Idaho. Her main style is R&B and Pop, however she also has an extensive background in Jazz, Classical, and World Music. Katherine Eva currently performs at various venues in the Los Angeles area, continues to study music and performance at The Song Writing School of Los Angeles, and is working towards recording her first album. Her music aims to connect her own experiences and emotions with people's everyday life and sentiments.

David Ryan Harris is a Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter.

Born in Illinois and raised in Georgia, Harris' style incorporates elements of rock, rhythm and blues, and folk, paired with a soulful voice, and masterful guitar work.

He has released three albums of his own; David Ryan Harris (1997), Soulstice (2003), and The Bittersweet (2007). His fourth; the highly-anticipated Lightyears will be released in early-2015.

Known and sought after for his abilities as a performer and collaborator, Harris has worked both onstage and behind the scenes with John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Marc Broussard, and Carlos Santana, among others. Additionally, Harris has worked as a writer/producer for artists such as India.Arie, Guy Sebastian, Dionne Farris, Christina Perri, Phillip Phillips and Natasha Bedingfield.

David Ryan Harris can currently be seen with his band and in solo configurations in support of his forthcoming album Lightyears.

davidryanharris.com

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Encore presentation of installment 10/21/2014

Zane Carney currently plays lead guitar for Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark on Broadway with Los Angeles based Interscope Recording act CARNEY.

Born and half-raised in NYC, Zane moved to Los Angeles as a child and developed an affinity for the guitar in Junior High when he started performing at local blues clubs. After attending Hamilton High School Academy of Music and touring Japan with the Monterey National All-Star Big Band, he began his collegiate studies at University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music majoring in Studio/Jazz Guitar. As a Guitarist and former Oboist, many of his schooling years included performances with Symphony Orchestras and Chamber Groups which lead to an educational background that is equally classical and jazz. This diversity of musical styles and methods helped to form a unique sound that draws just as much from Jazz as it does Delta Blues, Rock and Roll and Impressionism.

Zane has been fortunate to tour the world (Jesse McCartney, Renee Olstead, Armand Sabal-Lecco, etc.), perform regularly on national television (Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, Good Morning America, etc.), and play lead guitar as an onstage musician at Last Call with Carson Daly and CW's Oh Sit. On top of this, he has performed with a diverse group of jazz artists including John Daversa whose Big Band album "Junk Wagon" and Small Group record "Artful Joy" feature Zane's jazz playing.

Outside of session and touring work, Zane is fortunate to have two strong outlets as an artist. One is though his band CARNEY which he shares with brother/lead singer Reeve Carney who is currently playing the title role of Peter Parker in Broadway's Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark. CARNEY has toured the US, Canada and Australia opening for U2, Fergie, The Veronicas, The Black Crowes and Gov't Mule while also playing guitar for John Mayer on the road. The other is as a singer/songwriter creating, recording and performing his own material. In his spare time, Zane teaches music theory and guitar masterclasses at universities in LA and NY.

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@zanecarney (Twitter & Instagram)

Kira Hooks - Hailing from Los Angeles, Kira Hooks is a driven, passionate and charismatic singer songwriter who set out to approach her music with a unique feel. Growing up in different countries around the world, she's an artist with many facets.

Her brand new album, 'Elephant Heart', features a collection of twelve songs that fall somewhere in between the warmth of soul, the melodies of pop and the explosive grooves of Latin/Funk music.

The album is colorful and kaleidoscopic, featuring the performances of an ensemble of proficient and expressive musicians whose sound is a great complement to Kira's vibrant and heartfelt vocals.

This self-proclaimed "old soul" managed to create a sound that defies genre limitations, borrowing inspiration from many different eras and performers the likes of Billie Holiday, The Andrew Sisters, Ray Charles and Cole Porter, just to name a few. Kira is an eclectic performer and talented songwriter who refuses to get stuck in a box, while managing to keep her music accessible and easy to relate to.

kirahooks.com

Jamaican-born artist, Micha Ciselle is gearing up to release her freshman EP this summer. The EP is called "Lover's Leap" and the four-song compilation celebrates taking chances and Love -- a term the songstress often uses as a metaphor for music. Mixed and Mastered by one of Jamaica's most recognized engineers, Rohan Dwyer, Lover's Leap will be the first official musical statement for this Island beauty.

Half Trinidadian, half Jamaican, the LA-based singer ingeniously fuses the music of her roots with Pop and electronic music. A singer/songwriter at heart, Micha Ciselle wrote the lyrics for this project, as well as the music for two of the four tracks – "Ready for Love," and "Fallin'"-- which Dwyer then brought to life, enlisting the talents of some of Jamaica's finest musicians. Lover's Leap strongly reflects her dual nationality, and listeners can look forward to hearing prominent dancehall and reggae influences, soca references, and a distinct Pop flavor. The EP showcases her soulful vocals and intricate background vocal arrangements – a trademark she has become known for.

The title of the EP was inspired by the singer's personal experience with music. Micha Ciselle took a chance in 2010 and moved to California after being awarded LA College of Music's most prestigious scholarship, where she was mentored by artists such as Dorian Holley (Michael Jackson, American Idol) and Tierney Sutton (multiple Grammy Award nominee). Since taking this leap of faith, Micha Ciselle has embarked on a steady journey, establishing herslef in the music industry. In 2011 she was invited to a private audition for The Voice where she was one of the few to progress in the audition rounds. In 2012 she contributed one of the top performing tracks on the compilation album – Absinthe. Produced by Jamaican outfit, Jus Eazy Productions, who have worked with artists such as Ky-mani Marley and Busy Signal, Absinthe also includes selections from Internationally acclaimed Jamaican group, Voicemail among others. In 2013 she collaborated with the TV/music producer of 3Gfilms, LA to create the single "Beautiful". Micha Ciselle has also graced many stages in LA including The House of Blues, The Mint, Whiskey A Go Go and festivals such as David Arquette's Piece Fest – the first festival of it's kind for the actor.

"Lover's Leap" is a long-anticipated labor of love for Micha Ciselle and is the next logical progression in her musical forays.

NORM "NOMZEE" MAXWELL (born 1969) is an American Contemoprary Artist living and working in Los Angeles. His work is a commentary on social issues concerning Politics, Religion, Mythology, Popular and Urban Culture. Maxwell's signature style references a broad range of genres, merging traditional techniques with his graffiti-esque aesthetic to create a rich and diverse visual language that is uniquely his own.

EARLY LIFE

Norm Maxwell was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1969. He was introduced to art by his mother. As a youth Maxwell spent hours drawing, trying to imitate his mother's art school assignments. He became fascinated with a book entitled, "The History of Flight", wherein he discovered the various works of Leonardo da Vinci. As the era of Hip-Hop dawned on the urban landscape, Maxwell was introduced to graffiti in 1979, by his older brother who was a graffiti artist. He was immediately taken by the bright colors and the sense of rebellion, realizing that art was a way to gain local fame and recognition. In 1986 at the age of 16, Maxwell received his first commissioned mural which was painted on the Provident National Bank of Germantown.

INFLUENCES

Maxwell attended the Hussian School of Art, where he studied illustration. He spent weekends exploring galleries of the at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where he became intrigued with the Baroque paintings of the Renaissance Wing. Infatuated with the Surrealist movement and it's profound mystique, he was particularly drawn to their emphasis on liberating the subconscious mind. His most prominent influence was his painting instructor, Symbolist Painter, Virgil Sova, who introduced him to many seminal works such as " Man and his Symbols" by Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth". Sova encouraged Maxwell to incorporate meditation into his creative process as a tool to express the subconscious. Maxwell combined the process with graffiti and traditional concepts to launch a new aesthetic.

NORM MAXWELL STUDIO GALLERY

Norm Maxwell Studio Gallery, Los Angeles, was established in 2007. The gallery provided creative and exhibition space for collaborative projects with local and international artist. NMSG exhibitions featured artist from Beijing, Addis Abba, Seoul, Korea and Havana, Cuba. NMSG hosted the annual "Colors for Unity" exhibition in partnership with Inner City Educational Foundation since 2008. The show featured the work of over one hundred students from ten Los Angeles Unified Schools. In 2009 NMSG founded the Fairfax Artwalk in an effort to build community through art. Norm Maxwell Studio Gallery became an international destination synonymous with the emerging creative culture of the Fairfax District. NMGS was a featured Exhibitor of the Berliner Liste Art Fair in Berlin, Germany, 2011. NMSG has allowed Maxwell to procure collectors around the globe.

For more information on Norm Maxwell, please visit normmaxwell.com

Matt Knudsen (Kah-nood-son) was born in Hawaii, raised in the Mid-west and sailed around the world as a merchant marine. After trips to Africa, Europe and The Far East, he eventually put down his sea bag, he picked up a microphone and began performing stand up comedy all across the country.

As an actor, you may have seen Matt share the big screen with Oscar winner Sean Penn in the Warner Brothers feature Gangster Squad or you may also recognize him from his appearances in Emmy winning TV shows like Big Love, Boston Legal or Malcolm in the Middle just to name a few. Matt's also been a part of several high profile commercial campaigns for Volkswagen, Apple and GE; which have aired during the Superbowl and The Olympics.

As a stand up, he's appeared on Conan, The Late Late Show and Last Call as well as several festivals, including The San Francisco Sketchfest, Bridgetown, Laughing Skull, High Plains and the prestigious Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal; where he was named a "Best of the Fest."

His critically acclaimed albums The Comedy Stylings of Matt Knudsen and American are top downloads on iTunes, heard regularly on SiriusXM radio and "Mix droll observation with a dry, almost hypnotic delivery," (The Onion A.V. Club); and with Knudsen's unique style, "The personal feels universal, and the universal feels personal. The only explanation for this phenomenon is that it's all finely crafted comedy from a strong central voice...a great stand up album." (The Huffington Post)

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Crista Flanagan was born and raised in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. She graduated from Mt. Vernon Township High School and subsequently earned a Bachelor of Science from The University of Evansville and a MFA from The University of California, Irvine.

She made her major television debut when she starred on FOX’s late night sketch show MadTv as a series regular for five seasons. Crista then joined the cast of Mad Men for their first three seasons as tractor-riding secretary, Lois Sadler and won two SAG awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Other notable television credits include Marry Me, Mom, Workaholics, Hello Ladies, Trophy Wife, 2 Broke Girls, Last Man Standing, and Cougar Town. Crista also appeared on two covers for the August 2010 issue of Playboy Magazine.

For more bio info, pictures and news, visit cristaflanagan.com.

Growing far beyond his classical roots, Andrew Abaria sets his sights on writing and performing intricate pop songs that are as clever as they are powerful. This Los Angeles based Asian-American singer-songwriter is able to blend his seemingly boundless vocal ability with deceptively understated and heartfelt melodies.

In 2013, Andrew released "We Are the Underdogs," a five-original song EP produced by Mario Marchetti, who is known for producing and writing for Billboard-topping artists, such as Demi Lovato and JoJo. "We Are the Underdogs" is a collection of personal songs reflecting not only on moments of struggle and heartache, but also of hope and triumph. Andrew draws inspiration from his own life: Andrew grew up in a three bedroom house shared by 10 people, and his parents are Filipino immigrants who worked multiple jobs to pay for his schooling and piano lessons. The title track "We Are the Underdogs" serves as an anthem of determination despite life's obstacles.

As 2014 comes to a close, Abaria delivers a mighty new holiday track, "Maybe you'll kiss me this Christmas" produced by David Pramik. In the new year expect Andrew to hit the ground running with a variety of singles and live performances.

andrewabaria.com

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