The London Garcia Radio Show BLOG

Tune in Saturday @ 5:00pm (PST) to “The London Garcia Show”!

• Listen ‘LIVE’ online at www.latalkradio.com
• Or…through an iPhone
• Or…through a Blackberry
• Or…through a wi-fi radio

We have two amazing guests in the studio to start off 2009 right!  What better way to start off the year than with the best of the west…..CALIFORNIA!

 One of our guests, Jeremy Wright, #1 Body boarder in California and #6 in the U.S.  is sitting in the “London Garcia” hot seat just 10 days before he leaves for Hawaii to kick some body boarding ‘bootay’.

Although there is a lot of ongoing news and press about Jeremy, I was told that it’s the “heart” of this guy that stands out most.  I was reading his blog and the thing that stood out to me the most was a picture of his mom in the blog and the caption was, “My mom is beautiful”.   I could just freakin’ cry my eyes out after reading that!  That kinda thing turns the girls to mush in a heartbeat but word on the street is he’s taken.  Sorry girls!  I can’t wait to meet this phenomenal young man.

JEREMY WRIGHT

http://www.waveslave.net/jeremy_1.html

 Also on the show is 7th Sun, a band that is impressive as a group as well as having amazing backgrounds individually.

FROM THE BEGINNING  is the exciting new CD from the Los Angeles-based 7th Sun.  “A rockin’ disc,”  writes ALL ACCESS MAGAZINE.  The track, ‘New Generation’, comes alive with honky-tonk piano and gritty slide guitar leads.  Lead vocalist/guitarist, JT Curtis has one of the more sincere voices around, and what he has to say is well worth listening to.”

The band received two nominations:  “Best Independent CD” and “Guitarist of the Year” (JT Curtis)  – for the 5th Annual South Bay Music Awards,  taking place Saturday, February 21 at the L.A. Sports Arena.  In October, 7th Sun recently performed to a capacity house at the Palmer Room in Los Angeles for their CD Release Party. The band describes their music as “Supernova Rock’  - a fusion of sound that runs the gamut from classic rock, progressive rock, funk rock, to alternative rock/jam band. FROM THE BEGINNING  is a high-energy concept album; the band’s instrumental firepower - with lyrics that juxtapose the uplifting idealism and the unknown darkness of modern-day culture - is driving this album into the subterranean rock market of the music industry.

The group is fronted by 22-year-old musical wunderkind, JT Curtis (lead vocals, lead guitar, main songwriter).  Curtis’ musical beginnings started at an early age; his burning desire to play music has taken him from California to Austin, Texas; to New York City, where 7th Sun performed recently at renowned music spot, Kenny’s Castaways, on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. Curtis has also written production music for CBS television, and other music houses in L.A. and in NYC.

Adam Kury (bass/co-lead vocals) provides the melodic influences and intense rhythms that drive the band. Kury also performs with the grunge band, Candlebox. Stephen Quadros (drums/backing vocals) provides intensity, precision, and originality. Quadros is also known throughout the world as “The Fight Professor,” a title he procured as a broadcaster for EliteXC mixed martial art shows  seen on Showtime.  Michael Russeck is the band’s very talented young keyboardist, playing organ, piano and lending a hand with vocals.  Russeck is also an accomplished painter and aspiring actor.  “With its timely, provocative lyrics and timeless gut-grabbing music, FROM THE BEGINNING  should launch 7th Sun into the big time. The debut album by this California band led by JT Curtis is brimming with gritty vocals, stinging guitars and heady, heartfelt harmonies.  FROM THE BEGINNING  is a fresh new take on the classic roots rock sound of legendary acts like the Allman Brothers Band and Derek and the Dominos.” - Steve Isreal (Syndicated Music Critic)

http://7thsunband.com

www.myspace.com/7thsun

Thanks to Doug Deutsch for mentioning “The London Garcia Show” in the following publications:

LA2Day Calendar
http://www.la2day.com/7th_sun_interviewed_live_on_the_london_garcia_show_sat_january_3

Real Talk L.A.
http://www.realtalkla.com/events/show/633

LA.com
http://events.la.com/studio-city-ca/events/show/85773083-7th-sun-rock-band-interviewed-on-london-garcia-show-saturday-jan-3

LA Weekly’s Backpage.com
http://losangeles.backpage.com/online/classifieds/ViewAd?uid=2422d5af4312e5a45f79957dae47a0bf&oid=oid%3A3159902

Mickie’s Zoo blogspot (writes for The San Gabriel Valley Tribune)
http://www.mickieszoo.blogspot.com/

NBC News “LA Around Town”
http://events.nbclosangeles.com/studio-city-ca/events/show/85773083-7th-sun-rock-band-interviewed-on-london-garcia-show-saturday-jan-3
http://events.nbclosangeles.com/studio-city-ca/events/show/85785053-the-london-garcia-show-on-wwwlatalkradiocom-interviews-supernova-rock-band-7th-sun-saturday-january-3

All of January, I’m paying tribute to those entertainers and legends who have influenced my creative dreams in “showbiz”.  This week, I’m thanking Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball for showing the world that you can be a phenomenal, strong, beautiful, and HYSTERICAL woman!  In fact, they proved that it doesn’t matter how old you get when you have FUNNY running through your blood!  Funny never goes out of style.

IT’S THE LAST SHOW OF THE YEAR!  <sniff, sniff…>

And what better way to end it but with CHICKS WHO RULE!    The London Garcia Show ~ this Saturday ~ 12/27 ~ 5:00pm (PST) ~ on L.A. Talk Radio ~ listen “LIVE” through www.latalkradio.com or download Flycast (www.flycast.fm) to your iPhone or Blackberry to listen that way!

On the show:   Kathy Marino is with us to talk about her company, CDJV (Corporate Development for Joint Ventures), and how her unconventional way of doing business has alot of the “who’s who” folks ringing her phone off the hook.

CDJV works behind the scenes specializing in conceptualizing and producing events that make waves, create buzz, and help worthy businesses and foundations grow.  She’s sought after by the best of the best having worked behind the scenes with The Mighty Ducks and The Anaheim Angels as well as a number of other media outlets including radio.

Recently, CDJV created quite a buzz for an exclusive event featuring Harper’s Bazaar Magazine’s Executive Beauty Editor Avril Graham…

…at the new Donna Karan New York store at South Coast Plaza.

The event was a huge benefit to the well-known Orangewood Children’s Foundation, one of Gwen Stefani’s favorite charities.

Kathy will also be sharing about what’s happening to traditional media, how her agency was conceived, and the need to merge topics of inspiration during the recession.  It’s like she shared with me, “You CAN predict the future…..by creating it”.  2009 is undoubtedly positioned to be her biggest and most exciting year.

Resilient in the face of a very challenging economy, she takes on the attitude of one of her favorite quotes:   “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations”.

www.cdjv.com

We’re also chattin’ with pop music’s ellee ven.

ellee shares about her latest release, “DANGEROUS DIVERSION”, an album that proves that she can still surprise her fans with, yet again, a fresh new sound.

ellee ven’s positive, conscious music has been heard far and wide, but this artist is much more than a singer.  Her experience is a perfect example to those interested in paving their own way. ellee ven’s Hot Sauce Records started with only a dream and now is producing upbeat music that is heard all over the world.

Coming from an interesting background made up of Spanish, Greek, Italian, Russian and German, the songstress admits, “It’s tough to keep up, but in the interest of creating something unique, I keep creating.”  ellee ven’s writing is an admitted indulgence, fusing dance jams and ballads created with veteran and up and coming producers. Some of these are Reggie Dozier (Outkast, Joss Stone & Justin Timberlake), DJ Swamp, Antony Lee, DJ Solange, Trypsin & Prodéje. There has been no attempt at being “genre specific” as an artist, but instead a conscious attempt to stretch out and try different ideas without yielding to commercial pressures or trends .  With this formula, she has managed to hone in on a genre all her own called “groovetonics”.

Her previous release PROJECT 11 VOLUME 6 features the single ROLL THE DICE . The single features Prodéje and has 8 remixes of the dance jam ranging from trip hop to Latin house.  Prodéje was in the SOUTH CENTRAL CARTEL, a group that stood alongside fellow early-’90s West Coast collectives such as NWA, Compton’s Most Wanted, and Above the Law, Spice 1 as gangsta rap pioneers.

And the experimentation doesn’t stop there. The daughter of a European designer/fashion model and an entrepreneur, ellee ven has produced a collection of leisurewear while touring the country and staging artistically-themed charity benefits like “Give into the Groove”, and developing an episodic cartoon based on her experiences.

www.elleeven.com

For a good time, go to www.latalkradio.com on Saturday (12/27) @ 5:00pm.

The London Garcia Show ~ Saturday, December 20 @ 5:00pm on L.A. Talk Radio, www.latalkradio.com 

What kind of producer gets noticed by:

???

Well…..it’s a powerhouse team that can be described as a combination of:

And you get to hear the who, what, how, why of it all!

AND…..THE DEADLINE FOR THE MUSIC BOXX VOTES IS DEC. 21 (THE DAY AFTER THE SHOW).  TUNE IN TO HEAR ‘WHO’  THE FINAL CONTENDERS ARE FOR THE #1 SPOT!  WHO WILL WIN LONDON GARCIA’S MUSIC BOXX PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD  FOR Q1-2009?

AND…..ALL THE FEATURED BANDS/ARTISTS SELECTED FOR MUSIC BOXX 1ST QUARTER 2009 WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY THE END OF THIS MONTH!

The London Garcia Show ~ Saturday, 12/20 @ 5:00pm ~ on L.A. Talk Radio
Listen online on www.latalkradio.com or through your iPhone or through your Blackberry (just go to www.flycast.fm to download the software to your phone…SO easy!) or listen on any wi-fi radio.

The London Garcia Show   (You know the deal…..Saturday, Dec. 13 @ 5:00pm on L.A. Talk Radio, www.latalkradio.com)

— For the “Rock”, we have Neverwonder —

Neverwonder, an L.A.-based band with a modern rock/soul sound, has made their mark in the music industry and among fans with hints of Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden with vocals of Tina Turner, Joss Stone, and Pink  in their music.

• Fronting Neverwonder is sultry former American Idol vocalist Megan Bobo.  Bobo finished among the Top 25 Finalists during Season 5 of the 1-rated hit television series.  She was also nominated for “Best Female Vocalist” Award for the 2007 South Bay Music Awards.
• The pulse and backbone of Neverwonder are Andres & Vincent Ramos (of Exploiting Eve), exceptional musicians and voted one of the Best Bands in Southern California by Music Connection magazine. The duo’s experience includes playing venues such as House of Blues (LA/OC), The Roxy, Key Club, Viper Room, Galaxy Theater and The Coach House.   They’ve been featured on KLOS 95.5 FM radio and have been sponsored by Vestal watches.
• Nathan Brenton, not quite twenty years old, has already amassed a formidable arsenal of musical experience and knowledge. An Orange County native, this multi-instrumentalist is rapidly gaining recognition as a guitarist, a music teacher, and a cellist.  A graduate of the prestigious arts school, The Orange County High School of the Arts, Nathan’s studies included commercial songwriting, vocal techniques, music theory, music technology, jazz guitar, and symphonic orchestra.  An electrifying stage performer with a charismatic smile, Nathan is looking forward to contributing his talents to his new friends, Neverwonder!
• Neverwonder’s other guitarist is Scott Ramsey.  Scott picked up the guitar at the ripe old age of 15 and jumped right into the rock and metal world.  With some friends as bandmates, this Scottish native began proving himself with gigs at backyard parties and local clubs in Glendale, CA.  Having an epiphany at a dead end bank job, Scott realized his goal: playing guitar for a career.  While doing some local R&B shows, Scott met up with the future members of his most successful group to date, Rayzing Sons.  Starting in 2001, Rayzing Sons began to terrorize local clubs with their high energy brand of “soul metal” moving onto 3 releases, national tours, and 3 television commercials (Tiltleist, Florida Orange Juice, Cox Cable).  With mutual friends in common, it was just a matter of time before Scott would cross paths with Dre and Vincent of Neverwonder.  To join the group was a no-brainer for Scott and he has completed the sound Neverwonder has been searching for.

— For the “R&B”, we have Qyeendom —

A 12-year old rapper, Qyeendom is the youngest artist on London Garcia’s MUSIC BOXX.

Qyeendom is exploding onto the music scene, using her little voice with big sounds. She completed her debut album at the tender age of 12.  This young lady is very knowledgeable in history as you will see through her music. Although she has fun with her lyrics, she also likes to encourage and inform others. Being the 3rd youngest sibling of eight, she is able to relate to various situations on different levels.  Qyeendom grew up modeling and acting under the tutelage of her parents, who are novice photographers and filmmakers. She would like to pursue a career in modeling and further develop her acting skills. She is a natural in front of the camera.  When she’s not checking out the latest videos, Qyeendom enjoys watching Good Times, Hannah Montana, Prince of Egypt,  and Dreamgirls.   You can even spot her watching football, boxing, basketball or tennis matches from time to time. Versatile is what she is and she is just beginning.  At Qyeendom’s young age, this young lady’s star is shining brightly.

— For the “Mini-Me”, well…….she’s about 3 1/2 feet tall, sounds like Minnie Mouse, and quite honestly……she scares me. —

Last, but not least…

Ahoy!  The Captain is back again.  This time he won’t be bustin’ in and won’t be having us pulled off the air again.  But I’m sure he’ll find some way to invade my personal space…

The London Garcia Show ~ Saturday, 12/13 @ 5:00pm ~ on L.A. Talk Radio

Listen online on www.latalkradio.com or through your iPhone or through your Blackberry (just go to www.flycast.fm to download the software to your phone…SO easy!) or through a handy dandy wi-fi radio.

……back on in less than 2 minutes.  What happened?

Many of the listeners are familiar with my longtime co-host, The Captain.  Well, The Captain has been on a little hiatus.  So we were on the phone last week catching up and he was available at the last minute so we made plans for him to co-host this last Saturday.  I hadn’t made any announcement about him coming on the show so we talked about playing a little trick on the listeners and figured we’d work out the details of our evil plan on the way to the show.  So we did our “go green” thing and rode together (it’s really not for the environment…..it’s just because we’re too cheap and always trying to spend as little money as possible on gas).  So during the drive, we got it all worked out and kept laughing about how funny it would be.  We get to the station and we tell the guests that they have to be in character for our little scheme.  And might I add…..Oscar-winning performances by those two.

So the show started.  “And…..ACTION!”  The Captain “breaks into the station”.  I act like I didn’t know he was coming.  We’re all in character.  Everything is going as planned and I think, “Oh this is great! I bet we’re fooling all the listeners!  We should ALL be nominated for Oscars!”

Well, I forgot one tiny, little detail in my plan……

…….to tell the owner of the station.

He was listening to the show, didn’t know what was happening, so pulled the plug on the show, took me off the air.  He called the station freaked out thinking I was being held up or something.  I told him what we were doing, he says, “Well ya fooled ME!”, and he got the show back on the air within 2 minutes.

But take a listen to last Saturday’s show (12/6/08) and enjoy!  (of course, you can’t hear what was happening when we were off the air, but I had to share with ya’ll!)

Go to www.latalkradio.com - search for my show on the left (“The London Garcia Show”) and you’ll find it in the archives.

***ALSO, on that same show, our guest Russel Hornbeek of Music Saves Lives, brought with him Joslyn Davis, the online host of Project Runway.”  Good times… (those two were in on the ”station just got hijacked” performance)  By the way, Mr. Spielberg or Mr. Coppola, we’re all available for hire.

One guy had the guts to shake up a few people, get ‘em a little uncomfortable…well maybe a LOTTA uncomfortable…..like…

The Red Cross

The Warped Tour

He told them:

• Music affects lives
• Music loves lives
• Music invents lives
• Music builds lives
• Music shapes lives

And then he showed them…… MUSIC SAVES LIVES

This Saturday, 12/6 @ 5:00pm, we chat with Russel Hornbeek, the founder of MUSIC SAVES LIVES.

Music Saves Lives   is the conduit between music, entertainment and important life-saving causes. Since beginning in 2005, the Music Saves Lives  community has grown to be a trusted source for young individuals that care and want to learn about life-saving issues. Our community has found that Music Saves Lives  offers an easy way to give back in the cities they live in and travel to along with connecting to the entertainment they love. MSL  has focused its main efforts on blood donation and the bone marrow registry, reaching out by sharing facts, educating and creating life saving events.

“We want to help educate young people about the importance of simple life saving actions they can participate in that identifies them as part of the community.”

“We are currently applying for our Non-Profit status and looking worldwide to have one focus:  saving lives. We have grown from Southern California to Nationwide  and we are looking outside our boarders to spread the MSL goal.”

A simple plan of saving lives.  “Saving Lives Has Never Sounded So Good!”

Their Mission:

• Community - “To create opportunities for people to save lives with simple contributions and to teach the facts about the affects of what they contribute to. We then bridge their efforts to something special related to music, musical artists and general entertainment.”
• Industry - “To give the music industry and related industries the opportunity for a targeted direction in saving lives and giving back to the community.”
• Organizations - “To work with life-saving organizations by giving them the opportunity to advance their goals as we reach out to college and high school markets. We are educating thousands of students that will be the life saving factor in the future.”

www.musicsaveslives.com - and their partners/supporters:

Tune in this Saturday @ 5pm on www.latalkradio.com - listen online or on your iPhone……or you can get really frisky and listen on your wi-fi radio!

This Saturday, 11/29 @ 5:00pm on “The London Garcia Show”

To listen, go to www.londongarcia.com  and click on the L.A. Talk Radio link above the string of white lights  or go to www.latalkradio.com

ALSO!  Find out how you can listen through your iPhone!  (takes 3 min. to set up and the instructions are on the L.A. Talk Radio website)

Most artists or bands pursuing their craft often feel played by the music industry.  And then you get a band like West8Five who not only plays their music but they get down to business and blaze a new trail and do what it takes to play for keeps.

Felipe and Adam,  the creators of West8Five, formed the band in New York where they were living.  The band members, from Mexico, Minnesota, Tennessee, and Venezuela, created a rich diversity that continually entertains and inspires people everywhere.  Their music is a soulful blend of catchy pop/rock and Latin rhythms.  The band’s Spanish/English fusion creates a uniquely contagious sound that unfailingly gets fans on their feet. A quick look at the fan base tells the diverse, culturally transcendent story of this band - breaking boundaries in the tradition of some of the best music of our time.

“It’s like a night out for margaritas and tequila shots with Maroon 5 and Jack Johnson!”

The band started out as an acoustic duo back in the spring of 2003 when lead singer/guitarist Adam Piotrowski  met fellow singer/bassist Felipe Cano  at New York City’s HB Studio, the esteemed theatre school founded by Herbert Berghof and Uta Hagen. The duo quickly unlocked a strong creative chemistry between one another, naturally blending their musical and personal backgrounds to create an exciting sound.  As their music grew, they met drummer Jeremy Portwood  and percussionist Demian Arriaga  who together added an exciting rhythmic flare to the music.  Their following grew quickly in NYC and the band began packing shows at the city’s hottest music venues such as The Mercury Lounge, The Knitting Factory, The Cutting Room, and Crash Mansion to name a few.  Soon after they were invited to play with Grammy award-winning artists Ozomatli  at the closing show of the esteemed Breckenridge Spring Massive Festival in Colorado, joining a small list of well-known artists who have been given that honor.  Following the release of their debut album, Life Is Good,  the band relocated to Southern California for a host of new opportunities following a wave of press throughout the entertainment and music community including features in Spin Magazine (Nov ‘06) and Stuff Magazine (Mar ‘07).

“Congratulations…it’s brilliant!”     — Marta Iglesias, Press Manager, Juanes

“I’m very impressed…West 8 Five’s eclectic sounds and song craft make them unique. I especially like when they kick in the Spanish!”     — Malcolm Campbell, Publisher, SPIN Magazine

“Watch out for these guys, they’re going to be huge. I love them!”     — Rick Dees, Radio Host, Movin’ 93.9FM, Rick Dees In The Morning, The Weekly Top 40

“One of the best undiscovered bands to hit Southern California! Their music is the perfect combination of rock, pop, and a Latin flair.”     — Patricia Lopez, TV/Radio Host, LATV, DirecTV, Movin’ 93.9FM

“The single  ‘On & On’  featured as 3 on Stuff Magazine’s Hit List of Top 10 Songs to Download”     — Stuff Magazine (March 2007)

“On & On’  wins a slew of awards, including Best Song and Best Male Vocal, beating out close to 20,000 competitors!”     — Garageband.com (Nov/Dec)

Earlier this year, Felipe  and  Adam decided to give West8Five a creative break.  Most bands and other musical artists run themselves ragged in this unpredictable and rapidly changing music industry.  Felipe  and Adam  plan on being in the music business until…..well forever actually.  And Saturday, you get to hear from 2 guys who are not  playing to the tune of the music industry, but rather creating a new one that will have everybody listening for what’s next, and then what’s next after that, and so on…..(you get the picture).

* Listen LIVE on www.latalkradio.com or take just 3 minutes to program your  iPhone  and listen wherever you are! *

This Saturday @ 5pm on “The London Garcia Show”, I have the pleasure of chatting with one of music’s most respected talents, Earl R. Johnson Jr. 

Although a local guy for us, his impact has been global.  Johnson is definitely a legend in his own right and he doesn’t need say it.  Just ask Patti Austin, Brian McKnight, Chaka Khan, Jeffrey Osborne, Beyonce, Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, or Kenny Lattimore.  He has performed or toured with them ALL.  He is also a prolific producer and has made arrangements for many recording artists including K-Ci and JoJo, Chante Moore, and T.C. Carson.  He has conducted orchestras for a variety of musical situations including the wedding of actress  Lela Rochon  (”Waiting to Exhale”) and Director Antoine Fuqua  (”Training Day”).

Earl’s mastery of the piano and keyboards has captivated audiences around the world; most notably as Keyboardist and Featured Soloist with Chaka Khan.

Tune in Saturday to hear about the person behind the impressive and accomplished talent known as Earl R. Johnson Jr.

And co-hosting with London Garcia  is…

…Wood The Beginning.

(God, I hope he wakes up before the show…)

 I promise you…..you will be inspired.  Listen for that extra something that fuels your own dreams.

Saturday ~ 5:00pm (Pacific Standard Time) ~ only on  L.A. Talk Radio ~ www.latalkradio.com

www.londongarcia.com ~ www.londongarcia.com/musicboxx

What does our guest…

…have to do with…

  ???

Hmmm???

And what does our co-host…

…have to do with…

  ???

Hmmm???

You know the deal!  It’s like you read on that bathroom wall:  “For a good time, listen to “The London Garcia Show” on Saturday, 11/15 @ 5:00pm.”

Listen online at:  www.latalkradio.com - or listen on your iPhone (instructions are on www.latalkradio.com)

A bazillion archives are also available on www.londongarcia.com as well as www.latalkradio.com

It’s ALWAYS a good time with London baby!