The Dive Bar Rock Star Podcast

George Shelby- Never Sight Read...Ever (Phil Collins, The Voice)

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

Cory James- We’re Living In A Chops Era (Trixie Mattel)

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

Gary ”Gig” Grantham- We’re Not In The Music Business, We’re In Show Business (TLR- Experience The Eagles’ Music, Castle Entertainment Group)

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

Bill Cinque- We Leave on Sunday (Neil Diamond, Peter Asher)

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

Steve Ferlazzo- The Playing Comes First (Avril Lavigne, Nuno Bettencourt)

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

Loren Gold- Everybody Makes Mistakes (The Who, Hillary Duff)

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

Mike Hill- Don’t Be Afraid To Ask (Postmodern Jukebox, Mad T Party)

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

Michael Bluestein- Phantom Limbs (Foreigner, Enrique Iglesias)

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

Rudy Cardenas- The Wedding Session Rock Star (American Idol, Waiting for Monday)

Rudy Cardenas talks about what it’s like to make a living as a singer in Los Angeles. He covers session work, wedding bands, and tribute acts as well as his new band project “Waiting for Monday” which is signed to Frontiers Records. Rudy gets candid about his time on Season 6 of American Idol and the ups and downs of that experience. He discusses what the audition process was like and how it’s effected his career since.
Waiting for Monday
https://open.spotify.com/album/764loqGIi3sdSlSARDkadp?si=0ltEZyxAT9-Mb8W7ydoZ_A
Rudy Cardenas: Fly
https://open.spotify.com/album/4ZxutH6i9OOUIjqTeV9e9c?si=ZQR9fzJaTfumNdRJGpBDYg

Jackiem Joyner- Will Smith in Russia (The Sax Pack, Keiko Matsui)

Saxophonist Jackiem Joyner talks about his career as a sideman playing with Keiko Matsui and others while building his brand and eventually becoming a #1 charting artist. He talks about the challenges of producing his own records and reveals how he gets his signature sax sound. Jackiem talks about his favorite plugins and mixing styles. He also discusses his other talent: novelist. Check out his new album “Touch”.
Touch
https://open.spotify.com/album/6l3WC746tLslsTMqPu6DYb?si=irMhVIH8SYm_aLioGqYI_w
http://jackiemjoyner.com