At age 5, Brian sat at an out-of-tune piano and did his best John Lennon. From there, he never looked back. Brian spent a lot of time growing up in Havana, Florida. Surrounded by beautiful land and paddle-weilding principles that were eager to dole out the corporal punishment, he reflects now with song and lyric. The great Frank McCourt would say, "a normal childhood is hardly worth your while".
As an accomplished lyricist and singer/songwriter, his song Painted Red aired on the Disney/Family Channel series, Naturally Sadie and is currently recording his debut album, Feng Shui for Slobs (c). Brian Mackey is a talented, well deserved artist worth keeping an eye out for.
Every now and then, a new artist comes along who seems to effortlessly capture the imagination. Singer/songwriter Alyssa Bernal, a relatable girl with an unforgettable voice, is just that artist for a new generation. Alyssa was your everyday American teenager, busy with classes and cheerleading practice, when her heartfelt, acoustic YouTube clips caught the eye of superstar producer Pharrell Williams. Fast-forward a year later, and her debut album from Star Trak Entertainment is about to bring a much-needed breath of fresh air to the pop landscape.
For Alyssa, music comes about as naturally as breathing. The singer/songwriter was raised in a music-steeped household in San Antonio, Texas. During her childhood, Alyssa’s father was the drummer for groundbreaking Tejano band, and at the age of six she stood backstage and gazed out at stadium-sized crowds as he performed. The experience didn’t exactly ignite her passion for performing, though. “I was so shy!” Remembers Alyssa with a laugh, “my parents would dress me up and make me sing but I hated it.”
Somehow, her love of music overcame her fear of performing. By the time she was a teen in San Antonio, Alyssa uploaded a few homemade videos of herself singing cover songs like Rihanna’s “Take a Bow.” She taught herself to play guitar, and soon one video lead to dozens, and a rapidly-growing fan base around the globe. “People would message me and say that they had a horrible day and my songs changed their day,” Alyssa recalls. “It’s pretty touching. After a while I had to stop reading all of my messages because it got so overwhelming, but I always tried to open the ones from soldiers in the service.”
Since she received so many responses to her videos, Alyssa at first neglected her most famous admirer: Pharrell Williams. The platinum-selling artist and producer even tried contacting Alyssa’s high school to get in touch with her, but “they didn’t know who Pharrell was! They just thought it was some shady guy trying to get a hold of me,” laughs Alyssa. Finally, her mother spotted a MySpace message from Star Trak and 24 hours later, they flew to meet Williams and Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine at the Star Trak headquarters in Los Angeles. She impressed them with “Hey Love,” one of the first songs she ever wrote (now featured on the album), a perfectly Alyssa tune: breezy but strong, intricate and approachable.
"Finding a new talent like Alyssa is so exciting to me,” says Pharrell Williams. “There are a lot of young singers out there who can carry a tune, but Alyssa is the real deal. She is a true musician with an incredible voice."
Once signed, William’s manager and the head of Star Trak, Yaneley Arty, asked Alyssa who her dream producer might be. Without hesitation, she answered, “The guy who produced the last Jason Mraz album.” At the time, that “guy,” Martin Terefe—an accomplished producer known for his work with James Morrison, Train, Craig David and Cat Stevens—had a fully booked recording schedule, though he agreed to meet with Alyssa. After meeting with her for an hour, however, Terefe gave Alyssa an offer she couldn’t refuse: he’d open up his schedule, if she agreed to stay in London and begin recording immediately.
Next thing she knew, Alyssa and her mother had relocated to London, where she worked closely with Terefe over a period of seven weeks. Terefe developed Alyssa’s naturally sunny sound, enlivening her pop sensibility with notes of funk and soul. Most importantly, he encouraged Alyssa to write from her own experiences.
“The songs reflect what I was going through at that time,” says Alyssa of the resulting album, In Love Again For the First Time. “Because it’s my first album, the songs are very naïve and personal. They are about long-distance love, missing home, and the tone is very easy-going.” Alyssa has a natural ability to breathe vivid imagery into everyday matters of the heart. Her first experience of homesickness became “Raincloud Gray,” a collaboration with Grammy Award-winning artist and songwriter KT Tunstall. “One Of Us,” featuring Pharrell, is a sassy, danceable track dedicated to a young crush. “Stay” is an atmospheric ballad that plays like a love letter to her long-distance boyfriend. “Hold Me Tight,” a duet with Jason Wade of LifeHouse, is a moody, orchestral song.
From the shy girl who watched her father perform from the wings, to the confident young woman about to release an incredibly personal collection of songs to the world, Alyssa has come a long way. When she looks forward to the coming year, she can’t wait to step out on stage. “I’m really growing as a person and an artist,” says Alyssa. “I have a shy personality but when I’m performing, I calm down… I’m excited to tour and to interact with my fans. They’re always asking me, ‘When are you going to come to London or Paris?’ and I can’t wait to do that for them.” Though it’s been an incredible, globe-hopping year that has brought In Love Again For the First Time to life, Alyssa Bernal’s journey is just getting started.
(source and image credits: http://www.alyssabernal.com/bio/)
Ryan aka Ryecoon was born and raised in the Bay Area. He’s a talented upcoming underground artist who developed his love for music at a young age. Having 2 kids at an early age Ryan put his love for his music on hold to provide for his family; rapping was more of a hobby rather than career he wanted to pursue. Yet, his passion for music never left his mind. As he began write again, he soon realized even more what he loved the most... make music.
His mother was only 17 years old when she gave birth to Ryan. His parents' relationship was rocky and they eventually split up before his first birthday. Living without a father, his uncles fulfilled that fatherly role while his grandmother helped raise him.
In a recollection from Ryan's past, he clearly remembered a day when his father tried to see him. Having an overly protective mother - she refused and harsh words were exchanged. A family member got involved and as a result was stabbed by his father during the altercation.
At the age of 7 while under the care of his grandmother at her shop, a man walked in at gunpoint trying to rob the shop. He witnessed his grandmother being pistol-whipped and shots nearly hitting them.
Being exposed to violence at such a young age Ryan grew up into a lifestyle filled with much of the same... violence and crime. This led him into nothing but being in and out of the system and years of disappointment from his family.
After several years of having no contact with his father, Ryan sought to look for him in the endeavor to learn/discover what was missing in his life. Through his journey, he discovered that he had 3 other siblings by his father whom he's never met. He also found an unknown familiarity in his father's side - his uncle was the founding father of his gang. Piece by piece the puzzle of his identity became clearer.
After a short lived reunion with his father at the age of 18, his father was charged with his 3rd strike for attempted murder on two Daly City police officers. He now serves life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Now with a family of his own, he strives to be a better role model and father figure to his children. Ryan creates his music to be more of an extension to who he is, his experiences, trials, tribulations, happiness, and thoughts. One day he hopes his music will leave an impression on people and hear that his music and lyrics not only comes from the surface but from the inner life of a man, a father... a musician!
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a great “Rock Star” and play with musical stars such as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendix? Gary Perez fulfilled that dream. But before that, here is a little background on who Gary Perez is…
Gary was born February 9, 1953 in Manila, Philippines. He is one of five children of the famous actor Ben Perez and singer Alicia Pascual. Growing up, Gary looked up to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Joe Walsh, Leslie West, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. These legends propelled his endeavor of becoming a great musician. Gary was especially interested in composing, writing and playing the guitar. With both parents pushing and supporting his musical dreams, it drove him to excel even further. On March 18, 1975 at the age of eighteen (18) he wrote his first song called “Pagbabalik Ng Kwago and Sirang Plaka” and collaborated with a well-known drummer, the late Edmund Fortuno and Sonny Tolentino.
In 1981, he formed Sampaguita Band and started writing and composing songs that captured the masses, which propelled him to stardom. Songs like Bonggahan, Laguna, Sa Lumang Simbahan, Mahilig, Tao, Sayawan, Kumadre, Crazy Tonite, Liwanag, Para Sa’yo, I’m Behind You, Alembonggahan, Babalik Sa’yo, CB Gypsy are just a few of his greatest hits. Gary’s dream of becoming a writer, composer and a guitarist is now a reality. Just a few years later, he became one of the great guitarists in the Philippines. His incredible talent gave him a chance to perform back to back with Eric Clapton, Paul Williams, Chuck Berry, Blood Sweat Band, Tears Band, Canned Heat Band and other well-known US bands.
Today he serves as a mentor to our younger generation. He continually encourages people to come out and show their talent at any type of setting. His life example teaches us to follow our dreams, no matter how great.
