Episode #043 features the soulful powerhouse known as Jackie Mendez and was streamed live on Instagram and doesn’t start like all the rest of my podcasts but you will not be disappointed with her performance! It was an all acoustic set and she was backed by Wally co-owner of Angel City Records and Jeffrey. What a great performance by an amazing musician who also write many of her songs! What a true rare original and I was blessed to have them on my podcast.
Episode #043 features the soulful powerhouse known as Jackie Mendez and was streamed live on Instagram and doesn’t start like all the rest of my podcasts but you will not be disappointed with her performance! It was an all acoustic set and she was backed by Wally co-owner of Angel City Records and Jeffrey. What a great performance by an amazing musician who also write many of her songs! What a true rare original and I was blessed to have them on my podcast.
Episode 020 features an original musician, song writer and amazing singer Adriana Lopez! I had the opportunity to not only interview her but also enjoy a live performance with amazing backstories. I hope you enjoy this interview and performance from a young lady that has a special gift that she wants to share with the world.
Thank you Adriana I wish you much success!
Date filmed: 8/21/17
Location: Whittier, CA
Guest: Adriana Lopez
Duration: 1 hour, 13 minutes
Episode 020 features an original musician, song writer and amazing singer Adriana Lopez! I had the opportunity to not only interview her but also enjoy a live performance with amazing backstories. I hope you enjoy this interview and performance from a young lady that has a special gift that she wants to share with the world.
Thank you Adriana I wish you much success!
Date filmed: 8/21/17
Location: Whittier, CA
Guest: Adriana Lopez
Duration: 1 hour, 13 minutes
On 307 South Broadway Street in Downtown Los Angeles, California is one of America’s first movie palaces, the historic Million Dollar Theater. It was built in 1918 by the legendary Sid Grauman and seated 2,345. The theater was created in the churrigueresque, Spanish Baroque, style with images of animals and allegorical figures of the arts sculpted into the building. The decorations are phenomenal and give the theater a magical and royal ambiance. Legendary voices have filled the theater, in the 1940’s Billie Holliday and Lionel Hampton, later Spanish language singers and movies entertained new audiences.
A few years ago I attended a show at the legendary Million Dollar Theater and the experience truly captivated the nostalgic and timeless wonders of class and luxury in a historic building. I heard a band and voice that would quickly become one of my all-time favorites, an 18-piece band consisting of horns, percussion and a golden voice. The great crooners heavily influenced the voice and the similarities to Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darrin are appropriate and not a stretch. Much like Sinatra and Darrin, the tone and power cause the listener to relax and creates melodic tones to the reality of love lost and found. The young man with the golden voice is named Frank, lead singer of the Wiseguys Big Band Machine.
The journey started in a place that is familiar to stars and entertainers because he was born in Hollywood, CA. Growing up in East L.A./Montebello he played the tuba in high school and a few years later started a band with his brother Art and lead trumpet player Robert Villalobos. They created a New Orleans style pep band that would eventually evolve into the Wiseguys Big Band Machine. The venture into singing began when 21 year old Frank performed at a local bar called Mr. C’s, “the owner liked that I sang the old Sinatra/Darrin songs, so he would have me sing a few songs for him and I would get free pitchers of beer since I knew the tunes I felt comfortable singing them.” The experience gave him confidence to sing in the band when the opportunity arose. Coupled with the amazing guitar playing of Rudy G, from Rudy G Y Los Hi-Tones/Barber at Sweeney Todd Barber, the Wiseguys are a sonic powerhouse.
Not only are the Wiseguys band mates but a deeper bond exists with two of the founders, Frank and Art, because they are brothers. The “relationship is solid we are brothers 100%, music just is an extra bond we share nothing better than having your brother with you on stage. When we are old we will have those memories, who better to share them with than you brother.” Watching the brothers interact on stage is an added bonus to a great show.
The name, “Big Band Machine” is fitting because they are versatile and explosive in their sounds. According to Frank, “we are not just a Swing Band, Rockabilly Band, Salsa/Cumbia/Mambo Band.” With Frank belting out the tunes and entertaining the audience it is just a matter of time before they are playing at the major hotels in Las Vegas because the entire band gets involved in the entertainment. It is not rare to see Frank engage the audience to sing or the band members stand up as they play their brasses off! Watching his older brother Art pound away on the drums is a visual gem. One interesting aspect of the show is Rudy and Frank interacting on stage as if they were both in unison and at times it is comedic. The Wiseguys put on a world-class performance of timeless classics that are given new life by the musicians of the Big Band Machine.
I have no doubt the future is bright and their name will be in lights. Many great voices filled the Million Dollar Theater in its heyday and Frank not only pays tribute to the music that inspired him but also renews the love for Sinatra/Darrin to audiences that are flocking to their shows. When I asked Frank to describe the music his answer demonstrated the key to their success, “good music played and performed with nothing but respect for the music and the audience.” With two studio CD’s, All In and Double Down, one live CD Bootleg Swing, the Wiseguys will continue to entertain audiences who love good music and entertainment.
Episode #043 features the soulful powerhouse known as Jackie Mendez and was streamed live on Instagram and doesn’t start like all the rest of my podcasts but you will not be disappointed with her performance! It was an all acoustic set and she was backed by Wally co-owner of Angel City Records and Jeffrey. What a great performance by an amazing musician who also write many of her songs! What a true rare original and I was blessed to have them on my podcast.
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