Everybody’s got an extraordinary story
It was a tough show for Rayshun last week, however the good news is that he was able to turn things around big time! And his story behind it is deeply inspirational. Tune in to this special bonus episode where Andy catches up with Rayshun about the last two week’s performances and we also get a little peek into what he’s singing next.
If you haven’t listed to Rayshun’s first interview, make sure you go back and listen – you won’t be disappointed.
Rayshun Lamarr has officially put his voice in the arena– it’s where he’s always known he wants it to be. As a singer since childhood, it would be easy to stay on a relatively safe course as an entertainer and rely on the talent he’s been recognized for since an early age. Instead, Rayshun creates opportunity after opportunity for himself to hone his craft and put himself up against the best.
His first steady gig as a professional singer was with host Andy Kushner with a 10-piece party band called SoundConnection. Weddings were a huge entry point into Rayshun’s experience entertaining crowds on a stage and forging emotional connection live.
His hearty experience on the stage prepared him for successfully auditioning for The Voice, where he is currently competing for the ultimate grand prize. Rayshun’s passion, tenacity, and joy are infectious and will make you want to cheer him on long after his time on The Voice ends.
About Rayshun Lamarr:
Rayshun Lamarr hails from North Carolina and currently resides in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. Influenced by artists like Ella Fitzgerald and John Legend, he attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts and grew his musical talent over the years, taking on every opportunity available to sing and perform professionally for the past 13 years. Rayshun is currently competing on Season 14 of The Voice.
Show Highlights:
Links Mentioned in the Show:
The Voice – Rayshun’s blind audition
The Voice – Rayshun vs Tish Haynes Keys in the battle round
The Voice – Rayshun singing “Fallin” by Alicia Keys
Rayshun singing “Don’t Stop Believing” in Singapore
https://www.nbc.com/the-voice/credits/credit/season-14/rayshun-lamarr
Ashley Keegan is an extraordinarily intuitive healer. From a young age, she started learning how to view the human body and use natural elements to help others release trauma. She has a lot to say when it comes to fear, our inner physiology and learning to appreciate that less is more.
Ashley also looks closely at what’s around her. After seeing signs in her life that they were destined for the special place Ashley calls “Mother Maui”, she moved out to Maui with her family when her children were babies– a place which has now captivated her and allowed her to grow her practice.
From our cellular memories to listening to the Hawaiian jungle, this episode is full of heart, depth, and– of course– healing.
About Ashley:
Ashley grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and began her training at 13 years old with a Cherokee medicine man named Chief Two Trees. Her father is an environmentalist and is passionate about alternative healing. She currently lives on the island of Maui in Hawaii and co-owns a therapeutic business with her husband, John, called Hana Healing Arts.
Show Highlights:
Links Mentioned in the Show:
To contact her, call:808-248-4433
To play this episode, please visit it on The Music Makers Podcast!
Chuck Johnson knew since he was a child that he wanted to be a musician. After persistently nagging his father (who played music in a band during rowdy parties) to teach him how to play, he learned his first 3 chords at 6 years old.
Chuck Johnson probably never imagined his early childhood fascination would turn into a successful career as a prominent member of 3 bands and internationally touring with a jazz legend.
From the ins and outs of forming bands over his career to the way he balanced a job with his musical commitments, Chuck spends this episode sharing stories and providing insight into his wide-ranging career– including playing some live music from his most recent album.
About Chuck Johnson:
Originally from Ferrum, a small rural town in southwest Virgina, Charles “Chuck” Johnson is a guitarist and vocalist for the band TK-421 and Najee. He got his first big break in a variety band called Bananas At Large. In addition to his experience with Bananas At Large and TK-421, Chuck performs occasionally with jazz artists Alex Bugnon, Jeff Lorber, Will Downing, Maysa, and others.
Show Highlights:
Links Mentioned in the Show:
Bananas At Large performing Led Zeppelin’s “Trampled Under Foot”
Wombi Rose learns by doing. After recognizing his love for art and engineering, he took on a college experience in a literal shipyard, learning how to engineer large vessels. When he graduated college, he created his own experiences as a consultant in the energy and ship industries worldwide. So naturally, when Wombi got a call from his friend John Wise encouraging him to apply for Harvard and go into business together, Wombi was in. An accepted Harvard application and a trip to Vietnam brought Wombi and John to the inspiration that would eventually become Lovepop– a business that would elevate the pop-up greeting card.
Fast forward to December 2015, when Wombi and John took Lovepop to Shark Tank, beating out nearly 40,000 other applicants. With around $300k in sales in the first 18 months of their business, some wondered why the two entrepreneurs would consider sharing a piece of their business with an outside investor. But as Wombi explains in this episode, Lovepop isn’t just about intricate greeting cards– it’s about making a larger impact. And after successfully securing an investment on Shark Tank, they way their business has quickly transformed is proving him correct.
About Wombi Rose:
Born in Berlin and raised in Pittsburg, Wombi Rose started LovePop with his business partner John Wise in 2014. Wombi attended the Webb Institute for Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering before eventually applying for Harvard University and earning his MBA in 2015.
Show Highlights:
Links Mentioned in the Show:
Daily Motion – Lovepop on Shark Tank – Season 7 Episode 11
YouTube – Lovepop on The View
Twitter – Billboard Music Awards Lovepop video
Lovepossible – a Lovepop collaboration with The Possible Project
Colin Cowie is a top designer for all things weddings, as well as galas, charitable events, corporate and destination celebrations. He’s beloved by the likes of Oprah, Jerry Seinfeld, Elton John, Michael Jordan, Bruce Willis, Jennifer Aniston, and countless other A-list celebrities.
Since Colin arrived in Los Angeles from Kitzwe, Zambia at the height of apartheid in 1985, his professional life has soared. Colin grew up in a household that constantly entertained friends and family, so when he came to the US, he just started doing the same thing he had always been doing at home in Zambia. While teaching cooking lessons at age 23, he met a woman whose chance encounter soon led to his first wedding assignment for a local bachelor: Hugh Hefner.
Thirty-one years of parties, weddings, and multi-day events later, he’s never created the same event twice.
The degree to which Colin Cowie cares for and personalizes his work is not just unmatched, it’s nearly indescribable, and precisely why he’s consistently relied upon by the most discerning of clientele. He learns everything there is to know about his clients, over hors-d’oeuvres and champagne, until the event he crafts (and the journey on which he takes his clients to get there) is not just perfectly tailored, but permanently unique. When he isn’t designing weddings and Fortune 500 parties, Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Ball or Guinness Book of World Records-breaking pyrotechnic shows abroad, Colin works as “creator-director” for elite brands like NetJets, Dom Perignon, and Bergdorf Goodman; even private islands.
Idyllic as Colin’s life may sound, and so often is, he and Andy extend their conversation today beyond the exclusive glamour of the luxury events industry to the unseen challenges once faced in the midst of the great recession, Colin’s daily routines (from meditation and “I am” statements to nightcaps), professional strategies, and the critical value of humility and gratitude.
Show Highlights:
Links
•Learn more about each of Colin’s books on Goodreads andAmazon
To play this episode, please visit it on The Music Makers Podcast!
Today, we present the story of a legend who facilitated incredible change in the music business. I’m sitting down with the one-of-a-kind Jerry Moss, Co-founder of A&M Records. If you’ve heard of artists like The Police and Sting, Janet Jackson, Quincy Jones, Peter Frampton, Cat Stevens, The Carpenters, Chet Baker, Bryan Adams, Carole King, Sheryl Crow, and Cheech and Chong, then you’ve listened to some of the products of Jerry’s keen ear for good sound. Founded together with iconic trumpet playing recording artist, Herb Alpert, A&M records has signed artists with astounding careers and lasting legacies. You will get to hear all the history of the world’s largest independent record label, as well as some of the coolest stories of Jerry’s personal journey. His story is truly remarkable.
He’s worked with some of the best artists in the world, been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and even won the Kentucky Derby! Jerry Moss has led an extraordinary life and humbly tells us how lucky he feels. Starting with a dream to sit at the entertainer’s table in the Catskills, Jerry’s career in music began with a series of fortunate acquaintances and opportunities taken. Although not an actual musician, he has a keen musician’s ear and has made many brilliant signings based on experiencing artists perform, as well as influencing some of the greatest recordings.
“We hired great people, and we didn’t stand for any corruption in any way.” – Jerry Moss
You’ll hear stories of working with Sting and the Police, as well as incredible discoveries made with international artists like Soundgarden. Artists like The Carpenters and Garbage also found their advocate and supporter in Jerry. Everything he chooses to be a part of is intentional, and good things are manifested from his honorable actions. Jerry has paved a path through a notoriously shady industry with integrity and honor.
Episode Highlights:
Suggested Reading:
To play this episode, please visit it on The Music Makers Podcast!
The story of how I met Dennis Chambers started with a music performance I will never forget. However, that’s not why I’m here. Today, we learn how Dennis Chambers became the legendary drummer he is today. From his earliest memories of copying records on a toy drum kit, to slinging tracks with the likes of John Scofield and Miles Davis, Dennis has a story to tell about everything. Like the music he plays, Dennis shares stories with a rhythm and flow that is music to my ears. You definitely do not want to miss out!
Though Dennis is a self-taught musician, he claims he learned from the best. He was so good, that his drumming appeared on a gospel record when he was just 7. At 13 or 14, James Brown was asking him to play in his band. The names just keep coming! Dennis has jammed with the likes of P Funk, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Stanley Clark, and Carlos Santana. Across the decades, across jazz, funk, soul, and rock and roll, Dennis has become a master chameleon of rhythm and style.
I had the opportunity to hear Dennis perform at Blues Alley with Mike Stern, Tom Kennedy, and Randy Brecker – and to watch him play is unbelievable While seeming completely calm and in control of his craft, Dennis can light up a stadium, like he did, beginning as a teenager, during his Parliament Funkadelic days.. When you get a guy like Dennis talking, expect your mind to melt a little bit. His experiences and memories could fill a book, but for now, we’ll settle with a podcast episode. Listen to hear all of these stories of music and soul unfold.
Connect with Dennis
Here are some of my favorite performances by Dennis:
Dennis plays on David Letterman:
Dennis gets FUNKY at Drum Camp:
Dennis is Sponsored by the following companies:
Pearl | Zildjian | LP percussion | Ddrum electronics | Evans Drumheads
In today’s conversation, Andy talks with Ashfer Biju, the executive chef and food and beverage director at the iconic The Pierre, A Taj Hotel in New York City, responsible for all things culinary. To Ashfer, however, he’s more than his official job title; he’s a self-proclaimed “crafter of perishable art.”
After growing up in a small fishing town in India, Ashfer discovered his passion for food as a child and was driven to share his love with others ever since. With his entire family working in the restaurant industry in some fashion, Ashfer quickly dove into the hospitality industry and helped launch a vegetarian restaurant in India when he was only 18. He studied hospitality and pursued a degree at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California. Soon after, Ashfer traveled to open restaurants around the world, from Berkeley to Mauritius and the Maldives. By 2009, when he had already opened numerous hotels and restaurants, the time for Ashfer to move to New York City had come.
Not surprisingly, Manhattan ended up being far more than the mere short-term piece of a working travel circuit as he’d expected; Ashfer found his calling in what he considers one of the three “maximum food cities” of New York, London, and Hong Kong. Extending beyond his current work at The Pierre, Ashfer and Andy delve into the “extreme form of art” that is food, the importance of food’s personalization in weddings, why food is an experience at heart, and even why turmeric is “the next kale.”
After their conversation, Andy had the opportunity to experience Ashfer’s food firsthand through a tasting at Perrine in The Pierre. Read about his experience below the links.
“Following the interview, Ashfer was kind enough to offer me a multi-course tasting in The Pierre’s onsite restaurant, Perrine. The setting, it provided, was a perfect location for such a culinary endeavor. I proceeded to be served seven different dishes and I had to fight hard not to consume every drop and morsel in order to save room for it all! Each dish was presented beautifully, as shown in the pics, and I had to take a moment with each one just to take in the visual aspect.”
Read Andy’s comments on each dish by clicking on each photo in the gallery.
To operate, or not to operate. This is the question that Dr. Alexandros Powers has continuously asked himself since the beginning of his career as a highly respected Neurosurgeon. Gaining influence from his older sister, as well as his love for continual research, Dr. Alexandros Powers entered the world of medicine.
Today, Dr. Alexandros Powers sits down with Andy to discuss his early life and career ambitions. Their exchange is filled with inspiring stories, stimulating accounts, and influential testimony that will leave you wanting to hear more. Anyone in need of enlightenment about the complexities of the nervous system, topics related to spinal surgery, cranial procedures and his philosophy about recapturing a patients quality of life – prepared to become inspired. Check out the full story on Extraordinary Ordinary People.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmncU3CdZ4c&w=560&h=315]