21 APR 2024 · ANNIE RAY currently serves as both the Orchestra Director and Performing Arts Department Chair at Annandale High School (AHS) in the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system; "Music itself is not the universal language," she says, "but the ACT OF MAKING MUSIC is.” Annie is an advocate for providing universal access to quality music education and is known for founding and developing creative opportunities to make music accessible to students of all demographics. Her additional creation of the FCPS Parent Orchestra teaches just under 200 caregivers annually to learn to play their student’s instrument and provides mentorship to upcoming music teachers. She created the Crescendo Orchestra program to make Orchestra curriculum accessible to students with significant developmental or intellectual disabilities, in January 2022 this program was featured and acclaimed on the cover of and with an article in the Metro section of The Washington Post. In 2023, she was named the FCPS Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year for her work on equity in education, and in 2024, Annie was named the 2024 Grammy Music Educator Award recipient. About her winning the Grammy: “Most of all I want to thank my students to whom this award actually belongs, the love of making music has been our unity and community. Thank you all for allowing me to guide you in this, I am humbled to accept this award for you all.” Annie currently resides in Arlington, Virginia with her husband IRVING and their girls ELOISE and MILLIE. Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk.

10 APR 2024 · John DeNicola is an American songwriter and producer best known for co-writing the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" for which he won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as receiving a Grammy nomination in 1988. In 1989 he was the co-winner of ASCAP Awards' "Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures" for "Time of My Life" as well as for "Hungry Eyes", another song from the film. In addition to Dirty Dancing hits for Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes and Eric Carmen, he has also written songs with and for Eddie Money, John Waite, Kristine W, Steve Holy, Jeannie Kendall, Sugar Jones, Annie Haslam, Bernie Worrell, The Sighs and Martin Briley, and has recently released his own two solo albums.  Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk.

28 MAR 2024 · This wonderful longtime Connecticut-born/Virginia-based singer/songwriter/guitarist and storyteller's latest solo project "Treasures in My Chest" is a profound album and book about his singular experiences deeply exploring his family history. Hailing from the historic village of Lincoln, Virginia, Andrew has had a long musical life with numerous albums, several band collaborations and more, he also teaches guitar and songwriting, offers a variety of programs and workshops for students and adult learners, and is a consultant for people learning to use DNA for genealogy and family history research. His music is in several documentaries and podcasts, and he has written songs with both kindergarteners as well as one on one with veterans to help healing their PTSD. His ambitious plans for 2024, in addition to writing songs for the next album, are as diverse as his interests: he is featured in and helped produce two music mini-documentaries for release this year, he is also helping his cousin, singer and actress Suzanne Lukather, developing her one-woman stage show Little Blue Suitcase, and he is launching a new service, interviewing revered family elders on video telling their stories in their own words to future generations. And while development was stalled by the pandemic, he is now finishing work on his inspirational keynote program, “The Gifts in Our Genes.” Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk. Become a supporter of this podcast here:https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/living-on-music-with-steve-houk--5376946/support.

27 FEB 2024 · The world's most revered and adored ukelele player/songwriter JAKE SHIMABUKURO joins Living On Music for the third time, here talking about his most recent album 'Grateful' and how he collaborated on the record with a real treasure trove of the best Hawaiian musicians anywhere, some that influenced and mentored him and halped start his career, some he collaborated and bonded with, and some he just wanted to perform alongside with. Jake also talks about his upcoming Japanese tour, which for his first time ever will be with a foursome, and he also touches on how he became influenced to play ukelele. Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk. Become a supporter of this podcast here:https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/living-on-music-with-steve-houk--5376946/support.

23 FEB 2024 · Born in Bogota, Colombia, Andrés Cepeda is a platinum-selling producer, singer and songwriter with a unique career that has allowed him to tour the world, be on the cover of multiple magazines, newspapers and playlists on major music platforms, he has been a coach on talent shows, including 12 seasons of La Voz (The Voice) in his hometown of Colombia, also achieving top of radio charts with countless singles. With over 12 million followers on social media platforms, Andrés has received fifteen nominations and has won four Latin Grammy Awards, plus multiple diamond, platinum and gold records, and has shared unparalleled experiences with his fans. His style has become iconic because his personal signature has allowed him to blend different genres always rescuing romantic lyrics. All this has made Andrés Cepeda become one of the most respected and beloved artists in Latin America. Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe to Living On Music on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk.

6 FEB 2024 · Back in the late 80's when the legendary club Palomino in LA was a seminal spot for the post-cowpunk California country scene, The Mustangs were a young, all-girl band who were "long on chops and strong on harmonies." After a successful few years of touring and performing, members of the group parted ways in the mid-90s to pursue other musical interests, but in 2017, The Mustangs began their renewal remembering how strong their sound was. The three original members of the group -- Suzanna Spring, Holly Montgomery and Sherry Rayn Barnett -- reconnected with a new name, Mustangs Of The West, added two dynamic new players to complete the line-up: Canadian drummer Suzanne Morissette and violinist/vocalist Aubrey Richmond, and after hearing the band rehearse at Clear Lake Audio, Los Angeles label Blue Élan Records offered the band a deal on the spot, resulting in their 2020 album release called "TIME," produced by Mark Howard (Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, U2) and received acclaim from the San Francisco Chronicle, Americana Highways, Goldmine Magazine, No Depression, Pulse, Guitar Girl Magazine, renowned Nashville journalist Holly Gleason, and many other music writers. As the music business slowly recovered from COVID shutdowns, Mustangs Of The West joined a new label, and the result was “SEA OF HEARTBREAK" and "DOWN AT THE PALOMINO," released in July 2023. Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe to Living On Music on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk.

16 JAN 2024 · Alexandria-based singer/songwriter/guitarist and music producer John Fishell's formal classical training occasionally pokes through into his musical presence, as does his professional experience with jazz and world music. But John will ultimately carry the heavy rock to you, and all you need to do is dig on it. While studying music in college, NEA Jazz Master David Liebman recruited John to record a big band album, and this relationship led to John engineering various albums with other future NEA Jazz Masters including Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Cobb, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, and Billy Hart. The 2002 Dave Liebman Big Band album John worked on called 'Beyond the Line' was Grammy-nominated in the “Best Instrumental Arrangement” category. Alongside being a traveling music production and recording college instructor until recently, John has produced a live studio album and written previous songs, but most recently released the single "Carolina California" which made the top 40 on the Mediabase chart. He will be touring in the UK this year and elsewhere. Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe to Living On Music on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk.

14 JAN 2024 · Robert Gabriel is from Alexandria and has been playing music in the area for almost 40 years: R&B, country, swing and blues, and also produced a CD in a band called 'The Spoilers,' a style the band called 'Swing-a-Billy.' Recently, Rob was asked to join a national touring act called John Paycheck and the Calvary as bassist and musical director; John is the son of the Nashville legend Johnny Paycheck who played on Hee Haw, performed on world tours, performed at the Grand Ol' Opry and had many country hits in the 1970s and 1980s. His son John recently got out of the United States Army where he served as a helicopter fighter pilot and did tours in Afghanistan and the Middle East, but is now out of the service after a distinguished career, and Rob Gabriel will be fulfilling a lifetime dream and joining him on tour in the spring. Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe to Living On Music on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk.

18 DEC 2023 · Composer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Bruce has toured, performed, recorded and appeared on records with some of the biggest names in music including Little Richard, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Dr John, Steve Cropper, Joe Satriani, Joe Bonamassa, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath), Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who, Jeff Beck), Leslie West and Corky Laing (Mountain), Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki (Big Country) and his father, the late Jack Bruce of Cream. Malcolm was co-executive producer, arranger and performer for "Heavenly Cream: An Acoustic Tribute to Cream”, a project headed by Cream lyricist Pete Brown and recorded at Abbey Road Studios, which featured performances by Ginger Baker, Joe Bonamassa, Bobby Rush, Paul Rodgers, Deborah Bonham, Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake), Pee-Wee Ellis (James Brown), Abass Dodoo and many more. Quarto Valley Records released. The album takes us on a magical journey -- traveling the brief course of the iconic band’s musical life -- back to the raw, stripped-down magic of the creativity of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton, and Pete Brown. Produced by Rob Cass, the album along with a documentary, 'THE CREAM ACOUSTIC SESSIONS' was released by Quarto Valley Records in November 2023. He’s currently working on a new album, FAKE HUMANS AND REAL DOLLS, to be released in 2024. Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe to Living On Music on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk.

7 DEC 2023 · JOCK BARTLEY is known for his melodic, tasteful and fiery lead guitar style, his playing has influenced many rock & roll and country rock guitarists who have come in later generations. Firefall is an American country rock band that was formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1974, and founded by Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement in Zephyr and who had also been playing with Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, and Rick Roberts, former member of the Flying Burrito Brothers. The band had several gold and platinum records and it's biggest hit single, "You Are the Woman" peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard chart in 1976. Other hits included "Just Remember I Love You" (#11 in 1977), "Strange Way" (#11 in 1978), "Cinderella" (#34 in 1977), "Headed for a Fall" (#35 in 1980), and "Staying with It" (#37 in 1981). Join Living On Music on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/livingonmusic and subscribe to Living On Music on YouTube at youtube.com/@livingonmusicwithstevehouk.