Rick Garcia – Singer Songwriter

Rick Garcia on Overheard at Chica's CaféRick Garcia, Singer/Songwriter and I have been friends for many years and I just had no idea how much he’s done in music, film and TV. Listen to this informative interview and learn what it takes to be successful.

Rick Garcia was born and raised in San Diego, a small south Texas town located 80 miles from the Mexican border. After leaving South Texas he moved to Austin where he began his music career performing and touring with local bands before relocating to Los Angeles…

…as lead singer for bands, THE GREEN CAR MOTEL and earlier ACT of FAITH. In 2004, Garcia found his way into the world of film; he co-wrote and performed several songs which included the theme song for COLLATERAL starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx and directed by Michael Mann. He has written and performed songs for the Academy Award winning film BROKEBACK MOUNTAINSEVEN POUNDS and THE INTERPRETER.

Garcia has worked with renowned film composers Hans Zimmer, Gustavo Santaolalla, James Newton Howard, Heitor Pereira and William V. Malpede to name only a few. Also, Garcia has worked with renowned film directors, Gore Verbinski, Ang Lee, Michael Mann, Issa López and Howard Deutsch.

He has established himself as one of the most respected and sought after singer-songwriters’ working in film and music today. He’s been asked to participate in ASCAP and Grammy Association panels to discuss the various aspects of the film music industry. 

Garcia is currently writing and producing songs for a number of upcoming films and is working with various renown recording artists on some exciting new projects. 

Listen to the podcast

Rick Garcia Website

Danny Mora- – Life as an Actor

Danny Mora, actor is my guest this month. We reminisce about our first play together many decades ago. Where he couldn’t locate the entrance to the stage and the hysterical experiences of that night. We laugh about funny acting experiences and how we got into acting. This is a very enjoyable and entertaining episode – just like Danny. You’ll learn about acting, life and how to have fun. Tune in I know you’ll enjoy this episode.

Daniel Edward Mora is an actor known for his work in the multiple Oscar-winning Disney film COCO, A RECURRING ROLE IN THE Peabody Award-winning FX Network series THE BRIDGE, and another regular part in the web series SIN VERGÜENZA, which earned him a nomination to the Imagen Award for best actor in a series. A native of Los Angeles who was raised in San Diego, Mora joined the Army after graduating from high school. After spending three years as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he studied business administration at San Diego State University. Rediscovering a love for acting which had been planted in elementary school and later rekindled in a community college, Mora moved to Los Angeles to try his luck in the movie business. And lucky he has been. In addition to the acclaimed COCO and THE BRIDGE, his movie and television credits include: FRESH OFF THE BOARD, AVENGE THE CROWS, 911, THE MENTALIST and FILLY BROWN, a movie favorite that screened at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Along with his acting, Mora is a proud Army veteran who is currently an active member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Reserve.

Check out his IMDB page

Che’Rae Adams – Artistic Director of PlayPenn

Che'Rae Adams

In this month’s episode we have Che’Rae Adams, Artistic Director of Playpenn and LA Writer’s Center. She’s has been a friend for decades. I’m not telling you how long, but decades. We discuss all entertainment. The enjoyment and love for our fields and our trials and tribulations of working in theatre and TV/Film. We discuss funny mishaps in theatre. Casting and self-taping. What it takes and how we work in our perspective careers. Join in. If you’re an actor, dramaturg, or in entertainment, you’ll find this conversation engaging.

PlayPenn in Philadelphia, PA

LA Writer’s Center

 

Uli Bella of Ozomatli

Uli Bella of OzomatliUli Bella is a founding member of the music group, Ozomatli. He and I have been friends for many years and I was excited to interview him for the show. We talk about the new album Marching On and its singles: El Destino & Marching On. Ozomatli’s journey from the formation of the group to the current core members. Their music collaborations with Gaby Moreno, Lisa Lisa and B-Real of Cypress Hill.

Ozomatli’s collaborative, energetic blend of multi-cultural music and activism has earned them three GRAMMYs®, four Hollywood Bowl shows, a TED Talk and much more. Since forming in 1995, the Los Angeles-bred lineup has inspired and energized listeners as far away Burma and Mongolia: Ozo’s messages and music, sung in both Spanish and English, need no translation. Like The Doors, X, Los Lobos, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and other L.A.-based artists who take cues from the city and also reflect and unearth its movements, Ozomatli reaches from the curbs to the high-rises.

Ozomatli’s commitment to social justice is ongoing. Their 2019 single “Libertad,” with founding members Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) & Cut Chemist, was the first release together since Ozomatli’s 1998 debut album. It highlighted the struggle of Latin workers in the U.S. who sacrifice everything to help family on the other side of the border wall. In 2008 the U.S. State Department appointed the band United States Cultural Ambassadors; in 2009 and 2010 Ozo performed for President Barack Obama. Hometown honors arrived in 2013, when April 23 was deemed “Ozomatli Day” in perpetuity, and in 2011, Ozomatli was awarded the NCLR (National Council of La Raza) Capital Award.

In 2022, Ozo’s new songs, stronger-than-ever brotherhood and creativity culminated in Marching On. Produced by David Garza (Fiona Apple, Sparta) at El Paso’s Sonic Ranch, the LP’s 11 songs are a unified blend of the members’ influences and ideas. Guests include J.J. Fad and Lisa Lisa on “Fellas,” while “Mi Destino,” sung in both English and Spanish, features Cypress Hill’s B-Real and Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno, who also lends her vocals to the title track “Marching On”.

If the city of Los Angeles had a soundtrack, it would be Ozomatli’s music. As founding members Jiro Yamaguchi and Uli explain: “You drive down Sunset Boulevard and turn off your stereo and roll down your windows and the music that comes out of each and every different car, whether it’s salsa, cumbia, merengue, Hip Hop, funk or whatever, it’s that crazy blend that’s going on between that cacophony of sound is Ozomatli, y’know?”

Band members:

Raúl Pacheco – Lead & Backing Vocals, Guitar, Tres, Jarana
Asdrubal Sierra – Lead & Backing Vocals, Trumpet, Piano
Justin ‘El Niño’ Porée – Percussion, Rap Vocals, Lead & Backing Vocals
Ulises Bella – Saxophone, Lead & Backing Vocals, Requinto, Jarocho, Keyboard, Melodica
Wil-Dog Abers – Bass, Marimbula, Backing Vocals
Jiro Yamaguchi – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals

Ozomatli – Moving On Album available on Amazon

@ulibella

https://ozomatli.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ozomatli/

https://www.youtube.com/user/OzoVideos

Listen to the podcast on our page.

Jerry Bell – Legendary Soul Singer

Jerry Bell Legendary Soul SingerThe premier episode of Overheard at Chica’s Café is honored to present Jerry Bell. A legendary singer and martial artist. We discuss how he got started in both martial arts and as a singer. We have a great treat as he sings the song Just Believe in Love!

Check it out.

Jerry Bell is a stylist in all facets of life, whether it’s singing, martial arts, or acting. His passion for music emanates from early vocal training while growing up in Philadelphia in a musical family which has produced gold and platinum albums for two decades. One of his brothers is Archie Bell of Archie Bell & The Drells, which has the hits; “Tighten Up,” “Showdown,” “I Can’t Stop Dancing,” “Let’s Groove,” and many more. Also, starting with his own group while still in high school, known as The Delusions. Jerry’s vocal skills came from his mother, who was a church singer, Jerry also had a band out of Miami, Florida named the Miami Ocean Liners, which later became KC & The Sunshine Band. As life would have it, he would go back to Philadelphia and join forces with his best friends McFadden & Whitehead who were the top writers for Philadelphia International Records, recording such hits as “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” “Bad Luck,” “Back Stabbers,” “Cowboys to Girls,” “For The Love Of Money,” and many more.

Jerry would later move to California were he would become friends with Marvin Gaye and learned many vocal and stage techniques as well as singing background vocals for Marvin Gaye. Later he would team up with more of his friends such as James BakerAustin Lander and Tony Churchill and began to sing lead and backup vocals for New Birth. After leaving The New Birth in 1979, he then would join up again with other friends, Philip BaileyRalph JohnsonMarlon McClain and become one of the lead vocalist for Motown recording artist Dazz Band. He has also recorded as a solo artist in 1980 on MCA Records, releasing his solo LP “Winter Love Affair”.

Prior to signing with Motown, The Dazz Band was formerly known as Kinsman Dazz and includes the merging of Bell. In 1981, Jerry Bell was invited into the group as one of the vocalists by Ralph Johnson of Earth Wind & Fire. Jerry had a solo LP on MCA at that time, called “Winter Love Affair,” but joined the group as well.

New Birth, originally called the The Nite-Liters, was formed by Tony Churchill and Harvey Fuqua. In 1975, Tony Churchill, James Baker, and Austin Lander asked Jerry Bell to join the group. Jerry sang for New Birth 1976 until 1979.

Influences
Mother Mattie Bell, older brother Archie Bell, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, David Porter, John WhiteheadKenny GambleLarry Graham, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Theodore Life, Al Jarreau, Bobby Womack, The Delfonics, The Moments, The Temprees, Bobby Harris, Reggie Andrews, Tony Churchill, Austin Lander, James Baker, Jimmy Bo Horn, The Miami Oceanliners.

Sounds Like
The Delfonics, Will Downing, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, The Unifics, The Dazz Band, The Gap Band, Marvin Gaye, New Birth, The Temprees, The Moments.

Instagram: @jerrybellofficial

https://www.jerrybellmusic.com/

Get Jerry Bell’s just released single here: Keep it Real

Overheard at Chica’s Café

Overheard at Chica's CafeWelcome to Overheard at Chica’s Café, Where Friends Meet is an entertainment podcast. After producing two other podcasts, Poetic Resurrection, which is An introspective look at life and our Perceptions and Beliefs. It’s a self-help poetry site and Chica and the Man, As Unscripted as it Gets, is about two podcasters, Alex and Sonia who talk about anything that comes to mind on the day of the recording.

One of the episodes of Chica and the Man was called Overheard at Chica’s Café and I thought what a fun name for a podcast. It’s not gossip, just hearing two friends talk. This one is light, interesting, and the goal is to have it bring a smile to your face. Tune in.

Peace.

Anchor

Spotify

 

Welcome to Overheard at Chica’s Café

Sonia Iris LozadaOverheard at Chica’s Café came about from my other podcast called Chica and the Man. We had an episode called Overheard at Chica’s Café and I thought, that would be a great podcast to get the people I know to just chat and be themselves. I’ve approached my entertainment friends and our first episode will be Jerry Bell musician you can check out his amazing music history here: https://www.jerrybellmusic.com/. Until the first episode check him out we had a great interview today.  Listen to the podcast.

Click to buy his new single Keep it Real