The Stay Amazing Show

At just 22 years of age, drummer Gina Osmar has become a much sought after artist for recordings and live performances. Her parents discovered her talents at age three as Gina banged away on coffee cans in a make believe drum set. They noticed her ability to create rhythms and not just noise. By age seven, she was performing with her church band and by age eleven she was in Nashville recording drum tracks for a country artist.

It was then that Gina realized that being a musician was what she wanted to do as a career. She recorded videos of her playing that went viral on YouTube and soon she received endorsement deals from various musical instrument companies as well as being featured in drum magazines. She has also performed on the main stage at the annual NAMM show in front of thousands of music industry professionals and recently at the SXSW convention.

Gina is self taught and has an outstanding ear for creating the perfect drum pattern for whatever song she is asked to perform. Gina also plays bass, guitar and piano which help her expand her creativity as a musician. She also teaches drums and is the music director for her church worship services. Throughout this conversation you'll hear her passion and enthusiasm for playing music and the devotion to her faith as she continues her musical journey.

Yes, she's still young, but first impressions can be deceiving. This young lady is talented, experienced and rocks with the best of them. Find out more on her site: https://ginagdrums.com/

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JV Collier and Rene Camacho are two of the most respected, in demand bassists on the music scene today. While JV was already established in Los Angeles, he met Rene more than 25 years ago in Tucson, Arizona and soon after moving to Los Angeles began working non-stop.

They have performed and recorded with a who's who of musical talent. Everyone from Bruce Hornsby, Gladys Knight, Celia Cruz, WAR, The Funk Brothers, Kevin Eubanks, the Pointer Sisters, Draco Rosa, Herbie Hancock, Juan Gabriel, Oscar Hernandez as well as various television shows and soundtrack recordings.

This conversation is like a master class to what the present day musician needs to know to survive the industry. If you're just starting your music career you'll find the insights that JV and Rene offer to be extremely valuable. They share details on how to work with producers, different bands, constantly improving as a musician, networking and some amazing road stories.

We had a blast recording this episode. It's a rather long episode, but stick with us. It's well worth the knowledge and the laughs from two of the best.

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Felicia Farerre's talent for singing was first noticed by her father at a very young age. With his encouragement, she began to study voice, She discovered her talent for writing lyrics, poetry at a young age also. Her growth as a musician continued by working in bands like the Taliesin Orchestra, learning to 'copy' the style of other vocalists that lead to her finding her own voice.

Felicia's journey to "finding her voice" lead to her writing the book, "Real Singers Don't Sing"; a no-nonsense approach to effectively improve the sound and performance of your voice. Felicia is passionate about teaching singers how to discover their true voice and master it.

She has received awards for best female vocalist, written lyrics and melodies for a multitude of projects, collaborated with incredible composers and producers and has released her own music. Her last solo project was 2020's "In The Company Of Angels". An album based on the book, "The Female Archangels"

Her newest project is an ambitious album, "Epic Women - A Sheros Journey." A sonic journey based on the twelve steps of 'The Hero's Journey" by Joseph Campbell. Felicia brought together many of epic music's best female composers and performers to bring awareness to female musicians and to appreciate their contribution to music. It will also help the Children of Ethiopia Education Fund, COEEF, as some of the proceeds from the album will go toward that cause.

Felicia is passionate about music and how it affects the human heart and spirit.

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We always like to feature guests with expertise that focuses on mindset, clarity, energy, purpose, human connection and bringing our the Amazingness in us all.

Selena Reames speaks and coaches at the intersection of human potential, consciousness, mindset,neuroscience, creativity and leadership. She is dedicated to supporting emerging leaders, change makers and innovators into their fullest expression of human potential and expression. Selena uses her own life experiences to help her clients achieve their fullest potential.

In this episode Selena shares how we as humans can have a deeper more impactful human connection with ourselves and the world we live in. We discuss the power of gratitude, how to shift your mindset, "Unlearning", the future of the workplace, how life's disruptions bring clarity to our lives, healing through sound frequency and her goal of transforming the lives of ten million people.

It's a conversation we can all learn from to continue to Stay Amazing!

Learn more about Selena's work and her free mini training on "3 Keys To Master Your Mindset" here: https://linktr.ee/selenareames

With a background as a musician and high school athlete, Ed Vargas has been able to use those experiences in business to communicate, collaborate and make positive changes with the organizations he works with. Ed is a visionary leader who shares his strategies for success such as having credibility, building trust and giving respect.

In this episode, Ed talks about a trip to Japan to meet with business leaders and how a simple conversation lead to a major collaboration. Simply by being able to relate and respect the other person. He has shared his knowledge with the AT&T Hacemos program and created a Career Planning Strategy Tool to help people visualize their goals one step at a time. He created the IDEAL leadership program for CTR Factor Inc. and is the head of their Latinx and ERG practice.

We also discuss how imposter syndrome affects Latinos from becoming leaders. Ed gives his views on Latinx vs Latino and why corporate America needs to recognize both to move forward. We talk about the importance of leadership, mentoring, family, diversity, setting goals and Carlos Santana.

As Ed says, "The strength of music is in how you reach people. You have to bring your own music." Those same principles can be applied to business and life.

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Our latest conversation in our "Amazing Women In Music" series, features the immensely talented bassist and vocalist, Katie Thiroux. Katie has performed with many of the most influential jazz artists as well as leading her own groups. Katie has also released three albums.

She began at playing a very early age and through the encouragement of her parents discovered her passion for music playing in school bands and later in orchestra settings. It was listening to bass legend Ray Brown that convinced Katie to make jazz bass her instrument. And by listening to vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, she developed her singing style. Miles Davis has also been a huge musical influence.

Katie attended Berklee College of Music and later was hired as a instructor for them at their campus in Ecuador. She has a passion for teaching and says that teaching her students has helped her with her own playing.

In this episode Katie talks about how jazz is making a comeback, the role John Clayton has had in her career, the satisfying opportunity to teach young women through the Monterey Jazz Festival, her podcast - The Hump with Katie, her thoughts on some iconic bassists in jazz and much more.

Learn more about this outstanding musician on her site: https://www.katiethiroux.com/

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As a musician, teacher and entrepreneur, Eric Branner knows the importance of what music can do to inspire a community. When you engage with a community, you build trust and caring. By sharing his love of music, his students realize the value they give through their playing. A message that is carried on to the other musicians they associate with.

Eric has been teaching guitar for over twenty years, through one on one and group classes. When the virus hit, Eric went to online classes with amazing results. He also founded Camp Branner, where he takes his students out in nature for an intensive collaborative music experience.

Eric is also the CEO and co-founder of FONS. FONS is an online solution that automates client schedules and payments for businesses such as music instructors, trainers and teachers. The service is convenient so that both the student and the instructor can concentrate on their studies, saving time and stress. Eric has helped assemble a great team committed to a common goal. Just like a band...

Throughout our conversation you can hear Eric's passion of teaching musicians their true value, developing talented human beings, how important being involved in a community is and how FONS is the future.

Learn more about Eric on his site: https://www.ericbranner.com/#intro

Learn about FONS here: https://fons.com/

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Kristina Marinova is an expressive, passionate, stunning classical pianist who devotes herself to finding the soul of the composer and the meaning of their music in every performance. She understands the power music has in it's emotion and expression. Kristina's efforts in researching the music and artist make her interpretation of the pieces that much more enjoyable.

Her three points of reference that play into her music are Purpose, Listening and Balance. Her latest album is a solo piano project called "4 Rhapsodies". A collection of music that is challenging for piano since they are usually performed by full orchestras. Kristina delivers strong performances throughout which were a catalyst for her emotional experiences at the start of the pandemic.

Kristina will be performing "4 Rhapsodies" live this month including a performance at Carnegie Hall on January 31st!

During this conversation you'll learn about Kristina's upbringing in her native Bulgaria, her passion for teaching gifted students which lead to her forming the Marinova Music Institute, why she chose performing over teaching as her calling, her future projects including showcasing women composers and more.

Learn more about Kristina and purchase her music on her website: https://www.kristinamarinova.com/

Purchase tickets to her Carnegie Hall performance here: https://bit.ly/3I5QUuT

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We are all products of our upbringing where we're taught values and learn from our experiences. Dr. Francisco Jimenez learned from his parents the values of hard work, respect, faith and hope. Throughout his career, Dr. Jimenez, an educator and advocate for better educational systems, has used those examples and values to raise the standards for both students and teachers

Francisco migrated with his family to the United States at a very young age. His parents worked hard in the fields to give their children a better life. And even though he didn't speak english in school, Francisco soon developed a love for learning. Although difficult, he continued his studies and eventually graduated from Santa Clara University and then received his PhD from Columbia University. That along with attending a speech by Cesar Chavez set him on his mission of providing a better understanding that diversity is needed in every education system.

Francisco has written four autobiographical books telling his story to inspire others who face the same challenges as he did. He has also won awards, grants and recognized for all his accomplishments in education. He is a true role model, great story teller and mentor to generations of educators and those seeking a better life.

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When you bring together four accomplished, passionate musicians from different cultural and musical backgrounds, typically, a new style of music is born.

The Red Quartet features classically trained musicians who fuse classical, chamber music with Latin Jazz and Brazilian music. Each musician adds their own coloring to the music to give it a fresh sound. In this episode we speak with three of the four members who share their musical history, their influences, how the ensemble came together, what has been the response from fans and the industry and what the future holds.

Each member has performed, recorded with some of the biggest names in music. They recorded their first album, "The Red Quartet", last year and released it early in 2021. The recording was done rather quickly as they rehearsed quite a bit plus having performed the music in concert.

With much of today's music being 'safe' and sometimes monotonous, The Red Quartet exposes you to a new genre of music worth listening to and enjoying. Listen to them on Spotify, Apple music, YouTube and on their website: https://theredquartet.com/

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