The SoCal Setlist

“For me nowadays, when we get together and play, it’s like a celebration of just being together.” For Michael D’Santi, that togetherness has lasted for more than 30 years. The Southern California blues-rock guitarist started D’Santi with his brother and friends he met in high school. After decades of gigs, changing music scenes, families, careers, and everything that can pull a band apart, they ar...

“I can’t stop. I’ll stop when I die.” That line sums up Sean Maier’s story. Known to many as Shred Sean , Sean is a guitarist, songwriter, teacher, and performer whose life with music started the way so many great stories do: with one song that changed everything. For Sean, that song was Bush’s “Glycerine.” He heard it as a kid, picked up the guitar, and never really put it down. What started with...

Country-rock artist Chris Lozano didn’t come from a music industry family. He grew up in Paonia, Colorado, a small coal mining town where his graduating class had just 40 people - and where hard work wasn’t a slogan, it was a way of life. In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck, Chris shares the story behind his journey: singing Motown and classic country as a kid, getting pulled out of middle school...

“I have three hours to convince everybody in the room that they love country music.” That line says a lot about Brian Gaylord. On this episode of SoCal Soundcheck, Brian Gaylord joins the show alongside Eric Davis of the Brian Gaylord & Country Star Band for a conversation about country music, rodeo grit, original songs, Nashville recording, and the standard behind building a serious live band...

Matt Rivera’s story starts with a box of cassette tapes. Growing up in Southern California, Matt discovered bands like Van Halen, Aerosmith, Stryper, and Scorpions through his dad’s music collection. His dad played guitar, the songs hit hard, and somewhere in that mix of classic rock riffs and cassette-era discovery, Matt found the thing that would stick with him for life. In this episode of SoCal...

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck, Brian sits down with Apollo Spalding, guitarist and songwriter for the psychedelic alt-rock band Hypno Sapo. Apollo’s approach to music is anything but one-dimensional. His sound and technique are shaped by a wide range of influences, from Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, the Sex Pistols and Prince to Chicago blues, Delta blues, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Skip Jam...

Charli Brewer Was Born to Rock Charli Brewer didn’t casually pick up the guitar. Once it clicked, it became a daily obsession. A SoCal guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, Charli has built a large and engaged online following through rock and metal guitar solo covers, performing with the kind of energy that makes it clear she is not just playing the notes. She is living inside t...

Keith Stickney of Tsunami Cables joins SoCal Soundcheck for a conversation about tone, reliable gear, musicianship, and why being easy to work with still matters. Keith is the owner of Tsunami Cables, a drummer, and a longtime audio/video professional. His story starts with music. From learning drums in middle school to marching band, gigging around San Diego, studying at Musicians Institute, and...

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck, Brian sits down with Hunter Webb, bassist for Rose Line Band, to talk about his musical roots, growing up around music, discovering bass, and finding his place in the Southern California live music scene. Hunter shares how moving to Murrieta helped spark his musical journey, why bass lines from artists like Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, Cliff Burt...

Kyle Hudson, lead singer and guitarist of Those Guys, joins SoCal Soundcheck for a fun, wide-ranging conversation about growing up in Murrieta, learning guitar, starting out at open mics, and accidentally building one of the Temecula Valley’s most entertaining live bands. Kyle shares how School of Rock inspired him to pick up guitar, how Those Guys came together for a one-off St. Patrick’s Day sho...

“The goal is to make people feel something.” On this episode of SoCal Soundcheck, Brian sits down with longtime Southern California musician Woody Garcia, frontman of Woody and the Harrelsons, for a conversation about the long road from childhood guitar lessons to becoming one of the most recognizable live performers in the local music scene. Woody traces his story back to growing up in San Dimas,...

Tristan Bowls picked up the guitar at 11 because Guitar Hero 2 and 3 made him want to play a real one. AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Slash. That was the foundation. Now he's 29, runs Eastlake Studios on a private property in Lake Elsinore, plays guitar in Eastlake Rhythm Section, and tests amps at Suhr during the day. In this episode, Tristan and Brian get into: - Learning guitar by jamming w...

Lex Borja's musical roots run four generations deep. His great-grandfather was a trumpet player. His grandmother was a singer who directed a 12-piece mariachi, and once stopped them mid-song to correct the key (an 8-year-old Lex was watching front row). His mother is also a singer with a strong voice. Lex started playing guitar at 8, started singing at 14, and has been playing venues since he was...

Rick Hildebrandt has been gigging in Southern California since 2011, when he traded 54 years of upstate New York for a place in Menifee. After retiring from an IT career at Loma Linda Hospital in 2018, music became the full-time job. Today he plays solo, performs as half of the K-Ray Acoustic Duo with Kelly Ray, and hosts two open mics: Thursdays at The Hive and the second and fourth Tuesdays at R...

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck , I sit down with Richard Wetherington - guitarist, songwriter, and frontman of the country-rock band Raw Fire. Originally from New Jersey and now in Southern California, Richard shares his journey into the local music scene. We discuss the power of networking, including how offering value through photography and gear support helped him build relationships with...

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck, Brian sits down with Temecula saxophone player Cole Weber, who spent most of his life resisting the very thing he's now built a career on. Cole grew up in Lake Elsinore surrounded by music (his dad is a working sax player), but wanted nothing to do with it. He chased competitive soccer instead, making a team ranked fourth in the nation, until two knee surgeries...

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck , Brian sits down with Chris Merchant of No Hard Feelings and Press Rewind to talk about building bands, what it really takes to grow a local following and how you kind of just figure it out as you go. Chris shares his journey from starting on drums to stepping into vocals, learning along the way without formal training and developing his sound through real band...

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck , Brian sits down with vocalist Anna Suzette to talk about her unique journey from classical opera training to fronting a rock band in the Temecula Valley music scene. Anna shares how she began singing at a young age, training in opera and performing in choirs before eventually breaking out of that mold to explore rock, musical theater, and live band performance...

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck , Brian sits down with Temecula-based country artist Maddison Scott to talk about her journey from choir and church singing to performing live across Southern California. Maddison shares how she got her start, what it’s like transitioning from structured choir to live band performances, and how she built momentum playing venues throughout Temecula. She also open...

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck, I sit down with singer-songwriter Faith Belle to talk about her journey into music, the power of authentic songwriting, and the influences that shaped her sound. Faith shares how she balances a full-time career in finance while pursuing music, why she refuses to be boxed into a single genre, and how personal experiences have shaped songs like Just Believe . We...

How do you go from busking on the Seal Beach Pier to becoming one of the most talked-about artists in the Temecula music scene in just five months? In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck , host Brian Jensen sits down with singer-songwriter Bella Popa to talk about her musical journey - from a musical-theater-inspired homeschooling childhood to building a social media following of over 35,000 and writ...

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck , host Brian Jensen sits down with a friend and longtime bandmate Gene Kennedy, to talk about the importance of song selection in a cover band.

In this episode of SoCal Soundcheck , host Brian Jensen sits down with a friend and longtime bandmate from both past and present projects to talk about the transition from playing in a young, active original band to navigating life, aging, and the shift into the cover band world.