The SoCal Setlist

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.