Riff On This: Recent Episodes
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Welcome to Riff On This! Candid conversations behind the music in Florida. If you know anything about Florida and its music, you know this is a big state with a ton of talent. We’re here for all the juicy details and amazing stories behind the rhythms of all the genres flowing through the Sunshine State..
Three-time Grammy nominee, Telly Award-winning producer, songwriter and composer Marvin “Toneworld” Hemmings Jr., is no stranger to Orlando. In fact, he grew up here. His love for music came at a very young age. His journey started with family. “I got my start in church,” Toneworld said on the set of Riff On This. “My grandmother and grandfather had a church and I grew up there. They would let me beat on the drums until it started sounding good.” He added that he then went on to play the piano and guitar. Eventually, he researched producing and found his niche. The Evans High School grad continued to pursue his passion for music experimenting with producing. Toneworld also started playing gigs with his good friend Philip Martin. “He (Martin) was like, ‘Let’s make a record,’” Toneworld said. “I was all in. I was like, ‘Let’s do it, but I don’t have the gear.’” That’s when his friend suggested they go buy it. In fact, Toneworld said Philip bought the computer and the gear in exchange for payment to make the record. The duo found out quickly the process wasn’t easy. “I was literally doing everything wrong, but it taught me. That was my school.,” Toneworld said. “I had to troubleshoot everything I had done wrong and I learned a lot along the way”. After the album was complete, Martin was L.A.-bound, determined to play the music they had created to record executives. “He called me and was like, ‘Bro, we got the deal!’ And I was like, ‘What?’” Toneworld said. “My first record got a deal, they were a start-up label, but they were connected to Sony or something like that.” He was only 18 years old at the time. “It was one of those things where we were just like, ‘Let’s try it’ and it turned into something,” Toneworld said. Toneworld and Martin have done ten records together over the years. Now, the multi-platinum record producer has had the privilege of working with a variety of artists like Justin Bieber, Kirk Franklin, Jessie J, William McDowell and Brandy among others. Toneworld even produced seasons three and four of the TV series Empire and also worked on the show STAR. In 2021, Toneworld produced the hit “There She Go” for Justin Bieber’s multi-platinum record, Justice Triple Chucks Deluxe, which received eight Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. Just last year he was called to produce the score for the box office hit “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” The movie celebrates the life and music of one of the greatest R&B pop vocalists of all time, Whitney Houston. Hear more about Toneworld’s incredible musical journey and who he has had the honor of working with since “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” on the latest episode of Riff On This. The interview is full of wow moments you don’t want to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Samra Cokinos sits down with Madd Illz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Orlando’s own professional orchestra has served over 187,000 patrons, 85,000 children and families and 1 million students for the last three decades. The orchestra is comprised of musicians from around the world. Riff On This sat down with founding board member and French hornist Mark Fischer and clarinetist Seok Hee Jang, a fairly new member of the orchestra who moved to Orlando this year, holding the second chair. Fischer has been with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra since its inception and recalls how different it was back in the early 90s. “When we began in 1993, we started as an orchestra that was really a service organization and our attitude was very entrepreneurial,” Fischer said. “It started very small, just performing Chamber Orchestra works in churches and it was about three years before we could build up enough financial capital to be able to present our first concert in the Bob Carr Theater”. Working closely with the Orlando Opera Company and Orlando Ballet as well as the school systems, the OPO was able to grow and expand over the years. “So here we are, 30 years later, and now we walk into the new Steinmetz Hall, where I still pinch myself,” Fischer said. “Every time I walk on the stage, I look at the look up at the hall, I think this is unbelievably beautiful.” Jang shared a similar sentiment about the new Steinmetz Hall. “For me as a new musician in the orchestra, I can’t imagine being here at a better time starting at a better time than our 30th anniversary season,” Jang said. “It’s such a piece of work, a piece of art, really, it makes us sound so much better. It’s a privilege to play in the hall.” Jang said the move to Florida has been amazing and everyone has been extremely welcoming. He’s excited to work alongside the amazing musicians at the OPO. Fischer said starting out on the administrative side of the orchestra and doing the business side of things for so many years, that now he is back playing with the orchestra it’s been nice to appreciate the artistic side of things again. “I think Gil Yamaha said it best. He said, ‘This hall is an instrument. It’s not just a room. It’s an instrument.’ It’s a spectacular space. And in the future, I believe that this venue will cause the Orlando Philharmonic to become a more refined ensemble over time and already has in their first season, but it is a real joy to make music there,” Fischer said. Be sure to listen to the latest episode of Riff On This to hear more about how Fischer and Jang got started as a classical musician along with more amazing stories from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. You will also get the latest on the rest of the season, plus a little inside information on what to expect next season as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Growing up in a strong musical family, Will Chin got his start in the music world at a young age working for his uncle’s sound store — Light and Sound Equipment in Miami, Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Orlando is known for some of the hottest boy bands such as Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, O-Town and more. One of the newest boy bands to hit the sound waves is a group known as No Lonely Hearts. Members Brian, Dylan, Aidan, Alex, and Oliver are the heartbeat of this lively group. Although this is an Orlando-based band, they came from all over the United States after a nationwide audition — working with the same team that worked with Backstreet Boys, N’Sync and Pink — in hopes of making it big in the music industry. There are two guys from Florida. Oliver is from The City Beautiful and Brian is from Ft. Lauderdale. Dylan is from Texas, Alex came all the way from New Jersey and Aidan is from Pennsylvania. So what is it about these guys that make the group work? “The genuine love they have for each other coming together as a boy band from an audition,” says Tony Wilkins Vice President of A&R/Management for KDS Platinum Records. “Being from different parts of the country, they have bonded well together. All they could do here in Orlando was practice.” The group said living in the house together is actually a lot of fun, almost like living with brothers. “We understand each other’s personal space on our days off, ”Dylan said. “We try to just chill, but then when it’s time to work, we get to work and you know, we’ve come to enjoy living with each other. Some of us cook some of us just have fun time, play music just always bond with each other”. The group has released three singles this year while performing all over the United States at different venues. Their latest single “No Body (Else)” was just released on Halloween. The KDS Platinum Records band announced their release to their fans accompanied by the music video inspired by Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit Thriller video. The group donned vampire attire while showcasing their choreography in a haunted castle. This single followed “Cruel Summer” and “A Little Bit Longer” released earlier this year. The group said every day has been a new adventure for them. Touring and making memories along the way is just the beginning. “I hope that every day is just something new, something I’ve never done before and just that we all come together and make great music,” Dylan said. Hear more about each member and how they got into the world of music in the latest episode of Riff On This. Not only are their stories unique, but they have some wild fan encounters and they even sing a little something special for the host that you won’t want to miss! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Vincente Belen is a saxophonist who took his love for playing and turned professional during the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Brad Yates was 8 years old when he was gifted a piano that began his love for music, and he was a teen when the Beatles took the music world by storm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hairstylist, barber, bartender, former Orange County Sheriff’s Office employee, mom, you name it; female rap artist Lady J has done a lot in her life, but now her focus is on her music. Originally starting in the ‘90s, the aspiring artist got to piggyback off the legendary Jam Pony Express, based out of Ft. Lauderdale. Performing at block parties called Mic Check, Lady J got to experience what the music industry was like first-hand. Artists MC Star & Disco AKA The City Boys took her under their wing to show her the ropes, but Lady J’s musical aspirations had to take a time out. Lady J was a single mother of two. It wasn’t easy being the sole provider for her two children, so another career came calling. The young mother took an administrative job with the Orange County Clerk of Court. It was stable, had government benefits, and she stayed there for six years. The career path with the county didn’t stop. Lady J was hired in 2000 by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and was there doing administrative work for 10 years. Lady J’s ambition and creativity came in handy during those years. To make her children even more comfortable, she took on yet another job. “I was a kitchen beautician,” said Lady J, giggling. “I would leave my nine-to-five and tend to my kids, then at night I had clients that would come to the house to get their hair done.” The determined mother was now bringing in two incomes, alone. After 16 years with Orange County, suddenly Lady J found life taking her in a different direction. Her father had fallen ill, so she resigned. Her children were old enough to take care of themselves and she was stable enough to leave her job to care for her family that needed her. “People can judge you know, what you went through in your life, so I decided to turn those experiences into something greater than just gossip,” Lady J said. Years later and now a grandmother of six, the fierce multi-talented woman uses her life experiences to make the lyrics of her songs relatable. “I won’t write about things I haven’t experienced, so what you get is all me,” Lady J said. It was these experiences that helped create her first song, “Misunderstood,” that she recorded many years after her first experiences with Jam Pony Express. Earlier this year, the female rapper got to open for rapper JT Money — known for his hit “Who Dat,” released in 1999 and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 — at a private birthday celebration for his close friend. In August, Lady J found herself on stage yet again, this time performing with Miami bass and hip hop duo 69 Boyz. Her most recent performance was Labor Day weekend at the Lake Eola amphitheater for the Ouff Live Music Showcase, which was part of the Orlando Urban Film Festival. Lady J said she’s often asked why she waited so late in life to get back into music. Her reply is simple. “It’s my time, that’s all I can say is my time. Back then I probably wasn’t mature enough, like, but now I’m mature and that’s a blessing. I’m able to be obedient and what I’m called to do, right, back then I probably would have not been as focused, but now I am more stable in life,” Lady J said. Of course, Lady J still loves being a hairstylist and barber. She still has her cosmetology license and a lengthy clientele list. When she’s not cutting hair or in the studio recording new tracks, the talented Glam-ma is behind the bar having a few laughs while tending with patrons of Red 13 cigar bar, adding even more life experiences to possibly inspire her next song. When asked what words of advice or wisdom she would give to people who still dream of being a music artist, Lady J said being committed is a major step in the right direction. “It’s going to be hard and there will be some bumpy roads along the way... Yes, it’s gonna hurt, but wipe the tears away. You got to find strength in it to keep moving,” said Lady J, encouragingly. “That’s what I do every day.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Growing up in New Jersey, Greg Cardino started playing in bands at a young age, but it was an invitation from another bandmate to come to Daytona Beach where this story begins.
Growing up along West Africa's Ivory Coast, Joel De Souza was rooted in music at a young age.
Samara sits down with her former college professor and "rock demi-god" Dr. Lou McNally to learn more about his many years in music and radio.
What started as a hobby of listening to and mixing music in his apartment became more than just a career for Florida native Danny Garcia. In 2009, at the age of 19, Garcia and his friends were throwing big house parties on Orlando’s east side by the University of Central Florida. “A bartender had come to one of our parties, and he was like, ‘Man, you have a lot of people here. If you bring all these people from this house party to a club, you have the opportunity to make a lot of money,’” Garcia said. The young deejay listened to his friend and got a gig in downtown Orlando. Garcia said he really started taking deejaying seriously when he got a job at the Dragon Room. “A lot of the veteran DJs, they kind of taught me the ways and taught me how to really mix and perfect my craft,” Garcia said. A few years later DJ Danny Garcia was working four to six nights a week in Orlando’s nightclub scene. It wasn’t a full-time job, so to make ends meet Garcia took a part-time job at a liquor store. “I knew if I wanted to do a full-time gig, I would have to get into the private event world or wedding world,” Garcia said. In 2016 he started to deejay weddings. It was a big change from the club scene, but Garcia loved it. “I was able to blend the mixing I did in the club, but with the professionalism a wedding deejay had,” Garcia said. After working several weddings Garica was finally able to become a full-time deejay. Now, Garcia averages two to three weddings a week. He said during November’s wedding season, he can do as many as four to five weddings a week. Garcia didn’t stop the club scene completely. He still does a few nights to keep up to date with music. Garcia also worked part-time at that liquor store for ten years and really had a passion for it. That experience ultimately opened up yet another door of opportunity. “So about six years ago we started the project,” said Garica holding a bottle of vodka proudly. “Mitch Patel is the founder of P1 Vodka, the P comes from his last name and the number one comes from his Indian culture. See, when you give somebody something of monetary value they give $21, $51, $101, that extra one is to wish a prosperous future.” Patel led the P1 team consisting of Garcia, Luis Medina, Chris Rodriguez, and Eric Medina. The non-GMO organic corn-based vodka is not only gluten-free but is made with water brought in from the Appalachian Mountains. You can read more about the ingredients and process in Patel’s interview with News 6 by clicking here. “Our bottle is even black and gold because most of us went to UCF. I didn’t. But the rest of the guys did and they wanted to pay homage to the university,” Garcia said. When asked what advice he would give anyone wanting to start their own business, Garcia said following your passion is the way to go. “Being able to take both of my passions and bring it kind of together, it’s been a blessing. I’m grateful every day”.
Back on Dec. 26, 1963, the Beatles had their first U.S. release of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and it skyrocketed to No. 1 on U.S. charts just 5 weeks later. “I like, so many people, were inspired by the Beatles” said Jim Ownby who at the time was a teen with a passion for music. “I heard that song and started growing my hair.” It even got him into a little trouble. “My physical education coach made me wear a ponytail in the front of my head because my hair was too long”, Ownby said. “It didn’t bother me. In fact, I think it bothered him more than it bothered me.” Ownby started his first band at 14 years old with some friends in Ft. Pierce with Ownby playing bass and singing. The band eventually got their first gig at a teen night at a club. It was their first time performing on a stage in front of an audience. At the age of 15, the band found themselves on the road headed to Coconut Grove for an even bigger opportunity. The Hunn’s were going to open for John Sebastian’s band, before he founded Lovin’ Spoonful, in front of 2,000 people. “I got a dose of the ‘real scared.’ You think it’s nothing until you go all out there and see all those people,” Ownby said. It wasn’t performing with his band that made him nervous, though. “My knees were wobbly and I thought I was going to fall introducing John Sebastian’s band to the crowd,” Ownby said with a chuckle. From there Ownby went on to play in a few road bands — moving around from Daytona Beach to Orlando, playing Rock and Roll and Blues hits. It was then he found a new calling. “My goal was to be a rock star, but that didn’t pan out”, Ownby said. “The reason I considered opening a music store was because I knew so many musicians in the local area that had to go to Orlando to buy anything at all almost, there were just no music stores locally.” In 1974, Ownby opened Coastal Discount Music Store on the south end of Beach Street in Daytona Beach. He and his wife at the time ran the store during the day and Ownby would still play in bands at night. The store was the spot to go to for some guitar work and equipment rentals. Spring Break was a big time in Daytona Beach in the 70s and early 80s. Every bar on Main Street had live bands performing and if they needed something Coastal Discount Music was there to provide it. “Daytona Beach was a nucleus for music in the 70s and bands from all over the country would come to perform and would often come through the store since it was one of the only ones in the area,” Ownby said. Meeting groups like Lynard Skynard, Molly Hatchet and the Allman Brothers when they would come in for little stuff here and there. Ownby even became friends with Neil Giraldo, an amazing guitarist who later married Pat Benatar. One of Ownby’s fondest memories of playing music was the night Niel Geraldo and drummer Jeff Servera took him to go play bass in a jam session. “We played for 45 minutes and Neil blew them away,” Ownby said. “Talk about feeding off the audience. People heard him from the beach and came off the beach to hear him play and he just took the house down. It was truly the highlight of my musical career.” Coastal Discount Music moved to the west end of Main Street in Daytona Beach and thrived until 1981 when the disco era took a lot of live music out of clubs and bars and replaced it with vinyl. Deejay groups were being booked more than bands and that’s when the necessity of Ownby’s music store became less relevant. “I was really sad to see that change happen. Not just for my business, but the feeling you had walking down Main Street Daytona Beach just changed,” Ownby said. “The way someone feels when they hear live music and the interaction you get from the band and audience isn’t something you get as much when listening to recorded music. It’s good, but there’s nothing like the feeling live music gives you.”
Florida: Where some of the best stories in the country are born. Based in Orlando, journalist Katrina Scales voices a selection of the day's top headlines, along with a nugget of Florida knowledge you may have never heard before. Ready by 7:00 a.m. every weekday morning.
Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio E-Z Baby was influenced by his musical family. From his mom and grandpa playing guitar, his brother free-style rapping, to the first keyboard he made beats on, E-Z had rhythm running through his veins. “My first job when I was a teenager was actually in a music store where they sold cassette tapes”, E-Z said. The music-lover even deejayed proms and sweet-16 parties. His love for writing songs came from sitting for hours listening to the radio and writing the lyrics to learn how songs flowed. “This was back when you recorded songs off the radio to a tape and listened, then rewind, listen some more”, E-Z said. “There was no (way to) look up lyrics on the internet back then”. He soon started making his own music. “Ninety percent of my music is about love”, E-Z said. His latest song Understatement is his first song released in all English and happens to be the name of his first album. While these songs talk about love in-depth — even as far as long-term commitment and denture appointments — E-Z said they’re all upbeat and songs you can dance or just chill out to. “I can’t wait to release what I have and show the world,” E-Z said. His album Understatement is set to release on his birthday, July 5, and will be available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Growing up in a household filled with Latin music, DJ Junebuhg found himself in love with a different sound — rap. “There was always Latin music playing until I came around and then it started to change,” Junebuhg said. The young aspiring deejay would often take his parents' tapes and record over the original music with songs from the radio. It was in 8th grade when he got a chance to deejay an event at school, even eventually getting spin at the school prom. His love for music continued to grow even when his family left New Jersey for the Sunshine State in 1993. Carrying his record bag, Junebuhg was off to his first party in Central Florida at a community center in Poinciana. After chatting with another deejay at the party, Junebuhg had a chance to spin a few records. The sound went from Miami bass music which was very popular in the early 90s to rap with a flip of a record. “I had some good treats, hip hop records that weren’t even playing on the radio at the time known as white label records. People weren’t used to that vibe but got used to it and that’s how I introduced myself as a deejay here in Florida," Junebuhg said. What started as a hobby of recording tapes soon turned into a business for the young deejay.
From breakdancing to deejaying to producing music, DJ Chino does it all. He has roots in Orlando, but that’s not where it all began. DJ Chino, a.k.a. Valdemar Crame, was born in the Philippines before moving to Maui when he was 7 years old. Five years later he was on the move again, this time to Florida. It was in Orlando where his parents found good job opportunities and decided to move their family. Chino found a love for dancing during his teen years. “Being Filippino and breakdancing they go together” he said. He recalled making a dance group called Mind 180 with his brother Chet. “He was one of the best breakdancers in the city and we went to dance battles with like 20-30 dancers and it was a lot of fun”, Chino said. Although dancing was fun, Chino found himself focusing on the music. Often the flow in the club didn’t fit what a dancer was looking for. So he decided to change that. “I said, ‘You know, what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna DJ for my group,’” he said. Now, almost two decades in the music scene, the name DJ Chino is a staple. From throwing parties and learning from others, Chino said it was a lot of work. “I really needed to learn from the best on the scene and at the time DJ Cesar, DJ Nasty, DJ Khaled, and DJ Prostyle, a lot of these guys that are now legends in the city helped me”, he said. Known as the turntable dragon DJ Chino found himself at 102 JAMZ, a popular hip-hop and R&B station that coined Orlando “Jamlando”. “They opened a lot of doors so I’m forever grateful to those guys for showing me the business, and now, you know, 20 years later, I’m still doing what I love,” Chino said. Still on the scene, Chino does more than just local sets. Now he travels all over and is even sponsored by Pep Boys, traveling to throw corporate parties. Aside from deejaying, Chino has been producing music since 2000. While doing that Chino kept remixing songs for his mix shows and landed a few official remixes for Atlantic Records. “It wasn’t until 2018 when I started our electronic group Breikthru that we got our song ‘Brick by Brick’ signed with Brooklyn Fire Records,” Chino said. That led to signing the electronic hit “Find Me” with Don Diablo’s label Hexagon. “If you want to be a DJ, you love music, it’s a perfect job for you. You know, because as long as you love music, you will always make it to your finish line,” Chino said. “This Deejaying is actually about music more than it is a paycheck and I came into it because I love to DJ and I love music. All that other stuff will come along with it.”
Welcome to Riff On This, a podcast about all the great music happening in and around our community. Hip-hop and rap music have roots in Brooklyn and for Deejay Lyvwyr, that’s where his dream of being a successful DJ began. Lyvwyr grew up on Nostrand Avenue above a tailor shop that rap legends would frequent to have their suits tailored. He recalls the day one of hip-hop’s pioneers, Doug E. Fresh, pulled up to the shop and his own excitement to run downstairs to see if he could get an autograph for his collection. “I was 10 years old and I run downstairs to get his autograph for my book and he signs it, but unlike every other celebrity I’ve ever met, he stops and talks to me,” Lyvwyr said. That day, the “Original Human Beatbox” gave more than just an autograph, he gave young Lyvwyr advice on how to achieve his goal of being successful in music and entertainment. A piece of the advice was to do well in school, but what the rapper didn’t realize was that he would see this boy again. “That’s the day I knew this is what I was supposed to be doing,” Lyvwyr said. Lyvwyr had quite a few people to motivate him along the way — like Kool DJ Red Alert, Funk Master Flex, DJ Marley Mal, Angie Martinez and Special K from The Awesome Two, who ended up being a close mentor. Fast forward 20 years, which included eight years in the Army and a college degree, Lyvwyr meets up with Doug E. Fresh again. By this time, Lyvwyr was a seasoned DJ. It was November 2011. Pat Nix from Frontline Promotions hired Lyvwyr to do a show with Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick and Big Daddy Kane. It was classic weekend and rapper Heavy D had just passed away a little over a week prior to the show. Lyvwyr took to the stage and proceeded to play an entire set dedicated to Heavy D. “I thought ‘Well, they’re either going to like or not,’” Lyvwyr said. As he walked off the stage, Doug grabbed Lyvwyr’s arm and tells him he wants to talk once his set is done. Lyvwyr’s gut feeling to play the Heavy D set that night proved to be a good decision. What he learned that night was Heavy D was like a brother to Doug and his passing had weighed heavily during the days leading up to classic weekend. Check out Lyvwyr’s playlist here: https://bit.ly/3wnXwRh