In 1971, the English rock band Foghat formed in London, quickly becoming known for its use of electric slide guitar and it’s hard rocking blues hits. Over the last 51 years, the band has attained eight gold records, one platinum record and one double platinum record for some of the greatest anthems in classic rock. Roger Earl is one of the original founding members, and the only one to still rock on the drums and tour with the band. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole known as Tik Tok. One minute you’re glancing at a video someone may have sent and the next thing you know it’s 2 a.m. It happens to the best of us. For Sebastian Gabriel, the experience was different. Posting videos was a way to showcase Gabriel’s talent, playing the electric violin. Posts would include Gabriel playing a tune, and covering popular songs. His talent stems from the tender age of 5, playing the violin in Venezuela. The classically trained musician even played in the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra before coming to the states. The move brought a lot of changes. Gabriel had to adjust and really sell his talent. That’s where Tik Tok came in. The platform would soon change his career. “I was playing a Maluma song called Hawaii at a rooftop gig and when I played it, people started dancing, singing along,” Gabriel said. Little did he know this video would have big impacts on his life. “That video just went viral,” Gabriel said with a smile. “I was checking it and I was shocked it went from 2,000 views to 200,000 and then 600,000 views to a million and you’re like, ‘How does this even happen?’” Video views went well above a million, but something else started happening. “At the same time I was just receiving requests from people like come to New York and play this and come play that song at my wedding,” Gabriel said. The next day Gabriel woke up to even more requests. “My email was just completely crazy,” Gabriel said. “I have over 500 emails wanting to book me, I was like, ‘I can’t do all this alone.’” Gabriel needed a team. With his brother and girlfriend’s help, they sorted through email requests for him to play at weddings and parties from California to Puerto Rico and even Mexico. “I received requests for like MLS players saying, ‘Hey come to Cancun I want you to do my wedding,’” Gabriel said. Hear more about Gabriel’s musical history including the brief pause he took from music and more by listening to the latest episode of Riff On This. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a guitar purchased from a garage sale down the street from his parents Chicago home, Mark Dawson learned the riff to the Beatles hit “Day Tripper.” At the time the middle schooler, inspired by performances he saw on the Ed Sullivan show, was determined to be in the school talent show. “I’ve been in three talent shows and I’m 3-0, that’s all I can really say about that,” Dawson said smiling. “I didn’t know what I was doing, but I just thought that was really fun and I want to do it more.” Little did the aspiring musician know those talent shows would lead to the formation of his first band and eventually a career in music. Dawson had gone from playing in his mother’s basement with his teen friends to ski resorts in Colorado with a cover band. His voice had even been featured in the 1991-1993 Coors Light radio campaign. “That campaign was fun. It was a fun time in my musical career,” Dawson said. Fast forward to 1995, Dawson relocates to Central Florida with his wife and daughter. By this time, Dawson had been in several bands and even recorded his own music when he joined a doo-wop group in Tampa. Dawson spent eight years with the group traveling all over Florida. “I had just about reached that point where I didn’t think my career was going to be you know, going to elevate musically anymore,” Dawson said. His age became a concern watching new talent appear left and right. “There are so many young, talented people coming up these days,” Dawson said. “I listened to some of the people like, ‘Oh, they have way more talent than me at 20 than I do at my age.’” An opportunity came knocking in the form of a phone call from an agent Dawson knew from the 80s. “Out of the blue, he said, ‘Hey, how are you with your Grass Roots catalog?’ I said, ‘I don’t know what you mean by that,’” Dawson said with a chuckle. The agent told Dawson, The Grass Roots needed a fill-in for an upcoming show to sing and play bass for about 6-7 hits. “I absolutely agreed to it and thought ‘Oh, this will be fun,’” Dawson said smiling ear-to-ear. “To put on my resume that I was the lead singer of one of my favorite bands, at least for one day, how many people could say that ya know”? Turns out Dawson needed to learn 19 songs before the show date in San Francisco and he had three days to do it. “All I remember is being a little stressed out going to the hotel, meeting the band because I had not met them or spoken to them prior to that,” Dawson said. “We drove out to the show. I played it. And they asked me to come back and do it again.” Now, 15 years later, Dawson is still rocking with one of his favorite bands. Of course, there have been ups and downs along the way. The passing of long-time lead singer and bassist Rob Grill was a moment Dawson said he had to step up to help fulfill his friend’s vision for the group and its music. “He kept telling me, ‘I want you to be the guy to take The Grass Roots music to the future.’ Those were his words exactly,” Dawson said. As a musician and friend, it was challenging for Dawson as he faced many fans over the years that were not accepting of his new position, but he kept going. Dawson says he would never change what Grill and the group had made over the years that he loved and made him a fan too. “These were nearly perfect pop songs. I’m proud to play them as they are,” Dawson said. “And my job, I’m a vehicle to bring them to you and that’s the way I look at it”. Hear more about Dawson and Grill’s friendship and all the behind-the-scenes stories from traveling to performing on the latest podcast episode of Riff On This. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From age 11, Slim started writing rhymes for birthdays — mimicking the patterns he heard from rap songs flowing out of the radio. “I didn’t know what 16 bars was,” Slim said. “Whatever the length of the verse was from whatever artist I was listening to, I made mine similar and then I would count the lines and there would be 16, that’s how I learned to write.” Little did Slim know this was the beginning of his musical journey. His path was not always clear or defined in music, but his heart drove his passion. It wasn’t easy. “Nothing was really going together,” said Slim recalling when he was in elementary school and had to move to Atlanta. “I was one of those kids, you know, came from a single mom, one of five kids, always in trouble getting kicked out of school going to juvenile detention. The only time I wasn’t in trouble is when I was writing music,” Slim said. After his last trip to juvenile detention as a teen, the judge told Slim if he ended up back in that court, he would go to boot camp. Slim left detention and never looked back knowing that in order to be successful he had to stay out of trouble. Fast forward, Slim, now 17 years old, is back in Central Florida. Opportunity was knocking at his door. Through mutual friends, Slim wrote his first R&B song for a group of producers and instrumentalists based in Tampa known as J.U.S.T.I.C.E League. After writing a song for Colione, Slim says he felt confident he could write songs for a living. By 2019, Slim had written plenty of songs and caught the attention of one record executive he always wanted to work with. ‘Growing up in Atlanta, I always wanted to meet L.A. Reid,” Slim said. “He was signing everything from Outkast to T.I., TLC, all these people, so when I was young my dream was to meet and work with him.” He ended up doing just that. Hear more on his journey and what led him to writing for record executive L.A. Reid, the work he did with rapper Rubi Rose, and what he’s doing now on the latest episode of Riff On This. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony Wild is the founder of Kids Rock The Nation, a non-profit with the mission to share the power of music with children by giving aspiring young musicians in need instruments to ignite their passion for music and their passion for life. Before dedicating all his time to kids, Wild was a full-time musician. His love for music started at a very young age in Wisconsin. “When I was 5 years old, I got a shiny new drum set for Christmas,” Wild said. His older brother Andrew, a musician in a band, had a hand in showing Wild how to play his new drum set. “As time went on, I kind of moved into singing because I realized I was a better singer than I was a drummer,” Wild said laughing. Inspired by the sounds of Luther Allison and Jimmy Reed, the blues was calling Wild’s name. By the time Wild was 15, the aspiring singer had met a producer named Mel Barlow in Leesburg while spending the winter here with his parents. Wild recorded with Barlow, recalling it was a defining moment for him as a teen. “It gave me an opportunity to really do something where I could kind of express myself because it’s tough being a child,” Wild said. “You’re trying to figure out who you are, what am I going to do with my life.” Wild ended up making the Sunshine State his home. Here he was able to work alongside the members of The Kingsnake Blues Band, blues/rock singer and guitarist Ace Moreland, journeyman drummer Ronnie Byrd Foster and guitarist Warren King. “I was able to perform one night with Robbie Krieger from The Doors,” Wild said with a smile. “That was a really big moment, but I was grateful to have worked with all these amazing musicians over the years.” One day Wild’s career came to a screeching halt. “Cancer. I was diagnosed with cancer,” Wild said with tears in his eyes. Lacking a steady income, and unable to buy costly private insurance, Wild tried finding out other options with a doctor he had been seeing. Wild recalled the moment with the doctor vividly. “He just looked at me and he said, ‘Well,’ he said, ‘Anthony, you know, you’re a musician, you don’t really have a lot of money per se.’ He said, ‘What is it that you think that anybody’s going to do for you?’” In fact, there was not one, but two doctors that were willing to help Wild. Hear what the husband and wife doctor duo did for Wild and how their kindness led to starting a nonprofit that gives the gift of music to kids in need all over the nation, on the latest episode of Riff On This! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the pandemic, a lot of people did things like remodeling a room around the house or working from home, or perhaps the take in a new pet. For Cameron Jimenez, aka Smoove J, it was a new start with a clear focus. The plan involved moving to Florida to advance his musical career both singing and knowing more of the business behind the music. So that’s what he did. Inspired by the musical talents of his mother and grandmother, Smoove J found himself in Central Florida. Smoove J said his mother, Faith’s vocals and talents on the piano, help him stay focused during trying times. “She’s one of the best moms that you can ever ask for anybody,” said Smoove J, smiling. “You have a lot of ups and downs, a lot of downs especially and you just got to, you got to keep pushing, you got to just keep pushing,” recalls the singer but knowing he came from a line of talented family members, like his grandmother the music teacher and his mom, Smoove J said that’s all the affirmation he needs to work even harder. “My mom is my biggest fan, but I have to say I am hers as well.” Prior to moving to Florida, Smoove J and his friends would perform at different functions. The young artist realized at the time there was a lot more to singing than just singing. Smoove J now is focused on getting noticed as well as the business of music. There’s no manager, so he does everything alone. Social media has been a great platform but has also brought its own set of complications. “There’s someone over there putting in 10 hours a day on like TikTok or something going live on TikTok, and they’re trying to get noticed. And you just, it’s a bigger, bigger competition now,” said Smoove J, reflecting on trying to shine among the world wide web users. “It’s definitely a struggle, you can get down to your lows, but you just got to keep getting up, you got to keep pushing and pushing and pushing and pushing and pushing. Because if not, then you’re not going to do what your dream is.” Smoove J said he performs live on TikTok two to three days a week and even more some weeks, most of the time singing for hours. It’s a lot of work, but he continues to push forward in hopes of living out his dream of recording music. When asked who he would love to record with, Smoove J didn’t hesitate. “I would like to achieve making a hit with DJ Khaled. That’s what I would like,” the singer said, reflecting on the major record executives motivating personality and numerous award-winning hits and albums. But, Smoove J says he’s not just focused on one genre. “I love jazz. I love old school. Soul music, all of that stuff, Earth, Wind and Fire... I love that kind of music,” Smoove J said, inspired once again by his mothers love for great music. It’s not just about singing for Smoove J, he does plenty more. Be sure to listen to the latest episode of Riff On This to hear more about what he does to stand out and what he has to say to others in the same boat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Korbel is an Orlando jazz musician that just released a Christmas single you don't want to miss. He talks about what inspired him to make his song and why it's different from traditional holiday tunes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Born in Brooklyn, New York, DJ Jay-R moved to Miami to attend Florida Atlantic University and study music. From there, another move was made. The young music-lover was headed to Orlando. It’s here in Central Florida where he found his passion through deejaying. “I tried it and I fell in love. And then I got inspired by a couple of bigger DJs like DJ Nasty and DJ Chino, and they took me under their wing and they showed me the ropes and it’s been history ever since,” Jay-R said. Sure, anyone can play their favorite Pandora or Spotify playlist, but being a DJ requires more and it’s not as easy as it looks. “So a lot of people think when they see a DJ, all they see is the headphones and this motion (mimics spinning a record), but there’s so much more to it,” Jay-R said. There’s an art to being a good DJ. Spinning, mixing, and scratching aren’t skills someone picks up overnight. “I spent hours just going back and forth on a record, just to like, see how I can make the sound sound different, how I can make people’s words match like people’s beats and whatnot,” Jay-R said. After a lot of practice, studying his mentors, and playing at UCF events and plenty of frat parties, Jay-R has found himself DJing private celeb events like Tobias Harris’ wedding and even had the opportunity to spin inside the NBA bubble, a moment that is forever etched in his memory. “I was equally as nervous because like, oh my goodness, I’m in the bubble,” Jay-R laughed. His work has even taken him abroad touring with Fat Joe in Moscow, picking up some valuable performing knowledge from the hip-hop icon along the way. “He’s like listen junior, he calls me junior,” said Jay-R, recalling the moment with Fat Joe. “He said once you play the record, you got to step back and see the crowd and enjoy yourself. And he was right. I took that with me that stood out with me from then until now. And I couldn’t be more thankful.” Now a veteran DJ, Jay-R said when he first started out his biggest goal was to be on the radio. Over the summer that goal was met when he was added to the list of DJs playing for FLY 1031. “I love it. That’s my dream,” Jay-R said. The thing about radio, Jay-R tells me, is you never know who is listening. “I’m thankful to have that opportunity to do that every day, for almost two hours, a lot of mixing, but I do it. I love to inspire people I love to share I love to, like you said play a record that maybe people haven’t heard in a while. Or it makes their kids dance in the backseat of their car,” the proud dad said. “Or maybe it makes your grandma want to like get up and just do a little two-step that she used to do. That’s what really motivates me,” Jay-R said with a smile. “This is just the beginning.” You can hear DJ Jay-R play the 103 minute commercial free FLY Mix weeknights at 8 p.m. on Nights with Nailz. 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