DJ Laz, a.k.a. Lazaro Mendez, has been the longtime face of Miami bass and Power 96 and helped hip-hop acts such as Flo Rida, Ying Yang Twins and his nephew Pitbull shine beyond South Florida’s spotlight. Laz’s latest gig is representing Hennessy as part of the cognac’s DJ Collective program. Laz was partying in the VIP area of Bongo’s Cuban Cafe at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.,Dec. 7. While party-goers sipped Hennessy mixed with cranberry and other exotic concoctions including tamarind purée and cinnamon sticks, Laz took a moment to fill City Link in on his holiday plans, the album he’s working on and the mixes he’s been making lately behind the bar.

What’s your favorite way to drink Hennessy?

“I got to stay at the Hennessy mansion when I went to Cognac, France and it was beautiful. I learned to drink Hennessy a certain way. I like Hennessy, ginger ale and a mint leaf. That is all me, right there. It’s delicious. I call that the ‘Laz special.’”

Do you have any New year’s resolutions?

“Quite a few. I’m coming out with a new album next year. I’m in the middle of working out another deal with Hennessy for another year. It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve been running into a lot of great things and times and places together. So I’m focusing on the album and looking for syndicated radio in the next couple of years. Obviously I want to stay in Miami and be based out of Miami but I want to be broadcast in multiple cities.”

Who are you working with on your new album?

“For sure my nephew Pitbull. I’ve already spoken to Flo Rida and T-Pain–definitely the usual suspects. I actually want to come out with two projects next year. One of them will be called Miami’s Finest, where it’s basically all new Miami undiscovered acts but we’re going to put them in the studio with the right people and just create bangers.”

Are you spending Christmas with your nephew?

“Yes, as a matter of fact, we’re leaving to the Dominican Republic on the 19th. We’re going to relax, wind down and shut it off for a little bit.”

What is the hottest music in Miami right now?

“The dance music down here is huge. Dance music went away for a little while and all of a sudden, it’s back with a vengeance. It’s all over the world. The dance scene is big. The hip-hop scene was always big but what’s killing them right now in the clubs is the uptempo music that people can dance to and sing a long to and basically for the ladies to let their hair down to. When the music’s going, everything’s good.”

Do you still get requests for your 1996 single “Esa Morena” when you’re DJ’ing?

“Til this day, 2011, I get kids liking that song that weren’t even born when that record was out and they’re jamming and singing the words and I’m like ‘OK, how did this happen?’ It’s one of those records that will never die.”

You always wear the sickest bling. Where do you shop?

“I’m not one of those chi chi people. I’ve gone to the mall. Any place that catches my eye I’ll stop at. I don’t have a favorite designer. I have a house in Plantation so sometimes I’ll be at Sawgrass. When they ask me ‘Who are you wearing?’ I just say ‘Wherever I stopped to pick it up.’ But I am really into bling though. I have a jeweler I always go to and everything he does is amazing.”

Where do you go in Miami to chill out?

“Well my mom makes the best cafe Cubano so I love having that but I’m always in the clubs and doing music so when I want to get away for a little bit, I jump on my boat and get away to the Bahamas. It’s a 42-foot Hydra-Sports boat with four motors and we get to wherever we’re going really fast. Sometimes I bring my iPod and play some of the new mixes I made but when I’m out there, the only thing I really want to hear is the ocean crashing while holding a Hennessy drink in my hand.”

Think Pink Rocks, a concert to benefit breast cancer research,  took over Mizner Amphitheater in Boca Raton the evening of Nov. 5 with a star-studded list of performers which included Sean Kingston, Asher Roth, Melanie Fiona, Flo Rida and many others. While the windy weather made the pink carpet interviews a little challenging, the scene backstage was buzzing at full throttle. Kingston, who had a serious jet ski accident in Miami Beach in May that left him in critical condition, was in great spirits and appeared to be fully recovered. Sporting a new blinged-out grill by Ben Baller and a Miami Heat jacket, Kingston said he’s grateful to be back in the spotlight and anxious to release his album, Back 2 Life, early next year. “I’m ready to go 100 percent,” Kingston said. “This show is a great cause. My aunt had breast cancer and so many lives are affected by it.”

Steven Rifkind, Chairman, SRC Music/Universal, has helped make the event happen four years in a row, and he’s looking forward to the day doctors find a cure for cancer. As the extensive lineup of hip-hop and R&B acts hit the stage continuously entertaining hundreds of fans, Boca Raton “American Idol” finalist Brett Loewenstern also delivered a rousing performance.

Asher Roth, who was sporting a funky pair of pink slippers he randomly found in his dressing room, was happy to return to Boca Raton to perform at the show again this year to support the cause and he’s not taking his health for granted. “I’m really thankful for my health. I’ve seen a lot of people  kind of go down recently, health-wise, and I’m really thankful to have healthy lungs.”

DJ Jam Master J’son, who is the son of legendary DJ Jam Master Jay, also showed up for the event. Check out these shots from the pink carpet and backstage that night.

Not too many artists are touring in support of their 41st studio album, but Dolly Parton is. The bubbly, blonde country music legend is in the middle of her Better Day World Tour, which she took to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s Hard Rock Live Oct. 18. As Parton performed her catalogue of hits which included “Coat of Many Colors,” “Jolene,”  “9 to 5,” “Here You Come Again,” “I Will Always Love You” and covers of “Rocky Top” and “Stairway To Heaven,” it was obvious the people in the crowd had their favorite decade of Parton’s music when the pockets of sing-alongs started.

What I love most about Parton is even after 110 singles, a successful acting career and owning her own theme park, she still doesn’t take herself too seriously. Parton opened the show covering Katrina And The Waves’ ‘80s classic, “Walking On Sunshine.” Wearing a hot pink, sparkling, sequin dress, Parton strutted around stage with the energy of an entertainer that seemed nowhere near 65 years old.

In addition to singing pitch-perfect a cappella gospel songs, Parton demonstrated her instrumental talents as well. Throughout the show she played a guitar, banjo, saxophone, piano, autoharp, recorder, fiddle and dulcimer. She told jokes between songs and did something I haven’t seen younger acts do on tour lately–she shared stories about her life and the lessons behind the lyrics she wrote.

“I grew up one of 12,” Parton said. “We always had love, kindness and understanding in my house and money can’t buy that. I treasure all the people in my life. I call them my Smoky Mountain rainbows.”

While she seems to have an affinity for performing covers live (she performed ‘Shine’ by Collective Soul, Dusty Springfield’s ‘Son of a Preacher Man’) the best portion of the show came during the moments Parton was the most simple. She sang an a cappella version of “Little Sparrow” with her backup singers and the entire arena was silent. After a 20 minute intermission, Parton returned to the stage in a different glittery getup and delivered more of her hits to the crowd but the gem of the last portion of the show was a song off her latest album titled “Sacrifice.”

She dedicated the inspiring tune to anyone starting a business or a new endeavor in their lives. And the words were genuine. “But empty or full, I’ve carried my pail/You don’t drink the water if you don’t dig the well/Through blood sweat and tears I have built a good life/But it didn’t come without sacrifice.” It’s the must download tune off her Better Day album, which came out in June. Through her latest release, Parton hopes to inspire the world that “Better Days are to come for all of us’ and she wrote the album to give people ‘a little sunshine and ray of hope.” Judging from the smiles on faces of fans on the way out, it appears Parton reached her goal that night.

For more on Il Volo, check out this recent interview Boschetto did with City Link.

Brad Paisley has given us 17 No. 1 reasons to still find entertainment and fulfillment in contemporary country music. The 38-year-old West Virginia native embarked on his H2O II: Wetter and Wilder World Tour in May and performed at Cruzan Amphitheatre Sept. 10. The American Saturday Night singer, who always flashes images of the American flag throughout his concerts, paid a moving homage to the victims of 9/11 with a video tribute that read: “In honor of those who gave their lives Sept. 11, 2001, we will never forget.”

The crowd erupted into a fierce chant of “U.S.A., U.S.A.” at the show, which was also the eve of the tenth anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. While I love Paisley’s pithy songwriting skills and enviable knack for working pop culture references into a tune especially on songs such as “Online” and “Celebrity,” Paisley is also an accomplished lead guitarist. His love for guitar started as a young boy when he’d listen to his grandpa  play music by Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and Les Paul. By age 12, he had written his first song, “Born On Christmas Day.” He later became a regular entertainer on “Jamboree USA” and opened for The Judds.

He’s still evidently playing the hell out of his Fender Telecaster guitars. While I’ve witnessed many country entertainers use a guitar more like a prop, he’s taking blues leads and riffs frequently throughout the show. In short, this dude can really play. Despite winning dozens of awards and releasing coffee table book, Diary of a Player: How My Musical Heroes Made a Guitar Man Out of Me Nov. 1, Paisley never takes himself too seriously. His shows are pure fun.

During “Celebrity,” a Paisley puppet mascot danced across the stage and he also screened an animated short. Paisley has created short films at previous shows. During this tour, he put together a cute Western-themed cartoon in which he saves Carrie Underwood, Sugarland and Kenny Chesney from horrible fates on a railroad track and in a bar fight. He also collaborated with one of his opening acts, Blake Shelton on “Don’t Drink The Water” and combined an elaborate video and light show to tunes such as “Camouflage,” “Old Alabama,” and “Waitin’ On A Woman.” While Paisley has mastered the art of penning clever drinking songs like most other country artists, I challenge someone in modern country music to write a more poignant song about honoring women more than Paisley can. From “She’s Everything” to “Then,” Paisley is a lyrical Lothario than can lasso the ladies like no other. Yeah, the crying and screaming female fans at his shows make it obvious–they’ve got it bad for Brad.

Must downloads from Paisley:

“When I Get Where I’m Going (featuring Dolly Parton)”

“Love Her Like She’s Leavin’ (featuring Don Henley)

“Toothbrush”

“I’m Still A Guy”

“American Saturday Night”

“This Is Country Music”

“Ticks”

“Welcome To The Future”

“Alcohol”

Last March, I interviewed Eddie Money at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek and he listed Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels as an artist he’d love to record with someday. While there’s no plans yet for a musical collaboration, Mitch Ryder is taking his soulful singing to the same venue July 29. Here’s what the 66-year-old R&B legend and former lead singer of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels had to say about his upcoming autobiography and one of the funniest things he’s learned about rock ’n’ roll.

I heard you have a book coming out in December. What’s it about?

“I didn’t use a ghost writer because I don’t believe in them and I guess my command of the English language is good enough to make it work. I had one guy read it and he said it’s more like a literary work. So immediately, I ran and got a dictionary and looked up the word ‘literary.’ I didn’t freakin’ know what he was talking about. So I guess it’s not your run of the mill book really.”

Is the book controversial?

“We’ve had a lot of challenges with it from a legal standpoint. We had to rip out 55 pages for legal reasons and we bought insurance on it.  I wrote the truth, but in these times, if there’s an opportunity to sue for any reason at all they’re gonna do it. Part of the problem is we talked about my second marriage. My lawyer kept saying ‘Let’s chop this or that out.’ It was so volatile, it was suppressed by the court. They didn’t want anybody to read it. I told him she’s the kind of woman that if we don’t mention her at all, she’ll sue for that reason. So they went to extraordinary measures having the Professor of Law at UCLA read it and it went passed two teams of lawyers so we’re ready to go. We’re going to release a CD with it as cross-promotion. So we expect to be back on the radar screen and hope for the best. If that doesn’t work, I’m also working on a musical I should finish by next summer. I’m keeping busy. We also tour in Europe every winter without fail and now they’re telling me they want to cut an album before the tour begins. So I’m having to write the material for that too plus keep my summer commitments like the show I’m coming down to do for you all in Florida.”

What kind of vibe does your new CD have?

“It’s a continuation of what I’ve always been about. It’s a rhythm and blues/rock ’n’ roll sort of mix. That’s how I started and apparently, that’s looking like how it’s gonna end. I mean there’s always tomorrow, but how do you top ‘Devil With A Blue Dress On?’ That was on the charts for over three months and in the top 10 three different times. I’ve done a lot of exploration musically, especially in Europe. I’ve got this huge catalog in Europe that I don’t have available to the Americans and so I play these really long, two and a half hour shows with no intermissions because I have enough material that the crowds are familiar with. Over here, we’re reduced down to the hits and whatever else we can interest the people with.”

What was the coolest part of having a song as timeless as “Devil With A Blue Dress On?”

“It was in the top 20 and then it went into the top 10 and went in and out of the top 10 for a while. It was like watching a Yo-yo. It was really exciting. We enjoyed that. Topping that is going to be really difficult, but if you get something today, with technology and communication and all the new social tools, if you promote this in a savvy way and not the way old school music was promoted, there’s no need to worry people will get to hear it.”

What’s one of the most memorable moments of you career so far?

“A long time ago there was a group called Bill Haley & His Comets. Bill Haley was dead but the Comets were still doing shows and I was put on this package show with 20 different artists representing different phases in rock ’n’ roll. The drummer was like 83 and doing a 15 minute drum solo and the bass player was in his ‘70s jumping around. I thought ‘Geez, these guys are nuts. They’re gonna die of heart attacks or something.’ So when it was time to leave, the limo service called me and said there was a mix up in transportation and they asked if I minded riding to the airport with the Comets. I was all excited about picking their brains about an era in rock ’n’ roll I wasn’t around for. I wanted to understand what rock ’n’ roll was in its infancy. I was all hyped up for it and they started talking about adult diapers and social security checks. I was thinking ‘What?’ I was expecting revelations, not old man talk. It really flipped me out.”

You have so much soul and honesty in your voice. What’s going through your mind on stage?

“This is all the result of months of electroshock therapy. No, I’m kidding. The stage is the only safe place I know. I know I can count on it. I’m not a social person. I don’t go out much to my wife’s dismay. I don’t like to go to parties. I’ll go if it’s something that can help me politically or serve my career, but to go just to be seen is not something I do.”

Ryder will perform 10 p.m. Friday July 29 in the Nectar Lounge at Seminole Coconut Creek. Tickets cost $30. Call 954-977-6700 or visit Seminolecoconutcreekcasino.com.

If you’re looking for an evening of soul-shaking Afrobeat rhythms, look no further than Manuel Artime Theater in Miami this Friday. Seun Anikulapo Kuti and Egypt 80 will hit the stage to perform music off their April 5 release, From Africa With Fury: Rise. Kuti’s father, Fela Kuti, once led the legendary Afrobeat bands Africa 70 and then Egypt 80. Part jazz/funk, part rock and tribal chants, the Afrobeat torch was passed down to Kuti after his father (Fela) died of Aids in 1997. Kuti took over Egypt 80 at age 14. Now the 29-year-old Nigerian is ready to display his raw Afro-rock vocals with powerful contemporary lyrics which touch on controversial topics from drug and oil wars to environmental destruction.

Get there:

Hennessy Presents: Seun Kuti and Egypt 80

8 p.m. on Friday July 29

Manuel Artime Theater, 900 S.W. 1st Street, Miami

Tickets cost $35 advance; $40 at the door:  Call 305-672-5202 or visit RhythmFoundation.com.

By Joanie Cox

There will always be a special place in my heart for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. 1.) Because  prior to the formation of Jett’s first group, The Runways, in 1975–an all girl rock band was a joke to record producers. And 2.) Because even after performing shows across America and the world for 36 years, she’s still willing to play her heart out for fans.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts took the stage at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino July 12. From the looks of the audience which appeared to range in age from 12 to 65, Jett’s cross-generational appeal is still rocking at full throttle.  Jett and the Blackhearts pumped out hit after hit with “Bad Reputation,” and of course “I love Rock N’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You” and her buttery, seductive single “Crimson And Clover.” But it was her performances of her Runways classics such as “Cherry Bomb” and “You Drive Me Wild,” which allowed Jett to ascend to her true rock star status. She also took the audience back to 1983 performing “The French Song,” from her third album ironically titled Album. This is a highly underrated song and if you haven’t downloaded this, I recommend it for a perfect summer playlist tune.

While Jett unfortunately left her cover “Androgynous” out of her set list, she showered the crowd with plenty of ear candy closing with “A.C.D.C” and a bluesy rock cover of “Everyday People.” Jett’s voice is still solid. Her growls have only gotten better over the years like a fine cognac and at 52, she has the body of an 20-year-old. In my next life, I’m totally coming back as a vegetarian rock star.

What made this show even more significant to me is that I was able to see Jett with the woman who introduced me to her music, my aunt JD Danner. Also a female rocker, my aunt put me on stage one night 15 years ago when the woman she typically sang with couldn’t make it to the gig. And what was the song I debuted with? It was none other than “I love Rock N’ Roll.” Thank you to all women, local and national musicians, who rock stages big and small. And a big thank you to my aunt for teaching me what it really means to love rock n’ roll.

Here’s a list of additional songs at the show I recommend you check out this summer:

“Fetish”

“Naked”

“Fake Friends”

“Love Is Pain”

“I Wanna Be Your Dog”

Vince Neil may have been in the “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)” getting arrested last June for a DUI in Vegas and cuffed again this March in Sin City for battery-domestic violence and disorderly conduct. However, legal battles aside–the lead singer of Mötley Crüe can still rock the hell out of a microphone. Neil took the stage July 5 at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino with his equally as famous bandmates–Nikki Sixx on bass and Tommy Lee on drums. Like previous Crüe shows, there were plenty of on-stage shenanigans from Lee. Instead of traditionally passing his bottle of Jack around the crowd shouting expletives at hot women and demanding they swig a shot, he hopped in a roller coaster-like apparatus that hurled him and his drum kit upside down while he pounded out some solos. He even recruited a young woman from the audience named Jackie who was strapped onto his drum kit with him and went for ride with Lee. [Awkward random moment of the show: A fan presented Lee with a Greek flag in honor of his Greek heritage. Lee, who was born in Greece, then went into a rant about how fucked about things are in his homeland]. But it didn’t stop Lee from later lending his sweet piano skills to “Home Sweet Home.”

Neil, who screamed out a stellar live version of “Shout At The Devil,” did a cool cover of Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” and paid tribute to the women of South Florida in his own motley way. “We’ve played South Florida 32 fuckin’ times and one thing you got here is hot women,” says Neil, who co-owns West Palm Beach nightclub, Dr. Feelgood’s.

Prior to Mötley Crüe’s appearance, The New York Dolls hit the stage. I unfortunately missed their set due to traffic issues on the way to the venue. But I did get there in time for the main opener. Poison took the stage to open with “Look What the Cat Dragged In” and “Your Momma Don’t Dance.” The show officially opened with drummer Rikki Rockett wearing a bandana over his face and spray painting “Hollywood, Florida” on his dual kick drums. Bret Michaels looked cool in his cowboy hat, head scarf and Poison tank top as he ran around the stage for “Unskinny Bop” and “Talk Dirty to Me.” While Michaels performed a moving rendition of the official karaoke song for white men a.k.a. “Every Rose has Its Thorn,” the highlight of the set was when Lita Ford appeared on stage to sing along to “Nothin’ But a Good Time.” I would’ve loved to see Ford perform “Kiss Me Deadly” and wail on her guitar as she always does but she just sat in on the one song. Next time, Ford needs her own set.

]]> http://mixtape.citylinkmix.com/2011/07/15/motley-crue-and-poison-hit-hard-rock-live-with-their-brand-of-hard-rockin-80s-classics/feed/ 0 http://mixtape.citylinkmix.com/2011/06/07/samantha-natalie-breaking-down-walls-with-her-new-cd/ http://mixtape.citylinkmix.com/2011/06/07/samantha-natalie-breaking-down-walls-with-her-new-cd/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:50:13 +0000 admin http://mixtape.citylinkmix.com/?p=766

by Colleen Dougher

Five years after celebrating the release of her debut EP at the now-defunct Pawn Shop Lounge in Miami, Samantha Natalie is set to release A Great Wall, her new CD that contains “1993,” “Lost in a Sunny Day” and eight other soulful indie-pop songs about change, relationships and breaking down walls.

Natalie works on her original music in between the jobs that pay her bills. The University of Miami Frost School of Music graduate gives private voice and piano lessons and sings in Studio One and VoxBlu, cover bands that play a mix of clubs and private events. “That is my work basically,” the Miami singer-songwriter and pianist says. “I mean it’s fun, so I can’t really say it’s work because we get to perform and play all the time.”

Those gigs also helped fund Natalie’s new 10-song CD, a project in the works since 2009. “I wish I could say that it didn’t take two years but along with everything that goes on sometimes these things take a little longer than you think,” she says, “I’m just excited that it’s finished.”

Recently, we interviewed Natalie about her new release (which you can listen to at Samanthanataliemusic.com), her influences and her dreams for the future.

Who produced A Great Wall?

Pete Wallace. He is a wonderful musician and also has worked with bigger artists like Shakira and Pink and traveled with Julio Iglesias for awhile. … I met him through the band that I work with, Vox Blu. So along with doing these major projects he does a few gigs with us —with the little people as we say. So we really hit it off and started recording a few songs that I had already written. He’s also a wonderful songwriter so we ended up collaborating on three or four songs on this new CD.

Which songs did you collaborate on?

He and I wrote “Sky High” together, “Love Daze” and “Words” and “Can’t Keep Myself From You.” He’s a great writer and through him I was able to meet other talented musicians who play on the CD including Dan Warner who plays guitar on almost all of it and will play live with us at the show, Lee Levin, a great studio drummer, and Eric England who plays bass on most of the songs. He’s a friend of mine. We went to the University of Miami together. I’m playing piano and singing on there, and there are a few guest artists.

Is there a particular theme you’re exploring with this CD?

Well the [title track]  is “A Great Wall.” It’s kind of a personal thing to be able to bring all of these songs into other people’s ears. All of these songs have a certain side of me that expresses different parts of my personality. A great wall meaning that I tend to be a little protective over my emotions and my feelings. I think all of us do that to an extent, but this CD was more in hopes of trying to let go of that and express that, ‘Look whatever it is that I’m singing about in this song, I don’t really care about what anybody else thinks. This is how I feel and it can’t be wrong because we are human.’ … So it’s breaking down that wall by letting other people know what it is you’re feeling and thinking about.”

Can you tell me what you were feeling and thinking about as you wrote some of the songs?

“Watching My World Change,” which is just piano and voice, [was inspired by] three people in my life who have gone through certain changes or pushed me to go through a certain change that maybe I wasn’t ready for at the time or am still not ready for but you have to deal with it and keep going. Another song is “Sky High.” The source of it is definitely different than anything I’ve written and very simple. There’s a little “Say yoo-hoo” line. That sound was meant to be a freeing phrase. The second verse says “If the fire’s getting higher and the water feeds the flame.” meaning if something’s getting worse and nothing is helping, that pretty much gives an expression to put yourself in a place where you can say ‘Whatever.” … Pete and I wrote that together and that’s the song that came out the fastest.

Who are some of your influences?

I definitely have always been a fan of female singer-songwriters such as Carole King and more recently Fiona Apple, Tori Amos and Joan Baez …. I also really enjoy a lot of the early ‘90s songwriters. Jeff Buckley was a great songwriter. Chris Cornell from Soundgarden is definitely a different style from what I do but his lyrics are really great. Whoever sticks to more original lyrics or something that wouldn’t be as pop as you would hear on the radio today is more what I was listening to and still am today. I got to see Carole King and James Taylor in concert last year. That was one of my favorites and is probably the best example of the kind of music I was listening to … James Taylor being I think one of the best songwriters.

Have you been doing music full-time since graduating from UM?

That’s pretty much all I have been doing since I was 4 and a half. Yeah, it’s kind of scary actually. It’s the only thing I know how to do. My mom started me with piano lessons at 4 and a half. I was classically trained in piano for 13 or 14 years, and then I started singing with my church choir when I was six or seven. I never had full or private voice lessons until I got to college so I was singing with church and in high school, little rock bands here and there, but I really got into strict training at UM. So basically that’s what I’ve been doing for awhile and since graduation I’ve been teaching and performing whether for private events or my own music.

How was recording this CD as opposed to your debut EP?

Ben Reid, a friend of mine, produced that one. We went to high school together and he had a home studio and lived two houses down from me, so it was very convenient. We recorded six songs in a month or two and it was the first time working with recording my voice. My brother was playing drums so it was very homemade.

When it came to this [new] CD, I had already saved money and was working for awhile to be able to produce a CD that was more professional. … So the whole process was definitely much more professional then the first time, although the first one I enjoyed every minute of as well. It was the first time I did something like that.

I understand you want to travel. Any immediate plans now that you’re on the verge of your CD release party?

No, I have been thinking about Thursday for such a long time that I’m gonna be focused on Thursday probably until then, but definitely during the summer, [which] is a great time for me to explore my own music because we don’t have a lot going on anywhere else. I definitely want to be able to get into a publishing deal with a major label. I’m also looking to use these songs to possibly get into commercials or movies … It’s basically all about meeting people in the industry and getting your songs to ears that are new. It’s great to have your friends and family hear them and they support me so much, but I’m thinking a little bigger hopefully and well see what happens. It’s definitely going to be a nice hard push with this CD.

After your release party on June 9, you’ll have another show at The Betsy Hotel on June 16th?

Yes, at the B Bar with Karina Iglesias and James McCoy. That will be original music as well. It’s a trio. We share the stage and it’s piano, guitar and bass and it’s a different twist on all of our songs.

Samantha Natalie will appear on the NBC 6 morning show which starts at 11 a.m. June 8. She will also perform, along with special guest Karina Iglesias, at her CD release party, which runs 9 p.m. –midnight June 9 at The Stage, 170 N.E. 38th St., Miami. Call 305-576-9577 or visit Thestagemiami.com. Natalie, Iglesias and James McCoy will perform at 9 p.m. June 16 at B Bar at The Betsy Hotel, 1440 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. Call 305-531-6100 or visit Thebetsyhotel.com.