Show notes
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Stephen Ray Hernandez is one of the most sought after young percussionists in Hollywood. Known for his versatility, he has quickly made a name for himself in the LA music scene.
Artists and groups he has performed with include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Disneyland’s Viva Navidad Parade, Disneyland’s Tale of the Lion King, Musical Theater West, 3D Theatricals, the Golden State Pops Orchestra, John Williams, The Angel City Chorale, Marvin Hamlisch, Gustavo Dudamel, Bruce Broughton, Terence Blanchard, Vince Mendoza, David Newman, Christopher Young, Dionne Warwick, Betty Buckley, Debbie Gibson, Shirley Jones, David Rose, Kelli O’hara, Robin Thicke, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles, John Legend, Phillip Phillips, Michael Bublé, John Stamos, Tituss Burgess, Rebel Wilson, Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, Sara Bareilles, Johnny Mathis, Cheech Marin, Harvey Fierstein, Ally Brooke, Reggie Watts, Tyga, Kid Cudi, Lea Michele, Camilla Cabello, and Kanye West.
Stevie Ray can also be seen playing percussion on the hit TV shows Grease Live, The Late Late Show With James Corden, American Idol, The Voice, America’s Got Talent, Dancing With the Stars, Coco Live, The Mandalorian, Chuck, Duets and The X-Factor. Stevie Ray can be seen on the big screen in the Warner Bros. movie “Gangster Squad” as Carmen Miranda’s Conguero. Watch out for him in national spots for Little Caesars, Buick, Ford, Dos Equis, AARP, Dr. Pepper, and Carmax.
Recently, Stevie Ray has been a featured drummer in Camila Cabello’s music video for “Havana”. He can also be spotted playing with Camila on the 2019 Grammy Awards. Look out for Stevie Ray performing for the soundtrack of the upcoming ABC broadcast of “Little Mermaid Live”.
0:00:00 Stevie Ray Hernandez Intro
0:01:00 Stevie's connection to Erik-G and The Gajate-Garcia family
0:02:30 Learning to be versatile at Cal State University, Northridge
0:04:00 Learning from the late Jerry Steinholtz
0:04:30 Orchestral experience
0:05:00 Playing drums et in an orchestra setting
0:06:30 Contemporary Percussion vs Orchestral Percussion
0:07:00 Playing at The Hollywood Bowl
0:08:00 Shout out Career Musician's Germaine Franco and John Powell
0:09:00 Alan Menken Paramount Studios Story
0:09:30 Working on a major studio production
0:10:00 Working on COCO Live for Disney+
0:11:30 The history of Timbales and Timpani
0:12:00 African culture in modern music
0:13:00 Stevie is a Mexican kid from The Valley
0:14:00 How the music bug bit Stevie
0:14:30 Stevie grew up loving K-Earth 101, Motown and The Beatles
0:15:45 Stevie's first gig
0:17:50 Stevie's massive resume
0:18:30 Stevie's practice routine
0:20:00 How do you break into the real music scene?
0:23:00 Cultivating genuine relationships in the biz
0:23:30 From Luis Fonsi to John Williams
0:25:30 Show up as early as you can
0:27:00 The unwritten rules of studio sound stages
0:29:30 Be relaxed and acclimated to environment before start
0:30:25 Mid-roll
0:31:00 Do you have a mantra?
0:31:30 Be like Alex Verdugo from the LA Dodgers
0:32:15 Pandemic life and work
0:33:00 Working at Shabby Road Studios in Woodland Hills
0:34:00 The seriousness of tambourine
0:36:00 Orchestral tambourine vs Brazilian
0:36:45 Being a member of the musician's union AMF Local 47
0:37:00 Working on the show Chuck
0:38:30 The benefits of joining the union
0:40:00 How do you define success?
0:41:00 Playing for The LA Phil and Sara Bareilles on The Little Mermaid
0:41:30 Steve putting on party shows around town
0:44:30 Words of Wisdom: Don't be afraid to fail
0:46:30 Steve looks like Jimmy Fallon
0:47:30 Rapid Fire
0:49:00 Richie Gajate Garcia at Mambo's Cafe
0:51:00 Closing
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