Recently Urban Toot was at the Dads’ Club here in Glendale, California and we saw The Replicas Music, Variety band perform at a very private and very VIP birthday party. The band was just crazy good and we got to know them a little and thought that it would be a hoot to interview them here on Urban Toot. 

I sat down with Veronica Puleo, the Executive Director for The Replicas Music so I could get to know her a little bit better. Veronica’s a lot of fun and her passion for music and performing comes out in spades. She’s one of those people who are sorta like Dwayne Johnson who makes you feel like you have been best friends since kindergarten. She’s pretty kick ass!

Here’s how the interview with The Replicas Music got started.

So tell us a little bit about yourself, your background and what it is that you do for The Replicas Music.

Veronica: I’m an artist. I started dancing at the age two, began singing at age 7, picked up the guitar at 19, moved to LA to act, be a photographer, and singer songwriter.  Is your head spinning yet?  I love art and working with artists.  What I do for TRM is provide the very best live music entertainment for special events such as weddings, corporate parties, and  private soirees.  I find incredible musicians to play classical, jazz, and all genres of music. My partner I customize and design specific soundtracks for each client to fit the scene of their event.

So you Perform and you are the Artistic Director. What’s that like? It’s gotta be crazy!

Veronica: Crazy is an understatement, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wear so many hats and get to be a chameleon. That is my wheelhouse and my comfort zone.  I can sell to my clients, get the contract signed, book musicians and fill the calendar, and learn a bunch of music for the next gig.  I won’t lie, it can get challenging at times, but I always welcome it.

I understand that you perform with one of the variety bands. Tell us about that variety band, the people in it and how are they different than your two other variety bands? 

Veronica: I feel like one of the luckiest singers in the world. The musicians that grace our stage are some of the most disciplined, professional, super talented individuals … and they happen to have the best sense of humor and they are like family. That is the variety band I get to sing with.  Matt Hornbeck, one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet and his guitar chops are insane.  Hire him to be your session cat!  Speaking of session players, our Music Director, Michael Holowatch is not only a sick drummer, but he also owns Mud Dog Drum Studio (sessions, lessons, and production). Todd Honeycutt, our lead male vocalist toured with Sir Elton John and sings on so many movie soundtracks such as Planet of the Apes!  

I can go on and on about TRM Variety Band.  This is the band that started our agency in 2011.  We literally cover everything but death metal!

We have so many more talented folks in our arsenal that make up our other big ensembles:  

Uptown Social Club – Pop / Top 40 / Motown / 80s – Malynda Hale, Cheyenne Jolene, Aaron Schumacher … these vocalists will knock your socks off. Google them!  Seriously they are so accomplished it blows my mind.

 

Boulevard West –  Funk / Soul / RnB – T.j. Wilkins was on The Voice, The horn section in that band:  JP Floyd on Trombone tours with Chance the Rapper, Cameron Johnson on Trumpet tours with Robin Thicke

Boulevard West –  Funk / Soul / RnB – T.j. Wilkins was on The Voice, Jamila Ford backing vocalist for Seal, Christopher Johnson – a gifted trombonist, has performed with musicians such as Clark Terry, Wycliffe Gordon, Aloe Blacc, Jasmine Sullivan, Jamie Foxx, Mary Mary, Ledisi, Tevin Cambell, Yolonda Adams, Rachelle Ferrell, Jennifer Holiday, Monica, Tamia, Stephanie Mills and Stevie Wonder to name a few.

From looking at your website, The Replicas Music I see that you represent a lot of other musical acts/groups. Tell us about them.

Veronica: We’ve got it all from solo artists, duos, trios … all the way up to 13+ pc bands.  They can handle all styles of music.  Even our background ensembles can take classic rock hits like “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC and turn it into a Bossa Nova.  So fun!  We also represent the very best in Mariachi, Jazz, Classical, Latin Jazz, Bluegrass, New Orleans Brass Band.  

We saw you play at the VW Dads’ Club. Is that a normal type of venue that The Replicas Music plays? 

https://youtu.be/FCbD0xaFyy4

Veronica: All venues and events are game!  We love down home backyard parties … and in this same breath I can say that my musicians love to get dolled up and play the most posh venues in SoCal.  Our usual spots are private estates, Malibu Rocky Oaks, The Beverly Wilshire, The Montage Beverly Hills, The Ebell of LA, Sunstone Villa in Santa Ynez, Hummingbird Ranch, Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Santa Monica Beach Club, Jonathan Beach Club, Jonathan Club DTLA, The Millennium Biltmore, The Four Seasons Biltmore, The Four Seasons Westlake Village, The Four Seasons Beverly Hills, City Club DTLA, Los Angeles Athletic Club … and for good measure, you can catch the TRM Variety Band monthly at the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas.

Okay I get it, the VW Dads Club is not your normal type of venue, but how was it to perform there? 

Veronica: We loved performing at VW Dads Club and would love to be there more!  We met so many awesome people.  There is a true sense of community and genuine good vibes all around in Glendale.  Steve and Patti from Smack Smog made our killer website, rebranded us completely, designed the perfect logo and help us with marketing. We recently bought a house with the help of our most awesome Glendale Real Estate Agent, Jake at Diggs.  Skyline Home Loans hooked us up with our loan.  

So what is a normal gig for The Replicas Music and all its acts? (In town, out of town, wedding, corporate etc)

Veronica: All kinds of events, but mainly Corporate, Weddings, and Fundraisers.  We will travel anywhere.  We recently did a gig at The Phoenician in Scottsdale AZ for AT Kearney. But for the most part we stick around SoCal from Santa Ynez down to San Diego.

Do you have any tips for someone wanting to hire some live entertainment? 

Veronica: Hire real musicians!  Hire musicians who live, eat, breath, and sleep music. Stay away from track bands if music really does matter to you.  What is a ‘track band’?  Well, that’s a band that uses pre recorded tracks to thicken up their sound. Sometimes you’ll see a band and hear horns and backing vocals, but there are no horns on stage and no backing vocals.  Sometime you will see a 4 piece band and they will sound like a 15pc.  They may even be ‘miming’ and not even playing their instruments.  We simply don’t believe in that. #NoTracks … Real musicians don’t need tracks.  

It sounds like you’re crazy busy! What do you do to keep sane?

Veronica: Yoga, play with my dogs, go salsa dancing

It sounds like you have your hands full! If our readers wanted to hear you live when is your next public gig?

https://youtu.be/fU2de00hkYk

Veronica: October 20th at Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas.

Authors Note:
For the sake of full transparency I should mention that The Replicas Music is a client of Smack Smog here in Glendale, California, which is the internet marketing & branding team that takes care of the technical things on Urban Toot. If that bothers you for some reason you should feel free to leave this website right now and never come back. Our feelings won’t be hurt because we aren’t here to trick you or exploit you in any way. With that said, The Replicas Music Agency is a pretty kick ass group of rogue musicians who play weddings, corporate events and VIP birthday parties. You should contact them and book one of their ensembles for your next event!