Some songs burn a specific moment in time deep into the psyche, only to trigger a flood of emotion and memory when they’re heard again.
“I want to do that,” said local musician Caesar “C-Bone” Hernandez. “I want to create songs that do that for people.”
Listeners may one day say that about his music. Hernandez has begun to enjoy success as a recording artist, getting lots of play on local radio with his songs “Lady” and “Party Animal.” That success compelled him to want to give something back to the community, so he started a company: Live Your Dreams Entertainment.
Hernandez helps struggling artists realize their dreams by not only helping them get their career off the ground, but by emphasizing self-development. Live Your Dreams Entertainment provides free studio time and assistance with mastering and production.
Hernandez isn’t looking for just anyone to sign up, however. He wants the diamond in the rough, the artist who will otherwise never get the chance to shine.
“I’m not looking for someone who’s got all the tools on their laptop at home,” he said. “I’m really trying to reach someone who says, ‘I’ve got a guitar, I have a good voice, and nowhere to go and no money.’”
Though he knew he wanted to help struggling creative types, the idea that became his business started simply as he invited people to his studio to collaborate and network. Hernandez started out wanting to work with other artists, but he ended up discovering the type of musicians he didn’t want to work with, usually because of egos and a lack of personal development. Live Your Dreams was born to reach musicians who need a break but are also open to developing themselves as a whole—a critical aspect of success, Hernandez believes. The company also helps with fundraisers. Most recently, Live Your Dreams helped the El Camino Junior High School Builders Club raise $500 of the $800 needed for an upcoming field trip.
Explaining his vision for his business, Hernandez tried in vain to reign in a giant, Disneyland-style grin. Holding back his positivity is difficult as well. He likes to share what he’s learned from the self-development realm, but more importantly, he lives it. Hernandez explained that some of his style as a musician is image, and sometimes he has to make music a little outside of his normal patterns because of his belief in variety.
“I completely stepped out of my comfort zone, and I started to think about how people were going to think about me,” he said. “Then I thought, ‘Who cares?’ And that’s not a reckless attitude, it’s a freed attitude.”
Despite pushing himself into new realms on occasion, Hernandez is pretty comfortable in the spotlight. He grew up performing at a local church and in a youth theater group in Guadalupe. His family—both his wife Karla and five kids, as well as his extended family—have given him total support along the way. So it would seem like his recent success would be expected.
“One day, my mom pulled up to her parking space in front of my house. I was watering the lawn and noticed she didn’t get out of the car,” he said. “I walked over to see what was wrong, and she was crying. I opened the door, and my song was playing on the radio. It was a total Ritchie Valens moment.”
Hernandez likes to create moments. As an artist, he wants to accomplish that with his songs, but as a producer, he also wants to help other artists have their own “Ritchie Valens” experiences.
“I called the company Live Your Dreams because everyone needs to do that,” he explained. “A lot of the times when we are trying to live our dreams, we allow things to hold us back. This is really about not only developing artists, but also developing people.”
Arts Editor Shelly Cone is busy developing three little people at home. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 7, 2011.
