The Music
Ordinary Magic is psychedelic world/rock fusion inspired by life, the extraordinary in the everyday, and the classic rock music we grew up with.
Our recipe for musical creation is to begin with equal parts musical conjuring, positive vibes and lyrical magic – we add lush vocal harmonies, guitar playing to wake up screaming about in the best way, keyboards reflecting the elements of earth, fire, water and air, a whole lotta funky bass, wild and fine drumming, a wee bit of folk, something to dance to, a beautiful ballad, and a whole bunch of rockers sparkling with fairydust on top!
Lineup
Brenda Layne and Tommy Osuna
(Brenda on vocals, keyboards, mountain dulcimer, and guitar)
(Tommy on guitar, vocals, keyboards, bass, percussion, mandolin and anything else that he can make a noise with)
Brenda Layne and Tommy Osuna both grew up in California and were trained at the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, CA and at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. They are each multi-instrumentalists and solo artists in their own right. They met on a blind date in 1997 and have been married and collaborating musically since 2000. On a visit to Hawaii, Brenda and Tommy were impressed by the tremendous love and appreciation for music shown by the people of the islands, so they decided to move there. Since moving to Hawaii, Brenda and Tommy have found an enthusiastic and growing audience for their music and are inspired daily by the culture and beauty of the islands.
The Ordinary Magic CD was Brenda and Tommy’s first release together and was many years in the making, click here for album credits.
For more info about about Tommy Osuna visit www.TommyOsuna.com
For more info about Brenda Layne visit www.BrendaLayne.com or click here.
Jerome James (drums)
With his infectious good humor and joyful presence, Jerome is a superstar of the Honolulu music and arts scene. Not only is he a highly-skilled professional musician (trained at the University of Hawaii and by his father, well-known drummer and educator Chuck James), he is also totally original and simply magic on stage. His delightful, spiritual aura pervades the atmosphere, infusing music with wonderfully unique and positive vibes. Chuck James says of Jerome, “He is a totally fun and loving person!… You will never have a dull moment with Jerome!”. Jerome has played in all the live incarnations of Ordinary Magic and he continues working with us in the studio.
The Past and Future History of Ordinary Magic
Ordinary Magic circa 2016
Ordinary Magic began as a project of Brenda Layne and Tommy Osuna and first expanded to a band with the 2015-2016 lineup of: Brenda Layne on vocals, Tommy Osuna on guitar, Brett Martin on bass, Donovan Tyler on guitar, and Jerome James on drums.
Roxotica
In 2017, Tommy Osuna, Jerome James, Lesley Kline, and Mark Ransom started an eclectic world blues fusion band called Roxotica, which was very successful playing live around Oahu. Later in the year Mark Ransom left Roxotica to pursue other musical endeavors and was replaced by Bob Hernandez on bass. In 2018, Brenda Layne and Brian Von Ahsen joined the band on vocals. At that point Roxotica became the new Ordinary Magic.
Ordinary Magic circa 2018
Lesley Kline (electric violin)
Lesley Kline is a professional musician with finesse, creativity, and many years of experience. Classically trained in her youth; and later, at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Lesley’s on-fire solos and unique personal style added spice to both Roxotica, and Ordinary Magic.
Brian von Ahsen (vocals)
Brian is a singer/songwriter, writer, animator, and artist based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. In addition to singing and writing for Ordinary Magic’s live shows, Brian added a lot of fun, humor, and entertainment value to our shows! Brian is an amazing and one-of-a-kind creator so definitely check out his site www.vonawesomemusic.com
Bob Hernandez (bass)
Bob has played bass for over 50 years following a simple theory, ” A Groove is a terrible thing to waste!” Originally from Baltimore, MD, he has lived in Hawaii since 1976. He has played with many fine musicians including Steve Morris, Fulton Toshombe, J.P. Smoketrain, Joe Cano, The Stylistics, The Manhattans, The Sherells, The Crystals, Adela Chu, Steve Lucas, Kirk Thompson, Michael Paulo, Willie K, Chris Yeh, Geraldo Valdez and Miho Nobuzane and more!
More Magic Coming Soon!
New studio recordings and videos on the way! Stay tuned!