Mentors

Gordon Brown
Songwriter/Producer
Whether you have heard about his work through his national releases and tours with Jersey rooted bands such as Williams Honor (ALL HOUR), Mr. Reality (SBK / EMI), Samhill (EPIC / SONY), and Highway 9 (RCA NASHVILLE), or you've spent an evening or two watching one of your favorite artists at his Writers In The Raw concert series or The Wave Gathering Music Festival in Asbury Park, NJ, Gordon Brown has been able to tap into your musical experiences on many levels. His three decade plus career has brought record label deals to every act for which he was the main songwriter, as well as publishing deals with EMI and Universal. He has had many song placements in Film & TV, and has had the opportunity to work with great producers and mentors like Danny Kortchmar (Don Henley, James Taylor, Rod Stewart), Peter Collins (Jewel, Bon Jovi, Rush, Indigo Girls) as well as Monty Powell (Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Diamond Rio). Either as co-writer, producer, musical director, and/or touring musician, Brown has worked to develop many up-and-coming artists like Jessie James Decker (Mercury / BBR / E!), Jackson Harris (77 East / Makers), Natalie Stovall (Hit Shop / Warner Nashville), and many from NJ including Rick Barry, Jerzy Jung, Andrew Holtz, Lo Kloza, Alex Brumel, Status Green, Corey Wagar, and most recently Jake Thistle (GLDN Retriever). They have all experienced his commitment to songwriting and producing up close, with many of them moving forward in their careers because of it. After touring throughout the world, Gordon still takes a lot of pride in his "Jersey Shore" roots, opening for Bon Jovi throughout the years (at The Fastlane, The Stone Pony, and even Madison Square Garden) and jamming with Bruce Springsteen more times than he can count. He continues to put his passion, hard work ethic and willingness to do whatever it takes to help any promising artist, co-writer, publisher, or music supervisor achieve their goals.

Reagan Richards
Singer/Songwriter
Reagan Richards is a singer/songwriter from New Jersey. She is half of Williams Honor, a New Jersey country duo who had their first Top 30 single with their song, “No Umbrella” and ended their first album cycle by performing at Madison Square Garden as direct support for Bon Jovi. Reagan began writing songs at age 4 and hasn’t stopped since. She became heavily interested in writing after hearing her sister’s records, namely, the Lennon & McCartney catalogue. She loved their diverse writings and mainstream “hit” songs, but also their dark, obscure ones as well. Reagan moved to Nashville after a short stint in college and flexed her writing muscles down in Music City. Seven years in Nashville and a lost record deal later, through her Mother, Reagan got an opportunity to sing with Les Paul, where she ended up performing with him on both coasts for 5 years until his death in 2009. In that time frame, she also landed work as a backing vocalist for major artists. Fast forward and her musical résumé consists of backing up national acts like David Gray, Social Distortion, Joan Jett, Billie Joe Armstrong, Debbie Harry, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Lisa Loeb, Little Steven, Wyclef Jean, Foreigner, and The Smithereens to name a few…and she has joined these talents onstage, at awards, on television and in the recording studio. She has paired up with artists for duets, like Lee Brice with his #1 song with Carly Pearce, “I Hope You’re Happy Now” and Kenny Loggins with his hit, “Whenever I Call You Friend”. During the pandemic Williams Honor pivoted during the making of their second album, by hosting a weekly variety show livestream called, "The Willi Ho Show" which became POLLSTAR’s #24 International Livestream in the world. Other credits include the leading role of Patsy Cline in “Always, Patsy Cline.” She’s the Grace Slick, Robert Plant, Mama Cass in the touring show, "Summer of Love", a musical experience celebrating the Woodstock era, and she has been one of the vocalists for the New Jersey Hall of Fame for many years. Reagan has written with incredible artists, but has also worked with young songwriters and has helped them fine tune putting their thoughts into song.

Todd Wright
Songwriter/Producer
Todd Wright is an American music composer, songwriter, and producer from the Washington D.C. area. Todd’s hit song “Blind Heart” by Cazzette feat. Terry B has over 60M streams on Spotify alone. Todd's cut with Celine Dion ''L'amour Peut Prendre Froid'' (a duet with French rock icon Johnny Hallyday) was featured on both artists’ 2012 releases: Celine's Sans Attendre (which sold 1.5M copies worldwide) and Johnny's L'attente album (certified Diamond in France). Songs by Todd have been recorded by Lena, Lucy Woodward, Butch Walker Connell Cruise, Laura Bretan, Woodbury, Baywud, Vixx & Luna, Toby Lightman, and Audra Mae. His writing collaborators include: Tolan Shaw, Evan Coffman, James Shelley, Noemie Legrand, Amy Peters, Verskotzi, Emily Haber, Megan Redmond, Brooke Daye, Addie Hamilton, Adam Searan, Mick Coogan, and Valerie Broussard. In addition to domestic and international chart success, Todd is credited with many song placements in TV and film, including features in Ginny & Georgia, Council of Dads, Bones, Proven Innocent, The Originals, Pitch, and Switched at Birth.

Johnny Kasun
Guitarist/Songwriter/Producer
Johnny Kasun is a guitarist, musician, songwriter, and music producer originally from Leesburg, VA - now residing near Red Bank and Asbury Park, New Jersey. He writes and performs across multiple genres, from classical to rock, and uniquely specialize in fingerstyle guitar. Johnny graduated from Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Music Technology - with a focus on computer science and electrical engineering. As a musician, Johnny specializes in fingerstyle guitar, which is ideal for dining establishments, cocktail receptions, private parties, and other events where background/non-intrusive music is desired. He also performs traditional acoustic guitar + vocals, and plays guitar in the So Shot Band, which performs regularly across Jersey shore venues. Johnny also leads his own band, Johnny Kasun (and the Johnny Kasuns ;) ), performing his original rock songs.

Emily Grove
Singer/Songwriter
Emily Grove attended the esteemed Berklee College of Music and has performed across the globe and on national television. She has toured with and supported British singer-songwriter David Ford throughout the UK, Ireland, US, and Canada as well as headlining her own tour in Germany, Bulgaria, and England, and has written and recorded with David Ford, Glen Burtnik, Steve Forbert, and UK artist Jack Henderson, among many others. Emily has been seen and heard with New Jersey’s own Williams Honor, performed with David Gray on the Today Show, and Social Distortion at the Stone Pony Summer Stage. She’s performed regularly with Glen Burtnik in his expansive productions and toured the country with “Glen Burtnik’s Summer of Love Experience”, “British Invasion”, and various tributes to The Beatles. Emily Grove’s Joni Jam, her own touring show, celebrates the legendary catalogue of Joni Mitchell’s music with an 8-piece band and Emily’s pitch perfect interpretation of Joni’s unique vocals. Touching on the full breadth of Mitchell’s works from 1968’s Song to a Seagull to the jazz-tinged records of the mid-1990’s, this band hits every note. This is not a dress-up imitation act, Emily Grove’s Joni Jam is true recreation and representation of these songs and the characters within. Emily also continues to perform everywhere showcasing her own original material. Her first EP, “Way Across the Sea” was produced by Jack Daley, and her most recent full length release, “Life of A Commoner,” was produced by Seventh Wave Studio. She is currently working on brand new music for 2025 release.

Carl Gentry
Singer/Songwriter
Carl Gentry (vocals, guitar, keyboards) leads his own Carl Gentry Band, a classic/party-rock cover ensemble that plays locally in New Jersey and has risen to the top of the shore circuit. He performed as guitarist, keyboardist and background singer in Jon Bon Jovi's acoustic group, Jon Bon Jovi and Friends as well as Jon Bon Jovi's Kings of Suburbia, where he served as musical director for several years. In addition, he has served as musical director for the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Some career highlights include performing with Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett, The Roots, The Smithereens, Darlene Love, Southside Johnny Lyons and many others.
