Behind the Scenes with The Police Academy: An Exclusive Interview on The Ultimate Tribute Band Podcast

April 30, 2024

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The latest episode of The Ultimate Tribute Band Podcast features an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview with the three members of The Police Academy. Hosted by Roger Langdon, this captivating conversation delves into the fascinating world of working in tribute bands. Joshua Jones, Christian Hernandez, and Jon McCracken open up about their journey, including their initial meeting and the subsequent formation of the band. Listeners are treated to insights on how they meticulously craft their shows, as well as their admiration for other talented tribute bands in the industry. Tune in for an engaging discussion that offers a unique glimpse into the artistry behind this incredible musical tribute to The Police!

The Ultimate Tribute Band Podcast is the first and only podcast dedicated to the world of tribute bands and artists. This weekly show will include interviews and video clips of the world’s premiere tribute talent as well as booking agents, venue owners, and fans of the tribute performers and the legendary artists they impersonate.

Watch the full interview here!

For more videos of The Police Academy, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Christian Hernandez as Andy Summers

Christian Hernandez is a Southern California-based multi-instrumentalist with 20+ years experience playing guitar, bass and drums, and has been teaching since 2001. He currently performs with a variety of touring acts, including the legendary Wild Child (a celebration of Jim Morrison and The Doors), and Jumping Jack Flash, one of the nation’s premiere tributes to The Rolling Stones. In the tribute world, Christian has performed the music of Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Santana, The Police, The Doors, and the Beach Boys.

Christian zoomed through the guitar performance program at Berklee College of Music, earning his Bachelor of Music in Performance, in just three years. While on the east coast, Christian studied with many notable figures in jazz guitar, including Mick Goodrick, Adam Rogers and David Gilmore. He was hand-selected by the chair of the guitar department (Larry Baione) to become one of eventually only two students to be mentored. He was awarded two scholarships to Berklee while living in California, and was awarded an additional three scholarship increases during his studies at the college.

While in high school, Christian was awarded an “outstanding soloist” award at every jazz band competition, except for the last one where the venue chose not to hand out individual awards. He formed a quintet in high school and submitted his demo of original compositions to 88.1 KKJZ, where they chose his group for their first ever High School Jazz Festival combo competition, alongside OCHSA and LACHSA. Christian was awarded another “outstanding soloist” award at the competition, and his group was asked to open for David Benoit at the Long Beach Jazz Festival later that year.

Christian formed an instrumental funk/rock band, The Christian Hernandez Rotation, after returning from Berklee. His third release, Sonic Flow (2015), was engineered and produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Anton Pukshansky (Santana – Supernatural, 1999). His fourth release, Enter the Void (2020), features Christian on guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards.

Christian teamed up with drummer Jon McCracken (Jumping Jack Flash, The Chambers Brothers, The Fab Four) and bassist/vocalist Joshua Jones (The Fab Four, Elton vs. Billy) to form The Police Academy, a tribute to The Police. He is also the lead guitarist of Smooth Sounds of Santana.

Jon McCracken as Stewart Copeland

Jon McCracken, a Los Angeles native, developed a passion for classic rock after being introduced to The Beatles at a very young age. His interest in music led him to begin to learn the drums at the age of six, drawing inspiration from Ringo Starr and starting with an improvised drum set made of pots and pans with wooden spoons for drumsticks.

Jon’s parents and relatives introduced him to many great artists in classic rock and jazz throughout his childhood, including Queen, The Who, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and many others. Not to mention The Police!

Throughout his school years, Jon actively participated in music, joining his high school’s drum line, marching band, and jazz band. Following his graduation, he enrolled in the PIT program at Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles, CA, where he studied with top musicians and began to learn about the music industry.

At the age of 18, Jon began performing with various bands, including festival-headlining Irish techno band Sonic Impulse, and even managed to sneak into Southern California bars for gigs until he turned 21.

In a remarkable turn of events in 2011, at the age of 20, Jon received the incredible opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall in NYC with an original band he was in called Arrest My Sister. During this period, he was also performing in 15-20 bands and playing almost every night.

In 2017, Jon auditioned for the national touring Rolling Stones tribute, Jumping Jack Flash, and a year later, he secured the position of the show’s media manager. Presently, Jon continues to reside in Los Angeles and pursues his musical career performing with major acts such as Jumping Jack Flash, The Chambers Brothers, The Fab Four, The Who Experience, and now The Police Academy!

From a young age, Jon found great inspiration in The Police. There were times when he would spend an entire month solely listening to their music. Throughout his career as a musician, the influence of Stewart Copeland could be heard in his playing, especially in the studio. Copeland also served as one of Jon’s primary influences for adopting the traditional grip early on in his drumming journey. When the opportunity to co-create a tribute band for the Police arose, Jon joined without hesitation.