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The Police Academy had their debut show!

August 19, 2023

On Sunday, August 6, 2023, The Police Academy performed their very first show at Campus Jax in Newport Beach, CA! Josh, Christian, and Jon managed to pull the show off, and they couldn’t be happier, or rather more relieved, that it’s passed. Unfortunately, we can’t say it went off without a hitch. A first show always has problems, we just have to hope the problems aren’t too bad! Thankfully, any problems that arose quickly went away, and The Police Academy put on a show the audience, and the band will never forget!

Putting the show together didn’t happen overnight, over a week, or even over a month! Between picking the songs, learning them, arranging the order, building the show videos, and promotion, TPA’s debut show was around five months in the making. Of course, it doesn’t help that the band’s “Sting” lives two states away, which means rehearsals were few and far between. But due to the band’s attention to detail, and their strive for putting on a great and entertaining show, it was a busy five months leading up to the debut.

The guys in the band are not prone to getting nervous before shows, but this show may have been one of the few exceptions. However, despite the nerves brought on by tech issues during sound check, the show went on. It wasn’t perfect, but at the same time it was. Thanks to an audience that cheered the band on every step of the way. The crowd was AMAZING! By the end of the night, everyone was asking when the next show will be.

See some clips from The Police Academy's debut show at Campus Jax!

Josh, Jon, and Christian were a trio of talented musicians who shared a deep passion for the music of The Police. They spent countless hours practicing their instruments and perfecting their renditions of the iconic band’s songs. When they finally took the stage, their energy was infectious. The crowd could feel the joy emanating from the stage as they played each note with precision and enthusiasm. The audience couldn’t help but be swept up in the excitement, dancing and singing along to every familiar melody. It was a night of pure musical bliss. The atmosphere was electric, and the connection between the band and the audience was palpable. It was a night that would become the first of many more amazing performances!

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.