Episode 90: Chance the Rapper.

Chance the Rapper is one of the biggest independent artists in the history of music. He’s a multiple GRAMMY winner, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance. He’s hosted Saturday Night Live twice, been the musical guest three times, headlined the world’s biggest festivals, and done it all without a record label.

He’s the definition of a creative entrepreneur and a true leader. In this conversation, we dive deep into how Chance built his career, how he operates his entire musical and business ecosystem, his mentality as an owner, and what he’s like as a leader. We talk about lessons from independence and entrepreneurship, his role as a father, a creative, and a community builder, and how he’s evolved from Acid Rap all the way to Star Line.

Chance is an incredible human with amazing energy, a big heart, and a strong drive. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the great, Chance The Rapper.

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‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

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Steve Ferrone: The Legendary Drummer Behind Tom Petty, Average White Band, Eric Clapton, Duran Duran

Episode 89: Steve Ferrone.

A nearly 3 hour deep dive with one of the greatest groove drummers of all time, Steve Ferrone. He joined Average White Band after the passing of their original drummer and went on to create “School Boy Crush,” one of the most sampled grooves in hip-hop history. From there, he played with Duran Duran, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Johnny Cash, and Michael Jackson, before becoming the drummer for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers for the next two plus decades, all the way up until Tom's unfortunate passing.

In this episode, Steve opens up about his journey from Brighton to the biggest stages in the world, his time in the studio with legends like Tom Petty and Rick Rubin, and the philosophy behind his timeless feel and sound.

He also shares stories from recording Unplugged with Eric Clapton, Unchained with Johnny Cash, and why groove always comes first. We talk about the evolution of technology in music, including a hilarious story about click track and Jeff Porcaro, and his personal relationships with George, Tom, Eric and more. Steve is a guy that everyone just wants around.

His work contributed to GRAMMY winning albums with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Wildflowers, Eric Clapton’s Unplugged, Johnny Cash’s Unchained, and Céline Dion’s Falling Into You. He’s also currently the host of The New Guy on SiriusXM. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the legend, Steve Ferrone!

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Antonio Sánchez: Drumming Legend, Birdman Composer, Pat Metheny Group, The Studio, 4 GRAMMYs, Emmy

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Episode 87: Daya

At 16 years old, still in high school, Daya dropped “Hide Away” with no label, no team, no social following. Just a song she believed in. It exploded, racked up hundreds of millions of streams, and suddenly she was on the radio while still in class.

She followed it with “Sit Still, Look Pretty,” then connected with The Chainsmokers to record “Don’t Let Me Down,” one of the biggest hits of the 2010s. We talk about how that collaboration came to be, what it was like for her life to flip so fast, and what it felt like to win a GRAMMY at just 18.

We also get into how she built her team, what she learned from the major label system, and how she eventually got her masters back. She explains the move to go independent, what that freedom means to her, and how she’s evolved as both an artist and a person over the past decade.

Now she’s stepping into a brand new era with music like “Infrared”, “Demise”, "Bandit" and an upcoming new album "Til Every Petal Drops." exploring a darker and more electronic sound. We dive into the process behind these songs, the producers she’s been working with, and what’s next. I hope you love my conversation with the amazing, Daya!

Special thanks to Apogee Electronics. We used their Apogee HypeMic and Podcast Kit in this episode and they sounded great. Check it out!

Apogee HypeMic & Podcast Kit: https://hubs.li/Q03zczhb0

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

(00:00) TRAILER

(03:20) INTERVIEW STARTS

(05:44) NEW MUSIC, “INFRARED”

(06:12) STARTING AT AN EARLY AGE

(07:07) SUCCESS AT 16 YEARS OLD

(09:17) MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST

(10:09) LEBANON, PENNSYLVANIA

(10:42) “HIDE AWAY”

(12:27) WHAT SPARKED THE SUCCESS?

(15:33) HIGHSCHOOL

(18:18) “SIT STILL, LOOK PRETTY”

(19:18) FIRST TOUR

(20:12) NERVES, STADIUM TOURS

(22:17) CAREER GROWTH, CREATING A TEAM

(25:33) THE CHAINSMOKERS, “DON’T LET ME DOWN”

(30:11) WINNING A GRAMMY AT 18

(31:19) PERFORMING LIVE, COACHELLA

(32:41) BEING INDEPENDENT, GETTING ON A LABEL

(33:38) A VOICE HEARD BY MILLIONS

(34:22) A BUSY SCHEDULE

(35:51) HOW BEING ON A LABEL CHANGED DAYA

(38:13) WORKING WITH WRITERS

(41:57) WORKING WITH STARGATE

(42:56) LEAVING A MAJOR LABEL, RETAINING MASTERS

(43:54) SINGLES

(45:00) “INFRARED”

(48:02) “DEMISE,” SWEDEN

(49:54) WORKING IN SWEDEN, PRODUCERS SEBASTIAN FURRER, ROBINS STJERNBERG

(50:25) TOURING, TOURING HACKS

(51:57) LOOKING BACK ON THE LAST 10 YEARS

(52:49) LIFE ADVICE

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

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Episode 86: Travie McCoy.

You likely know Travie as the lead singer of Gym Class Heroes, the multi-platinum genre bending band behind a generation of hits. His first solo single, Billionaire featuring Bruno Mars, was the track that launched Bruno into stardom. He’s also collaborated with Sia, Ryan Tedder, Adam Levine, Tyga, and many more.

Now, 20 years after the release of The Papercut Chronicles, Gym Class Heroes are officially back.

This is a three and a half hour deep dive with Travie McCoy. We talk about the rise of Gym Class Heroes and how they made it, his solo career and what it was like stepping out on his own, the story behind Billionaire and working with Bruno Mars, and his collaborations with Sia, Ryan Tedder, and Adam Levine. Travie opens up about the lessons he’s learned along the way, what it took to overcome addiction, and shares so many fun and inspiring stories from his journey. We also get into what’s next with the return of Gym Class Heroes.

An honest, inspiring, and fun conversation with one of the most creative frontmen of the Warped Tour generations. Let's go!

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Big thanks to our friends at DistroKid! DistroKid is the easiest and fastest way to get your music on over 150 platforms worldwide! Go to https://distrokid.com/vip/elmo to get 20% off your first year!

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!  

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Episode 85: Miles Bonham.

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Episode 84: Dave Weckl

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Episode 83: Narada Michael Walden Part 2

At this point in the story, Narada has gone from a jazz fusion drummer with Mahavishnu Orchestra, to a major label solo artist with hits, to a Grammy-winning producer with Aretha Franklin. And now... Whitney Houston enters the picture.

We kick off this episode with the moment Narada and Whitney's journey starts together. He gets a call from Arista A&R exec Jerry Griffith, who discovered Whitney, asking him to work with the unknown artist. Narada says yes and immediately produces "How Will I Know." The song becomes a number 1 hit. Then comes the call from Clive Davis asking for a follow-up. Narada delivers "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." The story continues.

We also get into his work with a then unknown Mariah Carey, and wild stories from across his life, including how Narada introduced Jaco Pastorius to Weather Report, giving Jaco his big break!

Narada is an incredible soul with a deep story and endless energy. This is Part 2 of our conversation. Let's go!!

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Big thanks to our friends at DistroKid! DistroKid is the easiest and fastest way to get your music on over 150 platforms worldwide! Go to https://distrokid.com/vip/elmo to get 20% off your first year!

(0:00:00) TRAILER

(0:01:52) NARADA INTRODUCTION

(0:03:33) A SPECIAL OFFER FROM DISTROKID

(0:04:46) MEETING WHITNEY HOUSTON

(0:07:12) “HOW WILL I KNOW” WHITNEY & CISSY HOUSTON

(0:12:28) “THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL”

(0:14:26) “HOW WILL I KNOW”

(0:16:16) PRODUCING 80’S DRUM SOUNDS

(0:17:37) “I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY”

(0:21:12) WHITNEY’S REACTION

(0:23:32) MAKING WHITNEY HAPPY

(0:24:30) TARPAN STUDIOS

(0:25:14) PRODUCING TIPS, MUSIC IMPACT ON THE WORLD

(0:26:41) DRUM INTRO FOR “I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY”

(0:27:43) CLIVE DAVIS’ REACTION

(0:28:10) CREATING A TEAM, RANDY JACKSON, WALTER AFANASIEF

(0:32:10:19) MANAGEMENT, ADMIN SIDE OF BUSINESS

(0:35:14) KITES ARE FUN BY FREE DESIGN

(0:35:38) “I’M EVERY WOMAN”

(0:37:51) UNRELEASED WHITNEY HOUSTON SONGS

(0:39:21) HOW TO ASK GOD WHAT TO DO

(0:40:43) INTRODUCING JACO PASTORIUS TO WEATHER REPORT

(0:44:00) PAT MATHENY

(0:45:12) HIRAM BULLOCK, “I CRY, I SMILE”

(0:45:42) MARIAH CAREY

(0:49:34) MARIAH CAREY & JAY-Z “HEARTBREAKER, STACY LATTISAW

(0:50:33) WORKING WITH OTHER PRODUCERS, ANDERSON .PAAK

(0:52:14) MAKING A HIT, JOURNEY

(0:53:07) RAPID FIRE INTERVIEW

(0:54:13) DRUMMING FOR JOURNEY, STEVE SMITH

(0:54:55) NARADA’S NEW MUSIC, “HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME”

(0:57:54) LOVE FOR DRUMMERS

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Episode 82: Narada Michael Walden.

He went from being the drummer of Mahavishnu Orchestra and landing the cover of Modern Drummer Magazine, to producing Whitney Houston’s biggest hits and winning the GRAMMY for Producer of the Year. This interview is the epic journey of Narada Michael Walden.

I loved this conversation so much. Narada’s positive, creative energy jumps out at you immediately.

We go deep into his drumming career, how he got the gig with his favorite band, Mahavishnu Orchestra, following the great Billy Cobham. How he landed a record deal as a solo artist, almost got dropped, then shifted his focus to disco and scored a hit that saved his career.

Then came the call from Clive Davis that launched his producing career and brought him Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and so many more.

His story is incredibly inspiring. From super drummer, to successful solo artist to hit producer. We went so deep on Mahavishnu in this convo that we had to do this interview in two parts!

I’m happy now to bring you Part 1 with the brilliant and fun Narada Michael Walden.

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Big thanks to our friends at DistroKid! DistroKid is the easiest and fastest way to get your music on over 150 platforms worldwide! Go to https://distrokid.com/vip/elmo to get 20% off your first year!

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Episode 81: Kevin Lyman. The Vans Warped Tour is the longest-running touring music festival in North America, drawing over 750,000 fans every summer at its peak. And it all started with one guy — Kevin Lyman.

In this episode, we sit down in person with the man who turned parking lots into punk rock playgrounds, helped break some of the biggest names in music, and built a generation-defining cultural movement.

Warped Tour was the first concert I ever went to at 13 years old, and a few years later, I was lucky enough to play the tour multiple times, including full runs, and again in 2010 with Skrillex. It was a big contributor in shaping my life. In this conversation, I finally got to ask Kevin everything I’ve wanted to know for years.

We dive deep into:

- How Kevin started Warped Tour from scratch

- How he landed the sponsorship deal with Vans

- The behind-the-scenes details that kept it running for 24 years

- How he gave stages to artists like Sublime, No Doubt, Blink-182, Eminem, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Avenged Sevenfold, Paramore, Deftones, Katy Perry, The Used, Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, Sugar Ray, and MXPX

- How legends like NOFX, Bad Religion, Rancid, Pennywise, and Less Than Jake helped anchor the tour

- Why set times changed daily, were never announced in advance, and who set them

- Working with Sublime, what Brad Nowell was like, and how Brad's death led Kevin to focus on helping people with recovery

- Kevin's personal mission, values, and work ethic behind it all

This 90-minute deep dive is the ultimate Warped Tour tell-all. We recorded it right after the first Warped Tour returned in Washington D.C. in July 2025 — with Long Beach and Florida still to come.

Kevin Lyman is a punk rock pioneer, a cultural architect, and one of the most influential figures in live music. I’m honored to share this one with you. Here’s my conversation with the amazing Kevin Lyman. Let's go!!

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

(0:00:00) INTRO

(0:05:04) WARPED TOUR 2025 D.C.

(0:09:12) WARPED TOUR 1998

(0:12:30) WHY KEVIN CREATED WARPED TOUR

(0:15:54) VANS

(0:16:30) WARPED TOUR YEAR ONE

(0:19:29) BLINK-182

(0:19:56) HOW VANS GOT INVOLVED

(0:26:10) BECOMING PROFITABLE

(0:28:06) CREATING DAILY SET TIMES

(0:29:35) SET TIME LOTTERY

(0:32:28) HOW TO SETUP WARPED TOUR

(0:34:34) MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY

(0:35:33) BRINGING FRIENDS ON STAGE, SKRILLEX (SONNY MOORE)

(0:39:35) LEGENDARY BANDS

(0:41:32) THE PUNKS

(0:44:51) BLINK-182, TOUR BUS STORIES

(0:50:06) KEVIN’S WARPED TOUR DAILY ROUTINE

(0:54:16) SUBLIME

(0:55:39) KICKING OUT SUBLIME IN 1995

(1:00:22) BRADLEY NOWELL

(1:03:30) 2019 WARPED TOUR, BRINGING IT BACK IN 2025

(1:05:24) NOFX

(1:07:19) NO DOUBT 1995

(1:08:23) CRAZY STORIES

(1:10:05) KEVIN’S DREAM WARPED TOUR BILL

(1:12:04) LONG BEACH 2025

(1:13:04) BIGGEST WARPED TOUR MOMENT, BECOMING A PROFESSOR

(1:14:13) HOW TO WALK AWAY

(1:17:53) HANDLING HEALTH

(1:19:21) L.A. WILDFIRES

(1:21:44) HOW TO SKIP THE 2025 WARPED TOUR LINE

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