Inside MusiCast

On this episode of Inside MusiCast, we welcome Michelle Willis who hails from Toronto and is quickly gaining attention through her appearances opening and performing with Snarky Puppy, as well as her current tour in support of the legendary David Crosby. Recently, Michelle released her debut solo album titled See Us Through, an album that was six years in the making and as mature a debut album as you could ask for. The album features eight tracks of very personal lyrical accounts wrapped around gorgeous vocal harmonies, its beautifully engineered, and musically supported by some of the best players in Toronto. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Michelle Willis.

When he was only 13 years old, Joe Vanas life was forever changed through a chance meeting with Survivors Jim Peterik. As Joe will tell you, Jim taught him everything he knew about music and the music business. But it wasnt until he was 28 years old that he discovered his voice, but when he did he became Peters in-house demo singer for many years. Joe and Jim eventually created a band called Project Voyager, which ultimately became Mecca. In 2002, Mecca released its debut, self-titled album that featured David Hungate on bass, Shannon Forrest on drums, Fergie Frederiksen and Joe on vocals, Mark Aquino on guitars and Jimmy Nichols on keyboards. Nine years later, Mecca released their follow-up titled Undeniable and on October 14 of this year, Mecca released the bands third album Mecca III. Here to discuss the new album is Meccas Joe Vana.

Philadelphia native Jim Beards path to music success was inevitable. His interest in music flourished when he was very young, with jazz being the centerpiece of his palate. Jim studied jazz piano privately with the great George Shearing when he was in his teens and then went on to the renowned Indiana University School Of Music where he was under the tutelage of legendary jazz composer David Baker. After his move to New York City in 1985, Jim quickly connected to other great musicians as a recording artist, producer, composer and touring musician with the likes of Bill Evans, Mike Stern, Dave Liebman, Bob Berg, John McLaughlin, Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker and Pat Metheny. Jim is also credited for work with an amazing list of other musicians, including Steve Vai, John Mayer, Walter Becker, Esperanza Spalding, Al Jarreau, Dizzy Gillespie, Chris Botti, David Sanborn, Bela Fleck, and Larry Carlton, to name a few. Since 1990, Jim has released six solo albums and since 2008 has been a touring member with Steely Dan. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Jim Beard.

Amy Holland has been surrounded by music since the day she was born. Her mother was a singer and performer and her father was also involved in the music industry. She headed to LA when she was only 15 years old to pursue her own career in music, which is where she met Michael McDonald, who co-produced her first album and eventually became her husband. Amy was on top of the world with her top 40 hit How Do I Survive and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 1981, along with a follow-up album in 1983. After a lengthy and difficult battle with cancer, Amy returned to music and released her third studio album in 2008 titled The Journey To Miracle River. Amys musical journey continues and a few weeks ago she released the brand new album Light On My Path. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Amy Holland.

Four years ago, Inside MusiCast discovered an incredible band out of Minneapolis called Terramara. When we heard their music, we just knew we needed to invite the bands front man, Rob Meany, to be a guest on our show. Since that interview, Rob has focused his efforts on writing songs for a brand new album, but not for Terramara. This time Rob has created a debut solo album titled Ferris Wheels Unbound which he released on May 1 and contains 12 new tracks that explore Robs singer/songwriter approach, as well as some tracks reminiscent of Terramara. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome back to the show, Rob Meany.

On this episode of Inside MusiCast, we welcome back Jon Herington to discuss his new album, Adult Entertainment that will be released tomorrow - June 14. This is Jons first studio release since Time On My Hands, which was released four years ago. Since then, Jon has been busy touring with Steely Dan, Madeleine Peyroux, completing his book of arrangements and tablature for guitar, as well an instructional video. Jon has provided us with a few autographed CDs of his brand new album Adult Entertainment that well be giving away. During the show, well feature three songs from the new album. Take note of the song titles and send them to [email protected] for your chance to win one of the CDs. Be sure to include your name and address. Entry deadline is Monday, June 20. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Jon Herington!

Since 1992, Don Breithaupt has steered his band Monkey House on a path of musical progress. In 2012 when we first connected with Don, the band had just released their third album Headquarters," which caught the attention of all us here at Inside MusiCast most notably how their songs contained a heavy melodic approach reminiscent of Steely Dan. The bands latest album Left," which will be released on June 3, picks up where Headquarters left off and includes contributions from some incredibly talented guest musicians, including Elliott Randall, Drew Zingg, Michael Leonhart, Jay Graydon. Kim Mitchell, and Lucy Woodward. Left contains brilliantly crafted songs that may be the bands finest collection to date. In fact, during our chat with Don today, youll hear the world premiere of a few songs from the album. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Don Breithaupt.

On this episode of Inside MusiCast, we welcome one of the greatest voices in the history of popular music, Jon Anderson. The original voice of Yes, Jon has been creating music for close to five decades and shows no signs of slowing down. He is currently on the road with Jean Luc Ponty and will soon reunite with Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin to create more Yes inspired music. But thats only the beginning, as Jons musical spirit is filled with galaxies of music with his best work yet to come. Inside MusiCast is honored to welcome a music legend, Jon Anderson.

In cooking, theres always that secret ingredient that make a dish special. In the LA music scene, Lenny Castro has been that secret ingredient for decades. Lenny has recorded and toured with hundreds of major recording artists throughout his amazing career. His mastery of percussion has made him a first-call studio musician and one of the most recorded in the history of popular music. Lenny had the good fortune to not have to pound the pavement for his first gigs in LA. It was Melissa Manchester who encouraged the teenage New York native to follow her to LA. He didnt think twice and took the job. One contact led to another and he found himself playing gigs on a regular basis. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome the legendary Lenny Castro.

Michael Sherwood hails from a deep lineage of musicians, and similar to his family members, Michael has formed a solid career in the music industry. From his early days growing-up in Las Vegas and forming the band Lodgic, Michael eventually befriended the Toto band members, which led to his long-time friendship with Steve Porcaro. In addition to his songwriting collaborations with Steve, Michael has also worked with Air Supply, Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe, Chris Squire, Conspiracy, Circa, Lisa Loeb and Andrew Rosenthal and their incredible Swiftys Bazaar album project. Recently, Michael was involved with both David Paich and Steve Porcaro with writing duties on Toto XIV and has co-produced Steve Porcaros soon to be released debut solo album titled Someday Somehow. Inside MusiCast welcomes Michael Sherwood.