Inside MusiCast

In 1978, a young musician from the Midwest found his way to L.A., and was ushered into the studio to record his debut album with some of the best names in the business, including Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, JD Souther, Jay Graydon, Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather, and Bill Champlin to create his self-titled debut album that became a must-have classic for West Coast music enthusiasts. Fast forward 46 years, and Dane Donohue is back with a brand new album titled “LA Rainbow”, which was produced by Page99’s John Nixon.  On this episode of Inside MusiCast, we’ll discuss Dane’s path to the creation of both of these albums, including some amazing stories from the debut album and how he and John Nixon found each other for the new album, “L.A. Rainbow”. 

On this episode of Inside MusiCast, we’re taking you to the UK for a chat with James Sayer, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who just released his debut album titled “Creation.”  The album caught the attention of IMC Correspondent Mikael Engstrom, as many of the songs on “Creation” capture the sound of early ‘80s West Coast that we all love, with smooth vocals and vocal harmonies, excellent musicianship, and stellar production qualities.  However, the musical direction doesn’t stop at West Coast.  James is a big fan of ‘70s soul and even gospel, and you’ll hear elements of these styles throughout the course of the ten original tracks on “Creation”.  Here to talk to us about his debut album and his journey with music is James Sayer. 

Jesus Molina discovered his musical gift at a very young age.  Born in Colombia, you might assume that his music inspiration was cumbia or vallenato.  That wasn’t the case for Jesus.  As a self-proclaimed YouTube baby, it was there that he discovered legendary jazz artists, such as Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Errol Garner, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Dizzy Gillespie - artists that captivated him and shaped the musician he is today.  In 2016, Molina was honored with the prestigious Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation award, the Juan Luis Guerra Scholarship, which included music education at the Berklee College of Music.  Since then, Jesus has  emerged as one of the premier jazz keyboardists on the international stage.  He recently released a new album titled “Selah” that was produced by the legendary Bobby Colomby.  Here to chat with us about the new album, and his sudden rise to prominence on the jazz scene, is Jesus Molina.  

Tony Levin’s love of the bass guitar began when he was just ten years old, when his focus was classical music and performing on a double bass - and he never looked back.  His classical training transitioned to rock and jazz, and his reputation as an A-list session bassist filtered throughout the music industry.  Of course, one of Tony’s primary gigs has been holding down the bass chair for Peter Gabriel since the late ‘70s, performing on nearly all of Peter’s recordings and tours.  However, his resume is extensive, having performed with John Lennon, Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Buddy Rich, David Bowie, and many other icons in the music industry, along with being a member of Stick Men and Liquid Tension Experiment.  Tony has a brand new album set to release on September 13 titled "Bringing it Down to the Bass". He's currently rehearsing for the upcoming BEAT tour: A supergroup that also includes Steve Vai, Adrian Belew, and Tool drummer Danny Carey, who will perform music from the three King Crimson albums that were released in the '80s.  Here to talk to us about these new projects and his extensive career is none other than Tony Levin.

Madeleine Peyroux’s musical journey has been an adventure; a pilgrimage that has spanned to both coasts in the States, to the streets of Paris and other European cities, and back to the States where she currently resides in New York City.  Along the way, music has always been right by her side as a travel companion, with her sound and lyrics shaped by the places she visited, and the people and musicians she met.  One particular musician she sought after was  guitarist Jon Herington.  When she first heard Jon play, she developed a deep appreciation for his style and set out to collaborate with him.  A decade and a half later, they’re still working together, and for the first time have collaborated on writing Madeleine’s latest album “Let’s Walk.”

On this episode of Inside MusiCast, we’re joined by three amazing musicians whose pedigrees in the music industry speak for themselves.  Former Inside MusiCast guests, Gregg Bissonette and Andy Timmons, along with Matt Bissonette are here to discuss The Reddcoats, a band that was formed in 2019 and also includes Wally Minko and Ron Pedley on keys, and Mike Medina on percussion.  The Reddcoats sound explores a lot of musical territory, with a mix of power pop, jazz, rock, and even a little funk.  While the approach to their music is free-spirited, the performances are air tight, with a great blend of instrumental compositions, along with songs that deliver great vocals and vocal harmonies. The band recently released a brand new album titled The Reddcoats 2, and we’re honored to have Gregg, Matt and Andy here to chat about it.  Hey guys, welcome to Inside MusiCast.

You know his work with Steely Dan, the incredible guitar solo on Fame, along with session work with The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, The Blues Brothers, Carl Wilson, Peter Wolf, Peter Frampton, and many others.  However, there's so much more to Elliott Randall's career, from his early gigs in Greenwich Village, to joining Seatrain, forming his band Randall’s Island, to jingle writing, and so much more.  On this episode of Inside MusiCast, we’ll explore the diverse musical path of guitarist Elliott Randall, who joins us from his home in the UK. 

On our 300th episode of Inside MusiCast, we’re pleased to welcome Pages and Mr. Mister founding member, Steve George. For those of you who have followed Steve's career in music, you'll understand the uniqueness of this interview. We're beyond honored to have the opportunity to chat with Steve about his career as a studio musician, having worked with Al Jarreau, Cher, Amy Grant, Barry Manilow, Kenny Loggins, Toto, Marc Jordan, Richard Marx, Peter Allen, and many others. Of course, his collaborations with Richard Page in Pages, Mr. Mister, and Richard’s solo projects are legendary amongst fans of West Coast AOR.  There’s so much to talk about, and we’re excited to welcome Steve George to Inside MusiCast. 

On our 299th episode of Inside MusiCast, we welcome a prominent member of The Immediate Family, Steve Postell.  Steve grew-up in New York City and studied classical guitar, which afforded him the opportunity to take on a variety of musical experiences from performing on Broadway, to writing jingles for advertising, scores for film and documentaries, played in bands and hired as a studio musician, produced, arranged, written songs…he’s done it all.  Now, he’s a member of The Immediate Family, with legendary bandmates Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, and Elliot Easton.  The band has been on tour and recently released their new album “Skin In The Game”.  Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Steve Postell.

On this special edition of Inside MusiCast, we’re celebrating Mardi Gras by taking you to New Orleans for a chat with the city's Cultural Ambassador, John Papa Gros. John is here to talk about this unique, American tradition, including its roots, music, atmosphere, and of course the amazing food! We'll also discuss his own music career and how it was shaped by the culture and traditions of the Crescent City.  Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome John “Papa” Gros.