Inside MusiCast

From his early beginnings in the band Beatnik Beatch, followed by the success and cult following with his power-pop band Jellyfish in the early 90’s, Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. continues to explore and create music that contains musical excellence and well-crafted lyrics. The past three decades have been filled with a variety of projects for Roger, from Imperial Drag, to TV Eyes, to several solo and collaborative album projects - not to mention lending his talents to artists like Beck, Jay-Z, Blink 182, and the legendary Johnny Cash. Manning’s latest project reunites two of his past Jellyfish bandmates to form The Lickerish Quartet. The power-pop trio has just released their first, four song EP titled “Threesome Vol. 1”, which was released on May 15 and carries on the incredible musicianship and songwriting vibe that Jellyfish fans have grown accustomed to. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.

Todd Sucherman was destined to become a professional musician and his prowess behind the drum kit has already led him to a 45 year start. From his early days gigging in Chicago, to laying down tracks for jingles and scores, to landing the drumming chair with legendary rock band Styx, Todd has been one the busiest and most in-demand drummers in the business. But recently he’s taken another leap of faith to take on a challenge he wasn’t sure he could accomplish - to write, produce and record his first solo album. On May 2, this challenge became a reality when he released “Last Flight Home”, a ten track album featuring Todd not only behind the drum kit, but behind the mic and taking on lead vocal duties. Here to talk to us more about his career and this excellent new album is Todd Sucherman.

If one word can best describe Claudia Campagnol’s life and music, it would be fusion. Her gypsy spirit has taken her from Hungary, to Sweden, to Copenhagen, with many other travels and experiences that have shaped her musical upbringing. The Copenhagen-based musician, singer, and composer was baptized into jazz, R&B, soul, pop and groove at a very early age, heavily influenced by her parents. Even a chance encounter with Stevie Wonder played a big role in influencing and encouraging her musical journey. She's a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who has delivered a mature sound on her debut album “I'm Strong”, which was released in 2019 on Giant Sheep Music. Here to talk to us about this incredible album, along with more about her musical path, is Claudia Campagnol.

It’s no secret that Abraham Laboriel has been on our bucket list for a long time, but we’ve always known that he doesn’t give many interviews. Abe tends to let his music do the talking and he purposefully stays “off the grid” and avoids the spotlight.  But thanks to the help of our New Jersey Correspondent, Yinka Oyelese, we’ve secured this exclusive chat with one of the most coveted and recorded bassists in modern music history. For over 48 years, Abe has captivated our musical senses with his intuitive and masterful control of rhythm through his bass playing. He’s worked with Fagen, Carlton, Jarreau, Mancini, Grusin, Rit, Q, Herbie, Felder, Summers, Streisand, Cobham, Elton, and on and on. He’s walked hand-in-hand with his good friend called music since he was a young boy, and he's shared his gift with us all over the past several decades. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Abraham Laboriel, Sr.

From his early beginnings as an assistant with Phil Ramone, to his foray into recording and mixing sessions for Steely Dan, Toto, Jimmy Buffet, Bruce Hornsby, the Eagles, the Foo Fighters and many others, to becoming a pioneer in the world of surround mixing, Elliot Scheiner is without question one of the elite producers, recording engineers, and mixers to ever set foot in a studio. He has recently been involved with the remastering process of Toto’s “All In” CD box set, as well as projects with Trey Anastasio and Phish. With nearly five decades under his belt and thousands of projects to his credit, Elliot’s passion for his craft is stronger than ever and he shows no signs of slowing down. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Elliot Scheiner.

Singer/songwriter Quint Starkie’s musical journey has taken him from the UK where he grew-up, to L.A., to Stockholm, Sweden. His career has enveloped a variety of opportunities that have stretched his talents, including work as a session musician, composer, producer, and a live performer. Quint has also been heavily involved in writing countless jingles and theme music for some of the industry’s biggest brands such as McDonald’s, Toyota, Diners Club, American Express, SAS, Coca Cola and Heineken. However, songwriting is a passion for Quint and in 2016 he released his first solo album titled “Ghost In My Heart”, a 14-track autobiographical collection of songs that displays his adept songwriting and vocal talents. We met Quint for the first time last month in Stockholm for the Pages tribute concert and in watching him perform, we knew we needed to have him on the show. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Quint Starkie.

Ben Shepherd exudes groove. Not only can you hear and feel it, but you can see it on the ear-to-ear smile on his face when he's layin' it down. The New Zealand native has been energized by music since he was a kid, with the bass guitar being his focus. Ben made his way to L.A., where he's held down the groove for some incredible artists, such as Peter Erskine, David Archuleta, Ellis Hall, Kendrick Lamar, Lee Ritenour, Chance The Rapper, Billy Childs, Patrice Rushen, Jeff Lorber, and many more. Ben also has his sights set on releasing his own material in the very near future. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Ben Shepherd.

While the rest of Los Angeles is sleeping, Jay Graydon is hard at work. His nocturnal schedule started when he was in high school and has persisted throughout his career, but this magical time of the day has afforded Jay with the creative timetable to write and produce countless gold, platinum and Grammy winning albums and songs. We last had Jay on the show ten years ago when we discussed various highlights of his career, so we’re pleased to have him back to update us on several recent topics, including the new JaR album, his ‘E’ Model Rhodes project, some guitars from his collection that he’s parting ways with, and so much more. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome back Jay Graydon.

We first discovered Shawn Lee in late 2015 when we heard the news about a new, West Coast oriented band from the UK called Young Gun Silver Fox, but little did we know about his lengthy tenure in the music business and the variety of musical styles he’d been involved with, from country, to electronica, to West Coast, and more. Shawn has once again broadened his musical horizons with a brand new solo album titled “Rides Again” that was recently released and contains a series of songs that are reflective, autobiographical, and have a modern, country-soul vibe. This is a very personal album with songs that reflect on memories from his childhood, his family, and how he experienced life growing-up in Wichita, Kansas. Here to talk to us more about “Rides Again”, along with some insight into the new Young Gun Silver Fox project that’s in the works is our good friend, Shawn Lee.

It's been 11 years since our last connection with Robbie Dupree. At the time, he had just released his album ‘Time And Tide’, which featured his steady stable of musical colleagues - David Sancious, Rick Chudacoff, Peter Bunetta, Leslie Smith, and the late Larry Hoppen. Since that time, and with an understanding of the ever-changing landscape of the music business, Robbie has decided that writing and producing a full album of new songs isn’t on his radar. Instead, he’s taken the path of releasing single tracks at his own pace and when the inspiration strikes him. Along with his 2012, four song EP ‘Arc Of A Romance’, he has recently released three, beautifully produced singles with top-notch lyrical content and musicianship. For Robbie, it’s all about quality over quantity and it’s apparent in these new tracks. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome, Robbie Dupree.