Inside MusiCast

Being in the right place at the right time is often the foot in the door for many successful musicians, but you can never overlook the sheer talent that cracks the door open even wider. Snuffy Walden will admit that good timing had it’s good fortunes. From his early days in the blues rock band Stray Dog and opening shows for ELP, to becoming a first call studio musician having worked with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Chaka, Laura Branigan, Donna Summer, and Rita Coolidge, Snuffy eventually traveled down a musical path that he never expected with writing scores and themes for popular television shows such as The West Wing, Thirtysomething, and The Wonder Years. Through this work in television, Snuffy has earned ten Emmy nominations and has won an Emmy for his work on The West Wing. He’s been on our wish list for quite some time and today we’re honored to talk with Snuffy Walden.

It was just two years ago that we welcomed Lenny Castro to Inside MusiCast for the first time. Little did we know that in this short span of time since that interview that he would embark on creating the tracks that would become his debut solo album, “Hands Of Silk And Stone”. The album was released over the weekend on digital download sites, such as iTunes and Amazon Music and also appears on streaming platforms, like Spotify and Apple Music. So what musical path did Lenny take in creating this new project and what musicians did he enlist? Let’s find out. Joining us once again to discuss “Hands Of Silk And Stone” is our good friend, Lenny Castro.

If you’ve never heard the name Casey Young, you’ve definitely heard his contributions to many incredible albums.  Although he began honing his musical skills on drums, Casey eventually became fascinated with synthesizers after hearing the music of Todd Rundgren.  From that moment on, Casey became one of go-to guys for creating sounds and sound design. From building synthesizers, to helping artists find the right sound for the right place, to providing sound design support for major tours, Casey Young has collaborated with an astounding list of musicians, including Gary Wright, Yes, Madonna, Michael Sembello, Toto, Mr. Mister, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Greg Mathieson, The Manhattan Transfer, David Sanborn, Robbie Nevil, and many more.  Here to talk to us about all of this in-studio is none other than Casey Young.

Since 1976, Ross Pallone’s passion for live mixing and studio engineering has made an imprint on the musical landscape for some of the biggest names in the business.  His big break came in the early 80’s when he met Michael McDonald while engineering Amy Holland’s debut album “On Your Every Word.” This meeting evolved into a long term relationship with McDonald, but it also set his career in motion with engineering albums and providing live mixing for hundreds of artists, including Alan Parsons, Alice Cooper, Ambrosia, Barbara Streisand, Chaka Khan, Christopher Cross, David Foster, David Pack, Diana Ross, Earth, Wind & Fire, Elton John, Dean Martin, Donna Summer, Gladys Knight, James Newton Howard, Manhattan Transfer, Michael Jackson, and Prince, among many others.  Here to talk about the behind-the-scenes world of studio engineering and live mixing is Ross Pallone.

It’s been seven years since we last visited with Michael Franks, when he had just released his last studio album “Time Together.”  In a few weeks, his brand new album “Music In My Head” is set to be released and it continues in his tradition of combining elements of jazz, pop, and Brazilian styles, with his unmistakable voice leading the way.  “Music In My Head” was a collaboration with several producers, arrangers and musicians, including the late Chuck Loeb, Jimmy Haslip, Scott Petito, Gil Goldstein, Charles Blenzig, Bob Mintzer, David Spinozza, Eric Marienthal, Manuel Quintana, Rachel Z, Billy Kilson, Larry Koonse and many more.  The album drops in early June, but during our chat with Michael we’ll play a few samples to whet your appetite. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome back Michael Franks.

If you’ve been listening to Inside MusiCast from our early beginnings in 2006, you’ll recognize this throwback show intro that was voiced by the talented singer/songwriter Jennie DeVoe. Today’s episode of Inside MusiCast is our 200th and we’re celebrating this milestone with a lighthearted conversation with one of our earliest guests and our good friend, bassist Lee Sklar. Lee is without question one of our favorite guests and we’re always pleased when he returns to the show to catch-up and to discuss his amazing career. This episode will also feature questions for Lee from our listeners from around the world. Eddy, our team of Correspondents and I thank you for your support of Inside MusiCast and for indulging us on our quest to take you inside the music one interview at a time. So for this 200th episode, Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Lee Sklar.

40 years ago, the Dixie Dregs released “Free Fall”, their debut album on Capricorn Records with band members Andy West, Allen Sloan, Steve Davidowski, Rod Morgenstein and today’s Inside MusiCast guest, guitarist Steve Morse.  This incarnation of the band hasn’t been back together since the release of “Free Fall”, but from now until the end of April, the complete, original line-up is on the road for an extensive tour that will take them all across the USA.  Joining us to discuss all things Dixie Dregs, along with other career highlights, including his tenures with Deep Purple and Kansas, is guitarist Steve Morse.

Neil Stubenhaus is clearly one of the top A-list of bassists in the music business - and he doesn’t need to preach it. It’s proven with his discography and the select artists that he has been able to work with throughout his career. He’s sometimes under the radar, but he’s been on ours for a long time and we’re happy to have him on Inside MusiCast as a guest. From his early years with Blood, Sweat & Tears to playing with Gino Vannelli, from Larry Carlton to Karizma, Stubenhaus is about as solid as they come. He’s got something to say about the craft of playing the instrument, as the industry in general. Inside MusiCast is please to welcome Neil Stubenhaus.

David Garfield is as passionate a musician as he is talented. His latest project is massive undertaking and involves collaborations with the best musicians in the music business. “Outside The Box” is the working title and Creatchy has already amassed over 40 tracks - and he’s still going. This labor of love is a collection of original tracks, as well as new arrangements of classic songs. The guest list on this project is off the charts, including Vinnie Colaiuta, Greg Phillinganes, Joe Porcaro, Paul Jackson, Jr., Freddie Washington, Kirk Whalum, Doc Kupka, Eric Marienthal, Will Lee, Steve Ferrone, Chris Trujillo, Walt Fowler, Brandon Fields, David Paich, Shannon Forrest, Jimmie Lee Sloas, and so many more. Here to chat with us more about this amazing project is our good friend David Garfield.

Andy Timmons is one of the most talented and sought after guitarists in the business. He is often referred to as “The Tone King” by his peers and colleagues, as he possesses an arsenal of tones and is as versatile a guitarist as you will encounter. Andy’s career has led him to performing with the glam band Danger Danger, to a 15 year position as musical director for Olivia Newton John, to being a part of Simon Phillips Protocol projects. He’s also performed with artists ranging from Kip Winger, Paula Abdul, Paul Stanley, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Steve Morse, Mike Stern, Ted Nugent and many more. We’re pleased to welcome to Inside MusiCast, Andy Timmons.