Inside MusiCast

Inside MusiCast hits the road to Chicago to catch up with Shawn Lee and Andy Platts of Young Gun Silver Fox, as the band is on its inaugural tour of North America.  Chicago is the third stop on this five city tour and the guys sat down with IMC's Eddy Cabello in the green room after sound check at Lincoln Hall to chat about the tour and how it's progressing.   

In the late ‘70s, a group of incredible studio musicians came together to form a prolific, legendary band who shook-up the music scene with well crafted and expertly produced songs with a West Coast/AOR sound.  Here in the States, you’d imagine that we’re referring to Toto.  However, this group of musicians hails from Norway and their band is Lava.  On this episode of Inside MusiCast, we’re chatting with one of the group’s founding members, Svein Dag Hauge, to discuss the origins of Lava, the band’s rise to notoriety in Scandinavia, and where they’re headed next - including discussion about their upcoming box set that features a brand new album titled ‘X’.  Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Svein Dag Hauge. 

Mica Millar is not well known in the States, but word is quickly spreading about her incredible vocals and well-crafted songs. The Manchester UK-based singer recently released her debut album titled, “Heaven Knows”, and when you hear it, you’ll know that the name Mica Millar will be known everywhere very soon. What makes her story and music even more remarkable is the fact that she suffered a horrible spinal injury at the onset of recording her new album. It stopped everything cold. Today, Mica talks to us about the miracle of her music, the challenges, and the eventual release of “Heaven Knows”. Inside MusiCast welcomes Mica Millar. 

Growing-up in Queens, Lionel Cordew was surrounded by music inside his home, in his neighborhood, and in church.  His brothers were all involved in music, his mother sang in the gospel choir at the church where his father was the minister, and his neighborhood hosted block parties where cats like Lenny White, Marcus Miller, Omar Hakim, Najee and many others would often play.  Lionel absorbed and adapted to many styles of music, which he’s used to his benefit throughout the course of his career, as he’s recorded and toured with a diverse list of musicians, including Mike Stern, Gino Vannelli, Jeff Lorber, Roberta Flack, Bill Evans, Chuck Loeb, Chieli Minucci, Wayne Krantz, and in 2015 he replaced Lee Pearson as the drummer in the legendary jazz group, Spyro Gyra.  Here to discuss his musical journey in more depth is none other than Lionel Cordew. 

Inside MusiCast rings in the new year with our first guest for 2023, guitarist Dean Parks!  Dean is no stranger to liner notes geeks around the world and was home grown in the state of Texas. In fact, he was a member of the “One O’clock Lab Band'' at North Texas State while in college. Whatever it is that’s in the water at North Texas, he drank it – along with other top musicians who have come out of that amazing music program - like David Hungate, several Snarky Puppy band members, Norah Jones, Jeff Coffin, Don Henley, Lyle Mays, and others. Fast forward to today and we find Dean still engaged with contributing his talents to new projects from Lyle Lovett, LeAnn Rimes, Herbie Hancock, Diane Warren, and so many others. This only confirms that after decades of playing LA sessions, Parks still remains an A-list guitarist.  His iconic work for Steely Dan, Al Jarreau, America, Streisand and so many other great projects speaks for itself. Today we’ll help fill in some of the gaps of his amazing career. Inside MusiCast is glad to welcome Dean Parks.

Honing her musical skills while growing-up on the East coast, Deborah Holland found her way to Los Angeles in the late ‘70s in an attempt to break into the music business.  A demo of two of her songs landed in the hands of Stewart Copeland and Stanley Clarke, who were searching for a female vocalist to front their new band project, which became Animal Logic.  She got the gig, which was a major stepping stone in propelling her career.  After making two albums with Animal Logic, Deborah has since recorded and released several solo albums, she’s a member of the folk supergroup The Refugees, a film scorer and educator, and in 2020 she released her latest EP titled “Fine, Thank You.”   Recently, two new Animal Logic songs have been released - the first new music from the trio in over three decades.  Here to talk to us about this new music and her career in music is Deborah Holland.  

Shawn Lee and Andy Platts are back with Ticket To Shangri-La, their fourth Young Gun Silver Fox album in the last seven years. Their undeniable, West Coast groove is a prominent ingredient once again, but the addition of some incredible horn arrangements, a heavier lean on the acoustic guitar, and Andy's silky smooth vocal harmonies make for another stellar collection of tunes with the feel-good vibe you've come to expect from this UK-based duo.  Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Shawn Lee and Andy Platts of Young Gun Silver Fox.

In 1980, Scottish born singer-songwriter, Ali Thomson, released his first album on A&M Records titled “Take A Little Rhythm”.  The title track garnered heavy airplay in countries around the world and reached as high as #15 on the Hot 100 in the USA.  He then went on to record a second album for A&M the following year titled “Deception Is In Art.”  While the pop scene delivered success for Thomson, his sights were set on creating music that contained more depth and musicality.  Ali continued writing songs for a variety of musicians over the years, but a few decades later he returned to writing songs for himself and released “Songs From The Playroom” in 2019 that featured a track titled “Aqua Blue”.  During the Covid pandemic, he went back to work creating yet another new album titled “The Last Rodeo” which was released in September.  Here to talk to us today about his career and this incredible new album release is Ali Thomson.  

In 2013, the world of contemporary jazz welcomed a newcomer who released her debut, self-titled album, Lindsey Webster.  Since then, Lindsey’s roots have continued to grow as she’s released a total of six albums, with her latest album, “Reasons”, dropping in early September.  In fact, the first single from the new album, “I Didn’t Mean It”, features Brian Culbertson and hit the Top 10 on the Billboard jazz chart.  Success is no stranger to Lindsey, as she and her writing partner, Keith Slattery, have produced two number one and eight top tens on the Billboard charts.  In fact, in 2016 Webster became the first vocalist to hit #1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz charts since Sade. On “Reasons”, Lindsey invites an incredible cast of guest performers, including Nathan East, Randy Brecker, Brian Culbertson, Lenny Castro, Nicholas Payton, Kev Choice, and Lil John Roberts.  While there’s no shortage of talent with her supporting cast, Lindsey’s vocals are undeniable and the star of the show.  Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Lindsey Webster.

For decades, David Paich has been an icon in the LA music scene, having composed, arranged, written, produced, and performed on hit songs for some of the biggest artists in the music business. Then there’s his legendary band, Toto, which he’s poured his heart and soul into for the past 45 years. Despite this incredible resumé, he’s never released a solo project, until now. David’s debut solo album, “Forgotten Toys”, is set to release on Friday, August 19. With contributions from his Toto bandmates, Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams, the EP contains seven tracks and enlists an incredible cast of musicians, friends, and even family that make this a memorable musical experience. Here to talk to us about this brand new collection of songs is our good friend, David Paich.