Interview with the Artist

Jeff and Grant Allegue play Theme from the Rick & Bob Report

Guitarist Jeff Allegue was born in Amityville, NY and began his classical training at the age of 10. A founding members of The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, he played bass with the group for 12 years and appeared on their multi-platinum selling albums “Christmas Trilogy” and “The Lost Christmas Eve", as well as their newest release "Night Castle". He was awarded 2 platinum and 4 gold records from the RIAA for his work with them.

Early in his career, his band “The Tallboys” appeared on MTV which led to their appearance on “Star Search,” where they won three consecutive shows and placed in the finals. He went onto work with Jive recording artist Amie Miriello and Taylor Dayne, with whom Jeff toured for many years throughout the country. His latest instrumental guitar album "The Lovely Savages" is available on iTunes or anywhere digital music is sold. Currently, Jeff is a member of the hugely popular Long Island-based band New Life Crisis along with singer/songwriter Paul Mahos, and drummer Steve O'Brien.

Jeff has been profiled in Guitar Player Magazine, Bass Player Magazine and Guitar for the Practicing Musician. He plays Spector basses, Martin, Gretsch, Fender and Alvarez-Yairi guitars. All instruments are strung with D'Addario strings.

Find out more at http://www.myspace.com/jeffallegue

Charles Strouse is a 3-time Tony Award winning Broadway composer and lyricist. His first musical was the hit show Bye, Bye, Birdie, with lyrics by his longtime collaborator Lee Adams. Bye, Bye, Birdie won Strouse his first Tony Award and was considered the precursor of the rock musical. He went on to write Golden Boy, starring Sammy Davis Jr, Applause starring Lauren Bacall, (which won him his second Tony), and in 1977, he adapted a comic strip for the stage, creating the hit musical Annie, for which he won his third Tony Award, two Grammys and several Emmys for the television adaptations.In this conversation, Charles Strouse explains what it means to "sweat" over a piece of music, and why it's important to both let go and find the "reason" behind each note. Also, he talks about how accepting the childlike qualities in his music allowed him to find his voice as a composer, and what he's learned about love: "If you love somebody and want that love back, you've got to make them feel like they're doing their best work."

Sophie B Hawkins is a Grammy nominated and multi platinum selling recording artist, known best for her singles: As I Lay Me Down and Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover. She's released 9 albums and has sold over 9 millions records worldwide.In this conversation, a wide range of deep existential subjects are covered- from self acceptance and addiction to creativity and the spiritual journey. Tune in to hear Sophie talk about her battle with the music business and why leaving Sony Records was such a risk, what your own music can teach you about yourself and how one song can change your life

Part 2 of my conversation with actor/comedian/songwriter Rick Crom! Perhaps best known as Louis CK's gay poker buddy on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award winning show Louie on FX, he's also been seen on Chappelle's Show, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Caroline's Comedy Hour. As a comedian, he's a regular at The Comedy Cellar in New York and has performed in clubs throughout the country. As an actor, Rick has appeared on Broadway in The Goodbye Girl (with Martin Short and Bernadette Peters), Footloose, and Urinetown. As a songwriter, Rick wrote the book, music and lyrics for Newsicle, a musical that lampoons current events, celebrities and trends which has been running Off-Broadway since 2009, and has earned him several Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Lyrics. Newsicle is currently enjoying an open-ended run at The Kirk at Theatre Row. In Part 2 of our conversation, Rick continues to makes me laugh A LOT. Plus, he talks about his television work, including the origin of his famous poker scene on Louie, the effect that scene continues to have; the reason he waited so long to come out publicly, and why being a comedian is so therapeutic.

Rick Crom is an actor, singer, comedian and songwriter. Perhaps best known as Louis CK's gay poker buddy on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award winning show Louie on FX, he's also been seen on Chappelle's Show, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Caroline's Comedy Hour. As a comedian, he's a regular at The Comedy Cellar in New York and has performed in clubs throughout the country. As an actor, Rick has appeared on Broadway in The Goodbye Girl (with Martin Short and Bernadette Peters), Footloose, and Urinetown. As a songwriter, Rick wrote the book, music and lyrics for Newsicle, a musical that lampoons current events, celebrities and trends which has been running Off-Broadway since 2009, and has earned him several Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Lyrics. Newsicle is currently enjoying an open-ended run at The Kirk at Theatre Row. In Part 1 of our conversation, Rick talks about making his comedy debut in Chicago, and how the harsh competition that greeted him in New York propelled him into a successful cabaret and Off-Broadway career as a songwriter and a residency at The Comedy Cellar; the importance of having an original, unpredictable point of view when writing a funny song; the best way to deal with nerves in an audition; and what it's like to be a swing on Broadway. He also does impressions of Kirk Douglas, Don Pardo and a gay John Wayne that you don't wanna miss. Tune in.

Drummer Corky Laing is best known for his work with the hard rock band Mountain. Born in Montreal, he began his career with the famous soul doo wop vocal group The Ink Spots, before joining the band Energy, produced by a young Felix Pappalardi. In 1969, he left Energy and joined Pappalardi and guitarist Leslie West in Mountain, (replacing N.D. Smart). Along with Cream and Blue Cheer, Mountain would become "one of the seminal power trios in modern heavy psychedelic rock music." (-AllMusic.com) The band broke up in 1972, but has reunited several times and is still active today. Corky Laing has recorded and performed with Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, The Allman Brothers and many more legendary rock artists. He has been credited as the drummer responsible for turning the cowbell into a rock n' roll staple. In this conversation Corky talks about how being the youngest of five children led him to the drums, Keith Moon's influence, the road, drumming as a primal instinct, the importance of listening, and how drumming is "the most beautiful choreography you can do without standing up".

British film director Anthony Harvey began his career in the 1950s working as a film editor with Stanley Kubrick (Lolita, Dr. Strangelove), before going on to direct many feature films, including: The Lion in Winter starring (Katherine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole), for which he received a Directors Guild of America Award and an Academy Award nomination; They Might Be Giants (with Joanne Woodward and George C. Scott), The Glass Menagerie (with Katherine Hepburn and Sam Waterston), The Abdication, The Disappearance of Aimee, Eagles Wing, Richard's Things, Grace Quigley and This Can't Be Love. In this conversation, Anthony Harvey, now 83 years old, looks back on his career, recalling some of the most exhilarating moments of his life in film, and the friendships that came out of it. Tune in to hear what he learned from Stanley Kubrick, why Oscar night in 1969 was so hilarious, and how he went about directing Katherine Hepburn without getting smacked.

Dianne Reeves is a 4-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer, known for her improvisational prowess and unique jazz and R&B stylings. She is the only singer to have won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance three consecutive times. Her most recent album Beautiful Life was released in February 2014. The album showcases Reeves’ sublime gifts by melding elements of R&B, Latin and pop within the framework of 21st Century jazz. “At its essence,” says Reeves, “Life is beautiful, and I wanted to celebrate that which is too often overlooked.”In this conversation, Dianne talks about her earliest influences, discovering her own style and what her mother taught her about living her best life.

Part II of our conversation with Grammy and Emmy Award winning producer and recording engineer Cynthia Daniels. She’s a two-time Grammy Award winner, (The Producers, [2001 Original Broadway Cast] and The Julie Andrews Collection CD), and has worked with everyone from Beyonce to Paul McCartney to Jennifer Lopez. Specializing in orchestral pop, she has recorded and produced countless broadway cast albums and large-scale productions in New York and London. She’s also produced solo and live records for some of the world’s most renowned vocalists and performers, such as Barbara Cook, Patti Lupone, Eartha Kitt, Sandra Bernhard and Elaine Stritch (Elaine Stritch: At Liberty). Ms. Daniels has also worked extensively in television and film and in 2007, she won an Emmy Award for composition and music supervision on the longest running daytime series Guiding Light. In 2011, she built a world-class recording studio in the Hamptons, (designed by architect John Storyk) and launched her own music label: MonkMusic Records, which focuses on young, emerging artists and producing audiophile quality, high-energy rock.