LifeMinute In Studio With Podcast

Veronica Swift, daughter of Stephanie Nakasian, listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz as one of the world’s leading jazz singers, and the late bebop piano great Hod O'Brien, was destined to follow in her parents' footsteps. At just nine years old, she recorded her first album, Veronica's House of Jazz, and began touring with her parents. At age 11, she appeared in the Jazz at Lincoln Center series, "Women in Jazz," and continued her studies, earning a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Voice at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. After graduation, the Virginia native moved to New York City, performing Saturday nights at the legendary club Birdland. She has continued to record her own material and collaborate and tour with such artists as Chris Botti, Benny Green, Wynton Marsalis, and Michael Feinstein. Now a leading international vocalist, Swift dropped her third release, a self-titled 11-track album, which includes originals and covers. Combining elements of pop, bebop, swing, funk, rock, and jazz on the record, Swift pays homage to greats from Duke Ellington, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, and Ludwig van Beethoven to Queen and Nine Inch Nails. The first singles of the album include a rendition of Jerry Herman’s “I Am What I Am” and cover of the cover of NIN’s “Closer.” The singer, knighted by France, stopped by the LifeMinute Studios to tell us about the new album, her unique sound, and how she keeps her instrument, her voice, pitch perfect.

Rick Springfield is the gift that keeps on giving. The Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and best-selling author who's been wowing fans for more than forty years, says he manifests life and what he wants out of it. And luckily for us, what he wants is to just keep doing what he's doing. “I love what I do, and I think that's the most important thing…I don’t want to sit on the beach and drink mai tais and retire. If I did that, I’d want to get a band together and go and play.” Ironically, while he has no plans to become a beach bum, he is promoting his new rum brand, Beach Bar Rum, with his partner and longtime pal, Sammy Hagar, and a whole heck of a lot of other stuff. It’s hard to believe this iconic heartthrob is 74, still electrifying on stage and off as he was in the ‘70s and ‘80s, he's just released brand new material...his 23rd studio album, and first in five years, Automatic, 20 new songs he wrote, produced, and performed all on his own. Stylistically, he describes it somewhere in between his 1981 certified U.S. platinum Working Class Dog and 1985’s Tao, filled with guitar-based power pop and keyboards. He explains the record's title track he dreamt about. "I'm really not quite sure what it's about. I woke up at three in the morning, wrote down the song I had in my head, got up the next day, and finished it. But it was just kind of stream-of-consciousness stuff. There's a message in there. I just haven't figured out what it is yet.” Whatever message you take from it, one thing's for certain — you won’t get the poppy tune out of your head or the remaining 19 tracks. His goal, he says — “solid three-minute tunes with the biggest hooks I could come up with.” Mission accomplished. The album was engineered by and dedicated to Springfield’s friend and longtime sound man, Matty Spindel, who passed away late last year. We caught up with Springfield backstage before his New York performance at The Paramount in Huntington last month to hear all about it and more, including his keys to longevity, 39-year marriage to Barbara Porter (who was right there with us during the interview) strategies for positive mental and physical wellness, and his "pretend DJ" gig on SiriusXM. This is a LifeMinute with the one and only Rick Springfield.

Third-generation NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one busy guy. The 15-time consecutive NASCAR most popular driver, Busch Series champ two years in a row, and two-time Daytona 500 winner still races professionally to “keep himself current.” He is also a champion team owner, an analyst for NBC Sports, a podcast host, the author of three bestselling books, and a brand new children’s book, Buster Gets Back on Track, that was just released, to help parents teach kids about not letting their emotions get the better of them. We recently caught up with this mega powerhouse and devoted husband and dad of two at the LifeMinute Studios to hear all about what fuels his winning drive on and off the track.

Mixing blues and Bach with jazz and rock…singer-songwriter and pianist Peter Cincotti is something special. The 40-year-old caught the ear of music execs as a pre-teen and started playing real gigs by age 13. At 20, he opened for Ray Charles and gained worldwide success performing at the most prestigious venues around the globe. On the heels of the 20th anniversary of his first record, produced by the legendary Phil Ramone, Cincotti just released his 6th album, Killer on the Keys, with 12 brilliant tracks that pay homage to his icons. Not only do they span generations and genres, but uniquely combine them to create a sound all his own — a la Ben Folds’ “Brick” and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” to Joplin and Brimhall’s “The Entertainer.” There are also original autobiographical tracks that tell the story of his life. From being born and raised in New York City to being on the road, to the death of his dear father on the night of his first professional show at just 13 years old. It's beautiful, poignant, and a tear-jerker. Don’t fret. The rest of the album picks you right back up, and you’re boogying in your seat in no time. Find Killer on the Keys on all digital platforms, and to find out where Peter is playing near you, visit PeterCincotti.com.

He’s the son of music royalty, Sting, but singer-songwriter Joe Sumner says Nirvana made him want to become a musician. The LA-based dad of four has just released his first full-length solo album, Sunshine In The Night, 12 indie folk pop rock masterpieces that tell the story of love, life, hope and family. Sumner is currently getting high praise, opening for his dad around the world. We can see why. We were fortunate to get a listen when he performed his song; appropriately titled "Live Life"  at the LifeMinute Studios earlier this month.This is a LifeMinute with the uber-talented, fantastically fun Joe Sumner.

You may recognize her face from her decades-long career in TV and film or her recent win on Fox’s The Masked Singer...Actor and Billboard Top 30 charting singer-songwriter Alicia Witt has played her piano-driven pop-rock music worldwide and has poured her latest heartfelt lyrics into Witness, her just-released EP. This is a LifeMinute with Alicia Witt.

Big Time Rush busted on the scene in 2009 with their hit Nickelodeon show of the same name. Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Carlos PenaVega became overnight sensations. They went on to release three studio albums, performing across the globe with five tours in three years. Fast forward to 2020, the boy band held a surprise virtual reunion after a roughly eight-year hiatus to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their smash hit “Worldwide.” A fresh acoustic cover of the song sparked a new era for the group, with a whole new set of people discovering their music, adding to their already solid fanbase. Giving the fans what they wanted, the guys headed out on their 2022-2023 Forever Tour, which took the band across North and South America, selling more than 300,000 tickets with numerous sellouts - including New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden. With little downtime, the boys are back with a newly released 10-track album, Another Life, and a 39-city North American Can’t Get Enough Tour that kicked off last month. We caught up with the band at their stop in Hershey, PA, to hear about the exciting things happening for these guys who just want to spread positivity through their music. This is a LifeMinute with Big Time Rush.

At 89 years young, singer, actor, songwriter, and author Pat Boone just released a brand-new single called "Grits" and is gearing up to drop a full-length country project this summer with 25 all-time favorite country classics.

The Alarm’s Mike Peters and his wife and keyboardist, Jules are true examples of strength, hope, and love. We were so grateful to have them stop by the LifeMinute studios last month, all the way from the U.K., to tell us about the Alarm’s latest full-length release Forwards, a record that could not be more appropriately titled; since it was written by Peters, while in the hospital undergoing treatment for a relapse of Leukemia (that he has been battling since 2005) as well as a life-threatening bout with pneumonia. It’s ten uplifting, heart-felt tracks that Alarm fans have been waiting for. Peters is also taking his Alarm to the road, with shows scheduled in both Europe and the U.S. On a mission to help others battling cancer, Mike and his wife Jules, a cancer survivor herself, started the Love Hope Strength Foundation; with a mission to saves lives one concert at a time; with funds from shows going to help build cancer centers, purchase medical equipment and supplies, and to host marrow donor drives at festivals and concerts. Described by U2’s Bono as “The second greatest rock and roll band in the world” Peters formed The Alarm in the UK in the early '80s, with a sound that is often referred to as Bob Dylan meets The Clash. That sound has been heard ‘round the world with 17 Top 50 UK singles, and more than 6 million album sales globally. The Alarm released Equals (2018) and Sigma (2019), entering the UK Rock charts at Number One. Their 1987 hit song "Rain In the Summertime" was covered by The Killers and Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan. During lockdown in 2020, The Alarm broadcast their own weekly music and chat show ‘The Big Night In’, attracting more than 500,000 viewers across the internet. In 2021, the band wrote, recorded and released OMEGA, their most critically acclaimed album to date.

After years of being blacklisted for speaking out about the abuse he said he suffered as a child in Hollywood --- actor and musician, Corey Feldman, is finally getting his due. He has two songs on the billboard charts, a U.S. screening of his previously unreleased 2004 film The Birthday, and a newfound friendship with filmmaker and comedian Jordan Peele, who featured four of Feldman’s films during a special Lincoln Center series last week. Peele is also the proud owner of that prosthetic ear we told you about last year, the one Feldman wore in the ’86 film Stand By Me --- that he put up for auction. Feldman stopped by our studios again last week while in town for the screening to tell us all about it and more. This is a LifeMinute with Corey Feldman.