Episodes

There are some bands that when you hear them for the first time, they just stop you in your tracks and draw you in. That's what happened the first time I heard Shannon Clark and the Sugar. I was honored to be joined by Shanno...

Malcolm Guite is truly a delight to speak with, which made interviewing him a thing of beauty. In this second and final segment, Malcolm and I converse about the film adaptations of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit books, Mal...

Malcolm Guite is a man of many facets. He is a poet with a deep appreciation for the classical form and higher realms of language. Equal parts songwriter, author, ordained priest in the Church of England, avid reader and acad...

Veteran singer-songwriter Maia Sharp proves once again that she has great songcrafting and storytelling skills with her latest album, "Reckless Thoughts." Maia has written for artists like Trisha Yearwood, Bonnie Raitt and Ch...

In this special episode, Sally Stevens and Ron Hicklin give us insight into the creative world of James Horner like very few can. Ron and Sally began working with James in the early 80s as studio vocalists and vocal contracto...

Beth Bombara is a wonderfully gifted singer, songwriter, musician and storyteller. While she has drawn comparisons to Aimee Mann and Jewel, she brings her unique voice that paints her songs with authenticity and warmth. Those...

In 2008 Denny Tedesco took the world of music storytelling by storm with the release of the multi-award winning film, "The Wrecking Crew." That hit film told the story of a group of elite studio musicians in Los Angeles that ...

Singer-songwriter, Robin Taylor Zander, son of Cheap Trick vocalist, Robin Zander, took advantage of the instruments he grew up around by learning to play a variety of them. Spending summers on the road with his dad and soaki...

In this final segment of my in-depth conversation with the Queen of Bass Guitar, Carol Kaye, we chat about her work with Motown, which was kept very quiet and we examine some of Carol's most iconic bass lines and how they wer...

Carol Kaye is a towering musical legend who's considered to be one of the most prolific bassists in Rock and Pop music history. With over 10,000 recording sessions under her belt, and an integral part of The Wrecking Crew stu...

Very few people had the distinct pleasure of singing with the King of Rock n' Roll, Elvis Presley, but both of my guests DID! Ron Hicklin and Sally Stevens are two living legends in the vocal world. Many have heard of "The Wr...

In this concluding portion of my in-depth conversation with legendary guitarist and artist, Phil Keaggy, we cover a wide range of topics. We talk about what makes his playing style unique, what it was like to meet and play mu...

This UpClose and Personal conversation with legendary guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer, Phil Keaggy, is truly one of the greatest I've had since starting Journey to the Stage. Phil has won 7 GMA Dove Awards and has ...

Florence Dore and I sat for a great conversation about her journey as a singer, songwriter, author and professor. Florence's latest album, "Highways and Rocketships" is a delightful blend of Rock, Americana and Folk. The song...

In the final segment of the UpClose & Personal conversation with multi-Grammy and multi-Dove Award winning vocalist, John Schlitt, we dig into the Petra years. From his arrival as Petra's new vocalist and working with power p...

In Part 1 of this Upclose & Personal conversation with multi-Grammy and multi-Dove Award winning vocalist John Schlitt, we spend considerable time walking through his formative years and the impact of bands like The Beach Boy...

Jaimee Harris isn't merely a rising star in the Americana-Folk-Singer/Songwriter universe. With the release of her new album, 'Boomerang Town," Jaimee steps up to the mic and stakes a claim among her peers and shows that she ...

Blue Water Highway stands at the top of the list of bands I have come across in the last several years, so it was a real honor for me to sit down with founding members Zack Kibodeaux (primary vocalist and multi-instrumentalis...

Stephen McCarthy has been at the leading edge of genre creation, a claim few can make. With the founding of The Long Ryders in the early 80s, the band was helping lay the foundation for what would eventually be called "Americ...

Trapper Schoepp is a musical force to be reckoned with. His brand new album, "Siren Songs," is his strongest effort to date, and was recorded in the Cash Cabin, a retreat and private recording studio built by the legendary Ma...

This is part two of a very in depth and open conversation I had with Glen Phillips. In this portion of our chat, Glen shares what led to the demise of Toad the Wet Sprocket and how those relational patterns have changed in a ...

Jon Shabaglian is an award winning singer, songwriter and recording artist, with a growing catalog of soul stirring albums. For decades Jon has been writing, performing and recording music that reflects and reveals the heart ...

As a founding member of multi-platinum selling Soul Asylum, and super group, The Golden Smog, which features members of Wilco, The Jayhawks, Big Star and Run Westy, Run, Grammy Award-winning Dan Murphy has spent decades crea...

It was an honor to connect with one of my favorite vocalist, songwriters and lyricists, Glen Phillips. Glen is the voice and principal songwriter for Toad the Wet Sprocket, a band he helped form when he was just 15. This "Upc...