Episode 78: International Art Curator – Pedro Alonzo

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My cousin Pete is on the show!! Pedro Alonzo is an internationally recognized art curator who works with the biggest names in contemporary art. Shepard Fairey, Banksy, Yoshitomo Nara, KAWS, Takashi Murakami are just a few of the folks he’s worked with, but most recently, like- a week ago, Pete teamed up with artist JR and erected a border wall installation in Tecate, Mexico, which I bet you’ve come across if you read the news at all. It’s an amazing piece that couldn’t be more relevant in today’s political climate. I was so happy to catch up with my favorite cousin- I loved our chat, and I bet you will too. Thanks for listening!

Episode 77: POP Artistic Director – Josh Shaw

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Josh Shaw is the Artistic Director of the Pacific Opera Project, right here, in sunny Los Angeles. He’s a singer turned director and opera company owner. We talk the ins and outs of running a company, the motivation for undertaking such a crazy idea, and his take on how to be successful at it. Thanks for listening- Enjoy!

Episode 76: Singer, actress, author- Gloria Loring

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The indomitable Gloria Loring, y’all! We talk childhood, her marriage to Alan Thicke, divorce, motherhood, her number one hit, “Friends and Lovers”, Days of our Lives, and a whole bunch more! Happy Labor Day and thanks for listening- Enjoy!

Episode 75: Composer, conductor, arranger- Victor Vanacore

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Victor Vanacore has worked with some of the biggest names in the history of pop music- Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole and many, many others. In 2004, Victor won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for, “Over the Rainbow”, on the Ray Charles album, “Genius Loves Company”, which won eight Grammys, including Album of the Year. Victor’s upcoming project, la Sorgente, comes to the Ford Theater on Oct. 8 and features arias set to the poetry of Pope JP II. Victor is a fascinating man, and we had a terrific, long, personal conversation, spanning his fascinating life- from nuts to bolts. Thanks for listening- Enjoy!

Episode 74: Susan Bennett- The original voice of Siri

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Musician, voice-over artist and the original voice of Siri, Susan Bennett is my guest today! It was great getting the scoop on how one becomes the voice of Siri, the hiring process and the secretive process that Apple uses for this kind of thing. Thanks for listening, and enjoy the chat!

Episode 73: Jasper Randall

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Jasper Randall is my guest this week! Jasper is one of the very few titans of Hollywood vocal music in the world, having worked on COUNTLESS blockbuster soundtracks over the last two decades- little films like Frozen, X-Men, La-La Land, and the upcoming movies, It, Pitch Perfect 3, Cloverfield, etc, etc, etc… Jasper sings, conducts, and is also a fine composer, currently in residence with the Los Robles Master Chorale. This is a great interview for folks wanting to get to know the man behind the curtain, and RARE peak into the peculiar, mysterious and sometimes secretive business of Hollywood soundtrack production. Enjoy!

Episode 72: Moira Smiley

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The talented and lovely Moira Smiley is my guest, this week! Not only talented and lovely, Moira is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer whose music can be heard on feature films, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 60 albums. We play, “Bring Me Little Water, Silvy” all the time around the house while we sing to our kids. It may be the Chicken Tikka Masala of her catalogue to all you deep-cuts-only die-hard Moira fans, but hey- I never get tired of Chicken Tikka, so sue me. Anyway- welcome back, thanks for listening, and enjoy!

Our Final Summer Break Flashback: John Powell

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Composer of over 50 blockbuster soundtracks, including the upcoming beloved animated tale, “Ferdinand” and, “HAN SOLO”!!! Yup, it’s John Powell, y’all! Enjoy!

Summer Break Flashback: Jeff Beal

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Jeff Beal!! One of my favorite humans is making his re-appearance for my Summer Flashback extravaganza! Jeff is everywhere- I honestly don’t know how he does it all, and he really does do it all (unlike some other film composers we know who shall go unnamed). Jeff and his lovely wife, Joan are proof that you can be fun, considerate, open and genuinely nice and still be wildly successful in Hollywood. Enjoy our chat, and thanks for listening!

Summer Break Flashback: Tony Silvestri

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Happy summer, y’all! For this week’s episode of my Summer Flashback Series, I’ve got poet, scholar, professor and all-around great guy, Tony Silvestri on the show! We had this chat a year ago, but it’s every bit as relevant as it ever was- we talk about life, death and everything in between- Enjoy!