My buddy and former All Access Live guest Mark Powers joins me to co-host a special drummers’ roundtable chat with the dynamic Daxx Nielsen of Cheap Trick! We talk about the inspiring moment Daxx got the phone call to join the band, just days before leaving on tour with another group, where he finds balance as a father and husband with a band that tours 180 days a year, the importance of establishing and maintaining relationships and Daxx’s forthcoming tour dates playing drums for The Eagles’ Don Felder.

Growing up in a house full of musical instruments, Daxx gravitated towards the drums at a very early age. After high school Daxx traveled the US extensively with his original band, Harmony Riley. Over a period of 5 years Harmony Riley recorded 2 full length albums and 3 EP’s and performed almost 1,000 shows around the US and Canada. Upon the band’s dissolution Daxx packed up and moved to Los Angeles where he quickly got into the studio and touring world. His first break was drumming for surf guitar pioneer Dick Dale.

While on breaks from touring he did dozens of recording sessions, performed anywhere and everywhere with numerous local artists, and formed A Fine Frenzy with singer/songwriter Alison Sudol. This led to years of touring and recording with Brandi Carlisle, Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, The Smashing Pumpkins, and numerous others. Since March of 2010, Daxx has been the touring drummer for the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTED band CHEAP TRICK, performing over 1,000 shows with them and recording the critically acclaimed Bang Zoom Crazy Hello.

Daxx co-wrote and drummed on the score for Oscar Award Winning documentary UNDEFEATED.

Some of the other projects Daxx has been involved with over the last few years are; drumming two nights for Eddie Vedder, drumming for The Fab Faux, as well as recording with numerous projects.

Check out Daxx’s Instagram for updates here.

Well, you asked for it, folks…. she’s back, and TOTALLY uncensored. I had to break this into two parts, because you can’t handle the scandal in just one sitting! For members of ALL ACCESS LIVE with KEVIN RANKIN, you’ll get to know the legendary Ginger Lynn Allen like no one ever has. Her amazing history with Charlie Sheen, Billy Idol and more, she’s got stories for days. We get behind the magic in her creative space, both in her uniquely special jewelry and inimitable paintings. JOIN and BECOME A MEMBER NOW to get closer to Ginger!


One of the great jazz guitarists of his generation, Mike Stern has the unique ability to play with the finesse and lyricism of Jim Hall, the driving swing of Wes Montgomery and the turbulent, overdriven attack of Jimi Hendrix. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, Stern revered all three of those guitar immortals, along with such potent blues guitarists as Albert and B.B. King. Aspects of those seminal influences can be heard in his playing on the 18 recordings he has released as a leader or in his acclaimed sideman work for Miles Davis, Billy Cobham, the Brecker Brothers, Jaco Pastorius, Steps Ahead, David Sanborn, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Joe Henderson and the all-star Four Generations of Miles band.

Stern’s latest Concord Jazz release, Eleven, is an encounter with Grammy-winning keyboardist-composer-producer Jeff Lorber. Co-produced by bassist Jimmy Haslip, who had previously worked with the guitarist on the Yellowjacket’s 2008 album, Lifecycle, this lively collaboration finds Stern at the peak of his powers, following on the heels of 2017’s acclaimed Trip, his triumphant return to recording after a freak accident that threatened to end his career. The multiple Grammy-nominated guitarist was hailing a cab outside his apartment in Manhattan July 3, 2016 when he tripped over some hidden construction debris left in the street, fracturing both of his humerus bones (the long bones that run from the shoulder to the elbow) in the fall. Left with significant nerve damage in his right hand which prevented him from doing the simplest tasks, including holding a pick, Stern faced a series of surgeries and subsequent physical therapy before he could regain control of his nerve-damaged picking hand. And while Trip represented a strong comeback, the intrepid guitarist takes things up a notch on Eleven.

“When the idea was floated for this project, I asked a bunch of cats who worked with Jeff, like Randy Brecker, Dave Weckl and Bob Franceschini, and they all said, ‘He’s cool, he throws down, he can really get it going.’ And they’re right,” said Stern. “Jeff’s got a strong rhythmic groove and he comps really well on the Fender Rhodes, which is kind of his signature sound. And I feel like his music really comes more from soul music than smooth jazz. That Philly soul thing is definitely in some of his tunes on this record.”


Added Lobber of their first collaboration together, “Mike’s just a bebop wizard, he’s got an incredible jazz feeling. And by the same token, he’s got the rock and blues thing covered too. He’s on both sides of the musical spectrum. So when I heard he was up for it, I was delighted to have a chance to work with him in the studio on this project. And I think we really hit it off musically as well as personally.”

One of the top guitarists in jazz since his breakthrough days with Miles Davis’ celebrated comeback band of the early 1980s, Stern has earned the respect of colleagues and critics alike while also exerting a towering influence on a generation of aspiring players. A guitarist of formidable technique, he continues to awe and inspire six-string aficionados with his seamless blend of bebop facility, scorching rock intensity and uncommon lyricism. As Jon Chappell of Guitar magazine noted, “Stern is not only a magician of the fretboard but a heartfelt and mature composer of great depth.” By combining the legato approach of jazz saxophone greats like John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson with a few touches from the rock camp (i.e., distortion and delay pedals along with some urgent string bending, courtesy of his boyhood blues heroes B.B. King and Buddy Guy), Stern has successfully fashioned a singular voice that comfortably occupies both rock and jazz worlds.

Born on January 10, 1953, he began playing guitar at age 12, emulating the likes of B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. “I liked the feel of the guitar and I got hooked on it,” he recalled in an interview. “But I didn’t really get serious about it until I went to Berklee in 1971.” At the Berklee College of Music in Boston his focus shifted to jazz as he began an intensive period of woodshedding, immersing himself in records by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner and Bill Evans while studying with guitarists Mick Goodrick and Pat Metheny. During his stint at Berklee, he developed a keen appreciation for jazz guitar greats Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall, both of whom would exert a huge influence on his own playing. On a recommendation from Metheny, Stern landed a gig with Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1976 and remained with the band for two years, appearing on the BS&T albums More Than Ever and Brand New Day. That gig is also significant for introducing the guitarist to two musicians who would later figure prominently in his life — percussionist Don Alias and bassist Jaco Pastorius.

Following his stint with BS&T, Stern returned to Boston and began studying privately with local jazz guru Charlie Banacos. In 1979, he joined Billy Cobham’s powerhouse fusion band and two years later he joined Miles Davis’ group, making his public debut with the band on June 27, 1981 at the Kix nightclub in Boston (a performance that was documented on the CBS live album, We Want Miles). Stern remained with Miles through 1983, also appearing on Man With The Horn and Star People). From 1983 to 1984, he toured in Jaco Pastorius’ Word Of Mouth band and in 1985 returned to Miles for a second tour of duty that lasted close to a year.

In 1985, Stern made his recording debut as a leader with Neesh on the Japanese Trio label. A year later, he made his Stateside debut as a leader on Atlantic Records with Upside Downside, which featured such celebrated colleagues as alto saxophonist David Sanborn, tenor saxophonist Bob Berg, bassists Mark Egan, Jeff Andrews and Jaco Pastorius, keyboardist Mitch Forman and drummers Dave Weckl and Steve Jordan. In the summer of 1986, Stern took to the road with David Sanborn and later joined an electrified edition of Steps Ahead, which featured Mike Mainieri on midi vibes, Michael Brecker on the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI), Darryl Jones on electric bass and Steve Smith on drums. That powerhouse fusion outfit was documented on Live in Tokyo 1986. Over the next two years, Stern was a member of Michael Brecker’s potent quintet, appearing on the tenor titan’s 1988 album, Don’t Try This At Home.

Stern’s second Atlantic album, 1988’s Time In Place, continued the promise of his debut and featured Peter Erskine on drums, Jim Beard on keyboards, Jeff Andrews on bass, Don Alias on percussion and Don Grolnick on organ. He followed that success with 1989’s Jigsaw, which was produced by fellow guitarist Steve Khan. Following the release of 1991’s Odds or Evens, Stern joined a reunited Brecker Brothers Band in 1992 and became a key factor in the success of that popular group for the next two years. His decidedly jazzy 1993 Atlantic release, Standards (And Other Songs), led to Stern being named Best Jazz Guitarist Of The Year by the readers and critics of Guitar Playermagazine. He followed that success with two hard-hitting offerings in 1994’s Is What It Is and 1996’s Between The Lines, both of which received Grammy nominations.

In 1997, Stern returned to a jazzier aesthetic with Give And Take, a looser, more spontaneous session featuring bassist John Patitucci, drummer Jack DeJohnette, percussionist Don Alias and special guests Michael Brecker and David Sanbom. On the strength of that superbly swinging effort, which included freewheeling covers of Sonny Rollins’ “Oleo,” John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” and Cole Porter’s “I Love You,” along with a scintillating trio rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Who Knows,” he was awarded the Orville W. Gibson Award for Best Jazz Guitarist.

Stern’s ninth release on Atlantic, 1999’s Play, was a six-string summit meeting with fellow guitarists John Scofield and Bill Frisell. He followed with 2001’s Voices, his first album to employ singers (Arto Tuncboyaciyan, Elizabeth Kantomanou, Richard Bona) and 2004’s These Times, which featured guest turns from banjo ace Bela Fleck and alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett. 2006’s Who Let The Cats Out? featured a bevy of bassists in Meshell Ndegeocello, Anthony Jackson, Richard Bona and Victor Wooten along with drummers Kim Thompson and Dave Weckl and harmonica ace Gregoire Maret and the late, great trumpeter Roy Hargrove.

At the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in June 2007, Stern was honored with the Miles Davis Award, which was created to recognize internationally acclaimed jazz artists whose body of work has contributed significantly to the renewal of the genre. Stern was also the artist in residence at the festival that summer of 2007, joining the renowned Yellowjackets for some electrifying live performances. Their kinetic chemistry was later documented on the 2008 studio collaboration Lifecycle, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

The following year saw the release of his Grammy-nominated Big Neighborhood, which found Stern with guitar heroes Eric Johnson and Steve Vai, trumpeter Randy Brecker and jamband godfathers Medeski, Martin & Wood on a few tracks.

Stern was presented with Guitar Player magazine’s Certified Legend Award on January 21, 2012. In June of that year, he released All Over the Place, which featured a delegation of high-caliber electric and acoustic bass players, including Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona, Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Dave Holland, Tom Kennedy, Will Lee and Victor Bailey. On 2014’s Eclectic, Stern went toe-to-toe with Texas guitar slinger Eric Johnson, cutting a wide stylistic swath on eleven originals while showcasing their mutual love of Jimi Hendrix on a cover of his slow blues classic, “Red House.” Recorded in three days at Johnson’s studio in Austin, Electric was hailed as “a dazzling outing from two formidable, well-matched guitar heroes” by Jazz Times magazine.

2024 finds Mike currently on tour showcasing a brand new album “Echoes and Other Songs“, having just completed a run of shows in Asia, and is preparing a European tour. We are lucky enough to catch the dynamo on a short break to chat guitar heroes!

For over two decades, Mike Collins has been one of the busiest and most sought after drummers and percussionists in the Pacific Northwest.

He’s a graduate of the Musicians Institute of Technology and has studied independently with drummers Michael Shrieve (Santana, George Harrison), Zoro (Lenny Kravitz, Sean Lennon), Graham Lear (Santana, Reo Speedwagon) and world renowned instructor Chuck Silverman.

He’s played venues throughout North America sharing the bill with artists such as Little Richard, Cheap Trick, Joan Jett, Cake, Pat Benatar, Sheryl Crow, George Clinton, Sara Mclachlan, Jason Falkner, Gin Blossoms, Sebastian Bach, Veruca Salt, Soul Asylum and many others. His drumming and songwriting has been featured on local, national and international television and radio. Mike was also the featured drummer on Portland’s American Idol knock-off “Gimme The Mic”.

Collins has recorded and/or performed with notable artists such as Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon), Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X), Cy Curnin (The Fixx), Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, R.E.M.), Tim Smith (Sheryl Crow, Jellyfish), Freedy Johnston (Rolling Stone “Songwriter of the Year”), David Paton (Pilot, Alan Parsons Project ), Lisa Germano (John Mellencamp, Jewel), Danny Peyronel (UFO, Heavy Metal Kids), Dan Reed (Dan Reed Network), Dilana (The Voice, Rockstar Supernova), Gil Assayas (Todd Rundgren, T-Pain), Keith Slettedahl (The 88, Ray Davies) and a who’s who of local artists including Jon Koonce, Terry Robb, LaRhonda Steele, Stephanie Schneiderman, Thrillbilly, The Nowhere Band, Throwback Suburbia, Ants In The Kitchen and many more.

Collins has also recorded with acclaimed producers Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, John Lennon, Cheap Trick), Mark Plati (David Bowie, Prince, The Cure), Jonathan Plum (Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains), Marc Desisto (U2, Pink Floyd), Jeff Stuart Saltzman (Death Cab for Cutie), Gregg Williams (Dandy Warhols, Sheryl Crow), Duane Scott (ELO, Heart), Brian David Willis (Brad Paisley, John Fogerty), Chris Manning (Jellyfish, Santana), Kelly Gray (Candlebox, Queensryche), Kevin Hahn (Scorpions, Paul Gilbert) and Rob Daiker (Katy Perry, Dan Reed Network) to name a few.

Mike is not only a phenomenal drummer, but will be debuting his brand new Rooftop Screamers single “Souvenirs” (feat. Randy McStine)!  Can’t wait to catch back up with this talented buddy of mine! As promised, here’s the video of this gorgeous tribute to his grandmother Penny:

A musician, sound engineer, and producer, Jim Brunberg is probably best known to music fans around Portland as the founder and co-owner of two iconic venues: Mississippi Studios and Revolution Hall.

A podcast project, undertaken with his twin 8-year-old daughters, also gained attention a few years ago. Brunberg and the children hit the road to interview everyone from Oregon’s governor to gun shop owners to Big Foot experts as they explored issues like death, the Second Amendment, fear, memory, and more. Their guiding principle? “Let’s go find out.”

While each episode of Roam Schooled is centered around questions posed by Brunberg’s young daughters, the podcast is for adults. It was named one of the “10 Oregon-Made Podcasts You Have To Hear” on opb.org.

Andrew Paul Woodworth was signed to Sony Records in 1995. The first on the new roster of Jeff Ayeroff’s and Jordan Harris’ The Work Group, Woodworth led his band Elephant Ride into the studio with legendary bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. While the result was a beautiful and sweeping arrangement of angsty, melodic rock, it failed to capture the attention it deserved.

Woodworth, along with Elephant Ride guitarist Dave Martin, then formed Los Angeles staple Virgil. The band was one of the pioneers of the DIY movement and quickly built a large following based on high energy rock shows and well crafted songs. They could have played LA forever but Woodworth longed for something more, something new.

One drunken night produced an ominous re-imagining of the Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right” recorded in a home studio above The Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Music supervisors selfishly scrambled to get permission to use the track. The teen drama, One Tree Hill, won out, despite The Beasties being notorious placement naysayers.

Woodworth now had a solo career on his hands and he wasted no time in putting together a complete album of disparate tracks ranging from electro-grunge to desert country pop, yielding the album I Hate Music.

After showcasing his new material at MuseExpo Los Angeles at The Roxy, Woodworth signed with German label, Rodeostar Records and he toured extensively throughout Europe and Australia.

With his marriage falling apart, and his label crumbling under the weight of a collapsing music industry, Woodworth retreated back to his home town of Portland, Oregon.

Here, Woodworth would find bits of salvation in shared experiences with his musical family.

He quickly thrust himself into the Portland music scene and he had songs featured on 94.7 FM KNRK and on KINK FM’s Homegrown collection.

Highly sought-after conference speaker, bestselling author and social media evangelist Kelly K is in the final stages of finishing his book, Think About THAT for a Minute! Vol. 2: 40 Day Devotional for a Fresh Perspective, which is slated to be independently released before Christmas. The devotional follows the remarkable, 30,000-plus copies sold of the author’s first volume of the book after it was revealed on his socials in March of this year. Sharing the hope of the gospel though “I bet you didn’t know” type stories, Kelly K works to bridge culture, generational and societal gaps by offering a message of love, faith, joy and hope in Jesus Christ.

Before coming to faith in Jesus, Kelly K was part of the management team for Nickelback, Richard Marx, Stryper, Candlebox, Wang Chung and many others, as well as stage-managed the Warped Tour. After a near death car crash while out on tour with RED, Kelly gave up everything and turned to Jesus. Never looking back, he has been in full time ministry for 10 years, traveling the world with a different purpose: to see the lives of everyone he encounters changed through the reckless love and amazing grace of Jesus.

Offering a new perspective on how to reach a world that is often used to tuning out anything even slightly “religious,” Kelly K reached out to his social media followers with a Bible study / devotional unlike anything they had likely read before. His followers, now over 547K of them on TikTok alone, responded to this Think About THAT for a Minute! devotional, driving the book to the top of the Amazon Christian Church Growth sales chart, which is where it is still in the Top 2 today.

Inspired by the success of this first volume, Kelly began writing Think about THAT for a Minute! Vol. 2. This next 40-day devotional reveals new stories and messages meant for everyone from a brand new Christian to a pastor of 50 years. It includes a new scripture lesson, life application and daily prayer with each day’s reading, which is likely to take less than five minutes to complete. Like the first volume, this book is meant to challenge the reader’s thinking and draw them closer to God with fresh perspectives on scriptures they may have heard all their life.

“My hope is that this book encourages and strengthens you, and maybe even causes you to laugh at times,” says Kelly, who hopes to see people set free from the chains of depression, addiction and the mentality of, “I’ll never be good enough.” “I hope it also helps you step into the promises that God has given you, and that you live a blessed life by simply ‘thinking about that for a minute!’”

For all the latest Kelly K book, speaking, daily posts, video sermons, Bible studies and more details, go to www.kellykministries.com

Carl (SOLOVOX) is a dynamic synth artist and music director highly sought after in the Pacific Northwest for his unique approach to sonic exploration. I’m excited to discover his new quadrophonic live sound for his show with Floydian Slips Pink Floyd tribute forthcoming in Eugene September 21.

A producer, composer, and one-man synthesizer attack squad, Solovox is the sound of Earl Carlton Tietze III. He combines his original compositions of nasty future-funk, electro-house, and melodic downtempo with his remixes of other artists’ tracks to create a sound that is his and his alone…and he does it live, by hand.

His keyboard chops remind one of Herbie Hancock smashing head-on into the Chemical Brothers. Mayhem usually ensues, and he consistently delivers one of the finest live electronic shows available anywhere.

He has remixed three tracks for Vokab Kompany including ‘Shine’ featuring Souleye, ‘Gunslinger‘ for their album ‘Quit Sleep,’ and ‘Let It Fly’ featuring The Grouch and Souleye. He has done full video game sound design and composition, as well as tracks for Burn Notice and A&E’s Biography. He is a sought-after instructor for Ableton Live, Reason, Cubase and electronic music production.

In July of 2009 he became the first-ever all-electronic act in the history of The Oregon Country Fair for their 40th Anniversary. He also headlined San Diego’s Elysium Festival, Mexico’s Fuente Eterno festival, Nexus in Los Angeles, and almost killed 2,000 revelers on top of the Hawthorne Bridge in 2010 for BridgeFest, causing the bridge to sway 2 feet up and down.

He has shared the bill with Orbital, Bassnectar, Beats Antique, Ott, Tipper, and countless others. In 2012 he was a featured performer at Inspire:Truth, Threshold, WhiteOut, and the inaugural What The Festival in Oregon. In October 2012 he was featured on OPB’s ‘Oregon Art Beat.’

In 2013 he performed in Southern California, Idaho’s Sun Valley, as well as numerous shows in the Northwest at festivals like Human Nature and What The Festival. 2014 saw the release of his CD ‘Daring Feats Of Leisure,’ highlighting the best moments from his Friday Afternoon Concerts…a live podcast most Fridays at 3pm (Pacific) where he improvises and performs live from his studio to an online audience.

Whether improvising heavily with a downtempo acid jazz set or laying down dance tracks for the dancing crowds, Solovox is not a DJ…he is one of the most exciting electronic performers to be found anywhere.

As mentioned in today’s episode, here’s footage of the entire 1975 Pink Floyd album ‘Wish You Were Here’ performed in its entirety by The Floydian Slips. April 13, 2024 at Revolution Hall, Portland Oregon:

From conception to the current day Dan Reed Network, Kerry Bechtol has been the Lighting Director behind the scenes. In the biz, we know that dynamos like Kerry rarely get the credit they deserve, helping those amazing artists look larger than life through the power and imagery of lighting magic. Kerry’s been the visionary man behind the curtain for many other artists including Tesla, Meredith Brooks, Shock and more. Come share some fun recollections of a man who’s seen it all!

Check out the lighting in the original “Ritual” video that we discussed in the show:

Go backstage with the best of the 80s: Lost 80s Live Tour 2024! Production Manager and professional Cat Wrangler Jason Fowler reveals what it’s all about, running a smooth tour with 11 bands all sharing a stage in one night, featuring:
A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS
WANG CHUNG
THE ENGLISH BEAT
THE VAPORS
THE ESCAPE CLUB
MISSING PERSONS
STACEY Q
ANIMOTION
MUSICAL YOUTH
DRAMARAMA and
BOYS DON’T CRY.

Jason wears many more hats, and has a good handle on how to make a successful tour work with multiple facets. Jason’s words: “I have had excellent success in taking long shots and making them winners.”