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GUITAR LEGEND MIKE STERN JOINS ALL ACCESS LIVE WITH KEVIN RANKIN

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.

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ENVY OF NONE’S MAIAH WYNNE RETURNS TO ALL ACCESS LIVE

“I’ve never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she’s special, it’s because she’s really f—ng special!”

– Alex Lifeson

Psyche, the Greek goddess of the soul, is often depicted wearing butterfly wings representing the trials she’s endured. Like Psyche, Maiah Wynne wears butterfly wings to symbolize hard-won hope and a lingering belief in beauty despite all her trials. “I found a lot of meaning in butterflies that I could connect to. Their ability to grow and transform, their strength, and chaos theory and the idea that a single flap from a butterfly could change the world. When I’m feeling small, I remind myself that I can still make big changes,” says Wynne.

Those changes happen in her music as she tells her own stories, alchemizing her victimhood into agency. “This album touches on themes of hope, failure and triumph, joy and sadness, pain and growth,” Wynne says of her debut solo LP Out of the Dark, which she also self-produced. “It’s an eclectic mix of heartfelt singer-songwriter ballads, alternative rock, and uplifting cinematic folk-pop. There are a lot of unique instruments on this record and a lot of talented musicians that have lent their skills.”

 While those motifs re-occur, the musical variety sets the songs apart. Wynne is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist with a downright fearless curiosity about trying new things. “I own over 50 instruments and love playing all of them. The collection continues with some of my latest additions being the harp guitar and cigar box guitar.” Her live performances offer a taste of this, with her playing various drums with her feet while her hands circulate among guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, or other stringed instruments, all while singing.

It would be tempting to call Wynne’s voice ethereal, but there’s just too much human pathos in it. In many songs, she offers the calm presence of a trusted confidante. “I look for threads of meaning and personal connection in everything I do. I want to relate to what I’m singing. If ‘I’m resonating with the music, I think others will too,” she says. Lead single “Come On” begins timidly with Wynne seeming unsure of herself, a softness she transcends by the song’s end. “I wrote this song when I was 16 and it was my mindset at the time right before I left home,” Wynne says, referring to her choice to run away from home, a journey that led her to experience sexual abuse and trauma. She describes “Out of the Dark” as “a soft hug, and wrote “Don’t Wait” to encourage her friend—and herself—to follow dreams.

Wynne’s music still has humor and edges to it, though. In “Butterfly,” a song about being underestimated, Wynne issues the reminder that butterflies are scavengers and chaos agents as well as delicate beauties. “Cause I’m a butterfly / Feeding on the corpses of my enemies,” she sings in the alt-pop song. I’m not afraid to break my bones if it means that I’ll grow,” she asserts in the song’s bridge, reminding listeners that change is hard, even for a butterfly. “What a Shame” brings the “heaviest and most grunge/rock song on the album. A commentary on the way society treats and sexualizes women (and all people in the public eye) from such a young age, only to discard them as they age,” explains Wynne.

Though this is Wynne’s first solo LP, she’s hardly new to recording. She has written and recorded songs for film and TV, as well as charity compilations. Starting in 2020, Wynne gained an online following for recording songs written by Lucy Gray in the Hunger Games book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. She donned costumes and recreated scenery to perform her arrangements of the songs, which went viral.

Wynne’s other main project is Envy of None, who has released an album and an EP so far. The group began when Andy Curran told Wynne about music he made with his friend Alfio Anibalini and Wynne offered to contribute. They brought in Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, who reported to Rolling Stone, speaking of Wynne, “I’ve never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she’s special, it’s because she’s really fucking special!” Wynne credits Envy of None with a lot of her growth. “From introducing me to new genres and musical worlds to helping me navigate the industry, to dealing with online hate, to helping me feel confident and finding my footing as an artist, they’ve been such a blessing in my life.”

Out of the Dark is a record of Wynne’s growth. “This album has been a very long time in the making. I wrote the first song 10 years ago and the latest song just a few months ago. In a lot of ways, this album tells my story and is the culmination of my journey for the last 10 years of my life. I’ve poured my heart into it.”

Sponsored by Five Star Guitars

 

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FIND YOUR WAY BACK with STARSHIP’S MICKEY THOMAS

Mickey Thomas is the owner of the soaring voice that propelled Starship through the decade of the 80’s. With his soulful and compelling vocals, Mickey has established himself as one of rock music’s most recognizable stars.

Mickey made his mark in 1976 as lead vocalist on the mega-hit “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” with The Elvin Bishop Band. In 1979, Mickey joined Jefferson Starship as the lead vocalist, after the departure of Grace Slick and Marty Balin, and recorded a string of hits including “Jane”, “No Way Out”, “Find Your Way Back”, “Stranger”, and “Layin It On The Line”.

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EPISODE 288: ALL ACCESS LIVE WELCOMES NAPOLEON DYNAMITE’S EFREN RAMIREZ

Efren Ramirez has been working as a professional actor for many years. Initially, his career consisted of guest star appearances on television, as he appeared in diverse roles on “E.R.”, “AMERICAN DAD”, “JUDGING AMY”, “THE DISTRICT”, “MAD TV”, and “SCRUBS.”

However, it was his memorable portrayal of “PEDRO” in the feature film “NAPOLEON DYNAMITE” that dramatically launched what has become a hugely prolific acting career with an unusually diverse series of performances in Film, Television, Drama, Comedy…every imaginable medium and genre.

In the years since that film was released, Efren Ramirez has appeared in scores of films and television shows, including leading roles in the HBO film “WALKOUT”; with Edward James Olmos, “EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH”; opposite Dane Cook and Dax Shepard, “CRANK” and CRANK HIGH VOLTAGE; opposite Jason Statham, (playing his own twin brother in the sequel.) He also appeared in “GAMER” with Gerard Butler, “WHEN IN ROME” with Kristen Bell, “CROSSING THE HEART” opposite Kris Kristofferson, “HOUSE OF MY FATHER” opposite Will Ferrell, and HBO’s EASTBOUND AND DOWN” with Danny McBride.

Most recently, you can expect to see him in FOX’s Television hit “THE GRINDER” with Rob Lowe and the animated series “BORDERTOWN” with Hank Azaria and Alex Bernstein, HULU’s “DEADBEAT” with Tyler Labine, and the film “MIDDLESCHOOL: THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE” based on the James Patterson best seller.

Efren Ramirez currently resides in Los Angeles and New York. When he isn’t filming, he is spinning records as a guest D.J. in clubs all across the country. He has published his first book DIRECT YOUR OWN LIFE. Efren recently returned from a USO TOUR visiting our troops in Bahrain, UAE, Dubai, and Africa. He frequently speaks to students at high schools and universities and is very involved with charitable organizations.

Brought in part by Five Star Guitars

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EPISODE 279: ALL ACCESS LIVE with JEFF PILSON

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ofMshggCZA

Jeff Pilson is an amazing multi-instrumentalist, producer, recording & touring artist, and vocalist, currently the bassist for FOREIGNER. He joined the band in 2004. He produced Foreigner’s 2006 Live CD, “Extended Versions,” recorded November 26, 2005 at Texas Station, as well as tracks off of their “No End in Sight” CD in 2008. In 2009 FOREIGNER released “Can’t Slow Down” featuring Jeff on Bass and backing vocals. Jeff was also featured on the 2011 FOREIGNER release, “Acoustique” which presented their most famous songs along with some newer tracks, stripped-down. FOREIGNER released a LIVE album in 2016, “In Concert: Unplugged” with Jeff as the musical director for the project. Later that year the band dropped a new EP featuring “The Flame Still Burns” for Record Store Day’s Black Friday event.

Jeff was a member of melodic metal bands Dokken, Dio and MSG. Additionally, Jeff played in the band Wild Horses which also featured drummer James Kottak (Scorpions, Kingdom Come), guitarist Rick Steier (Kingdom Come, Warrant), and singer John Levesque.

Jeff also formed his own progressive metal group called War and Peace in 1989, handling all of the vocals, along with his instrumental work. Jeff released four W&P albums: 1993’s “Time Capsule”… 2001’s “Light at the End of the Tunnel”… 2004’s “The Walls Have Eyes”… as well as the 2013 reissue of “The Flesh & Blood Sessions” featuring tracks that pre-dated Time capsule along with a new bonus track, “Heaven Knows.”

Jeff Pilson is also an actor, having appeared in the movie Rock Star, 2001. Pilson played bassist Jorgen, of the fictional band Steel Dragon. The film also featured performances by musicians such as Zakk Wylde, Jason Bonham, Myles Kennedy, Brian Vander Ark, Blas Elias and Nick Catanese. He also played in the film’s soundtrack and served as Musical Director for the film.

Pilson produced the first two CDs of San Diego metal band Benedictum as well as the first release from Adler, featuring original Guns & Roses drummer, Steven Adler.

Jeff also worked with his ex-Dokken band mate, guitarist George Lynch (and drummer Michael Frowein) in a project called Lynch/Pilson, which in 2003 released the critically acclaimed “Wicked Underground” in 2003 where Pilson also handled lead vocal duties. This recording was later remastered and re-packaged in 2020 with a special bonus track, “Top of the World.”

Jeff & George have since collaborated on several projects & bands, including the 2012 release T&N “Slave to the Empire” which also featured Dokken drummer, Mick Brown and drummer Brian Tichy. Vocals on all new tracks were handled by Jeff, and a few re-worked Dokken classics were handled by guest vocalists.

Jeff was invited to play bass on Lynch Mob’s 2015 release, “Rebel” and later would team up again with George & Mick along with former Lynch Mob vocalist Robert Mason to record & release “THE END machine” in 2019, followed up by “Phase 2” in 2021. Jeff & George would like to record new music with this group!

And finally, Jeff balances TEM with another project group called Black Swan that features Jeff on bass with REB Beach on lead guitar, Matt Starr on drums and powerhouse vocalist Robin McAuley on the mic. They released “Shake the World” in 2020 and came back in 2022 with “Generation Mind.”

Sponsored by Five Star Guitars

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GREAT WHITE’S JACK RUSSELL JOINS ALL ACCESS LIVE

California native Jack Russell is a rock vocalist and songwriter, and a founding member of early-’80s hard rock radio staples Great White. Citing influences like Robert Plant and Steven Tyler, Russell spent his formative years fronting high-school bands. In 1977 he co-founded the band Danté Fox alongside guitarist Mark Kendall. In 1981 the band changed its name to Great White, and in 1984 the group issued its eponymous debut album via EMI. Great White hit it big in 1987 with their third LP, Once Bitten…, which featured the hit single “Rock Me,” and again in 1989 with …Twice Shy, which included their chart-topping cover of Ian Hunter’s “Once Bitten Twice Shy.” Russell left the group in 1996 to pursue a solo career, and released Shelter Me in 1999 via MVP Records. That same year saw Russell rejoin the band, but by 2001 Great White had called it quits, holding a farewell show on New Year’s Eve at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, California.

The following year saw Russell begin touring under the name Jack Russell’s Great White. By 2005, the stress from lawsuits stemming from a tragic accident in a Rhode Island club, inner band turmoil, and Russell’s substance abuse problems had taken its toll, and Jack Russell’s Great White ceased operations. The original lineup of Great White re-formed for a tour and released their tenth studio album, Back to the Rhythm, in 2007. Another studio LP, Rising, followed in 2009, but it would be Russell’s last outing with the group. In 2011, after a period of recuperation following multiple back surgeries stemming from a fall in 2009, a newly sober Russell began operating once again under the Jack Russell’s Great White moniker. In 2017 the band released its debut studio album, He Saw It Comin’, via Frontiers Records.

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LIVING COLOUR’S DOUG WIMBISH ROCKS ALL ACCESS LIVE WITH KEVIN RANKIN

“I’m not just a Bass Player, I’m a Sound System”

As bassist for the legendary rap label Sugarhill Records backing Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five to the pioneering Living Colour, Doug Wimbish has lent his innovative and creative bass grooves and sounds to a roster of world-renowned musicians. Considered a pioneer in Hip-Hop bass playing and in the use of bass effects, alternate tunings and extended hand techniques, Doug’s mastery of the bass is unparalled. As one of the most versatile session and touring bassists in the industry, Doug moves readily from pop and mainstream rock to hip-hop, funk, metal, symphonic metal, reggae, R&B, electronic, world and experimental music.

Doug Wimbish is probably best known as the cutting edge lead bassist in the Grammy Award-winning hard rock band Living Colour, but looking beyond the obvious, one quickly sees that Doug’s influence and impact on the world’s musical culture is much more vast and significant than often written or realized.

Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s “The Message”, listed by Rollingstone.com as the #1 Greatest Hip Hop Song of all time, featured Doug’s bass lines as do many other Sugarhill Records classics including “Apache”, “8th Wonder” and “White Lines”. Wimbish wrote the bass line on The Sequence’s “Funk You Up”.

To get an idea of the respect Doug has earned within the music industry, consider that in one week in 1991, Doug received personal phone calls from Living Colour, Bruce Springsteen and Seal, all asking him to work with them. Doug made the decision to work with Living Colour and joined the band, becoming its permanent bassist. He actively records and tours today with his band mates Vernon Reid, Corey Glover and Will Calhoun. The group’s latest album, “Shade”, was released in September of 2017.

In addition to his work with Living Colour, Doug’s highly regarded career spanning all musical genres has also included recording, producing and touring with many world renowned artists including The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani, Herb Albert, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Carly Simon, Seal, Al Green, Billy Idol, George Clinton, Depeche Mode, Talib Kweli, Kanye West, James Brown, Mos Def, Tarja Turunen, Ronnie Wood, Freddie Jackson, Michael Bolton, Schiller, Cheb Khaled, Hari Haran and Peter Wolf, to name a few.
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From his early days as one of Hip-Hop’s earliest architects in the Original Sugarhill Records Rhythm Section, to his long-time membership in Living Colour, TackHead, Little Axe, Jungle Funk, HeadFake, and then on to more recent collaborations including DMD the Vibes with Daru Jones & Marcus Machado, Doug continues to prove himself as one of the world’s finest, versatile and most sought after bass guitarists.

Sponsored by Music Millennium, Rhythm Traders and Five Star Guitars

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COREY GLOVER of LIVING COLOUR joins ALL ACCESS LIVE from SECRETS RESORT, CANCUN MEXICO

From The Sands festival in Cancun, Mexico, Corey sat down with me to talk about each step of his journey from a fledgling artist in NYC to acting in the Oscar-winning film by Oliver Stone “Platoon”. Join part one of our spirited hang as we chill poolside, with iconic bands playing in the background near the beach – pardon the background noise!
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Best known as the lead singer of Living Colour, the multi-talented Corey Glover has also issued albums as a solo artist and acted in movies/television. Born on November 6, 1964, in Brooklyn, NY, Glover met up with guitarist Vernon Reid (who was already a respected and in-demand sessionman) in the early ’80s, when Reid was impressed with Glover’s soulful rendition of “Happy Birthday” at a mutual friend’s party. The duo went on to form Living Colour (along with drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Muzz Skillings), but just as the group was creating a buzz in the N.Y.C. underground with their hard-rocking sound and socially aware lyrics, Glover had to briefly leave the group when he landed a part in Oliver Stone’s classic Vietnam movie, Platoon. Shortly after he returned, Living Colour was signed to Epic (thanks in part to a Mick Jagger-produced demo tape), and scored a big hit straight away with their debut recording, 1989’s Vivid, and smash single/video “Cult of Personality.”

Living Colour continued issuing challenging albums, including 1990’s Time’s Up and 1993’s Stain, but decided to break up in 1995 (Skillings had left the group a few years prior, replaced by session ace Doug Wimbish). Glover attempted to launch a career as a solo artist, issuing the overlooked Hymns in 1998, also finding time to appear as a VJ on VH1 and acting in the 1996 movie Loose Women. Glover reunited with his Living Colour chums in 2001.

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Sponsored by Five Star Guitars and Rhythm Traders

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ALL ACCESS LIVE with VINNY APPICE (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, JOHN LENNON)

 

Vinny’s unique, powerful drumming is marked not by his performances with a single group, but by his flawless musical contributions to an extensive list of rock and roll icons like Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio, Heaven & Hell, Rick Derringer, John Lennon and more!

A consummate performer and drummer, Vinny also is a brilliant clinician, performing clinics and master classes all across the globe as well as making appearances in films and television.

He has recorded and co-written songs on over 25 albums and CDs including many multi-platinum records. Touring the world for over 2 decades resulted in selling millions of records!

Vinny’s drumming can also be heard on numerous movie soundtracks including Wayne’s World 2, Heavy Metal, Iron Eagle and Bedazzled. Vinny, the author of drum instruction book “Rock Steady” and DVD “Hard Rock Drumming Techniques” has performed incredible powerhouse drum clinics around the globe also. Numerous books have been written about Black Sabbath and Dio with the authors always mentioning Vinny’s unique powerful drumming style!

“I would like to mention some of the boys that got my drumming blood flowing……John Bonham, Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, Mitch Mitchell……Thanks!”

Sponsored by Five Star Guitars and Rhythm Traders

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ALL ACCESS LIVE with HEATHER THOMAS

Heather Anne Thomas is an American actress, activist, and author who grew famous for her role as Jody Banks in the adventure series ‘The Fall Guy’. Her TV stint began at a young age when she was chosen as one of the hosts for the NBC series ‘Talking with a Giant’. She then went on to earn a degree in Film and Theatre from ULCA before making guest appearances in TV series, such as ‘California Fever’, ‘Co-Ed Fever’ and ‘The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo’.

Her breakthrough arrived in 1981 when she was roped in to play a lead role in ‘The Fall Guy’. The show, which ran for five seasons, became quite popular in many states and made Thomas a household name. Since then, she has been part of many TV series and movies. Her most notable movie role was in the 1987 made-for-tv ‘Ford: The Man and the Machine’, which earned her a Gemini Award nomination.

As the years passed, Thomas started focusing more on her personal life and decided to stop acting in 1998. She is currently an activist for various causes, in addition to being a scriptwriter and published author.

Sponsored by Five Star Guitars and Rhythm Traders

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