Conversations from Here...

Today I speak with seismically talented musician and vocalist, touring bassist, songwriter, orchestrator, arranger and Kibitz Room mainstay, JENNIFER JO OBERLE! We talk about her Brooklyn upbringing, early manifestations of her musical talent, attending the Berklee College of Music, getting through depression, appreciating the joys of recovery, exploring new paths and possibilities during COVID an...

On this week's fresh episode of Conversations from Here, I speak with co-producer of the Wild Honey Orchestra, brilliant bass-man, an oft-consulted wizard at TrueTone Music and all-around stellar fella, DAVID JENKINS! We talk about his early life as a child of show business parents, his early fascination with music, his many years with the FOCKRs at Canter's Kibitz Room, balancing work in music re...

Today on Conversations from Here I speak with Memphis-raised author of "Tom Petty and Me"-- the former DJ and music industry promo man JON SCOTT! Throughout his decades in the music world, he has the distinction of having worked with some of the biggest names in the business. He is also the guy who, in 1977, boldly pushed for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers to be heard on the radio, despite resistan...

Today I speak with rapper, producer, entrepreneur, tech-wizard, rabbi, friend, wise man and founder of Rock4Israel, ETAN G The Jewish Rapper! Our talk begins with him as an adopted kid in a Jewish family in Phoenix, moving through his upbringing in Randallstown outside of Baltimore, his decidedly unorthodox schooling, falling in love with Black music and culture, his ongoing love affair with Israe...

Today on Conversations from Here I speak with stellar musician, prolific producer, wide-ranging composer, Musicians Institute teacher and alum of The English Beat, RICK TORRES! We discuss his early life growing up in a musical family in Hawai'i, coming to the mainland for schooling, being a working musician and impresario in 1990s Los Angeles, how the music business has changed since the early day...

Today I speak with intrepid BBC correspondent and International Man of Mystery DAVID WILLIS! We talk about his early days in England as an only child, working on obituaries in Hertfordshire, joining the BBC, working as a foreign correspondent in Southeast Asia, becoming the BBC's California correspondent, embedding with U.S. Marines during the Iraq War, taking a scholarly break at Oxford Universit...

Today I speak with one of Chicago's own-- epic talent and towering heart CYNTHIA LEVIN! She is a stand-up comic, an actress, a writer, a director, an acting teacher, a citizen of the world and a Comedy Store regular. We talk about growing up in the Second City, moving to LA in a less-than-ideal relationship, finding comedy by accident, going up at the the Improv and at the Comedy Store, connecting...

Welcome to Conversations from Here with me, Dana Ziegler! Today I speak with stellar actor and inspired educator Bernard Addison! We discuss his upbringing in Columbia, SC, discovering acting in middle-school, honing his craft at university, living as a young working actor in regional theatre while living in New York, performing Shakespeare at Ashland, making the move to Los Angeles and finding a...

Today on Conversations from Here I speak with musician, vocalist, diarist, educator, skilled culinarian and former frontman for the Joe Perry Project-- COWBOY MACH BELL! We talk about his early years with the cello, finding his musical gift as a frontman, seeing Aerosmith for the first time, playing with the band Thundertrain, touring with Joe Perry, adjusting to regular life, finding joy and work...

Welcome to Conversations from Here with me, Dana Ziegler! In this episode I speak with Boston-born music journalist, author, editor, artist and current Vermonter, Joe Milliken. We delve into Joe's childhood, his love of music, his early introduction to rock 'n' roll, his time as a sports reporter and freelance music writer, writing his current book "Let's Go!: Benjamin Orr and The Cars" and his fo...

Today I speak with the super-talented multi-instrumentalist and composer Fuzzbee Morse! He has played with everyone from Lou Reed, Robbie Robertson, Peter Gabriel, Sting, U2 to everyone in between. We take a look back to his childhood where he met some of his idols-- among them Frank Zappa and Aretha Franklin-- and follow with his time in Rome, at Berklee College of Music in Boston, his formative...

Welcome to Conversations from Here with me, Dana Ziegler. In this episode, I speak with New York-based actor, writer, comic, musician and force of nature Ron Barba. Our talk took place as he and his friend Laura were driving around New York City. We discuss life in New York, the magic of PBS's Bob Ross, performing stand-up comedy, Ron's years in Los Angeles, working in the banking industry, the im...

Welcomes to Conversations from Here with me, Dana Ziegler. In this episode I speak with actor, martial artist, maker, mover, shaker and creative force Zachary Tiegen! We talk about growing up in the 1970s, starting off as a child actor, making films, training in martial arts, studying spiritual psychology, discovering freedom through comedy and finding the importance of connection and balance in a...

Welcome to Conversations from Here with me, Dana Ziegler. In this episode I speak with singer-songwriter, performance artist, spiritual seeker and creative force ADRIENNE VANDEROCKER! We talk about her beginnings in Austin, TX, finding freedom in music and performance, moving to Seattle and then to New York before landing in Los Angeles, studying with her teacher Ram Dass, experiencing the death o...

Welcome to Conversations from Here with me, Dana Ziegler. Today I speak with the fierce and fabulous Kiki Yeung-- Hong Kong-born, Seattle-raised, writer, comic, actress, producer and creator of The Comedy Store's "Crazy Woke Asians" and the upcoming series "Sweet & Sour Chicks." We talk about adjusting to life in the United States after moving from Hong Kong, being a child of divorce, her backgrou...

Welcome to Conversations from Here with me, Dana Ziegler! Today I speak with the powerful and insightful Dr. Sandra Del Castillo-- Depth Psychologist, Ritual Artist, Storyteller and Teacher. We begin with her early life in Sacramento, CA as the daughter of an indigenous Mexican engineer/scholar father and an equally brilliant Scots-Irish mother, post-college years traveling with her young family,...

Welcome to Conversations from Here! Today I speak with contemporary Namibian artist, scholar, social justice lion and citizen of the world, Kavena Hambira. Our wide-ranging ramble begins with an historical overview of Namibia, growing up in exile and relocating to East Germany as a youngster, the implications and significance of racial identity, time as a Fullbright scholar, being inspired by both...

Welcome to Conversations from Here, with me, Dana Ziegler. Today I talk with actor, artist, writer and creative dynamo David Dayan Fisher! Americans know him from "NCIS," "24" and "National Treasure," as well as a slew of other roles in television and film in his native Britain. He's played his share of bad-guys, but the man with the fierce face is a delightful, thoughtful, wonderful human being....

Welcome to Conversations from Here with me Dana Ziegler. Today I talk with the luminous and talented Diana Lynn-- singer, songwriter, graphic artist, drum circle facilitator, wife, mother, goddess! We discuss her early years growing up in Philadelphia, attending her dad's church, finding her voice, going on tour, navigating fire and mayhem in Los Angeles, meeting her husband John, remembering the...

Today I talk with musician, impresario, actor, comic and recovering Austinite Troy Dillinger! Any resemblance between him and the famous bank robber may (or may not) be entirely coincidental... Join us for a wide-ranging meander through beginnings in Texas, finding music, hitting the big-time, getting sober, innovating new avenues of entertainment, mitigating the perils of tombstones, cutting loss...

Welcome to Episode 4! Today I talk with one of the most dynamically creative people I know-- Ireland's own fearless and fabulous Emma Pyne! She is a writer, performer and searing social critic with a background in fashion and a keen sense of justice. We discuss her beginnings in small-town County Clare, the musicality of regional accents, growing up reluctantly Catholic, finding her tribe in Londo...

Welcome to Conversations from Here with me Dana Ziegler! The purpose of these talks is to create connection and inspiration across the human story. These are the sharings of how we came to be ourselves, how we found our life's purpose and how we made it from there to here.   Today I talk with one of the brightest lights I know-- Los Angeles-based marketing guru, professional singer and self-procla...

Welcome to Episode 2 of Conversations from Here with me Dana Ziegler! Today I talk with lovely and wise Life Coach Jess Lakin-- who is also a teacher, healer, sound artist and photographer. We start our wide-ranging conversation with her Yorkshire beginnings in the north of England, formative years as a clinical psychologist for the NHS in the UK, moving to Amsterdam and making the leap to Los Ang...

Today's guest, the brilliant and radiant Sky Nicholas! She is a singer, teacher, actress, powerhouse talent and lead singer for many bands over the years here in LA. Sky is a dear friend and I am honored to have her on the show.