Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

From forced piano lessons at 8 to adding multiple instruments through the years, including his voice, to studying with Dave Stroud (who's worked with Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Kelly Clarkson, for a few), Korel’s developed his own style of teaching voice, his great passion. He explained how it’s possible to teach pitch and harmonies, and says, yes, pretty much everyone can be taught t...

He's all about the bass. And, keys, who knew? Carmine Rojas has dug the groove on so much iconic music of our time. Not sure I've ever seen more gold and platinum records in one room. I’ve been circling Carmine’s orbit since the streets of Bleecker and the Club of China. There were jams, loads of mutual friends, attempts to get him on this show, A Bowie Celebration show at his invitation, some Fac...

Some dreams really do come true. It may take 40+ years, but SO WHAT?!? Greg Mullavey, Greg Mullavey was worth the wait. A die-hard Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman fan, who missed nary a one of the 325 episodes, which in 1977, pre VCRs, and COVID, when I actually had a life and did stuff, required some effort and diehard devotion, spent today in fangirl heaven. Best part, Greg exceeded all of my very hi...

I knew I was about to be face-to-face with five-time Grammy Nominee, producer, composer, arranger, vocalist, and guitarist extraordinaire, Johnny Gale, for the first time in three-plus decades, when I was booking rock, and Johnny was playing it, back in the heady daze of the New York club scene. What I didn't know is that we actually met five decades ago. What?!? Earlier today, listening to an int...

John Waite Live On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson by Vicki Abelson

Days don’t get much happier than spending them in Donny Most's good company. What fun this was! Don ran the gamut from how he got to be Ralph Malph on Happy Days, not the role he auditioned for, turning it down, and getting a persuasive bump from Garry Marshall; backtracked to The Jolson Story and how it changed his life. His training and launch with a Borscht Belt revue, which crazily I saw, his...

What a delight going Live with actor, and friend, Michael Gross. A pro, he handled the intro whilst I dealt with FB frustrations. We touched ever so briefly on the pandemic, jumped into Michael’s humble beginnings in Chicago, as a lower middle class, parochial school-going alter boy, raised by a fair-minded before his time, father, and a fearless, creative, impromptu mother who inspired and gave p...

Had a great time chatting and getting to know Mr. Squeeze, Phil Parlapiano. From the meaning of his name, and how he got his nickname, what he did over his pandemic staycation, his grandma's guidance, to his first keys, early influences, not The Beatles... at first, pre-teen gigs, touring with Joan Baez, his first big gig at 22, his deal at Geffen, John Prine, 9 years with JOHN PRINE, sigh, Elvis...

Sitting down with 24's Bill Buchanan, AKA, James Morrison, is like wrapping myself up in my softest, warmest, coolest, comfiest, cutest, silkiest pajamas, and settling in for an easy, breezy, fun, loving, memorable night. I didn't know James when he graced the living room, and Women Who Write, not yet 7 years ago, since then he's become a cherished friend, and my appreciation of his talents and cr...

Chatting Live with long-time friend Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister was like going home... and after all these years I just discovered we're both Bronxites. Loved chatting about the early years, the first guitar, being inspired by the Beatles, he was a Paul, a few years later, a thisclose encounter with John, SPX to Twisted Sister, the successes and the "if only." From clubs to stadiums, to wedding...

Steve Conte is a jumbo slice of Rock 'n Roll Heaven. We got treated to his latest single, Recovery Doll, a recent Coolest Song in the World on Little Steven's Underground Garage, the B side, Rock And Rye Queen, and, Gimme Rockaway, which was not only another Coolest Song in the World, it also placed in the top 5 for Coolest Song of the Year, on the heels of Ian Hunter, and The Monkees. He's in my...

It's been a long ride with singer/songwriter/producer, Steve Postell. We go back to Bleecker Street in the heady daze of the New York club scene. I was booking the Rock 'N Roll Café and Steve was fresh outta Pure Prairie League. I was RockStar struck. I booked him that day and have continued to for the past 30 + years wherever I went and whatever I did. When I had my book launch at The Federal it...

SCORE! Pure joy! #DonnaPescow is, even more of a dream than I'd hoped. The woman is hysterical! #SaturdayNightFever #Angie #EvenStevens #OutOfThisWorld #GreatStories #Travolta #FUN #GameChangersWithVickiAbelson Replay here: https://bit.ly/3g9e5JH It's such a joy when those I've adore and admire exceed expectations. Ka-ching! Donna Pescow is, even more, a dream than I'd hoped. The woman is hysteric...

Fantastically fabulous time with two-time Emmy Award Winner (for those amazing Billy Crystal Academy Award shows which he talks about), Robert Wuhl, actor, writer, producer, director, perhaps best known as the creator and star of HBO's long-running series, Arli$$, talked about the creative freedom the show afforded him to delve into topics which intrigued him, way before their time, why he cast Sa...

Unmasked! Post-apocalyptic pandemic blues in Eb may have started and ended the show (with Tristan Cappel), but it was joy, joy, joy, with bass boy, Leland Sklar, my first face-to-face guest since a year ago February. What a great segue back to a semblance of normalcy. It felt so right, so dyn-o-mite. Sorry. We jumped into the book, Everybody Loves Me, an idea without a plan a mere 15 months ago, n...

I like the comedy with my Rock 'n Roll. Hall of Fame'r Ricky Byrd, delivers brilliantly on both counts. Great stories of his heroes in both worlds. Watching them as a kid on Ed Sullivan, to sharing jokes and cokes at The Pines Hotel coffee shop with Freddie Roman, Dick Capri, and Mal Z Lawrence, to sharing a stage with Stevie Wonder, Joe Walsh, Billie Joe Armstrong, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr...

Candy Clark, part deux, looking fab as always, adding some much appreciated Hollywood glamour for the pandemic weary.  We got Candy's take on Sunday's Academy Awards, and her three trips down the red carpet, her first an unknown in the nosebleeds with binoculars, then with her beau, Jeff Bridges (see what I did there), when he was nominated for The Last Picture Show, and then he with her when she...

Regardless of the innumerable technical challenges, this was one of my favorite shows in 4 yrs. Comedian, @RitchShydner is affable, warm, hysterically funny, evolved, intelligent & downright entertaining as fuck. #GameChangersWithVickiAbelson Replay:
https://bit.ly/3tIukSi Grateful! Regardless of the innumerable technical challenges with the new Zoom interface, presenting to Only Me on the Faceboo...

Forgetaboutit! I thought I was going to be sitting down with one of the most prolific drummers to ever pick up sticks... yeah, there's that, there's also wisdom out the wazoo. I'm talking mind, body. spirit, health. Kenny Aronoff shared strategies for living, working, solutions, tools, suggestions. Wow. This here is packed with passionate guidance. We did get to his career. The players, the storie...

comedian, Mike Rowe on the show. We have two degrees all over the place and yet our lives had barely intersected. I wanted to know everything about this funny, successful man who's worked steadily and passionately doing what he loves throughout his life to the present. Mike's got two shows currently running on Netflix, The Trailer Park Boys, where he was nominated for two Gemini Awards, and Paradi...

Thaao Penghlis On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson by Vicki Abelson

It's been a long time coming, and it'll be a long time not gone. Sitting down (and standing up) with long-time friend, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, arranger, vocalist, and NY Blues Hall Of Famer, Jeff Pevar, was worth waiting for. Amazing stories spanning the whole of his illustrious career. Paul McCartney Beatles inspired, with a sweet story that goes full circle, from Mi...

A special day🍀, with a special person 🕶, in a special place 🇫🇷, warranted a special time 🕜. Funny, fab, and the furthest thing from faux, Grammy-winning bassist, Will Lee, took us through his stellar, illustrious and industrious, career… growing up in Texas with musical parents, transformed forever upon seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, who changed, and in part, made, and make his life. From dr...

Sitting down with actor, writer, director, historian, Marine, sweetheart, great friend, Jim Beaver, is always a treat, today perhaps even more so... reunited with a treasured, entertaining friend, what better way to spend a pandemic evening? We started there, how Jim, Sara, and Maddie have been managing this past year... more COVID careful than crazy, but certainly still, Sympatico. We got into li...

What better way to celebrate vaccine efficacy than with old friend, hysterical, thoughtful whip-smart, actor/comedian, Eddie Pepitone. I spent the afternoon watching his latest comedy special, For the Masses, available on Amazon Prime, which the New York Times called the funniest stand-up special of 2020––no argument here. When was the last time I continuously laughed out loudly during this damn p...