The ProgCast With Gregg Bendian

Steuart Liebig is an amazing bassist and composer from Los Angeles whom I have recorded with both in Bone Structure and my band Interzone. We get into some deep musical convo and talk about some of Steu's history, his compositions, and our music-making together.

Progressive Bagpipes??? You bet. THE FREESTYLERS OF PIPING are so completely unique, I just had to have them on the program. They hail from SoCal but I caught them live this summer in New York. Their blend of pipes with acoustic bass and percussion, along with their melodic and rhythmic drive is undeniably exciting and enticing. You might even call them a new kind of "power trio!"

TERRY STEWART is the former president of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and of Marvel Comics. That means he's the perfect guest for me to chat with about two of my favorite subjects: music and comic books! Join us as we discuss why it's so hard to get prog acts into the Rock Hall, and Marvel's rise from the ashes to its current movieland glories.

Fans of the band, Dr. Nerve will be quite familiar with the incredible musicality of pianist KATHLEEN SUPOVE. She is a champion of new music and has presented her multimedia series, "The Exploding Piano" as a way of reaching a wider audience with the music of Xenakis, Scelsi, Debussy, Eve Beglarian, and Randall Woolf, plus many others.  www.supove.com

PETER SELLARS is one of the most important and innovative directors in opera, musical, and theatrical performance of the last 50 years, and a dear friend. His work with John Adams on "Nixon In China," "Death of Klinghoffer," and "Doctor Atomic" is rightly considered legendary and Peter's embrace of French musical and visual culture is particularly fascinating. Another fine chat on The ProgCast.

DAVE GREGORY IS BACK! Both big fans of early Genesis, Dave and I revel in the 50th anniversary of "Nursery Cryme" - track by track in detail!

Duncan Rouleau is an illustrator/writer/creator of Big Hero 6, and the man from the comic book world who helped me make my REQUIEM FOR JACK KIRBY the beautiful artifact that it is. We talk early comic discoveries, album cover art, Steve Ditko and our favorite artists, and behind the scenes workings of how the Kirby album came to be.

Drummer/composer/producer Lenny White is a Founding Father of Jazz-Rock music. His work with Miles on "Bitches Brew" is legendary, Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay" is iconic, and Return To Forever's "Romantic Warrior" is a pinnacle intersection between jazz and prog. What a joy and a complete honor to pick Lenny's brain about his early discoveries, his solo albums, our favorite sci-fi movies, and the...

Chris Merrick Hughes is perhaps best known for producing Tears for Fears' "Songs from the Big Chair," and co-writing their "Everybody Wants To Rule The World." We talk about his early days as drummer/producer for Adam and The Ants, and his later work on Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, and Steve Reich's music. Chris' musicality reaches into minimalism and far beyond, and his take on electronica is com...

RYAN OLCOTT, guitarist/singer/composer from 12RODS might be the most interesting  guy in pop music you've not yet heard of. Todd Rundgren produced their excellent "Separation Anxieties" disc and some referred to them as "American XTC." After 12RODS split, Ryan went on to create tons of cool techno-glitch using tape and circuit-bending madness as Foodteam and c. Kostra. Fun chat with a brillia...

Guitarist/composer Steve Hackett stops by the podcast to talk about his excellent new acoustic album "Under A Mediterranean Sky," his upcoming projects, and the 50th anniversary of Genesis' "Nursery Cryme."  

HUGH PADGHAM is a Grammy-winning producer/engineer who's worked with Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Sting, XTC, David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd, and many more. Hugh and I chat about his massive list of credits, as he regales us with tales from his fascinating musical life.

When Cecil Taylor, icon of the jazz avant garde asks if you'd like to tag along with him to The Garden to hear an iconic American rock band you say, "Yes!"  Grateful Dead aficionado and Sirius/XM DJ Gary Lambert was with us that night (he invited Ornette Coleman), and Gary helps me tell the whole story, on this episode of The ProgCast  GREGG BENDIAN is a percussionist/composer/producer/e...

TERRY CHAMBERS is well-known as the drummer of XTC. We chat about his and the band's early years, how he developed his unique style, and the drum sound that changed everything. Plus, lots about his post-XTC musical life and what he's up to currently with Ex-TC.  GREGG BENDIAN is a percussionist/composer/producer/educator/podcaster from Teaneck, New Jersey. During his wide-ranging career he ha...

Jade Warrior guitarist DAVID DUHIG joins me for a discussion of the band's origins (Steve Winwood got them signed), David's famous Monkey Chant solo, JW offshoots, and recollections of his brother Tony, who founded Jade Warrior at the tail end of the psychedelic era.

JOHN LECKIE has produced and/or engineered for Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, Be Bop Deluxe, XTC and so many other great artists. We dig into his work with George Harrison, Lennon/Ono, McCartney, and of course, The Dukes of Stratosphear.

Percussionist/improvisor Jamie Muir is best known for his incredible work on King Crimson's "Lark Tongues In Aspic." Jamie's "Dart Drug" with Derek Bailey had a huge impact on my idea of sound and improvisation. Today I speak about Jamie's brilliance, and our London hang in the summer of '88. Plus: How I ended up playing Jamie's gear on a Bailey gig, and a very special memento from those heady day...

Violinist/composer Tom Chiu leads the Flux Quartet, a cutting edge quartet from NYC who've taken on the massive 6-hour, "String Qt No.2 by Morton Feldman. Tom has collaborated with Oliver Lake, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Henry Threadgill. Tom and I worked with Ornette Coleman in Ornette's  Harmelodic Chamber Players. We chat about that wild project, Tom's composition, "RETROCON," and more.

Fred Frith has changed the worlds of guitar, guitar sound, rock songs, rock bands, improv, and beyond. We chat about Fred's early years, Henry Cow, Art Bears, Massacre, and Skeleton Crew, plus Captain Beefheart, Derek Bailey, and John Cage come up too.

Composer/harpist/improviser/educator Anne LeBaron and I are old friends and collaborators from the New York improv/new music scene. She is renowned for pioneering extended harp techniques, and electronic enhancements. Anne has covered so much musical ground during career - from early gigs with Derek Bailey,  to composing unique and groundbreaking operas and concert theater. That and much more...

Part three kicks into interstellar overdrive with Andy's film and literary heroes, lots more Beefheart, Star Wars v. Space Patrol, Andy's ant fascination, Patrick Stewart v. Bill Shatner, and his POWERS project. Andy holds court, and things get a bit unhinged, as even higher levels of geekery ensue.

In part two of my chat with Andy, we remember the late Harold Budd, and talk about Andy's writing process, the great Terry Chambers and the XTC drum sound, major comic book geekage on Jack Kirby and our favorite illustrators, Colin's bass parts, and the origins of XTC's name. Plus, I give Andy my take on XTC's influence upon 80's King Crimson. Special thanks to our mutual pal, Mike Keneally for ma...

Guitarist/composer/raconteur ANDY PARTRIDGE of XTC is my delightful guest for the next three episodes of The ProgCast. Part one of our freewheeling exchange covers everything from novelty and psychedelic music to Tony Williams Lifetime, Yes, Captain Beefheart, Andy's favorite Dave Gregory solo, XTC band lingo, and what it was like to be onstage with that four-piece juggernaut. Plus: Andy plays gui...

Pianist/composer/educator Hal Galper is an important elder-statesman of jazz, hailed as a bandleader ,and as a collaborator of Cannonball & Nat Adderly, Sam Rivers, Phil Woods, and Tony Williams. Hal's recall of the music's history, paired with his wry sense of humor, makes him one of my favorite jazzmen to chat with.

Rolf Schulte is one of the most riveting violinists performing contemporary classical music. He is widely acknowledged as a passionate and exacting soloist, a champion of Elliott Carter's music, and has worked closely with composers Gyorgy Kurtag, Milton Babbitt, and Charles Wuorinen. Rolf reflects on 50-plus years of interpreting the headiest music of the 20th Century, as we discuss his experienc...