Out of the Main

Listener Jonathan returns to the podcast (as all Supporters are welcome to do) to take an in-depth review of perhaps the most influential jazz album of all time: Miles Davis?s 1959 masterpiece ?Kind of Blue.?

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Tom and John, still residing in the Minneapolis area, take an expedition through the Prince album archives, from 1979?s ?Prince? to 1989?s ?Batman.? Follow along and score along, as they allot points to each album (out of a total of 100) to determine which of the 10 albums in this remarkable run gets the highest score in aggregate...and which gets the lowest. 

Has there ever been a more impressive 10-album run? 

Is there a more accomplished artist in the history of modern music than Prince Rogers Nelson?

Tom's Spotify playlist: "The Lost Prince"

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Unmoored from the harbors of Marina del Rey, the yacht gets trailered to The Land of a Thousand Lakes this week, where John and Tom go exploring for the history, sonic markers and artists that made up ?The Minneapolis Sound? of the late 70s and 1980s. What made this sound great? Let?s dive in!

Want to do a freshwater deep dive yourself? We?ve got you covered: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/20pYqecUQxYaj7caDGbwSu?si=8Ih9bQnyR-iFivVsFx5kdA&pi=u-Yg-SzeiNSe-4

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Here we go! Rick Such and Eddy Cabello from Inside MusiCast are here to help us settle this thing once and for all! Who will match up as the perfect pair in the finals of the Toto Invitational Tournament Spectacular?

Tune in...follow along...one song will soon have its ?One Shining Moment!?

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Kicking off Round 1 of the Toto Invitational Tournament Spectacular this week, with guest bracket busters Listeners Jorn and Mikael! They certainly proved their Toto bona fides...but did they get the picks right?

You make the call! Tune in...follow along...fill out your own brackets. It?ll be madness, y?all!

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It's March! You know what that means around these parts. Time for a tournament of madness! This year, it's not the NIT (Nyacht Invitational Tournament) but the Toto Invitational Tournament Spectacular!

John and Tom set the table this week...deciding the play-in games and talking through some tough breaks on Selection Sunday. Next week, we kick off a two-part Toto tourney. Follow along to see which Toto classic emerges as the most representative of the genius that was and is Toto.

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Tom is going in blind this week, as John pops him with a surprise topic. Totally unprepared and unrehearsed, the crew goes exploring through the heyday of music production through a totally new lens. What?s the surprise? Tune in to find out for yourself.

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How well do you know the name, talents and discography of Bob Clearmountain? You certainly know the music he?s mixed. Perhaps the first ?official mix master,? Clearmountain has his fingerprints on some of the best-sounding music in pop/rock history. 

This week John and Tom dive into his career to uncover and examine what makes Clearmountain one of the most sought-after mixers in music...even to this day! Come along as we continue on our journey in the pursuit of music perfection.

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Neil Stubenhaus returns to the podcast for part two of our conversation with the iconic session bassist, from his approach to his discography, from his philosophy to his memories of sitting in on some of the most iconic sessions from the 70, 80s and all the way through to modern day.

Come back to see if Neil storms off the set, as John feared at the end of Part 1!

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The talented, cerebral and prolific session bass guitarist Neil Stubenhaus joins the podcast this week to talk through his approach, his discography, his philosophy and his memories of sitting in on some of the most iconic sessions from the 70, 80s and all the way through to modern day.

Tally another bass player, for those keeping score at home!

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We?re back! Season 5 of Out of the Main picks up where we left off at the end of Season 4: with John?s cliffhanger! Did music production and artistry peak during the yacht rock years ? beyond the confines of yacht rock itself? If so, why? Where else did we see the same attention to detail and emphasis on sophistication? When did it end, and why? Where are we headed going forward?

All of these questions and more are answered in the first episode of Season 5! Dive in! 

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Our final intermission episode before next week's launch of Season 5 brings one of our all-time favorite guests: Tris Imboden. This first part of our two-part interview was the beginning of a wonderful relationship between Tom and John and one of music's true gems.

Part 2 is here.

Original show notes:

Legendary session and touring drummer Tris Imboden climbs aboard the yacht rock podcast, ?Out of the Main,? to discuss the yacht rock years, what?s happened since, and?yes!?what?s happening now!

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Digging through the archives as we get ready to launch Season 5 in a couple weeks and found this buried treasure ? our first interview with Dane Donohue!

The yacht rock legend joined the podcast to discuss life after rock and roll, his big break, the making of a masterpiece with hall of famers, and much, much more. Keith Barry, journalist with ?Narratively.com?, told the story we all needed to hear: whatever happened? Part one of a two-part interview with ?the lost prince of yacht rock.?

Read the article to get the entire story: ?https://narratively.com/the-lost-prince-of-yacht-rock/?

Part 2 is here.

Things Discussed in Part One:

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Our tour of the archives continue, while we prepare for Season 5. Here is Part 1 of our chat with Tamara and Bill Champlin when we caught up to them backstage before a concert in Dayton Ohio in 2022.

Part 2 is here.

Listen in to clips from their conversation: everything from singing technique to songwriting to performing live and working in the studio. We covered a lot and learned a lot, and you will two. It?s not just The Champ...it?s The Co-Champs!

Keep tabs on Bill and Tamara and check out Bill?s new record, ?Livin? for Love,? at ?billchamplin.com?.

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During the inter-season hiatus, we will continue to post interviews from the archives. Here is one of our all-time favorite guests: Jay Graydon!

We pick the conversation up with Part 2 of our three-part interview.

Part 1 is here.

Part 3 is here.

Highlights from Part 2:

All things Jay Graydon:

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For those new to the podcast, we are republishing previously released episodes until we kick off Season 5 in a few weeks. This week is Part 1 of our two-episode interview with Kenny Loggins, covering most of what was revealed in his memoir, "Still Alright," published in 2022.

If you'd like to continue along with the conversation, part 2 can be found here (wherever you get your podcasts).

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Our favorite convention from the late 70s and early 80s: Everything had a Christmas Special! And every year, they would rerun the same holiday special specials and we never got tired of them. It was tradition!

Our yacht rock podcast should be no different! John and Tom scour music-dom for the yachtiest yuletide merriment to bring your season glad ?tide?-ings, including songs from the era and modern buried treasures from classic yacht rock artists.Who?s on your yachty list?

Tell us tunes, albums and compilations we missed on our Facebook page! ?facebook.com/yachtrockpodcast?

Also, you thought Tom was kidding about the ?Fat Albert Christmas Specia?l and the ?Star Wars Holiday Special?? Think again!

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Tom and John close out the fourth season of Out of the Main by clearing the decks of various odds and ends they?ve saved up over the course of the year but never got to. PLUS, some discussion of new music to come, as well as a look ahead to Season 5.

NOTE: Here's that funk playlist John made.

Thank you all for listening, and especially to those for supporting the podcast. We literally couldn?t do it without you! 

See you all in 2024 for Season 5!

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E23.46: Monkey House?s Don Breithaupt

Tom knew him as one of the members of Monkey House. You might know him as the Emmy-award-winning composer and musician who has worked with the likes of Chicago, Marc Jordan, Jay Graydon and Manhattan Transfer. Others know him as the author of the ?Aja? book, having interviewed Donald Fagan himself.

And if you still don?t know him, tune in to get to know Don Breithaupt, a buried treasure hidden in plain sight and well worth learning all about!

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The Grammy-Award-winning first-call brass maestro Jerry Hey rejoins the podcast for part two of our  interview. Learn the back story, hear his process, and tune in for some intriguing and informative anecdotes. Beginning even before yacht rock all the way up to recent gigs, you won?t want to miss a beat!

If you want to hear our original tribute episode to Jerry Hey ?Beast Mode,? that can be found here.

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The man behind countless memorable horn arrangements and countermelodies, Jerry Hey, joins the podcast for a two-part interview. Learn the back story, hear his process, and tune in for some intriguing and informative anecdotes. Beginning even before yacht rock all the way up to recent gigs, you won?t want to miss a beat!

If you want to hear our original tribute episode to Jerry Hey ?Beast Mode,? that can be found here.

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John Zaika, the filmmaker behind the forthcoming Bobby Kimball documentary ?Kite on a String,? returns to the podcast to answer the most-asked question on our YouTube channel: ?When is the Bobby Kimball story coming out?!? John provides updates, shares new stories, and reveals things we never knew about the living legend who once fronted Toto.

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Captain G climbs aboard to take the class to school on the history of disco, including its relation and adjacency to yacht rock. On loan from Yacht Rock Miami, DJ Alex brings us back to the 70s and the origin of disco, including the differences between New York, west-coast, and Miami disco. Were there any crossovers between disco and what we know today as yacht rock? Let?s go to school to find out!

Submitted for your listening pleasure: Disco Meets Yacht Rock

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It?s the crossover episode we?ve all been waiting for!

No, not The Simpsons meets Family Guy. Not Fonzie appearing on Laverne & Shirley. Not Chicago first responders crossing the streams on shows that nobody watches anyway?

It?s Out of the Main meets Shelter at Sea, featuring the Hot Shyachts from Milwaukee Yacht Rock themselves, John O'Grady and Prescott Sobol!

This week, our show teams up with theirs to take a deep dive ?? into the history of Christian Contemporary Music, including CCM?s origin and crossovers relative to yacht rock.

Once our episode drops, we pass the baton to the John and Prescott, who pick up where we leave off Saturday night on Yacht Rock Miami. Tune in for both shows to learn more, listen more, and love more.

We?re dipping our peanut butter into their chocolate!!!!

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Love is in the air this week on Out of the Main, as we return for another ?Who Wore It Best? episode. (Spotify playlist link.)

Now entering the ring:

?Can?t Hide Love?

?It?s the Falling In Love?

?Love Never Felt So Good?

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In honor of Halloween, John and Tom devote an entire episode to the dissection, admiration and analysis of Atlanta Rhythm Section's "Spooky." Until you've studied it, you haven't truly heard it. Break out the headphones, people!

PLUS, don?t miss Tom?s ?Halloween on the Yacht? Spotify playlist...perfectly smooth and spooky for this time of year (if not altogether yachty...or even always about Halloween)! 

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What are the best grooves out there, in yacht rock and nearby? John and Tom discuss the making of a great groove and run down each of their own top-five list (sort of) of best grooves of all time.

Don?t miss the teaser in the intro/outro music: Sunrise on the Water, by Page 99 and featuring the legend himself, Dane Donohue! Now available everywhere!

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Another installment of ?Where Were They Then,? Out of the Main?s answer to Where are they now? 

A ?special? guest co-host joins the podcast to help us examine the post-yacht-rock career and catalogue of David Sanborn, one of session-dom?s finest! How did he fare as a featured solo act? Just fine, thank you!

PLUS, don?t miss the intro/outro music featuring Listener Mike himself on sax!

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Tom and John steer the helm across the pond to discover the connections and correlatives (yes, that?s a word) between the yacht-rocky west coast sound with the emergence of ?sophistipop? shortly after the yacht rock heyday. What were the tie-ins. Are there comparisons to be made? Were there influences, or just coincidences. And, of course, what is there to discuss regarding personnel? More than you might think...

Is there such thing as ?Sophisti-Yacht?? You be the judge.
Plus, Tom?s Sophstipop playlist, if you?re into that sorta thing.

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You know that one song by your favorite artists that just doesn?t connect with you, no matter how hard you try? What are you supposed to do with that ? love it or leave it? 

This week, John and Tom present 10 artists to one another, sharing their favorite song by each along with one track that just doesn?t fill their sails for whatever reason. For song 2 in each pair, what are we to do...love ?em or leave ?em? You decide!

What are your Love ?Em and Leave ?Em selections? Hit us up on Facebook with the suggestions!

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Listener/Supporter Jonathan is back to walk us through Side 2 of the Donal Fagen solo album ?The Nightfly.? Back to the history books, and to a finale to the sonic appreciation for what many thought to be ?the next Steely Dan album.?

Part 2 of 2.

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Listener/Supporter Jonathan joins the guys for an in-depth examination of the Donal Fagen solo album ?The Nightfly.? There?s a lot of history here ? much of it new to John and Tom ? so maybe you?ll even learn a li?l something. Jonathan brings the goods and drops the dimes.

Part 1 of 2.

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Jock Bartley, founding member of Firefall, rejoins the podcast to discuss the making of Firefall?s latest project, ?Friends and Family,? dropping in September. There are some familiar names on this homage to acts that Firefall has either shared a stage with, had members in, or recorded with over the years ? Tris Imboden and Lance Hoppen among them. Plus, a host of newcomers to the band...all coming together to make a rockin? record will all of the hallmarks of vintage Firefall.

Tune in to hear how the record came together, learn how the concept matured, and get a sneak peek of the tracks that are sure to have to singing along!

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Self-described ?second-call studio musician? Marty Walsh has chronicled his own life and times serving as a studio cat for hire during (and after) the yacht rock era. He joins Tom and John to provide an inside look at a west-coast studio session from the golden era of music production that we adore. 

Rubbing shoulders with the Jay Graydons, David Fosters and Michael Omartians of the world, Marty has stories to tell and secrets to reveal. Tune in to get a...second-hand look (?) at the first-rate studio gigs that made up the music we love to this day.

And check out these credits! Marty has seen it all, done it all, and played with and for the best of the best. He joins us this week to break it all down for us!

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?What is a perfect album side?? was the question posited by second-rate first mate John online. Name an album for which one side is perfect, regardless of what?s on the other side. It was more difficult than expected, apparently, because answers were hard to come by.

Well, we must?ve gone through the Bermuda Triangle again, because we landed on Journey?s Frontiers. From southern California to the Bay Area, how did we end up here? And what, if any, are the ties to yacht rock and west coast AOR? You?ll have to tune in to find out!

What say you? Give us your perfect album side on Facebook in the comments to this post! https://www.facebook.com/yachtrockpodcast

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Legendary engineer, producer and mix master Bill Schnee rejoins the podcast to discuss his involvement with the recent re-record of the noted Steely Dan buried treasure "The Second Arrangement."

As first discussed on the Inside Musicast podcast, Scott Sheriff assembled an all-star band to resurrect the lost classic, and tapped the talents of Bill Schnee to mix it and help create the sonic gem just released to YouTube.

Hear how it all went down. Learn the latest on a seemingly never-ending saga. Get a sample of the latest version. And tune in for many a surprise twist!

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Just as we hinted we might, when we had Tris Imboden on to count down his favorite drummers of all time, we invited one of our favorite bassists (and favorite humans) onto the podcast to do the same with bass players. Here are ?Vernon?s Very Vaunted and Virtuoso Viola?...eh, forget it...just roll tape!

(And don?t forget what we said about bass players liking to spring surprises on unwitting drummers!)

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The iconic Jeff ?Skunk? Baxter returns for Part II of our interview with the man we all know as Doobie Brother and founding member of Steely Dan. But we explore so much more, from the early session days, throughout the yacht rock era, a bit o? disco, and everything else, up to the present day and the release of his solo album, ?Speed of Heat.?

Join us, as we begin by jumping into the Wayback Machine...

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John and Tom are extremely honored to welcome the legendary ?Skunk? Baxter to the podcast. Sure, you may know him from Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers and more, but do you know him as Paulinho da Costa stand-in, jingle composer, Donna Sommer influencer, and consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense? Most recently, you should have his latest album on your release radar...it?s pure ?!

This was an interview so entertaining and informative, we just HAD to split it up into two installments. Here?s Part 1 of our interview with a living legend...

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Cimcie Nichols, daughter of the famed Steely Dan (among others) engineer Roger Nichols, has unearthed one of the most precious of buried treasures in rock and roll: the lost Steely Dan track from the Groucho album, ?Second Arrangement.? Wait until you hear the story behind one of the most intriguing stories of Steely Dan lore. How she find it, what she did next, and what might come of it in the future.

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It?s another ?Trapped in Isolation? episode. You?re stranded on a deserted island, but don?t worry: you remembered to pack your various tracks of Steely Dan?s ?Peg? before boarding the yacht. John and Tom dissect and parse the yacht rock classic, stripped down to its various cores.

Special thanks to Russell Remixes for breaking it all down for us. Check out the videos on YouTube:

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John and Tom finally get around to discussing and analyzing the famed ?Doobie Bounce.? A little bit of music theory (not too nerdy!), a bit of dissection of the elements, a short trip around the harbor looking for examples, and a whole lot of adulation and adoration. 

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The fabulous Tris Imboden returns to the podcast to run his list of his favorite and most influential drummers. Tune in to see who won the side-action bet between John and Tom, and learn all about the drummers who have influenced the drum stylings and approach of one yacht rock?s favorite drummers.

Prior conversations with Tris:

Tris Imboden Interview the first

Album Focus: Kenny Loggins?s ?High Adventure? with special guest Tris Imboden

High Adventure, Side B

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Jasper and Jerome ? 2/9ths of the a capella supergroup Straight No Chaser ? join the podcast to discuss the motivation, the inspiration, and the process they went through to explore the harbors of yacht rock on their most recent record release, dropping June 21st. DYK: The album was by Nicholas Niespodziani of Yacht Rock Revue? It?s fantastic!

We ran the podcast off the clef, got into a little treble, and hit all the high notes. Climb aboard the yacht on the rocks, y?all!

And check out the extended, short-film video for Kenny Loggins? ?Heart to Heart!?

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Listener Jorn and his son Mikael join the podcast to discuss a far-too-under-the-radar artist, Maxus. Though their discography includes just one major album release, the members represent a collection of some of the era?s most sought-after session players. Where they came from, and what they go on to do, is the stuff of legends.

Let?s let Jorn and Michael take us to school!

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Marc Jordan returns to the podcast to talk about his newest album release, ?Waiting for the Sun to Rise,? a jazzy collection of originals and cover songs (some may surprise you!). The beautiful collaboration with Lou Pamonti shows off Marc?s jazz and songwriting chops. We, of course, explore the yacht rock era of Marc?s catalogue, and so much more, including Marc?s foray into original paintings. 

Check out our prior interview with Marc here, which covers more of the Blue Desert and West Coast catalogue.

Learn more, and see the artwork we discuss, at marcjordan.com!

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A distant cousin to ?Where Are They Now?,? John and Tom take a tour through the post-yacht-rock career of artists who once sailed in the smooth waters off the West Coast, in a convention they?ve dubbed, ?Where Were They Then?? We kick it off with one Paul Carrack, who yacht rockers might know best as the lead singer of Ace (certified track, ?How Long?), who would later go on to be a featured voice and player in Squeeze as well as Mike + The Mechanics...but so much more! 

How much more? Tune in to find out...you may just be surprised! Check out Tom's "The Best of Paul Carrack" playlist on Spotify!

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Can lightning strike twice? Well, duh! Of course it can. And that?s just what Tom and John will do this week on the podcast: a double dose of our standard lightning round. It?s just as groovy as Double Mint Gum! Tune in to find out whether this episode will also feature a lightning round! Whoa. Meta...

Lightning Round x 2:

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Emm Gryner, an artist with roots dating back to the mid-90s, joins the podcast to take John and Tom on a journey through a career that found its way to the harbors of modern yacht rock in 2023. Joined by lyrical collaborator Michael Holmes, Emm generously shares her storied history ? which includes a long run with David Bowie ? her musical approach, and her perspective on why she feels ?at home? on the West Coast.

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What would yacht rock be without the Rhodes electric piano? Or, put another way, what would the Rhodes be without yacht rock? John and Tom examine the history, the technology, the evolution and the allure of the Fender Rhodes ? a hallmark of the West Coast sound. We compare and contrast with the Wurlitzer and the Yamaha DX7 that, by all accounts, replaced the Rhodes for a bit.

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