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Hey Gang,
I just wanted to post a quick review of a pretty neat play-along package for you drummers out there.  It’s called the “Ultimate Play-Along” by Dave Weckl.  It’s a great practice tool.  Especially if you just want to get in some quality playing time with some fantastic musicians.  In pulling together this magazine, I’ve [...]

What have you learned about the music business that surprised you or you didn’t expect?
Jennings: When Chapin [Mary Chapin Carpenter] first got signed, she and her manager, and I sat down and had a conversation and I said, “Look I don’t know anything about this but what I think, I mean again this one of [...]

John Jennings has long maintained a solid international reputation as a producer and multi-instrumentalist. A longtime member of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s band, with whom he’s produced and recorded 11 Top Ten singles and 2 Grammy winning albums. His guitar playing and singing have graced numerous recordings by artists such as Kathy Mattea, George Jones and [...]

Where do you see yourself going from here?
What’s on the horizon for you?

Well, where we go from here really depends on the myriad of possibilities we try to pull in at one time. We are now opening up a new facility. For instance here at VCU music we have a renovated music center [...]

What have you learned about the music business that was a surprise?

I think when you get started in the music business everything’s a surprise. I was really fortunate growing up in New Orleans. I mean I was extremely fortunate! I had no idea how fortunate I was until I moved to upstate New York, [...]

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

It was probably from my mom when she told me the role of everyone in life is to raise civilized animals. Now I’m not really sure with what that has to do with making music, other than if you want to be employable, you probably have to be [...]

What would you have done differently?

I’m not sure I would’ve done anything differently in my life. I think everybody takes a path that is right for them. Sure there are stories, horror stories, of people who took the wrong path and I’ve been lucky to avoid those. But I think all the various errors [...]

How did you get started?

I got started in music when I was eight or nine. My parents had an upright in the house and encouraged everyone to take piano lessons. For awhile, I was doing some guitar and enjoying that and eventually I started playing some piano reading the guitar symbols on the sheet music [...]