Go with Elmo Lovano

• 80. Mike Caren: A&R Legend on His Career, Artist Development, Songwriting, APG, Music, Publishing, AI

  Episode 80: Mike Caren. If you’re in the music industry, you hear the name Mike Caren all the time. He’s one of the most powerful people in music, with a career that’s led to billions of streams, multiple GRAMMY wins, and chart-topping, career-defining hits as both an A&R and executive. He’s signed and/or helped break artists like Bruno Mars, Charlie Puth, Ed Sheeran, Kehlani, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Wiz Khalifa, Flo Rida, T.I., Trey Songz, Ava Max, Kevin Gates, and Don Toliver. He started his career at Atlantic Records at just 18 years old, eventually becoming President of Worldwide A&R at Warner Music Group. Today, he is the founder and CEO of APG, which includes Artist Partner Group (label) and Artist Publishing Group (publishing), one of the most successful independent music companies in the world. This is Mike Caren’s first-ever long-form, on-camera interview. Mike usually keeps a low profile, so I was honored he agreed to do this. We dive into his full trajectory, how he got where he is today, lessons learned, and his advice for artists, songwriters, and A&Rs trying to build meaningful careers in today’s music landscape. We also talk artist development, the balance of creativity and business, AI and more. There’s so much to take away from this one. Hope you enjoy my conversation with the great Mike Caren! ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. (0:00:00) INTRO (0:07:13) EARLY CAREER, GROWING UP (0:08:22) RADIO SHOW WITH THE ALCHEMIST (0:09:20) INTERSCOPE RECORDS INTERNSHIP 1993 (0:13:10) PROVIDE VALUE (0:14:34) MARKETING ROLES (0:17:14) CRAIG KALLMAN, BIG BEAT, ATLANTIC (0:19:21) BLACK EYED PEAS, SIGNING TWISTA (0:21:56) THE PHARCYDE REMIX, STARTING IN A&R (0:24:23) BECOMING EVP OF A&R AT ATLANTIC RECORDS, SIGNING TRICK DADDY, TRINA, T.I., TREY SONGZ, NAPPY ROOTS (0:28:10) STARTING APG (0:31:37) ATLANTIC AND APG (0:33:18) BEING AN EXEC WHILE RUNNING A PUBLISHING COMPANY, STARTING ELEKTRA RECORDS (0:34:15) CEELO GREEN (0:34:30) B.O.B, “NOTHING ON YOU” WITH BRUNO MARS (0:35:13) SIGNING ED SHEERAN (0:36:49) SIGNING BRUNO MARS, BRANDY, AARON BAY-SCHUCK (0:41:09) BEING A CO-PRESIDENT WITH JOHN JANICK (0:42:35) SIA & DAVID GUETTA “TITANIUM” (0:48:23) PRESIDENT OF A&R WARNER MUSIC GROUP, SIGNING KEVIN GATES (0:51:57) CHARLIE PUTH, WIZ KHALIFA, LIL WAYNE (0:54:09) KEHLANI (0:56:16) “SEE YOU AGAIN” CHARLIE PUTH (0:57:43) CREDITING (1:03:01) HOW TO PRIORITIZE (1:10:10) CRAFTING HIT SONGS IN 2025 (1:17:24) A.I. Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!   Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow Mike: https://www.instagram.com/mikecaren/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano Follow Jammcard: https://www.youtube.com/@jammcard jammcard.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 79. Omar Hakim Part 2: Sting, Miles Davis, Madonna, Daft Punk, Get Lucky, Hybrid Drumming, Live, Tour

  Episode 79. Omar Hakim, Part 2! We’re back with the drumming legend Omar Hakim and pick up right where we left off in Part 1. We start with the wild story of how he met Sting while recording Brothers In Arms with Dire Straits… ON AN ISLAND. This story blows my mind. From there, we continue through his career with Sting, Miles Davis, Madonna, and the crazy story of making the Daft Punk hit "Get Lucky." This episode is full of rare backstories, industry gems, and lessons in creativity and innovation. We talk about Omar being an early adopter of electronic and acoustic hybrid drum setups. As the drummer for Madonna in her stadium-filling heyday, Omar blended cutting-edge sampling, triggers, and MIDI controllers to deliver on recordings’ impossible sounds in a live setting, building custom rigs and using expression pedals for real-time sound bending. This preceded today's standard in pop touring, marking him as a pioneer for the next generation of drummers. We also get into the business side of touring and recording and where Omar is at today. I hope you enjoy Part 2 of my conversation with the man, Omar Hakim! ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. (0:00:00) INTRO   (0:03:34) HOW OMAR MET STING   (0:08:13) SESSIONS WITH STING   (0:10:30) STINGS FIRST SOLO TOUR   (0:11:07) “BRING ON THE NIGHT” FILM   (0:14:58) THE “BRING ON THE NIGHT” BAND   (0:17:19) MILES DAVIS   (0:18:36) HANGING WITH MILES DAVIS   (0:20:52) MILES KNEW OMAR’S DAD, JAMAICA QUEENS   (0:33:09) MADONNA, LIONEL RICHIE   (0:39:20) MICHAEL BEARDEN   (0:40:08) LUIS CONTE, MADONNA BAND   (0:41:24) DAFT PUNK, “GET LUCKY”   (0:48:47) JOHN JR ROBINSON   (0:51:20) THE 80’S MUSIC BUSINESS MODEL   (0:59:21) MARKET RATES FOR MUSICIANS   (1:02:11) SONIC BOOM SQUAD, RACHEL Z, LIFE TODAY Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!   Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow Omar: https://www.instagram.com/omarhakimmusic/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano Follow Jammcard: https://www.youtube.com/@jammcard jammcard.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 78. Omar Hakim: Drumming with David Bowie, Weather Report, Nile Rodgers, Dire Straits, Miles | Part 1

  Episode 78: Omar Hakim. Today on the pod we’ve got one of the most recorded drummers of all time. The legendary Omar Hakim! We went deep for over 2 hours, and unlocked SO MUCH GOLD, so we’re releasing this conversation in two parts. In Part 1, Omar shares the stories behind some of his most iconic recordings, including his legendary session with David Bowie on Let’s Dance, his deep musical relationship with Nile Rodgers, and his time in Weather Report. We also get into the wild story of how he tracked the entire Dire Straits album "Brothers in Arms" (including the questions I’ve always had about Money for Nothing). With this interview, I hope you'll now understand how Omar became the legend he is today. I think your mind will be blown when you hear about the caliber of musicians that were around him since he was a kid! Part 2 drops next week. For now, here’s the first hour of my conversation with the amazing Omar Hakim. ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. (0:00:00) INTRO (0:04:57) STARTING PROFESSIONALLY AT AGE 10 (0:05:57) JAMAICA QUEENS, NEW YORK (0:07:13) TOURING WITH JAY MASON AT AGE 15 (0:08:08) OPENING FOR HALL & OATS, PLAYING ARENAS AS A TEENAGER (0:08:42) LABELLE, LADY MARMALADE (0:11:15) JOINING WEATHER REPORT (0:11:35) DAVID SANDBOURNE, “AS WE SPEAK” RECORD, MARCUS MILLER (0:12:10) CARLY SIMON (0:13:29) OTHER GIGS IN TEENAGE YEARS (0:14:18) OPENING FOR “RETURN TO FOREVER” (0:15:00) CHICK COREA, STANLEY CLARKE STORY (0:20:02) GETTING THE GIG WITH WEATHER REPORT (0:21:41) MILES DAVIS (0:22:53) GETTING THE GIG WITH WEATHER REPORT CONTINUED (0:24:57) HUGH MASEKELA, VICTOR BAILEY (0:26:56) HOW THE WEATHER REPORT GIG CHANGED OMAR’S LIFE (0:27:31) NILE RODGERS (0:28:32) DAVID BOWIE’S “LET’S DANCE” (0:33:08) BECOMING A MUSICAL CHAMELEON (0:34:08) “LET’S DANCE” DRUM PART, THOUGHT PROCESS (0:36:53) RECORDING “RICOCHET” WITH DAVID BOWIE (0:38:22) TIPS FOR SESSION MUSICIANS (0:40:05) GROWING UP WITH NILE RODGERS (0:41:59) NILE RODGERS, “GOOD TIMES” MASTERING SESSION (0:44:58) NILE RODGERS AS A PRODUCER (0:47:23) DAVID BOWIE SESSIONS, SAYING NO TO TOURING (0:50:26) DAVID BOWIE “TONIGHT” ALBUM RECORDING (0:51:42) TURNING DOWN BOWIE FOR WEATHER REPORT (0:55:22) DIRE STRAITS “MONEY FOR NOTHING” Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!   Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow Omar: https://www.instagram.com/omarhakimmusic/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 77. Steve Smith: Journey Drummer, Jazz Legend, Vital Information, Top 25 Drummers of All Time, Interview

  Episode 77: Steve Smith.The incredible, multi-faceted, Steve Smith was one of my favorite drummers growing up. His playing with Journey blew me mind, and the fact that he had a full-on jazz career alongside his rock success made him even more inspiring to me. Steve made Modern Drummer’s Top 25 Drummers of All Time list and won the #1 All-Around Drummer Award five years in a row. His credits are stacked, from early gigs with Jean Luc-Ponty (alongside Allan Holdsworth), Focus, and Ronnie Montrose, to arena-filling hits with Journey, to leading his band Vital Information (for the past 4 decades). He’s done sessions with Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Vasco Rossi, Zucchero, Savage Garden, Bryan Adams, and Zakir Hussain. On the jazz side, Steve has played with heavyweights like Steps Ahead, Tom Coster, Ahmad Jamal, Victor Wooten, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Frank Gambale, Stuart Hamm, Dweezil Zappa, Hiromi, and Bill Evans.Steve is one of the greatest to ever do it, and it was a total honor to have him on the show. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the legendary Steve Smith! Special thanks to Zildjian. I used their ALCHEM-E Perfect Tune Headphones in this episode and loved it. Check it out! https://zildjian.com/products/zildjian-alchem-e-perfect-tune-headphones?variant=49623287628068 ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. (0:00:00) INTRO (0:06:01) FROM JAZZ TO JOURNEY (0:11:02) PROGRESSIVE FUSION, BOSTON FROM 1972 TO 1976 (0:12:24) JEAN-LUC PONTY (0:13:37) MOVING TO L.A. IN 1978 (0:15:13) SONOR FUSION DRUM KIT, RONNIE MONTROSE (0:16:24) OPENING FOR JOURNEY IN 1978 WITH RONNIE MONTROSE (0:17:02) TOURING WITH VAN HALEN, RONNIE, AND JOURNEY (0:18:37) GETTING THE GIG WITH JOURNEY (0:20:51) AN IMPRESSIVE CAREER AT 24 YEARS OLD (0:21:49) WHAT VAN HALEN WAS LIKE IN THE EARLY DAYS (0:24:25) RECORDING JOURNEY’S ALBUM, “EVOLUTION” (0:24:54) HOW JOURNEY’S HIT SINGLES CHANGED STEVE SMITH’S LIFE (0:27:42) PLAYING JAZZ, MEETING RANDY JACKSON (0:28:40) STARTING VITAL INFORMATION (0:29:32) GETTING FAMOUS (0:33:36) “DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’” (0:40:45) CREATING JOURNEY’S BIGGEST HITS (0:44:03) DRUM SOLOS (0:45:44) ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, DANNY SERAPHINE, NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN, BILLY COBHAM (0:46:56) MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA (0:48:13) LEAVING JOURNEY (0:53:11) “TRIAL BY FIRE” ALBUM (0:55:02) TRANSITIONING OUT OF JOURNEY (1:02:20) BUDDY RICH BIG BAND (1:06:13) NEAL PEART FRIENDSHIP (1:07:08) TOURING (1:11:31) TOURING WITH VITAL INFORMATION IN 2025 (1:12:09) HOW TO PLAY GREAT EVERY NIGHT (1:13:58) STAYING INSPIRED (1:15:00) DRUMMING IN NEW YORK CITY (1:16:19) HOW TO BUILD A DRUM COURSE (1:20:02) HOW TO SYSTEMATICALLY PRACTICE (1:23:12) KONNAKOLS, ZAKIR HUSSAIN, INDIA Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated! Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow Steve: https://www.instagram.com/stevesmithdrums/ Follow Vital Information: https://www.vitalinformation.com/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano Journey's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Acceptance Speeches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XyCKJ-Z9dA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 76. J-Rod Sullivan: From Viral Drum Videos to Janet Jackson’s Drummer

  Episode 76: Jerrod "J-Rod" Sullivan. If you're a drummer, chances are you've seen J-Rod pop up in your feed. He's one of the most exciting drummers to watch, and now he’s holding down the drum chair for Janet Jackson. From uploading his first drum video to YouTube back in 2006 to building an audience of over 700,000 followers, J-Rod is living proof that consistency and passion pay off. We get into everything from his early days playing in church to building an online community of over 700K+ followers with his drum videos and how he creates them. We talk about staying consistent while on the road, and why authenticity is everything. Plus, we go deep into the Janet Jackson gig, talking about how it came together from a DM and the sacrifice he took dedicating 2 months to turn this Janet Jackson opportunity into a closed deal. I had to find out how in the world he plays the infamous “Control” drum fill, his gear setups, how he makes his social media videos (both the cameras, the audio, and the process), creating drumless tracks with the Moises app, his band The 4 Korners, staying sharp, and why it pays to act as if you already got the gig. J-Rod came through to my hotel room in Las Vegas to link up the next day after his show with Janet Jackson. I went to the show and it was incredible. After the show, we went out with Zedd until 5 a.m., and the next morning he went straight to AMA rehearsals with Janet, then soundcheck at Resorts World with Janet, then to my hotel room to do the interview, and then straight to his show with Janet that night. We were running on fumes for this convo, which made it fun in it's own way. We dive into his story, his viral rise, how he landed the Janet gig, and so much more. Here's my conversation with the incredible, Jerrod "J-Rod" Sullivan! (0:00) INTRO (01:17) THE JANET JACKSON LAS VEGAS SHOW (02:37) ZEDD (03:20) STARTING OUT, JROD'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE (06:30) J-ROD'S DRUM TONE (07:20) HOW GETTING NOTICED CHANGED J-ROD (08:27) VIDEO CREATION PROCESS (11:07) DECISIVENESS (13:26) DRUMLESS TRACKS (13:56) HOME RECORDING RIG (15:11) HOW TO MAKE TRACKS DRUMLESS (16:11) PARAMORE'S "AIN'T IT FUN" COVER (17:06) GAINING TRACTION OVER 10 YEARS (18:43) GETTING THE GIG WITH JANET JACKSON (34:19) OFFICIALLY GETTING THE GIG WITH JANET (36:24) REHEARSALS WITH JANET JACKSON (40:42) "CONTROL" DRUM FILL (43:41) MEETING JANET JACKSON AT REHEARSALS (46:40) LIFE RIGHT NOW AND WHAT'S NEXT (50:17) WHO SHOULD BE ON THE PODCAST?  Here's the Jimmy Jam Videos that were referenced in the video: Jimmy Jam Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VQgpr2WNM0&t=3894s Jimmy Jam Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R4utgYvHdY&t=2305s Flyte Tyme Studios Tour with Jimmy Jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=updSUi65UvI&t=1266s ‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights. Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!   Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://elmolovano.komi.io/ Follow J-Rod: https://www.instagram.com/jrodsullivan/ Follow Go With Elmo: https://www.instagram.com/gowithelmo/ https://www.tiktok.com/@gowithelmo https://x.com/gowithelmopod Follow Elmo Lovano: https://Instagram.com/elmolovano https://x.com/elmolovano Follow Jammcard: https://jammcard.komi.io/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacpJtZKkl1AgBAffAQ4GRhL3aVKuKHJ704aJuBkalXXThdDCOiRye8RjcHTKQ_aem_o5GVeQoM7Kb3ykDhqwZbtA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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