#431 Les Cleveland (aka LRCFUNK)- Artist, Singer, Drummer, Multi-Instrumentalist, and More!
This week’s guest is Les Cleveland. LES & LRCFUNK represents the transformative journey, whose prodigious musical talent was evident from a young age and was fostered by his first teachers—his parents, both musicians. Starting with singing and picking up the drums by the age of two, this family of musicians laid the foundation for his deep connection to music. As a drummer, he has had the mentorship of John Blackwell Jr. from sixth grade and later on in life as a multi-instrumentalist, he was inspired by icons like Larry Graham, Prince, Lenny Kravitz, and many others whom he admired for doing what they loved. LES & LRCFUNK learned to execute his vision no matter the circumstances.
A proud Berklee alumnus, his path veered into music direction, divinely guided by his early experiences and further enriched by significant collaborations with music royalty such as Larry Graham, Prince, Anita Baker, Patti LaBelle, and others. These partnerships honed his skills and allowed him to develop a sound that blends innovative musical genres with deep-rooted musical traditions. His recent singles, Emerald City, Close & Far, DarkSpace, and I Found The 1, released on all major platforms, highlight this unique sound.
Today, LES & LRCFUNK is more than just a name; it embodies a visionary approach to music that merges his artistry with the dynamic synergy of his collective musical endeavors. Ready to learn more about his eclectic style that blends funk fusion with an expansive range of genres, LES invites listeners to experience his vision—a celebration of music's boundless possibilities and his enduring passion for sharing his musical gift.
R.I.P.
Rest in peace to Clem Burke, the drummer for Blondie, has died after privately battling cancer. He was 70 years old. -Read More
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Karl Perazzo! Karl Perazzo is Santana's percussionist who worked with Carlos Santana alongside percussionist Raul Rekow and drummer Dennis Chambers, Herby Hancock and Jason Mraz among others.
Karl Perazzo since the age of 2 has played some kind of drum or other. At age 7 he played in a band that his mother and father formed. From there he became unstoppable and went on to play with Cal Tjader while only in the 6th grade.
Karl Perazzo, born and raised in San Francisco's Mission District, has gone on to play with the best in Pop, Jazz, Rock and Latin Music. The self-taught musician is currently playing with the Santana Band. He has recorded 3 albums with Santana, one being a Live album in South America.
He has also recorded and played with Malo, Jorge Santana, Cal Tjader, Dizzy Gilespie, Andy Narrel, Ray Obiedo, Tom Coster, Pete and Coke Escovedo, Dennis Chambers, Sheila E., The Artist, Mariah Carey, Paquito D' Rivera and is on the latest John Lee Hooker album.
Karl Perazzo has also sat in with the best in Latin Music, such as Tito Puente, Machete, Ruben Blades and others. Perazzo is not only known nationally, but internationally as well. He is known to have recorded with some of the best acts in Japan and Italy.
In addition to all of the above, Karl has also performed on an array of TV shows, such as American Bandstand, Soul Train, Solid Gold, Jay Leno, Johnny Carson, David Letterman, The Grammies, The American Music Awards, and was the first percussionist to be invited to sit in with The Arsenio Hall Show house band on more than one occasion, and to perform on his 100th show.
Aside from all this Perazzo still finds the time to travel the country doing clinics for the Latin Percussion Music Group. He strongly believes that the knowledge he has is not his to keep, but to be shared with people around the world!
Happy Birthday to Ernesto Marichales! Born into a Venezuelan family with a musical heritage, grew up among musicians and artists, Ernesto has been playing percussion since the age of 8 and touring professionally with his family since he was 10. In Venezuela had The opportunity to work with important folk and latin music Icons. Since a very young age showed Interest for the Caribbean rhythmic world and percussion Instruments, his journey started when Tata Guerra, a cuban percussionist and composer, friend of his also very influential step father Alberto Rodriguez, gave him a pair of very bad quality bongoes to start studying with him. After some years Ernesto replaces Tata as the Trio Hermanos Rodriguez Percussionist; at the same time he was influenced for hip hop, funk , reggae, afro latin and jazz, studying and playing with great musicians in his hometown, Caracas.
His career in Europe as a prolific and in-demand musician/producer continues growing and diversifying.
Ernesto obtained his BA (Hons) in Music Performance and Production at the London Centre of Contemporary Music (LCCM), Middlesex University in 2013. He has also studied ethnomusicology and photography, and holds a degree in Mass Media and Communication from the Santa Maria University in his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela. In addition to his growing recognition as a musician, Ernesto’s vast experience and impeccable work as a creative director and copywriter have been recognised with a number of international awards.
Ernesto’s musical mentors include: in Venezuela, the Cuban maestro and composer Tata Guerra, the Venezuelan maestro Nene Quintero, and the Yamaha school for classical guitar; and in London, Simon Wallace, Pete Zeldman, Pete Cater, Sid Gauld, Dave O’Higgins, Richard Brooks, Graham Fox, Mark Armstrong and Bryan McLellan, among others.
Ernesto has also taught drums (2015-2017 at London City Academy and London Centre of Contemporary Music), written music for films and commercials for brands like Wella Sassoon, 7 up, BMW, Bayer, Gatorade. among others, been the Musical Director of the London Cabaret Club and worked as a percussionist on the West End show Motown.
In 2017 won as Musician of the year in the UK Latin american awards (lukas Awards), as a percussionist, drummer or producer Ernesto have worked in more than 30 albums till the date. -Read More
Happy Birthday to Jason Treuting! Jason Treuting has performed and recorded in venues as diverse as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Walker Art Center, the Knitting Factory, the Andy Warhol Museum, Zankel Hall, Lincoln Center, DOM (Moscow) and Le National (Montreal). As a member of So Percussion, he has collaborated with artists and composers including Steve Reich, David Lang, John Zorn, Dan Trueman, tabla master Zakir Hussain, the electronic music duo Matmos and choreographer Eliot Feld. In addition to his work with So, Jason performs improvised music with Simpl, a group with laptop artist/composer Cenk Ergun; Alligator Eats Fish with guitarist Grey McMurray; Little Farm, with guitarist/composer Steve Mackey; QQQ (a quartet consisting of hardinger fiddle, viola, guitar and drums); and Big Farm (a foursome led by Rinde Eckert and Steve Mackey). Jason also composes music. His many compositions for So Percussion include So's third album Amid the Noise, and contributions to Imaginary City, an evening length work that appeared on the Brooklyn Academy of Music's 2009 Next Wave Festival. Recent commissions for other ensembles have included Oblique Music for 4 plus (blank), a concerto for So Percussion and string orchestra for the League of Composers Orchestra; Circus of One, music for a video installation in collaboration with Alison Crocetta; and Diorama, an evening length collaboration with the French choreographers in Project Situ. Jason received his Bachelors in Music and the Performer's Certificate at the Eastman School of Music where he studied percussion with John Beck and drum set and improvisation with Steve Gadd, Ralph Alessi and Michael Cain. He received his Masters in Music along with an Artist Diploma from Yale University where he studied percussion with Robert Van Sice. Jason has also traveled to Japan to study marimba with Keiko Abe and to Bali to study gamelan with Pac I Nyoman Suadin. He joins the Bard Conservatory faculty in the fall of 2011.
Gig Alerts
Friends of the show, Joe Locke, Warren Wolf, and Stefon Harris (1st appearance - 2nd appearance) will be part of the Vibe Summit at Keystone Korner on Wednesday April 30th.
Coachella will be streaming the performances on YouTube again this year. Here’s how to watch your favorite artists.
Sun, Sand, and Soul is happening at Miramar Beach, FL from May 1st-3rd.
Damon will be a special guest with Blanco Diablo at The Mint in L.A. on Sunday April 13th at 7pm. This band is led by friend of the show, Andy Sanesi.
Educational Spotlight
Thomas Lang has a drum camp in Nashville, TN on May 30th and June 1st.
The Drum Fantasy Camp is back in Los Angeles, CA from August 2nd-6th. The drum coaches have all been revealed as Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Peter Erskine, and Gavin Harrison. Tickets are already going fast!
Iconic Recording
Les picked two iconic recordings for the week. The first is “Pure Imagination” performed by Gene Wilder from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The second song was the song “Smile” performed by Michael Jackson.
Music News
Grammys On The Hill, music’s biggest week in Washington, D.C., kicks off this week with country legend Randy Travis leading the celebrity charge. -Read More
There is a full guide on what is happening this week on the Grammy Website.
Including an advocacy day.
Also check out the Future Forum too!
Damon also wants to see progress on the Living Wages for Musicians Act of 2024.
The Musicians’ Union has highlighted a couple of scholarships for potential college students going to school for music. You can look into the Anne Walker Scolarship and the ones from the Music Performance Trust Fund.
Les Cleveland Interview
The song leading into the interview is called “Emerald City” from Les’ new album, which can be found on Bandcamp.
Damon and Les met on a gig in Hartford, CT.
Les plays many instruments and sings.
Les is from Columbia, S.C. Damon brings up South Carolina BBQ and Low Country cooking. Les mentions Sticky Fingers.
Les’ father was a pastor and his mom was a choir director and pianist/organist.
Damon mentions the difference in secular and sacred music.
Les mentions early influences in Michael Jackson, Art Blakey, and Tony Williams.
Les started playing orchestral percussion instruments. Shout-out to Leontyne Price.
Les mentions the acroynm PK. That stand’s for “preacher’s kid”
Les attended Berklee College of Music because of his teacher/mentor John Blackwell Jr.
Les mentions Tyrone Mack and Robert Newton III.
Les toured with Larry Graham.
Les expounds on the importance of getting a degree when you come from a community of color.
Les talks about building his community of musicians in Boston when he moved there to go to school.
Les talks about going to Paisley Park and being auditioned by Prince and Larry.
Les talks about being prepared and ultimately getting more gigs.
Les talks about learning tons of repertoire and listening a lot.
Damon talks about learning hand signals and watching for cues and sight lines, and mentions Nate Smith working with Betty Carter.
Damon mentions Les’ new album that is now available on Bandcamp called “Emerald City” by Les and LRC Funk. Damon mentions Bandcamp Friday.
Les picks the iconic recording. Here is another version of the “Pure Imagination” choice.
Damon mentions the Maxwell Cruise where Les played with Margot Bingham. Shout-out to Bendji Allonce.
Les uses Tama Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Aquarian Drumheads, Vater Drumsticks, RTom, and 64 Audio in Ear Monitors.
Les talks a bit about getting and keeping endorsements.
Shout-out to Les’ parents, John Blackwell Jr., Matthew Jones, Willie E. Lyles, Grace, his Grandparents, Prince, Larry Graham, and Robert Newton III.
You can follow Les on his Website, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The song leading out of the interview is “Close and Far” from Les’ new album.
