Elliot Levine, the talented keyboardist from Heatwave, joins Joe Kelley on "Musicians Reveal" for an engaging conversation about his musical journey and experiences. The episode highlights Levine's unique position in the band, where he stepped into the shoes of the legendary Rod Temperton, contributing to hits like "Boogie Nights" and "Always and Forever." Levine shares insights into his career, including his work with Wilson Pickett and his solo projects, while also discussing the excitement of upcoming shows in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and San Jose. The discussion delves into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on musicians, with Levine recounting his innovative live streaming performances that raised funds for local food banks. Listeners will enjoy personal anecdotes, including Levine's passion for horse racing, his love for music, and the camaraderie among fellow musicians, making this episode a rich tapestry of inspiration and entertainment.

The conversation between Joe Kelley and Elliot Levine is a captivating exploration of music, legacy, and the human experience behind the scenes of the industry. Levine, known for his vibrant keyboard work with Heatwave, shares his personal journey from a young boy playing piano in Wheaton, Maryland, to becoming a key figure in one of the most beloved funk bands of the late 20th century. The discussion reveals the profound influence that early experiences with jazz and funk had on his musical development, as well as his admiration for greats like Rod Temperton and Wilson Pickett. Levine reflects on his transition into Heatwave, emphasizing the weight of stepping into a role left by a musical legend.

As the dialogue progresses, the episode touches on the realities of being a touring musician in today's climate, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic. Levine shares his innovative approach to performance during lockdowns, setting up backyard concerts that not only entertained but also raised funds for food banks, showcasing his commitment to community and the power of music as a unifying force. This segment highlights the resilience of artists and their ability to adapt and find new avenues for connection and expression, even in difficult times.

Throughout the episode, listeners are treated to rich anecdotes and personal stories that illustrate Levine's passion for music and his desire to uplift others through his art. From discussing his solo projects to the dynamics within Heatwave, the conversation encapsulates the essence of a musician's life—filled with collaboration, creativity, and a deep love for the craft. This engaging interview is a tribute to the enduring power of music to inspire, heal, and connect people across generations.

Takeaways:

• Elliot Levine discusses his experience as a keyboardist with Heatwave since 1999.
• Elliot Levine highlights the importance of music education and his scholarship initiatives.
• Elliot Levine emphasizes the joy and connection they feel while performing live.
• The discussion touches on the challenges of the music industry during the pandemic.
• Elliot Levine shares anecdotes about his time performing with Wilson Pickett.
• Levine reflects on the significance of connecting with audiences through music.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Ticketmaster
• SAP Center
• Orleans Arena
• Wheaton High School
• Maryland Food Bank
• Shepherd's Table
• Cameo
• Authentic
• Walter Reed
• MP3.com
• Artifacts
• WTOP
• Fox News
• CNBC

Hi, this is 08levine, keyboard player with Heatwave, who's done the hits Boogie Nights, Groove Line Always and Forever.

And you're watching Musicians Reveal with the great, amazing Funky Joe Kelly.

My next guest here on Musicians Reveal is a tremendous musician, great keyboardist, plays all sorts of music, funk, jazz, R and B.

He has been in bands with the late great Wilson Pickett.

He also has a great solo career with many CDs released and he also does studio work, he gigs.

He's an amazing performer.

I've known him from afar all these years.

We played his music on our various shows.

But it's great to welcome.

Yeah.

Mr.

Elliot Levine.

Thank you for having me.

Yeah, great.

Great to talk with you.

And yeah, you got a little break from the road with Heat Wave, right?

Right.

For about a month and then we go back.

We'll be doing three shows in February and will be at Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Jose on a bill with a bunch of other people.

So I know tickets for all those are available at Ticketmaster.

I know Phoenix is like a big show where it's going to be on Valentine's Day.

And Keith Sweat will be headlining that one with.

I know Evelyn King's on it.

Here I am bringing it up as we speak.

Okay.

It's the See Key, Sweat, Ready for the World, the Jets, Mary Jane Girls, force MDs.

That's at the Footprint center in Phoenix.

And then we'll be in Las Vegas at the Orleans arena with John B.

Color Me Bad, Mallow, Evelyn Champagne King and the four Sunds.

And then February 7th in San Jose at the SAP Center.

SAP center, sweat, ready for the World, John B, Evelyn King and four Centees also.

So if you're near any of those places, go to Ticketmaster and, you know, say hello at least on Facebook.

Psyched about all those.

Yeah, I Machine.

And I know you go to the UK a lot, right?

Not so much with Heat Wave, but.

Okay.

We also will be on the Soul Train Cruise that's happening in November, so that's gonna have a lot of cool people on it.

Wow.

The OJs, Charlie Wilson, the Spinners.

It's hosted by Don Cornelius's son, which is kind of cool.

So.

And that.

That's going to be fun.

You know how many.

I'm looking forward to that even, you know, especially with the weather here, so.

Which isn't so bad.

But it's I know better in the tropical climate.

Elliot rubbed it in.

We're up in Saratoga Springs area and it's like Snow and ice, 20 degrees and windy.

And he just showed me, hey, look what I'm dealing with today down in Carolina.

Was it always.

Oh, okay.

So your audience real quickly.

Yeah, there's a beast in back of me.

Yeah, there you go.

So yeah, it's a beautiful.

I wouldn't say it's warm, but it's like in the 40s.

You know, you can go walk the beach without a coat, but you know, light jacket.

Let me get the lighting a little bit better here.

Okay.

Here now.

Okay.

Have you ever, have you ever with Heat Wave, played gigs in Myrtle Beach?

I would love if they would.

They, they've been to Savannah, which is about four hours away.

But you know, I mean, sort of like, unfortunately the, you know, I shouldn't say never say never.

I, I've been trying to get them here, but you know, it's basically we play to a lot of people, so a lot of people would have to buy tickets and that's what they have to do.

Right, right.

So let's get back to.

Well, we'll, we'll dive into your early beginnings in music.

But since we're on the topic of Heat Wave, you replaced a legend who just passed away recently, Rod Temperton, who we know him through Quincy Jones's right hand keyboard man, Michael Jackson, all the production and there you are playing the music that he had a big hand in.

And you know, you're a great musician and how did this happen?

1999.

And you've been going strong since.

First of all, I appreciate you mentioning Rod Temperton and I love all the things he wrote.

He wrote Thriller, he wrote Rock with you, he wrote off the Wall, he wrote Give Me the Night for George Benson and I will be there for Quincy.

Well, for, yeah, Quincy Jones and you know.

But as you probably know, after he wrote Thriller and worked with Quincy Jones, you know, he had better, bigger things to move on to.

So there was an opening.

But how I got in is I played in a band in Washington D.C.

area with Pete Jordan, their sax player, and Keith Wilder, the original singer, moved to the DMV area in Springfield, Virginia, which was, you know, a few miles away.

So basically Pete got me into the band, you know, after what happened was they were flying the people from England out here.

Alarm.

That's my time for an interview.

Anyway, anyway, yeah, it was cheaper to not fly the people from England over here.

So they sort of have The Their own version of Heat Wave in England that does pretty much UK dates and we do pretty much American dates.

So they kind of like combined them and mixed and matched them, you know, when I was with them.

So I could say I played with a lot of the original members.

Yeah.

And I think Keith did a gig.

Was it how many years ago that.

That he.

His last gig.

2017.

That's about right.

Yeah.

I mean, but yeah, he had a.

He had two strokes and was able to still perform for five years later.

And of course, you know, I miss him dearly.

But, you know, it was fun working with.

I mean, as I say, it's the tunes I grew up with and I.

And I love Rob Temperton's writing.

And more importantly, he was a jazz keyboard player, which I am.

So I feel like an affinity toward him because he could solo and he knew all the theory.

And you can tell just from the way he phrased a lot of the horn lines and everything else that, you know, he was jazz influenced.

And of course, what's cool about Heat Wave is since he wrote all the tunes, there's a big prominent keyboard solo in all their hits.

You know, Boogie Nights and Groove Line will have like that keyboard solo.

So even if I don't get like a spotlight, I still get to do a solo in front of people.

And that's like a keyboard player's dream, you know.

Basically, Heat Wave is like the best gig for a keyboard player.

So I love it, you know, and it doesn't get old, especially, you know, the music doesn't get old.

And I love the band.

And like a lot of other bands, we're very.

We're all family and we're all friends, you know.

I mean, we'll.

We'll text each other and just chat, you know, A lot of bands, especially 70s bands, don't have that.

But yeah, like, it's fun to do and it's good people to be with, you know.

I guess I should mention, you know, all the members.

Yeah, Spoon.

Spoon's a drummer, which is Oren Weatherspoon.

Eugene Scooby is the vocalist.

And we got Dijon on vocals, Daryl Grady on.

Does the high vocals.

Tony Conti is a guitar player.

There's a new guy, Stephen Mitchell on bass.

He just started, but he's good and solid.

Right.

And Chuck Ransom on keyboards, the other keyboard player who could also sing.

And he gets a spotlight if we have enough time.

And they'll sing some Stevie Wonder and just turn it out.

Wow.

So it's a fun group of people.

Yeah.

I gotta give a lot of credit to great musicians.

Stylish stage wear.

Nobody's showing up in.

In raggy clothes.

You guys always have the glitter and jackets and.

Yeah.

And.

Yes.

And that.

All of our outfits are designed, sewn and hand sewn by Linda Wilder.

Keith Wilder, widow, who lives in Atlanta, so, you know, she still plays a role in it.

And her daughters, Lisa and Tammy, if we play anywhere near Atlanta, turn out and do some background vocals, too.

And his daughters, you know, they're.

Haven't have been playing with us since they were, like, very little.

I mean, he would bring him on stage and they would, you know, sing backups even when they were in high school.

So we've known them for a while, too.

What was.

Did they sing back up for a gig?

I saw on YouTube there was two ladies singing background.

Yeah, that's them.

Okay.

Yeah, they have stories.

It's like.

They have stories.

Like when I mentioned, you know, like, Chaka Khan was on the gig, they said, yeah, she babysat for us.

When Heat Wave opens for Shaka Khan, we called her Aunt Shaka, which was really cool.

Right.

Right.

Wow.

Chaka Khan was my babysitter.

That's just like something that, you know, like, think about.

Yeah.

You know, that she had time to babysit.

Well, I mean, you know, she was getting ready to go on stage after us, so.

Right.

They were little then, I guess, you know, either his wife wasn't there because it would have been on the road.

I'm not sure the details other than Shaka Khan watched them while they performed.

And.

That's right.

It was probably Heat Wave opening for someone who was opening for Shaka.

So she probably wasn't going on right after us, so she could watch him.

But I'm just assuming here, you know, the story itself is cool.

I.

You.

You do Heat Wave in yourself.

Elliot Levine, you do a lot of, you know, solo gigs with the band, but you also are in some of these package 5, 6 bands you mentioned before, upcoming in February.

What.

What's it like?

Are there a lot of trading of stories backstage?

And are there bands that you're.

You're kind of at the side of the stage or watching on the monitor?

Like, yeah, this.

This is the band I want to see.

Do you have those kind of moments?

Oh, man, yeah.

Like when we played this big gig in la, which was A full in love fest.

It's like, yeah, I took my wife Anna there and it was basically all the bands on a bucket list that we got to see.

And I got to see and meet Dionne Warwick.

That was like really cool because like, I mean, you know, just being little and listening to her, it's like, hey, it's Dion Warwick.

But I think the really coolest thing was seeing Al Green because.

Because he doesn't do a whole lot of performances.

He might tour here and there, but, you know, he doesn't come to anywhere near me.

So it's like I got to see Al Green, which is cool.

But the main people, I mean, I got to see Diana Ross and Santana was on it.

Got to see him, got to see Cameo, but the headliners were Lionel Richie and the Isley Brothers.

And just like everybody.

That's R and B.

That was big.

Big was at this, basically the R B Woodstock.

And that was last August.

And it was the coolest thing.

And I guess the better, even neater thing was we had a really good time and a really good.

We came on at 2:30 so people were already there and we were on the stage that had like T Funk and Cameos.

So when we were on stage, you know, there was 50,000 people and people every direction.

It was just like a big rush.

It's like I could say, hey, I got to do this.

And it's just I was.

The video, I believe, of the whole set is up on YouTube from a side view where.

Where Elliot was.

Right.

Yeah, my wife filmed it because, you.

Know, she did great.

She did great.

Yeah.

If she was in the audience, she probably wouldn't have been all that close.

But I also like when she panted a crowd and my first reaction was like, wow.

It seems like there's a lot of young people there too.

And everybody was.

Their hands were in the air and they.

They love Heat Wave.

Yeah, yeah.

Because there was a mix of people, you know, from like different, you know, genres.

Like, I mean, you know, there were.

I wouldn't say there was young, young people, but yeah, there was, you know, a little bit for everybody and.

Right.

You know, in four different stages.

So, you know, it was.

It was fun.

And yeah, we were.

We were on the funk stage or.

So did you get much of a sound check or is it just like we wing it for the best.

The way they did it was there was like a rotating stage and while one and we.

They were rotating people every 15 minutes with at zero gap in between bands.

So when the band before us was playing, which was Shalimar.

We would be setting up and line checking.

So we got a line check, you know, so.

And of course it's.

There was probably repetition and redundancy, meaning, yeah, there's three mics and there's the same type of inputs and same type of levels.

But it was fairly organized.

Like we were setting up and line checking while the other band was coming on and I was looting my sounds.

You know, here's the solo for Groove Line, here's the solo for Boogie Nights while they were performing.

And I got it all done in time.

So, you know, it was very good.

It was like clockwork.

I mean, they had it together, except with one exception.

It was like I was fiddling for, you know, I was telling bring myself up and they, you know, my feed was in the other keyboard players micro monitor, you know, like they made me very loud and the other keyboard player was trying to tell him turn Elliot down.

Right.

So I couldn't hear myself.

But you know, I knew that I could hear myself from a slight boom from the speaker.

So I knew I was out there.

But that was, you know, it was kind of like I was fiddling for the sounds on the keyboard player.

I could hear.

So, you know.

Oh, I was kind of, you know, know instead of.

It wasn't all incredibly cool, you know, there was still a lot of nerve wracking parts of it.

But that's with everything.

The music sounded great.

I.

I wouldn't know all this was going on or ask you what was going on if I didn't see the view your wife took of right where you were signaling otherwise.

Yes.

I'm sure the people in the crowd had no clue.

Well, yeah, I mean, the main thing is all the sounds I needed were there and all the parts I needed to play, I played.

So it was kind of.

It went well, it was fun.

Right.

So let's talk about those days in the Mid Atlantic, which I could tell, I could tell you still got that Mid Atlantic.

A little bit of the accent.

Yep.

Hold on, let me turn this down and get out of my email because that be probably led into.

Okay, Mid Atlantic.

I was born in dc.

I grew up in Wheaton, Maryland, which is right outside of dc.

It's the same high school that Joan Jett went to, although we weren't there at the same time.

And I guess the jazz ensemble kind of made me want to do music.

Although I've been playing since I was 4 and I knew I was going to play music since then.

But Mr.

Black, the jazz ensemble director really, you know, got me featured and did a thing, say I was like the first year where they said, let's branch this into small groups.

So I had my own band was called the Biggie Quintet and we played the assemblies.

And it was just the coolest thing because basically in high school I was a nerd.

I didn't have the looks, but by playing the piano, I knew that people could be moved by what I was doing.

So.

So it was like, hey, I got this thing that's unique to me and I might not have big self esteem any other way, but I got it this way.

And this is something that gives me joy.

So I think, you know, Mr.

Black, I think he's still actually around.

Last I checked, he's in his 90s in California.

But what I have done, the other thing was I do a scholarship for Wheaton High School for people in their jazz ensemble.

Yeah, basically Wheaton High School is fairly much, and I could just say it, it's a blue collar type school.

You know, the people in my graduating class went on to do like, you know, didn't really go to college, which was like, you know, they had their own professions.

Like some became business owners and cosmetologists and auto mechanics, but very few went to college, at least from the reunion.

So I said, okay, I can change this by doing a scholarship.

Not only does it make the world better, but it, you know, improves people and their families and gives them a career with job skills.

So basically, for the last nine years, I've did a scholarship for people in the Wheaton Jazz Ensemble that have been accepted into an accredited college.

And good or bad, it's never been a hard decision because still, just like before, only one person in the whole jazz ensemble is accepted into college.

So there's no decision that has to be made.

Even though I'm not really part of the decision, the music teacher decides because a scholarship can't have that in order to be, you know, fair and tax deductible.

That's the other part of it.

But the main thing is, yeah, for nine years and I've seen, I've been doing this and I've seen the results.

It's like, okay, the first year I gave a scholarship, the guy that I gave a scholarship to to University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, became a music teacher in the school system in Eastern Shore.

So it's like, cool, I've liked, you.

Know, you made a difference.

And I knew that he was the first person in his family to go to college.

So it was like, you know, it was like a double thing that helped.

And I know other people, not all of them, that did music for their careers.

Some have become it.

Some have gone into the financial sector.

But I know that, at least in Wheaton, it was partly my story, too.

I had trouble paying for college, and I was in debt for 10 years, you know, paying student loans.

It's like, I could change this.

I could make this better for others.

It's like something that's near and dear to me.

And it's sort of like, also when I was dealing with, like, financial planning, which you do when you're older, I want to make sure that this goes on forever so I'll be remembered.

So, you know, I have.

I have it set to have scholarships at Wheaton High School for the next hundred years, if they're still Wheaton High School.

So that's something I'm really proud of.

And, yeah, I think by telling people about it, there's other people with similar things.

Like, you know, there's someone that did a basketball scholarship for their college because basketball got them, you know, improve their life and got them, you know, change their life for the better.

And Adam, go to college.

So, you know, it's sort of like the future is the future, and you can make the world better by doing it.

And that was like, if I'm remembered for anything, that's what I want to be remembered for.

For.

It's like, okay, 20 years from now, no one will know who Elliot Levine was, but they'll know that he paid for someone's college, and maybe they might Google him and hear my music.

So it's like, yeah, you know, it's a good way to be remembered.

Yeah, I mean, you know, to your last breath.

You'll be happy if that carries on.

So, yeah, you'd be commended for that.

And the core thing is I got to shake the people's hands that I gave the scholarship.

I got to see it in my lifetime.

A lot of people do scholarships and memory someone, and, you know, they don't see the results of it or know about it.

It's like, no, I did this.

It's sort of like.

And I know the people that have gotten the scholarship that have gone on and done great things, so it's a cool thing.

I recommend other people listening, you know, consider doing it.

And it's real easy to do.

You just contact the high school you went to, and you don't have to contribute much.

You know, anything helps.

So.

And you can have a scholarship in your name doing it basically, you know, it helps reduce crime because if someone has, you know, desperation, it eliminates that if they have a job skill that gives them, you know, a way to make money without being desperate.

And it helps their families and their future generations.

I mean, it helps a lot of things on a lot of levels.

Not to say that anybody would be a criminal, but it does help, you know, it helps with the desperation that you would face if you didn't have the skills to have a good job.

So anyway, so from your high school beginnings and then you carried it on, you know, a living legacy going on right now.

Where was the, the movement into a professional career playing music for a living?

How did that happen?

Oh, okay.

Well, I guess during, you know, during COVID Well, I'm trying to think of a good way to say it.

And I had a song on it that basically they were paying 5 cents a download.

I had a million downloads.

And there's.

Because of that, I was able to, you know, retire at age 57.

Because I think what happened was I had to turn down a corner school gig that would have been eight weeks in London because I couldn't take eight weeks off from my IT job, you know.

Right.

And which is what I did during the day.

I was always, you know, always played music full, you know, I would almost say full time during weekends because of this dude's full time jobs.

But after Covid, it was like, okay, everything is paid off.

I'm going, you know, I can enjoy my life now, you know, or do what I always wanted to do, you know, full time.

And it was the best decision I ever made.

But anyway, yeah, the story with MP3 is I was the first person to get a million downloads.

It got my song Urban Groove, got used by a Swedish ice skater for her Olympic tri.

Her Olympics.

Oh, got used by.

By, well, it got used but in a movie called Cash, which was a kung fu movie based in Hong Kong.

And one of the tunes off that album, Smash, got used by inside the NBA.

And so of course it all failed.

But, you know, yeah, the guy that owned mp3.com that was worth 4 billion.

You know, sold it for like 300 million.

So he still did okay.

Not as good as he could have done if he sold it for 4 billion.

But the part that how did I get big on there?

Is that I had an IT job where I'd set up servers on a Navy contract.

So I went out to San Diego, where they were based, to load a drive into a server and I was done at 12.

So I drove up to mp3.com's headquarters.

The guy that owned it knew me.

They weren't that huge then.

It's like they featured me on a million promo CDs with like 103 song MP3 files on it.

And it was distributed free to colleges.

And so a million people heard me.

And I guess because I did instrumental smooth jazz there, I had the advantage that in different countries there wasn't a language barrier.

In other words, instrumental music, you know, had the advantage of, you know, not having words they couldn't understand or anything controversial to them, you know, or whatever.

But anyway, so it got to me.

Number one for about four months on was number one overall for a few weeks.

And then they had the jazz charts and it was number one then.

And it was in good company.

I mean, there's other people.

Huge groove.

Got to start from there.

Right before me.

Like, I.

I knocked Huge Groove out of the number one.

Wow.

So you got that claim.

Yeah, right.

You're right.

You can get a million.

I got the million.

There he is.

And I think they did a write up on you in the Wall Street Journal.

Right?

Huh.

And that was, the, the idea of that was I was on a minor record label called Artifacts and they wanted to put out the new album I had.

And it's like, I'm thinking, I just got $50,000.

I'm not going to get that from a minor music label.

So I turned them down.

So the idea that this person with this new MP3 Internet thing to turn down a record deal and still make money was like a newsworthy thing.

So they featured me and like the Wall Street Journal and CNN picked up on it for a few, few days.

People knew who I was, you know, so that was, that was really cool at the time.

And, you know, I could say basically I was like one of the first people to utilize the Internet before things were viral, you know, and know, the power of international airplay and publicity by hustling online, which is what you have to do.

Yeah, you made it happen.

I mean, you got to have the solid music.

But yeah, you knew how to do it.

Yeah, that was the other part of it.

I had an I T background.

The other thing I did within that time is a lot of The Baltimore and D.C.

musicians, you know, were tech unfriend well.

I didn't know tech well.

So I helped about maybe 10 or 12 people that were local to Baltimore and D.C.

convert their CDs to MP3.

And I had a scanner and a modem, so I uploaded stuff.

And a few of the people, like Eddie Anderson and.

And I'm trying to think of some of the others.

Jock Johnson, who's no longer around, a lot of them made a few thousand dollars and got like a few hundred thousand downloads because, you know, I helped do it.

I mean I was, you know, I charged 25 bucks for like basically what would take an hour to do, you know, and.

But because of that, a lot of people that would not have been on the site did well or, you know, got hurt.

So it was kind of cool at the time, you know, I didn't just do it for me is the point.

Yeah, yeah.

Local musicians that I helped out doing that with.

So.

So how about today, something like that, A musician, you find that almost next to impossible to do something similar that that you did to get hurt.

Well, there's a lot of outlets and a lot of things that weren't there.

Now of course there's a lot more competition, but you know, all we need is like a viral tick tock video and you can have the same results, if not better.

I mean people that, you know, are content providers can make millions, basically couldn't make that then.

But you know, you're competing with a million other people too.

So it's.

There's a lot of the things that were there that are similar and then there's a lot of new opportunities that are also just as competitive.

So you have to be, I think, even more unique or compelling.

That's I guess the best way to say it.

Yeah, I wanted to touch base on Wilson Pickett.

You played in his band, right?

Yeah.

Tell us about Wilson Pickett.

Okay.

I love.

Well, he was my idol and I didn't play.

I mean, I basically subbed for their keyboard player that couldn't make a few of the gigs in the early 90s.

92 to 93.

So I did it.

I wasn't really a full fledged member as I was a sub on a tour when the keyboard player was out, you know, out of commission for a few months.

But either way it was fun.

I love playing with him, you know, I mean he had the voice now.

He would scream at people.

Like, he would scream when he was singing.

Like, you know, when we were going through a rehearsal and we were driving up from Maryland, he was saying, you're late.

Like that, you know.

So his scream was not just what he sang.

Yeah, yeah.

But I guess the other cool thing was, you know, we got to rehearse at his house and, you know, might not be.

He basically said, I'm the first white person to ever be at his house.

You know, he wouldn't even allow his manager into his house.

But, you know.

So I guess you were a trailer blazer.

Yeah, right.

I mean, I guess either that or he, you know, didn't have rehearsals with his other bands at his house.

But either way, it was kind of cool to play with them.

And it was.

It was a neat thing.

And I still play with a lot of his band members.

There's Midnight Movers, which is Curtis Pope, who was an original Wilson Pickett trumpet player.

And back in the day, the first band I was with, Skip Pitts, which is Charles Skip Pitts.

You know, the Taunt tune Shaft.

He was the guy that did the.

On the guitar.

He played so one.

And he lived in D.C.

so I would do gigs with him like at the.

There's a place called the Vegas Lounge.

Small, rinky, dink.

I shouldn't say rinky.

A small place.

But, yeah.

This is the guitar player that played Shaft, and it sounds like Shaft, and that's the guy that did it.

And I'm playing Shaft with them.

It's like, wow, I have to finish myself, you know.

Yeah, yeah, that.

That sound is like.

Really fits that era perfectly.

Right.

So.

So I got.

I got a quick Wilson Pickett story.

I got into radio in 82, and in 83, I was.

I was filling in for the.

The nighttime R B dj.

I worked part time at the radio station, was a professional station because James Brown and Wilson Pickett came into town to do a show at the Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Connecticut.

And after I filled in for him, the shift, they were doing two shows a night.

I went to the show backstage.

The first two musicians I ever met, Wilson Pickett and James Brown, that night, it was like, wow.

And.

And, you know, I never really appreciate the.

How big these guys were until, you know, years later.

But that was something.

Yeah.

How good they were.

I mean, that's the other.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

It was just.

Just growing up, I was lucky to have older brothers that had good taste for me music.

And there was the James Brown 45.

I would be playing, playing when they weren't there.

And I would scream, watch them.

When I was like five, you know, which would have been a viral video if people had, like, the ability to do it.

But, yeah, I mean, I like James Brown at an early age.

It's like, yeah, yeah, I want to have that energy, you know, that's what really, what I said.

How about.

How about for keyboardist, Piano, funk, R and B keyboardist?

Who.

Who did you look up to and who do you really dig now?

Oh, good question.

I was just going to talk about them.

Monty Alexander.

I mean, basically they had is a keyboard player from Jamaica.

He's kind of blues influenced.

And I got to see him for free with Milt Jackson and Grady Tate at a place called a thing called Jazzmobile.

And there weren't a lot of people.

Like, I was like, you know, second row, maybe there was, if anything, under 500 people there.

And it's like, you know, in high school, I would hear things like Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson, which were these fast, virtuoso piano players and, you know, that probably practiced every waking minute of their life to get to that point.

And I'm thinking, I'll never be that good or that fast.

But when I saw Monty Alexander, I felt something.

It was like the blues.

The blues in a jazz groove.

And it was like, I want to make people feel the way I feel listening to him when I play that way, that was my goal.

It's like, you don't have to play fast.

You don't have to, you know, play every waking minute to get something very, very intricate.

Even though it's impressive to do, you just have to make people feel something.

And that stayed with me.

So, yeah, Monty Alexander and then McCoy Tyner, he.

What I got from him was like, he was like heavy metal rock.

Only with jazz.

He would do these fourth chords that were powerful, and it was like, okay, wow.

I'm feeling the same way I feel listening to Led Zeppelin, listening to jazz with him playing this heavy thing that's like almost cathartic.

And I like that part from him.

And then with funk, Billy Beck from the Ohio Players, I mean, he's pretty much the biggest unsung hero.

You know, he wrote Skin Tight, right?

Yeah.

It's like, okay, that's, you know, in terms of funk, as good as it gets, so.

And of course, Bernie Worrell from P Funk.

I mean, without knowing that it was him that was doing it, you know, the keyboard player from P Funk.

Yeah, that.

There was something about that, too.

Yeah.

The biggest mistake.

I always make this story sometimes that Bernie Worrell, he was a good friend of our.

But we met him the first time he came to the studio.

He brought his keyboard tech, all his keyboards into the studio.

So I know where you're going.

There are a lot of keyboards.

Yeah, there were a lot of keyboards.

So it was the old wvof, not the.

The second one where I.

I.

The last time I worked at vof.

So I'm here.

And before he came down, a few days before, his wife Judy says, oh, I'm going to give you Chris France and Tina Waymous number from the Talking Heads and TomTom Club, because they were friends.

I called up Chris France.

They actually live in the town where the.

The station was.

So they came down to surprise Bernie.

So Bernie's got all his keyboards in the middle studio.

They show up as the interview starts and surprises them.

And the thing is, we made so much.

There was so much talk in the interview.

Reminiscent, I think I only had him play like a minute of his keyboards, which I've got on tape somewhere in the closet there, which I got to convert.

But, yeah, missed opportunities.

Yeah, but he was such a nice guy.

And, you know, he was just like.

He was always helping young, like.

Like you.

You're helping younger musicians.

He was just like.

We'd go backstage, it shows.

He'd go, hey, it was it like a musician in their 20s.

You got to meet Joe Kelly, does a radio show in Connecticut, blah, blah, blah.

And, you know, he was a really sweetheart, but guy.

That was cool.

Yeah.

I never got to see or meet him.

Like, I've seen P.

Funk a few times, but, you know.

Yeah.

He left when I got to see him.

Right, right.

Yeah.

Still.

People's still going on, you know.

Yeah.

But I do, you know, I'm fairly good friends with Greg Boyer, their trombone player.

I'm on a CD with Christian Demasonis with him.

He's coming by next week for the show.

Tell him I said, hi.

Yeah, I got it.

Yeah.

Because when I knew Maryland, I said I.

I was going to ask you off air if you guys knew each other from the area.

Yeah.

So, yeah, I'm gonna tell him you were on.

We talked nice things about him.

Yeah, yeah, of course.

You know.

Yeah.

And I don't want to give it away, but.

And I'm not sure if it's up for me to say it, but a lot of Princess horn arrangements when he played with Prince were basically written by him, you know, but that's something to ask him about.

Because like, yeah, when you hear princess horn arrangements that, you know, but from that period, that's, you know, that's him doing it.

So.

Yeah, he was on the show 20 years ago when they're doing musicology and they were rehearsing before the tour started.

He had a wisdom tooth taken out the day he did the interview and he showed up and yeah, I'll, I'll definitely ask him about.

Right, right.

In the charts, in the, in the group.

Yeah.

So, yeah, he has some stories, but it's up to, you know, Sim to tell it, so.

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

So one thing I want to say, and my wife wanted to thank you too.

I want to thank you.

During COVID you had a really unique thing which you did in your backyard.

Oh yeah, Yeah, I used to watch those.

They're still.

You archive them on, on yout YouTube, which you're just in your backyard where you're set up and, and your iPad and you're, you're, you're doing your thing that.

Thank you.

And you did it for, you know, raising money for food banks and stuff like that.

Yeah, right.

Oh man, thanks for bringing that up.

But yeah, basically I had never done music to tracks until then because like in D.C.

especially, all the clubs were closed and there were a lot of people that were out of work.

Especially not just musicians, but people that worked at clubs, bartenders and other people.

So basically I thought, hey, I'm not, you know, let me do something about this and have fun in the process.

So basically I set up my keyboard in my backyard and at the time it was also the right place and right time because Facebook kind of their algorithm was skewed more heavily toward live streaming.

And they also do services like provide necessities, shampoo, shaving cream, soap, whatever else to people that need it.

So they're a good, good organization and it was really good to help them.

Them.

And you know, I think also because of that, the basic thing is like I had fun.

I.

And I varied it.

Like every gig I did, I did like a feature.

Like I'd have like a reggae week or there was A you know, James Brown and tribute, a Prince tribute.

I.

I did some EDM one time.

It was just right.

Everything was very different.

But the main thing is I had fun and that was the thing.

And as a side note, you know, my son was in high school and he was, you know, they closed the high schools, all Zoom meetings.

But you needed to have basically the things where I'm trying to think of community service.

So by setting up my keyboard, he could write in his community service hour because it was for, you know, helping the food bank.

So.

Right, right.

Able to, you know, do that.

Right.

During the time when that was few and far between.

So did you, did you have to warn the neighbors there was going to be a concert?

Strangely, I mean, we all knew our neighbors and it's actually.

And I wasn't anticipating this and I guess probably because I'm in.

I was in Maryland.

They loved it.

Oh, okay.

I mean, you know, it's basically.

Yeah.

People I didn't know.

Hey, I heard you play and I hear you're raising money for the food bank and it's a cool thing.

And it was like, you know, I mean, it helped.

It was during the day at 3, you know, 3pm on Sunday.

So it's not like I'm keeping anyone from sleeping.

Yeah.

Or you know, but they were, they all went along and especially the close in neighbors.

It's like, yeah, I can't wait to hear you.

Some of them just hung out like near the fence listening in.

So it was pretty cool.

Or they were watching online.

So unlike some neighborhoods or some other places, they didn't have any problem with that during the time.

And it was really cool.

I mean, you know, there are people I didn't know maybe a block away or two blocks away.

Hey, I hear you're.

You're the guy that's playing.

Wow.

You know.

Oh, it went that far?

Okay.

Yeah, well, I was, you know, it's a big speaker in my backyard and me having fun.

So yeah, it could go a couple blocks.

But I guess the other cool thing is a lot of the media picked up on it or at least WTOP in a TV station in Hagerstown.

It's like, you know, good news.

There's this, this so, you know, helped get my name out there by doing it.

So it was a good thing.

And it was more.

I was able to help people during the time of people needing help and, and having fun in the process.

It was more else is looking forward to it because it's like there are no gigs.

But I Have my gig here and I got an audience.

It's like, wow, this is cool.

Yeah, we were really digging it.

And I know, you know, I saw some of the talk about it, so that, that's cool.

Hey, you're, you're a performer, an emotive performer.

You just don't stand there just, like, in one spot.

You're, you're, you're digging in real hard into the music.

What, what do you attribute that to and, and talk about.

Well, okay, I'll go deep with this.

Basically, I think, you know, for lack of a better way of saying it, I love to get, I love to have attention.

I guess my parents were older when I was, you know, growing.

I mean, my parents had me, like, you know, when they were around 40, so it's like, you know, I wasn't.

Their attention wasn't what it was when they were younger.

So I knew if I could play piano.

So at least stop, Stop banging on the piano even though I was just playing.

So it's like, hey, I can get attention by playing piano.

So basically, you know, for lack of a better way of going into the deep psychology, I, I'm getting attention doing it.

You know, that's.

Which is probably why I like playing gigs where I don't play background music and be ignored, because.

Right.

You know, part of it is like, I, I, I love attention, but then the other part of it is I'm feeling it.

You know, that's the other part that I go into the zone.

You know, like, I think, you know, the zone where, which is where you're just playing and trans.

Is the closest to being with the spirits as you can get.

So when I'm in the, you know, in the zone, I'm transcending, you know, earthly things and being in the spirit world, and I go there on a long solo.

It's sort of.

There was a movie, and I can't think of the name of it.

It's where they talked about that.

The guy that played on Colbert.

Anyway, he, he did that movie where they talked about the Zone, you know, which is.

Yeah.

John Baptiste.

Yeah.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

I say names and, you know, I.

Was stuck for a while, and I just started thinking, we'll put the two of us together and we'll get it.

All the info.

Right.

Thank you so much for remembering them.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That movie talked about going into the zone, and that's very true.

It's sort of like when you're playing something and just getting into it.

It's almost like, you're in the spirit world.

I could even tell, like, you know, when I was doing that in Blues Alley and I opened my eyes, I saw the ghost.

But then is equal sp, you know, which is kind of weird.

But, you know, that's the other part.

I get into it that way too, you know, not just for the attention, but I'm like, not even paying attention to the reality.

I'm just there in my zone, you know?

Right.

That's a good thing.

Yeah, yeah.

That's what you do it for, so.

And you give us joy at the same time.

So.

Yeah, I gotta.

I gotta have the joy, you know?

Yeah, that's right.

And when I talk.

When I talk about people, it's, you know, I'm not the best virtuoso.

There's a million people.

Well, there's a hundred people in New York that can play better, you know, in terms of skill than me.

But my claim to fame is I have the most fun.

There's very few people in this world that could say they have more fun playing than me.

So maybe one or two, but not, you know, not like, that's.

That's what I.

That's my niche.

I have fun.

If you go.

You know why?

After this interview, whenever you're watching it, stay on YouTube and just type in Elliot Levine.

YouTube.

You'll.

You'll see different gigs with Heat Wave, solo gigs, trio gigs, and.

And what we just talked about, you know, he's not lying, so that's great.

Yeah, I have the most fun.

Yeah.

A quick technical question before we.

We get into something else.

I was watching the other day.

I'm a big Minneapolis fan.

Jimmy Jam was going through the Flight Time studios, and they.

They came across a couple keytars.

You were one of the earlier ones to play the keytar, right?

Well, I mean, the physical keytar, they had a Sh101 that I play, like, literally in 12th grade, which.

Okay.

Right.

And a cord, either a long cord or later a guitar wireless plugged into there.

So I was the first person that I know of and definitely the first person on YouTube to ever think of that.

It's not like there's other people doing it because it's not easy to do.

You know, you have to play smaller keys and you have to configure it to a certain way.

So.

But yeah, I mean, I was the first person to use an iPad, like a keytar, and it's still cool.

It's like with Bluetooth, I could go out in the audience with my iPad, you know, and play.

And a lot of the technology is there's a lot less lag time with Bluetooth with the newer Bluetooth stuff.

So, you know, and I guess the other part is if you play fast, the lag time doesn't matter as much.

Right, right.

And.

And also a tip I saw you mentioned, don't play it in hot weather and having your finger sweat.

Right.

Oh, boy, I saw that interview.

Yeah, that's very, very true.

Because, yeah, otherwise a nodal stick.

Right, Right.

You'll play a B flat when you're trying to play an A, you know, so, yeah, that was.

That was rough.

But, yeah, luckily I had a shirt to wipe the keytar with my iPad with, so it didn't last long.

Yeah, yeah, that.

That was cool.

Interview.

Yeah.

So.

So I'm brutally honest.

It's like, if you mess up, just say you messed up, have fun with it and move on, you know?

Yeah.

But it's.

It's authentic, so that.

That's cool.

Hey, one thing Elliot and I share is a passion for horse racing.

And Elliot, speaking of authentic.

Yes.

That wasn't intentional, but, yeah, if you don't know, Elliot was a part owner of a Kentucky Derby winner.

Authentic, trained by Bob Baffert.

The.

That was.

You know, you did a lot of media appearances and.

And you're still talking by part.

It was like, I own 1/100,000th of it with 5,000 other people.

But it was a 200 investment that I saw Authentic run in the Stakes Cup.

Basically, this horse was much faster than any other horse there is, and it had this speed rating of like 103, where every other major horse, you know, was like, in the 80s or 90s for a speed rating.

So this thing was amazing.

It's like, hey, I can get a piece of this.

You know, even though.

So basically the thing.

Yeah, the horse won the Kentucky Derby, but the other part of it, my wife Anna worked at Walter Reed with basically at their simulation center, where she hired actors to pretend they're sick, and the Walter Reed doctors would diagnose what was wrong with them.

And the sports assistant from WTOP, which is a main news channel in D.C.

you know, had a part time gig as an actor playing sick so that the Walter Reed people could diagnose him.

But anyway, he said there's no way Authentic's gonna win.

You know, he was like a long shot at 15 to 1 and the Derby, you know, and like when you watch the derby at the time, it's like all these celebrities, none of them wanted Authentic.

They all like wanted the favorite or the second favorite.

This is like the third favorite, you know, so.

And like when he won, it's like, I gotta get Elliot.

I gotta have to talk to WTOP.

And once again, WTOP in D.C.

is the highest rated channel.

So they carry the.

The Orioles, right?

Well, they're.

Yeah, they're news, you know, 24 hour news and traffic, weather, which you need 24 DC, which is a weird thing of DC, but that's how it is.

But anyway, so they interviewed me and it was like they played it over and over.

And then Channel 5, which is Fox News, and DC said, okay, we gotta, you know, pick up on the story.

Of course I had this like T, this polo shirt that had Authentic on it.

So that was like really cool.

Right after the derby and they played that morning, noon and night.

And then CNBC took, took that lead and said, okay, we gotta interview Elliot too.

So the bottom line is, as hard as I tried trying to make it as a musician, for like that one week, I was like more famous than anything I'd ever do in music.

From a 200 investment, owning, you know, one 100,000th of a horse.

And you know, people at Starbucks are Safeway, said, hey, you're the guy that owns the horse.

Can I get a picture with you?

Right.

So, yeah, for one week I was like super, super famous.

Authentic.

Yeah, Authentic won the Derby and 10 second in the Preakness.

Right, right.

And then the Belmont.

Didn't run.

Right?

Yeah, I didn't run, but.

And basically the bottom line, if anybody's thinking I made a lot of money from it, no, I might have like made.

I've made my 200 back and maybe like $50 more than that.

But I made the money with Authentic betting on it because it was 15 to 1 and I felt like, I mean, I'm not like a big better.

I bet like maybe 20 or 30 bucks and made a few hundred.

So I made my money back, you know, knowing that Authentic was going to win.

So.

But the coolest thing was it's like, hey, I could get on Cameo as a horse.

Race owner and say happy birthday to people in my Authentic shirt.

I made 25.

Yeah, I made 25.

Right, right.

So.

So.

So did you invest in other horses since.

Well, that's a good question.

I want to also say another thing about Authentic is that the real money that he made was from as a breeder.

In other words, he has, like, 200 kids and people paid like $70,000 each time.

So most of the 200 I made back from Authentic wasn't from, you know, the races, but from, you know, the.

From breeding.

But.

And I was also going to say I'm a fan of one of his kids named Rodriguez, which is the Thoroughbred Daily News Rising Star.

So look out for Rodriguez, even though I don't own him.

I mean, I made a half a penny from him breeding him, but he's going to win.

I.

I see him winning the Derby anyway.

Do I own another horse?

Yes.

Lucky Running Cat, which is based out of Pennsylvania.

He's running Friday at 10 national in the ninth race.

He isn't a perfect horse.

He usually.

I.

I shouldn't say bad things about him, but he's usually way ahead, and then he chokes and comes in second.

So he would be a good horse to bet place on, but not to.

Win or underneath in the exacto.

Right, right, exactly.

Yeah.

So, yeah, that's great.

You're staying about.

Did you go to a lot of.

Did you go to Laurel and Pimlico when you were in Maryland?

It was usually Charlestown because the horses were cheaper and.

And unlike Pimlico or Laurel, you know, like, you could hang out in the stable and I would feed my horse.

You know, I had, like, two horses.

One was Tap Tap Tap, which is from Tapit, which is a big horse, and the other one was called Chartreuse, but I could, like, pet him and feed them carrots and apples.

And more importantly, the owner of it, Blue Streak racing were kind and they treated their horses well.

I mean, the story with Tap Tap Tap was they claimed them from an owner that treated them like crap.

And, you know, you could tell, like, they didn't take care of them.

And then the.

When Blue street got him, they fed him well, they took care of him, made sure he was healthy.

And then he came in first a few times, so it was cool.

You know, I try to get a horse trainer that.

Well, I know isn't going to abuse her horses.

They don't.

Yeah, that's.

That's.

They don't whip them hard.

You know, they.

They basically.

They win because they want to Win, not because they're being beaten by a thing.

So, you know.

Right.

I like compassionate horse trainers.

And, yeah, I've seen Bill Parcels.

He lives up here in Saratoga Springs, and he was at the training track sitting in a golf cart with George Weaver's dog while George Weaver was training horses and just, you know, just watching them.

So he's a big thoroughbred fan.

He owns horses, too, Parcels.

Yeah.

But it is a cool thing to see your horse win and go to the Winter circle and, you know, just like.

And, you know, the horse is excited, the trainer's excited.

There's nothing like it.

And, like, during the Kentucky Derby, that was just like, as I say, I mean, it's a cool thing with Heat Wave to play in front of a lot of people, but it's also a cool thing to have a horse that wins the Derby.

Yeah, it's like.

That was like, kind of like a highlight of my life.

Was anybody in.

In the band Heat Wave putting some dollars on your horse?

Most of them aren't into that.

They're more in the football.

Right, Right.

Yeah.

Yeah, I know.

It's a lit.

It's a little niche.

Yeah.

Unique.

I mean, there's some other musicians that, you know, are into horse ownership, but not so much with Heat Wave, you.

Know, but, yeah, the first track I ever went to was I was visiting my dad, who did business out there in Hong Kong.

I went to Happy Valley.

Hong Kong.

That.

That was great.

So, yeah, you got to make it out here.

We got a lot.

You know, April to November, the horses are up here.

Not necessarily running races, but they're training, and they're going to be up here.

Belmont Stakes, July 4th Festival, and then the standard Saratoga.

So Heat.

Wait, they.

They got Saratoga Arts Performance Center.

Big, big place.

I don't know if you've done gigs there.

I know a year ago, we were in Rochester, I think.

I think that's probably okay.

I mean, I'm not sure.

It's not that far, but not that close.

Yeah, we're.

We're 20 minutes from Albany.

Right.

And that's.

Oh, that's a whole nother thing.

That's where my father's family is from.

Oh, really?

Okay.

Yeah, they.

Yeah, my father lived in.

Well, was born and lived in Hoosick Falls, and.

Oh, I know.

I know a trainer lives there.

Yeah.

And more important, you know, it's like, there's stories like Grandma Moses, the artist lived there, and he would sneak into her backyard by the lake and go fishing there, which is kind of cool, but.

And if you're ever in Hoosick Falls, you know, they have like a war memorial that Henry Levine has his little placard on, so.

Wow.

You know, it's good to see.

And I had a cousin that lived to be 103.3years old that kind of grew up with my dad.

And she was totally together.

Like she say.

Yeah.

She lived in this house.

In this house.

And had all the addresses and all the family history, but.

Yeah.

And also the cousin's brother, in other words, Sid Wahlberg's brother.

I should name names is if you.

If you know Albany the Egg.

Oh, yeah.

Louis Swier.

Yep.

Her.

Her brother was Lewis Swire, which is kind of.

Oh, okay.

You know, they have like a little bench with statue of him feeding pigeons because he was usually a loner but would feed pigeons with that.

Right.

Wow.

A lot.

A lot of history through the family in your life and.

Hey, Elliot, I gotta thank you for coming by.

Musicians reveal.

Great.

All these years playing your music on the show and, you know, thank you for doing it.

I'm grateful, appreciative, blessed.

Especially coming from you because I'm a really big fan of you.

I mean, you know, let me give shout outs to people listening from my side.

This is the only radio DJ Joel Kelly to be Joe Kelly to be basically endorsed by Prince.

And on Prince's website, and you can see probably stuff from any member of Prince's band or the Time Band he's interviewed, as well as Cindy Lauper.

And basically, Joe Kelly is the coolest DJ ever.

So check his stuff out and like.

And subscribe to his stuff.

Amen.

Love you, man.

That's great.

Yeah, that.

Thank you very much.

Y.