Both Sides of the Glass with THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY

Danny Kortchmar (guitar and vocals), Waddy Wachtel (guitar and vocals), Leland "Lee"  Sklar (bass), Russ Kunkel (drums) and Steve Postell (guitar and vocals) are The Immediate Family. Alone, together (some as members of The Section), and in various combinations, these session musicians have appeared on a who’s who of albums over the past 50+ years. James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Warren Zevon, David Crosby, Phil Collins and countless others have benefited from their playing, production, song-writing and collaborative talent.

They have recently become the subject of the eponymous "Immediate Family" documentary by Denny Tedesco (responsible for the acclaimed "Wrecking Crew" film).

On February 16, the group released its second album, Skin In The Game, mixed by noted producer and engineer Niko Bolas (Neil Young, LeAnn Rimes, The Mavericks, Prince, Tyler Bank, Boz Scaggs, Sheryl Crow, Toto, Kiss and the list goes on).

Skin In The Game falls in the classic rock, singer-songwriter genre. It is expertly recorded and mixed and shows off the musical telepathy that comes from decades of working and playing together in studios and stages.

Even though I was hearing these songs for the first time, they contained a wonderful sense of familiarity, which makes sense, as the musical stamp of these players is intertwined into the DNA of popular songs from the past 50 years, whether you are aware that these guys played on them or not.

I was fortunate to sit down with Danny, Waddy, Steve and Niko—and a first in all of my years of interviewing, a surprise “interview-bomb” by drummer Steve Jordan (again from jazz to rock to funk to the Rolling Stones, who hasn’t he played with?). Steve Jordan has worked with many of The Immediate Family members and appears in the documentary, so he was a wonderful addition to the party.