Dan Volpe has kept the same band alive for forty years, figures he's owned something like a thousand guitars, and still flat-out refuses to carry a setlist. He's the mastermind behind My Metal Heart and the guy who's run Exide since 1984 — and he just became the third member of My Metal Heart to land in the Hog Pod chairs, after Elise and Mark Molloy.

He gets into the Thirsty Whale nights when the smoke machine hid the whole band for five songs, naming a group after WVVX 103.1 blasting metal till 1 a.m., the day the guy who wrote "Switchin' to Glide" tracked him down over a cover — and whether a cover-band lifer is ready to let AI write his next song. If you came up in the Chicagoland bar scene, this one's for you. Grab a cold one.

🎯 KEY MOMENTS

0:00 Cold open

2:00 Back from vacation — straight into two band practices

2:43 The 3rd My Metal Heart member to hit the Hog Pod (after Elise & Mark Molloy)

4:45 Exide since 1984 & the birth of My Metal Heart

5:24 Why he built VVX to play Van Halen to Metallica

6:18 The band named after a dead radio station: WVVX 103.1

7:02 Suits on, "Cuddly Metal" — the My Metal Heart rebrand

9:18 No rehearsal since 1991 — and it still works

10:01 Walking in and playing last night's leftover setlist front to back

11:31 "Switchin' to Glide" — the guy from The Kings tracked him down

13:32 Thirsty Whale tales: smoke machines & an amp on fire

17:16 Northwest suburb haunts — Chances Are & Dirty Nellies

23:44 Are kids still getting into hard rock?

25:25 Running a music store through the grunge takeover

29:22 Does anybody still support live music?

35:05 How DUI patrols quietly emptied the bars

36:29 Why he brings earplugs to every show now

40:18 Older brother, Van Halen '78 & the spark

44:07 The best guitar players going right now

45:19 The power-chord "aha" that unlocked everything

46:03 The AI snobbery segment: can a machine write your next song?

50:35 How many guitars? Try 1,000

53:16 Les Paul vs. Strat — the real difference

55:05 His one-of-a-kind Hamer out of Arlington Heights

56:49 First concert: Doobie Brothers, front row, age seven

1:00:03 The vacation where he set up a friend's entire guitar collection

1:01:38 Pop Tarts: the final verdict

📍 Chicago cover bands - Exide - My Metal Heart - VVX - WVVX 103.1 - The Kings - Thirsty Whale - Hamer Guitars - Rick Nielsen - Van Halen - guitar collecting - Chicago live music scene - AI music

🎸 Guest links

My Metal Heart — MyMetalHeart.com (Facebook / YouTube)

Exide — on Facebook

Book Dan — [email protected], or Joey DeMarco at United Talent

❤️ Support the Hog Pod: patreon.com/hogpod

Hosted by Pete Jansons & Mike "Bongo" Orfanos

🎤 Want on the show? Booker / club owner / shredder → [email protected]

#Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #DanVolpe #MyMetalHeart #Exide #ChicagolandMusicScene #ChicagoCoverBands #TributeBand #HairMetal #GuitarCollector #ChicagoLiveMusic #PeteJansons #BongoMike

What do you do when Jam Productions calls with five days' notice and asks if you want to open for Bob Newhart at a sold-out Chicago Theatre?

Heather Moran said yes — and walked offstage to a wink and three words she never forgot. This week the Bluewater Creek singer (with husband Mike Moran riding shotgun on the couch) covers a career that runs from opera training and Second City to Chicago jazz rooms, storefront theater in Andersonville, and the Lake County scene she now calls "a little Austin." Along the way: the Heatherita, the night the orchestra hated her charts, playing Janis Joplin for Soundtracks of a Generation, the deep-cuts lesson every bar band learns the hard way, why somebody told her she sings "too pretty for rock and roll," singing the national anthem from the top of a firetruck, Mike's DJ etiquette rules, booking bands through Moran Event Group — and the first-ever puppy on Hogpod. His name is Alan. He slept through it.

🎶 Catch Bluewater Creek live: Jul 23 Long Grove Music in the Park · Jul 31 McHenry Riverwalk · Aug 7 Libertyville in the Park · Aug 8 Sunset Pavilion, Lake Zurich (free) — billed as Bluewater Creek Lite

🎯 KEY MOMENTS

00:00 Bluewater Creek live — cold open medley

4:47 Heather arrives + the Heatherita recipe

6:23 Puppy news & the midnight-to-two shift

8:00 Three years of Hogpod, zero monetized episodes

13:03 Bongo's intro — the washboard & djembe at Toadstool Pub

14:22 How they met: Mosquitoes + Bluewater Creek at Sundance

16:02 Sal & Soundtracks of a Generation — 18 shows

18:34 "I've got a band in me" — the Bluewater Creek origin story

21:48 Deep cuts vs. hits — the 80/20 flip

23:50 2013: five days' notice to open for Bob Newhart

25:48 "Good job, kid" — the Johnny Carson wink

27:08 Signing the Chicago Theatre green room wall

30:10 Mom of three, gigging till 2am — the career takeaway

31:20 Opera → theater school → Second City → Factory Theater

33:04 Moran Event Group — working both sides of the stage

40:01 "DJs aren't musicians?" + the wrong-coast DJ disaster

42:06 DJ trends — TikTok kids going back to the 70s

43:33 Alan the puppy makes his public debut

44:49 Let's talk Janis Joplin

49:19 Why the Janis songs come last in the show

50:31 Classical training & 30 voice lessons a week

52:38 "You got to smile and sing"

54:39 "Too pretty for rock and roll"

56:59 The rooftop stage going up at Doc's

57:59 The national anthem from the top of a firetruck

59:20 What's new on Main Street Wauconda

1:00:22 Pitching 30 bands to book one gig

1:02:39 How to book Heather & Mike

1:07:04 Bongo's rapid fire begins

1:07:42 First concert: Shaun Cassidy, third grade

1:10:38 Boulder days — opening for Big Head Todd & the samples

1:12:46 The Pop-Tarts question

1:13:38 Cheese fries: Portillo's vs. everybody

1:14:21 Berwyn, Fitzgerald's & the Fire Alarm

1:15:27 The right way to request a song from a DJ

1:17:02 Hams from the Land of Clear Blue Waters — sign-off

🎸 FEATURED LINKS

Bluewater Creek

https://www.bluewatercreekband.com/

Heather Moran

https://www.heathermoran.com/

Book bands & DJ — Moran Event Group

[email protected]

❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon

/ hogpod

🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons, Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike) & Chris "Rhodesy" Rhodes

📧 Booking

[email protected]

#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #HeatherMoran #BluewaterCreek #BobNewhart #ChicagoTheatre #ChicagoMusicScene #LakeCountyMusic #Wauconda #Americana #LiveMusic

Is it ever too late to start singing in bands?Jody Fields got married at 18, raised three kids, started college at 37, and didn't set foot on a bar stage until her forties. Today she's one of the busiest vocalists in the Chicago music scene.Jody is the backing-vocal secret weapon of Pacific Sound Company (formerly Blue Bayou, Chicagoland's Linda Ronstadt tribute), a six-year veteran of Bourbon Country, and the voice behind Jazz with Jody every Thursday during dinner at Duke's Alehouse in Crystal Lake.This week on Hogpod, she tells the story of how a self-described nerd from Crystal Lake who told Mike Dermont, "You should be in choir," ended up, forty years later, surrounded by many of the same musicians she admired growing up.We also talk about the nine-piece yacht rock band COVID killed before it ever found its audience, the text message that started her Linda Ronstadt chapter, why yacht rock is deceptively hard to play, how jazz musicians actually use the Real Book, her standing offer to fly anywhere as a Karen Carpenter emergency sub, disco line dances, roller rinks, K-Tel records, singing at funerals, the Leaving on a Jet Plane moment that explains why she does any of it... plus Pete putting a Pontiac Grand Prix underwater at Poplar Creek, and of course, the Pop-Tarts question.If you've ever wondered whether it's too late to chase the thing you've always wanted to do, Jody's story might change your mind.🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 Cold open — "You Make Loving Fun" with Pacific Sound Company01:55 Welcome to Hogpod — tonight's guest: Jody Fields06:25 "You should be in choir" — eighth-grade shop class09:07 Married at 18, college at 37 — starting late, catching up now12:57 Bourbon Country — six years of traditional country and Americana19:56 The Real Book — how the jazz quartet works21:23 Jody's House — the nine-piece yacht rock band COVID killed22:48 The yacht rock boom — Anchors Away, Yachtley Crew & why it's hard to play29:06 The Karen Carpenter emergency-sub offer — "I'll fly across the country"30:31 Disco kid — mom hit the disco scene and brought home the hustle34:09 Jumpsuits, roller rinks & K-Tel 45s from the Kmart bin35:43 Where to see Jody — Pacific Sound Company's summer schedule38:10 Sip & Sunflower at Tom's Farm — Bourbon Country with fiddle40:22 The purse cajon & melodica jazz at Duke's44:50 Goat Village Nov. 20 — double bill with The Mosquitoes47:18 Set-time talk — what's the sweet spot for bands our age?51:58 "I love singing at funerals"53:22 I'll Fly Away & Leaving on a Jet Plane — why she does it57:38 Bongo's new cajon58:57 Rapid Fire — first concert: David Lee Roth at Poplar Creek1:00:38 Pete puts a Grand Prix underwater at Poplar Creek1:02:55 The Pop-Tarts question🎸 FEATURED LINKSPacific Sound Company  / pacificsoundcompany     / @pacificsoundcompany  Pacific Sound Company Live at On The Rocks — Fri. July 24, Waukegan  / 2020038492250818  Pacific Sound Company Yacht Rocks The Vixen — Fri. Aug. 21  / 838913329154350  Blue Bayou, A Linda Ronstadt Tributehttps://bluebayouillinois.com/❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon  / hogpod  🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos📧 [email protected]#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #ChicagoMusicScene #PacificSoundCompany #YachtRock #LindaRonstadt #CrystalLake #LiveMusic #BourbonCountry

What does it take to build a world-class music museum from scratch?Ron Romero, Founder, CEO and Board Chairman of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66, joins Hogpod for an inside look at the museum preserving Illinois' incredible musical legacy. From honoring legendary artists like Cheap Trick, Survivor, REO Speedwagon, Muddy Waters, Curtis Mayfield and countless others, to creating a destination for music fans in downtown Joliet, Ron shares the vision behind one of the Midwest's most exciting cultural projects.We also talk about rebuilding after the devastating Joliet tornado, the Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, rare artifacts inside the museum, Cars & Guitars, Route 66 tourism, artificial intelligence and music, and why preserving our state's musical history is more important than ever.If you love rock & roll, Chicago music, Route 66, or the stories behind the artists who shaped generations, this episode is for you.🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 Welcome to Hogpod02:16 Rob Stepen on The Generations' summer schedule08:48 Meet Ron Romero12:41 How the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum was born17:14 Recovering from the Joliet tornado20:56 Cars & Guitars and creating a destination24:33 The Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame29:07 Preserving Illinois music history34:09 Legendary Illinois artists and museum artifacts39:38 How the community can help the museum grow43:05 AI, technology and the future of music48:37 Ron Romero's journey as an entrepreneur53:18 Rapid Fire58:12 Favorite concerts, Beatles, Pop-Tarts and closing thoughts🎸 FEATURED LINKSIllinois Rock & Roll Museumhttps://roadtorock.org/Insperityhttps://www.insperity.com/The Generationshttps://thegenerationsband.com/❤️ Support Hogpod  / hogpod  🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos 📧 [email protected]

Can two veteran musicians use AI to make music that's actually good — or is Suno just a shortcut that's killing the craft? Jay Martini and Mitch Germaine have been playing together for 25 years, going back to a covers band called Big Witness and a smooth-jazz project called Opening Night that sold, in Jay's words, about eight copies in Romania. Jay's a working pro and Pete's old School of Rock instructor; Mitch is a drummer who ran his own studio and spent a career as an enterprise CIO. This week they walk through exactly how they built their track "Dystopian Charm" with Suno, ChatGPT, and Cubase — the Steely Dan hack, the disturbing AI lyrics they had to rewrite, ripping out the Michael Bublé vocal, the Moog and drum-machine panics of decades past, the SOO YES idea, why nobody in Nashville will admit they're using Suno, and the one Pop-Tart rule. 🎶 Jay & Mitch release their AI music as Deus Ex Machina — search "Deus Ex Machina Dystopian Charm" on YouTube. 🎧 More Hogpod AI music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QtmZ... 🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 Intro02:35 WildStreet crashes the line — Eric Jayk & the June 10 Woodstock show06:30 Mitch joins + "you taught my dumbass to play bass" — Jay & Pete's School of Rock history08:37 25 years, Big Witness & Opening Night — the CD that sold 8 copies in Romania10:01 Discovering Suno — and why everything came out Bublé or Scott Stapp11:48 The prompt grind — a billion YouTube videos & why you need music theory13:35 LIVE Suno demo — Pete builds a modern country song on the spot17:09 "Who cares who wrote it?" — Rhodesy on Grammy winners & the AI authorship question18:34 Pulling stems into Cubase — how they actually refine a track19:47 "Dystopian Charm" — the Steely Dan hack & the disturbing AI lyrics23:44 "If Jay Martini isn't a musician, I don't know who is"25:35 Ripping out the Bublé vocal — dropping the real voice back in27:23 The Moog test — is AI just the synthesizer panic all over again?32:21 "It's a tool, not the whole band" — garbage in, garbage out33:37 Drum machines, the LinnDrum & "think of it as a collaborator"36:58 The SOO YES idea — real bands playing original AI-built songs live39:59 Deus Ex Machina — where AI & musicians peacefully coexist42:10 "How do you make money?" — seven million songs a day46:02 The AI video reveal — 30 Gemini images, premiered on the show48:19 "I hate you because it sounds so good" — the stigma nobody admits55:12 Debuting it live at Shirley's — and the "Real or Fake" song aimed right at him58:58 "AI purists" & the 50% success rate — the Genesis turd in the punch bowl1:03:32 Pete's prediction: "you're learning a language — you'll be fluent"1:07:58 First concerts — Chicago at the Erie Crown & Jeff Beck/Jan Hammer1:09:59 Worst shows — Robin Trower note-for-note & a 4-hour CSNY night1:14:10 Rapid fire: the Pop-Tarts question 📍 AI music - Suno - Deus Ex Machina - Dystopian Charm - Cubase - songwriting - Moog - drum machines - Steely Dan - School of Rock - Chicago music scene - AI and musicians 🎤 Jay Martini & Mitch Germaine — search "Deus Ex Machina Dystopian Charm" on YouTube ❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon  / hogpod   🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons, Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike) & Chris "Rhodesy" Rhodes 📞 Booking — [email protected] #Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #AImusic #Suno #AImusicdebate #DeusExMachina #Songwriting #MusicProduction #ChicagoMusicScene

Same high school. Same college. Same football team. Same career pivot — and somehow the same suburb. Steve McEwen and Pete Jansons have been living parallel lives since Lane Tech, and this week the former Q101 afternoon DJ walks through every spot those two worlds collided.Steve was on the mic at Q101 when Chicago's alternative scene was white-hot — he introduced Jakob Dylan at the Cubby Bear, caught the last Soundgarden show at the Aragon, and earned what he calls his "PhD in music" at SIU's WIDB. From there it's Medusa's, the Q101 band-name audition, Lollapalooza then vs. now, JVO, Joe Shanahan and the Metro, whether AI music is even music, why he traded the mic for real estate, the Bears stadium mess — and the one Pop-Tart rule he refuses to break.🎶 We turned this whole conversation into an album. "Two Worlds Collided" — 8 AI tracks built from Steve's stories, from "Bill Pang" to "Before They Were Huge" to "Go Sell a House." Out now on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/album/1q7Jj5...🎧 All Hogpod AI Albums on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QtmZ...🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 Intro02:26 Two worlds collided — Lane Tech, SIU football & parallel lives03:38 Cubby Bear GM meets Q101 DJ — introducing Jakob Dylan07:09 WIDB radio school — Bob Odenkirk the legend, "my PhD in music"09:19 The Q101 audition — pronouncing 100 band names10:48 Before they were huge — Gwen Stefani, the last Soundgarden show, Lenny Kravitz x312:56 Lane Tech melting pot — the "Bill Pang" story14:55 Medusa's — the all-ages industrial playground17:22 JVO — Chicago's interview king before Carpool Karaoke19:53 Cubby Bear lore — Sue Miller, Lounge Axe & Jeff Tweedy22:50 The 1980s George Loukas clip — punk nights at the Cubby Bear27:39 Lollapalooza then vs. now — is the scene dying?34:38 Is AI music? Autotune, Bad Bunny & Al Jourgensen's two computers38:20 Fake faces, filters & "reconnect as humans"39:46 Why he walked away from radio for real estate43:45 The Bears stadium mess — Arlington Heights vs. Indiana53:42 How to actually pick a real estate agent56:52 The trades are the future — what AI can't touch59:13 First concert confession — Barry Manilow at Ravinia1:01:24 Rapid fire — the Pop-Tart rules📍 Q101 - Chicago music scene - Cubby Bear - Medusa's - WIDB - Bob Odenkirk - Jakob Dylan - Smashing Pumpkins - Lollapalooza - Joe Shanahan - Metro - JVO - Al Jourgensen - AI music - autotune - Chicago real estate - Chicago Bears - the trades - Lane Tech - SIU Salukis🎤 Steve McEwenhttps://stevemcewen.comhttps://makingchicagomove.com❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon  / hogpod  🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons & Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike)📞 Booking — [email protected]#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #ChicagoMusic #Q101 #CubbyBear #ChicagoMusicScene #Medusas #Lollapalooza #AImusic #ChicagoRealEstate

Scott Muzzey is a Chicago drummer-for-hire who plays the washboard, can trace his family in America back to 1633, and at seventeen sliced through five tendons, an artery and the carpal nerve in his wrist after falling onto a drinking glass mid-practice. The therapy that brought the hand back? More drumming. He joins Pete and co-host Bongo Mike (26 years in The Mosquitoes) plus fellow drummer-for-hire Chris "Rosie" Rhodes for a Chicagoland drummers' roundtable: early vs. 80s REO Speedwagon, the rub-board vs. washboard fight, the trick of gluing thimbles to work gloves, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, a 1978 Foghat first concert, and why he still won't trust AI — on the show that turns every conversation into an AI album. 🎶 NEW HOGPOD AI ALBUM — "The Hand Remembers" (8 tracks) is out now on Spotify, built from this conversation:https://open.spotify.com/album/0vydx1... 🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 Intro23:27 REO Speedwagon — the stalled tribute, early vs. 80s, "157 Riverside Avenue"32:45 The washboard — antique-store find, thimbles vs. gloves34:34 The glued-glove thimble trick37:02 The wrist — five tendons, one drinking glass, drumming as therapy38:21 Washboard vs. rub board (frottoir) — zydeco, Black Oak Arkansas, New Orleans44:02 What got him going — Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa (all-time hero), Keith Moon, Carl Palmer50:00 Bongo Mike's origin — Santana at Poplar Creek, Take Two, 26 years in The Mosquitoes54:55 Two drummers for hire — scottmuzzy.com, 90-band site, why he won't trust AI56:00 The Muzzy family since 1633 / Battle of Lexington57:05 Rosie's update — Tesla, July show, Dirty Nelly's cancer benefit58:00 Octobans & roto-toms from Allen1:00:42 First concert — Foghat + Pat Travers, International Amphitheater, 19781:03:25 Worst concert — Supertramp, fourth row, Alpine Valley1:05:50 Rapid fire — Pop-Tarts (hard no), greasy lunchroom pizza1:07:09 Sign-off 📍 Chicago drummers — washboard — REO Speedwagon — zydeco rub board — Gene Krupa — Buddy Rich — Foghat — Rush — drummer for hire — tribute bands — drum gear 🎤 Scott Muzzey — scottmuzzy.com ❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon 🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons & Bongo Mike 📞 Booking — [email protected] #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #Drummers #Washboard #REOSpeedwagon #TributeBands #LocalMusic #Chicagoland

For 22 years, Teddy O'Brian's was the down-and-dirty Highwood room where bands hauled in their own PA and the patio packed out on a summer Friday. Ted Banick bought the bar in 1999 and ran it for over two decades — booking Mr. Blotto, watching Bongo's eight-piece own that patio — and on this Hogpod he tells the whole story, right up to the new stage on the west side that's still waiting for a band. Hosts Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos take Ted through the rise and fall of live music on the North Shore: the Highwood festivals that made a bar's whole year, the Wisconsin reggae band Unity that turned a 4/20 into legend, the Umphrey's McGee connection, and a Jimmy Buffett bookend that runs from Ted's first concert at Poplar Creek to Buffett's last show at Alpine Valley. 🎧 All Hogpod AI Albums on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QtmZ... 🎯 KEY MOMENTS0:00 Cold open — live set8:02 How Bongo met Ted at Teddy's9:44 Ted's story: 22 years, bought it in '9910:00 WCBR & Mr. Blotto — earning the music cred16:59 Bongo on the patio: the eight-piece room23:53 The new stage & the room people miss25:30 Highwood festivals: Nashwood, Highwood Days, Pumpkin Fest27:19 Umphrey's McGee (Brendan Bayless)27:38 Unity: the Wisconsin reggae band & the 4/20 sit-in29:21 Running the room: "being open is the gravy"31:14 What changed in 22 years42:23 "Nothing's like the old days"43:26 The biggest night: a Nashwood49:30 Jimmy Buffett: Poplar Creek to Alpine Valley 📍 Highwood - Teddy O'Brian's - Chicago music - North Shore live music - Mr. Blotto - Umphrey's McGee - Unity reggae - Jimmy Buffett - bar ownership - music venues - Bongo Mike ❤️ Support Hogpod — patreon.com/hogpod Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike). 📞 Booking — [email protected] #Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusic #Highwood #TeddyOBrians #LiveMusic #NorthShore #MusicPodcast

Chicago guitarist and bandleader Dan Peters joins Pete Jansons, Mike "Bongo" Orfanos, and Chris "Rhodesy" Rhodes for a deep dive into the Chicago music scene, the Five Amigos, Shred-abilly, Broadway's Rock of Ages, auditioning for Brian May, playing with Dee Snider, AI music, DJs vs bands, and why everybody suddenly wants earlier shows. Plus: Green Mill swing-era stories, Brian Setzer influence, the changing live-music economy, and Dan's walk-up song "Keep It In The Family" by The West Side Winders. 🎵 "Shred-abilly: The Dan Peters Sessions" — Hogpod AI album inspired by Dan's story drops this week. Spotify link https://open.spotify.com/album/1wRenL0YJNtT0ibAlrIh28?si=UCkXoOokT9-ECzRCnj7Bew 🎯 KEY MOMENTS0:00 Cold open — "Keep It In The Family" (West Side Winders)2:50 Dan joins the guys6:09 Five Amigos origin story11:29 Shred-abilly + Green Mill swing residency12:25 West Side Winders / Brian Setzer / "shredabilly"18:04 The Brian May audition story19:18 We Will Rock You / Power Station audition34:25 "You are not a musician"36:10 "If you can't play without electricity, you're not a musician"41:07 AI music debate — Suno, synthetic vs human creativity45:45 Rock of Ages on Broadway / coming home for Dee Snider46:30 Dee Snider stories47:33 "So that is your real hair"49:24 Cruise-ship gig stories58:14 Dan picks his walk-up song1:05:00 First concert / worst concert stories1:07:42 Goodbyes + "surpassed 40 views" 📍 Chicago - Chicagoland - Local Music Scene - Five Amigos - West Side Winders - Shred-abilly - Brian May - Dee Snider - Rock of Ages - Green Mill - AI Music 🎤 Guest Links — Dan PetersWebsite: ShredAbility.comInstagram: @TheShreddabilityYouTube: ShredAbilityFacebook: Dan Peters / Dan Peters Band / Five Amigos 🎸 Catch Dan LiveWed 5/28 — The Broken Oar, Port Barrington IL (7pm)Thu 5/29 — Moretti's, Elgin IL (8pm)Sat 5/30 — Zamboni's, East Dundee IL (7pm) 💗 Support Hogpod — patreon.com/hogpod Hosted by Pete Jansons, Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike), and Chris "Rhodesy" Rhodes. 📞 Booking — [email protected] #ChicagoMusic #Hogpod #DanPeters #Shredabilly #LocalMusic #ChicagoBands #BrianMay #DeeSnider #Broadway #AIMusic

Jim Pallucci from Anchors Away joins HOG POD: Chicago Music Scene Podcast for a conversation about Yacht Rock, tribute bands, live musicianship, and the Chicago music scene.Jimmy talks about burning out on music at 21, rediscovering music later in life, discovering Yacht Rock Review at Joe’s Live Rosemont, building Anchors Away, hauling Hammond B3 organs in box trucks, and why the band refuses to use tracks or prerecorded music.“What you hear is real music created in real time by real musicians. Every show is live, without a net.”🎵 Listen With My Eyes — Hogpod Album inspired by Jimmy’s story:https://open.spotify.com/album/1qeduC...🎯 KEY MOMENTS0:00 Intro2:11 Meeting Jimmy Pallucci6:42 Burning Out on Music at 2112:55 Rediscovering Music Later in Life18:10 What Yacht Rock Actually Is24:48 Discovering Yacht Rock Review31:22 Building Anchors Away38:05 Tribute Bands and Musicianship45:50 Why Anchors Away Uses No Tracks52:14 Chicago Music Venues and Audiences58:40 The Technical Challenge of Yacht Rock1:05:33 Nostalgia, Harmony, and Live Performance1:11:20 Final Thoughts📍 Upcoming Anchors Away Shows5/23/2026 — Bay Harbor Yacht Club — Bay Harbor, Michigan5/24/2026 — Spring Fling at Ty Warner Park — Westmont5/27/2026 — Navy Pier Private Event — Chicago6/6/2026 — Rockstar Garage — Plainfield6/12/2026 — Palatine Park District — Palatine6/17/2026 — Schaumburg Chamber of Commerce Event6/20/2026 — Saddle Club — Wayne6/27/2026 — Johnny Cabs — Burr Ridge7/10/2026 — The Quarry — Crystal Lake7/17/2026 — Concert on the Green — Mt. Prospect7/25/2026 — Devine Wine Bar Private Party — Villa Park8/7/2026 — Riverside Private Event8/8/2026 — Munson Marine — Fox Lake8/15/2026 — Broken Oar — Port Barrington8/28/2026 — Johnny Cabs — Burr Ridge10/30/2026 — Johnny Cabs Halloween Party — Burr Ridge12/26/2026 — Johnny Cabs — Burr Ridge📍 Chicago - Chicagoland - Yacht Rock - Tribute Bands - Anchors Away - Joe’s Live Rosemont - Soft Rock - West Coast Sound - Doobie Bounce - Live Music🎤 Guest Links — Anchors AwayWebsite: https://www.anchorsawaychicago.com/Booking: [email protected] Members:Jim Pallucci — Percussion & VocalsJeff Kissel — DrumsJoe Rocha — Bass & VocalsKevin Flanagan — Saxophone, Flute & VocalsRich Fulfs — Guitar & VocalsBrooke Fauver — VocalsPaul Heinz — KeyboardsJimmy O'Connell — Vocals & Guitar💗 Support Hogpod — patreon.com/hogpodHosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike).📞 Want to come on? Booker / club owner / shredder → [email protected]