H.O.G. POD: Chicagoland Hyper Local Music Scene

What happens when a Chicago singer takes Ratt's "Round and Round" and drops Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" right on top of it? The guys cheer, their faces fall, the girlfriends rush the stage, and by the chorus the whole room is back.Casey Torrey fronts Remix Riot, a Chicagoland festival band that mashes rock and metal anthems with pop hits. Think "Smoke on the Water" under Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." She also sings in Acousticatz, her duo with pianist and guitarist Eric Floden.Casey tells Pete and Bongo Mike about the mashup she "hated and loved at the same time," how Remix Riot came together with Dan Banker, Larry Neubauer, TJ Wilkes and Randy, why music purists don't always love the mashup idea, and how she went from Tennessee church soloist to Monster Jam regular to one of the busiest voices in the Chicago scene.Plus: the Coterie charity shows, a Slayer tribute that sounded like one very long song, Dolly Parton's time-capsule song, Prince's vault, Def Leppard in the round, Lord of the Rings in Legos, Steven Tyler's lyric monitors, and the Pop-Tarts question.🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 The mashup she hated and loved02:03 Remix Riot live mashups05:20 Meet Casey Torrey06:00 The Coterie & Mike Dermont08:35 Acousticatz with Eric Floden09:17 What is Remix Riot? Smoke on the Water + Poker Face10:43 From Blue Sirens to Acousticatz11:54 Bongo's tambourine gets confiscated13:16 Why Chicago musicians support each other15:33 How Casey caught the music bug16:18 Monster Jam & her first band, Pet Rock18:03 Dolly Parton's time-capsule song19:36 Prince's vault21:24 Gatlinburg, stick shifts & Chicago people23:38 COVID collabs & Amy Grant24:34 Johnny Cash, the Man in Black25:18 How Remix Riot was born27:28 How they pick the mashups28:45 Devil Went Down to Georgia + Summer of '6930:04 Ratt meets Katy Perry at the Vixen32:04 A rocked-up "Royals" & the guitar-solo payoff33:26 Run-DMC, Aerosmith & "Walk This Way"36:15 Purists vs. mashups37:19 "Is this the same song?" A Slayer tribute38:04 Sampling & borrowing chords39:28 "When I sing, I make people happy"40:37 Cover bands complaining about covers42:06 Broken Peach & being first44:36 Congrats on the engagement45:52 De Beers, Blood Diamond & a lab-grown ring47:35 Bongo's serious questions47:59 First concert: Def Leppard in the round51:00 Worst concert & Pete's Aerosmith '8453:51 Favorite movie: Lord of the Rings in Legos56:57 Pop-Tarts: love 'em or hate 'em?58:05 Steven Tyler's lyric monitors1:00:30 Where to see Casey next📍 TOPICS IN THIS EPISODECasey Torrey - Remix Riot - Acousticatz - rock pop mashups - Chicago music - Chicagoland music scene - live music - cover bands - the Coterie - Def Leppard - Ratt - Katy Perry - Aerosmith - Run-DMC - Dolly Parton - Lord of the Rings🎤 FEATURED LINKSRemix Riothttps://remixriotband.comhttps://www.facebook.com/remixriothttps://www.instagram.com/remixriotmusichttps://www.youtube.com/@RemixRiotBandhttps://www.tiktok.com/@remix.riotAcousticatzhttps://www.facebook.com/purrcatzNext up: Acousticatz, Fri Oct 9 at Reefpoint Brew House, Racine WIRemix Riot returns for the 2027 festival season❤️ SUPPORT HOGPODhttps://www.patreon.com/hogpod🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons with Bongo Mike📞 [email protected]#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #CaseyTorrey #RemixRiot #Acousticatz #Mashup #ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusic #LiveMusic

What makes a mosh pit one of the friendliest rooms in music? Elise McLearen says metalheads are all show on the outside and soft at heart underneath — the same crowd that runs full speed into each other will drop everything to pick you up off the floor.Elise joins Hogpod with fellow Diva Lisa Orduna and guitarist and scene-supporter Adam of Lombardy Black to talk about the Ronnie James Divas: an all-women Dio, Rainbow and Black Sabbath benefit raising money for kids' cancer care at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital.We get into why Lisa's connection to this one runs deep, the Dio deep cuts nobody ever plays live, Elise's signature "helicopter" headbang, and how a rock star by night runs a corporate brain by day. Then Bongo Mike opens the floor: when a band has zero original members left, is it still the band? Foreigner, Kansas, Queen and Chris Cornell all come up — and it turns into the best argument of the night.Plus the next benefit already on the calendar — Bark at the Moon, a Halloween show for a no-kill animal shelter — and, of course, a heated verdict on the Pop-Tart.KEY MOMENTS(Times are close but confirm against the final MP4.)00:00 Metalheads are soft at heart02:29 Meet Adam & Lombardy Black05:25 Who is Elise? Sabbatha, My Metal Heart & the Ronnie James Diva origin09:00 The Divas & the band behind them12:00 Raffle prize: a signed Vinny Appice "Heaven & Hell" package16:00 Dio deep cuts nobody plays19:30 The helicopter headbang22:00 Inside the mosh pit28:30 "Kill the King" is 235 BPM31:30 Rock star on stage, corporate brain by day38:00 Bark at the Moon: the Halloween animal-shelter benefit40:00 Branding the benefits: ALS Cooper & what's next46:00 Lisa: why this one is personal48:00 What hard rockers actually wear50:00 When is a band still the band? Foreigner, Kansas, Queen53:00 The Pop-Tart questionTOPICS IN THIS EPISODEElise McLearen - Ronnie James Divas - Lisa Orduna - Lombardy Black - Dio - Black Sabbath - Rainbow - Lurie Children's Hospital - Childhood Cancer Awareness - Chicagoland music scene - heavy metal - mosh pit - Bark at the Moon - One Tail at a Time - tribute bands - Foreigner - Kansas - QueenFEATURED LINKSElise McLearenhttps://elisemclearen.comBark at the Moon Benefit (Oct 31)https://elisemclearen.com/batmRonnie James Divashttps://elisemclearen.com/ronnie-jame...Lombardy Black  / lombardyblack  Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospitalhttps://luriechildrens.orgOne Tail at a Timehttps://onetail.orgSUPPORT HOGPOD  / hogpod  Hosted by Pete Jansons with Mike "Bongo" [email protected]#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #ChicagolandMusic #RonnieJamesDivas #Dio #BlackSabbath #HeavyMetal #EliseMcLearen #LurieChildrens

Can a Joliet museum really move Illinois' Rock & Roll Hall of Fame into a downtown Chicago theater — and pull it off? Ron Romero — Founder, CEO & Board Chairman of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 — is back on Hogpod with Rob Stepen to break the news: for the first time, the Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction leaves the Joliet Rialto for the Harris Theater in downtown Chicago on Sunday, September 27. Bob Sirott hosts a Class of 2026 that runs from Curtis Mayfield and Kevin Cronin to Terri Hemmert, WDRV/The Drive and Brunswick Records — with a special performance from Jim Peterik. We get into rebuilding after the 2024 Joliet storm, the relight of Gigantar (the 24-foot Route 66 guitar) the night before, Ron's Eagles tribute + Hall of Fame house band, the new Amplify Illinois program, and the deep-cut history behind American Breed. And mid-show, Chicago music-media legend JVO (James VanOsdol) crashes the room — turns out he was the guy at the door. If you love rock & roll, Chicago music history, Route 66, or the stories behind the artists who built the scene, this one's for you. ▶️ Watch the full episode: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19PYN6uXyC/ 🎟️ GET TICKETS — Illinois Rock & Roll HOF Induction · Sun Sept 27 · Harris Theater, ChicagoOpen Seating $75 · VIP Meet & Greet $75 (pre-show with Kevin Cronin, Jim Peterik & The Plain White T's — extremely limited)Buy: https://my.harristheaterchicago.org/11006/11026Event details: https://roadtorock.org/event/2026-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony/ 🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 JVO crashes the show — the guy at the door02:49 Terry Hemmert, XRT & the "way-back machine"04:30 How Ron landed Bob Sirott as MC06:27 Coco Taylor, the Cubby Bear & committing Hogpod to Sept 2707:36 The rider — malort, gyros & two cans of Pringles08:39 Inside the Harris Theater — "acoustically perfect"09:34 "The secret is a much bigger budget" — Rialto vs. the new house10:34 The sponsors — and how to become one14:22 Gigantar spoiler — relighting the 24-foot Route 66 guitar (Sat 9/26)15:42 Rebuilding after the July 2024 Joliet storm16:51 Ron's band — Eagles tribute + Hall of Fame house band17:26 American Breed's hidden history — Gary Loizo & Pumpkin Studios19:46 Amplify Illinois — recognizing regional & local bands20:28 The Generations lineup + upcoming shows24:38 Museum membership & the NARM pass — 1,800 museums29:17 Rob's 6th-time "Too Sixxy" robe30:17 "The biggest handmade guitar in the world" 🎸 FEATURED LINKSIllinois Rock & Roll Museum — https://roadtorock.org/Insperity — https://www.insperity.com/The Generations — https://www.thegenerationsmusic.com/ ❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon/ hogpod 🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons & Mike "Bongo" Orfanos🎤 Guest: Ron Romero, with Rob Stepen — plus a surprise drop-in from JVO (James VanOsdol) 📧 Booking — [email protected] #Hogpod #IllinoisRockAndRollMuseum #Route66 #ChicagoMusic #MusicHistory #Joliet #RockAndRoll #RonRomero #JVO #HallOfFame #Podcast

What happens when the powerhouse voice fronting three Chicago bands turns out to spend her days as a senior HR executive? Tamara Woodruff is back on Hogpod — and this time the biggest surprise isn't a song. She fronts Pacific Sound Company (a West Coast tribute running LA to Seattle), sings lead in the country band Wildfire, and runs an acoustic duo on the side. By day? Thirty years in human resources, a master's in the field, a senior HR business partner at a 900-person global firm. "People look at me funny when I say I'm in HR," she says. Music is the alter ego. With Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos, Tamara traces how her Linda Ronstadt tribute Blue Bayou grew into Pacific Sound Company — three lead singers, four-part harmonies, and a songbook running from Fleetwood Mac and Journey to Heart and Santana. She digs into the craft, too: the terror of a silent concert hall versus a loud bar, building a 40-song set in a spreadsheet, why some legacy bands should've hung it up, and the West Coast sound nobody else in the room is covering. Plus: Pacific Sound Company presents Blue Bayou — an all-Linda Ronstadt night — Thursday, September 11 at The Venue in Aurora. 🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 Cold open + intro03:22 Tamara's back: the Wisconsin ranch gig & 40-song spreadsheet09:25 Summer gigs and sweaty stages10:19 Empress wraps after four and a half years11:05 Alex James joins — first lead: Hendrix's "Fire"14:18 Blue Bayou becomes Pacific Sound Company (LA to Seattle)16:20 "We don't need another Journey cover band"19:49 Building the four-part harmonies21:54 Wildfire — joining an established country band23:07 Opening for Corey Farley at Nico's26:06 Headlining the Vixen + a three-show weekend31:15 Full-time job by day, gigs by night35:49 Wait — she's a 30-year HR pro?38:41 Inside a 900-person global HR role39:09 Her music alter ego40:47 Harassment training & workplace culture44:28 The Goat Village co-bill with the Mosquitoes45:20 Blue Bayou returns: all-Linda night in Aurora (9/11)47:49 The Raue and the art of the concert hall48:37 Why silence is scarier than a loud bar55:38 Linda Ronstadt's illness57:01 Should legacy bands hang it up?1:03:41 Worst concert ever: Aerosmith at Poplar Creek1:07:00 The night the car went in the pond 📍 TOPICS IN THIS EPISODETamara Woodruff - Pacific Sound Company - Blue Bayou - Wildfire - Chicago music - Chicagoland music scene - live music - cover bands - tribute bands - West Coast tribute - Linda Ronstadt - four-part harmony - concert halls - Fleetwood Mac - Journey - Heart 🎤 FEATURED LINKSBlue Bayou (Linda Ronstadt tribute)https://bluebayoutribute.com/ Tamara Woodruff  / tamarawoodruffmusic   ❤️ SUPPORT HOGPOD  / hogpod   🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons with Mike "Bongo" Orfanos 📞 [email protected] #Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #TamaraWoodruff #PacificSoundCompany #BlueBayou #Wildfire #ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusic #LiveMusic #TributeBand #LindaRonstadt

How do you save a historic theater, keep legendary artists coming back — and build a life around "music and meatballs"?

Ron Onesti, President & CEO of Onesti Entertainment, joins Hogpod as the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Ron tells the story of driving out to the Arcada 25 years ago, finding a dumpster out front and discovering the theater was being gutted for offices. He had no money, started making what he calls "stupid offers," and somehow began a journey that would transform the Arcada into one of Chicagoland's most distinctive live music venues.

Then he did it again — helping bring the condemned, fire-damaged Des Plaines Theatre back to life.

But this episode is about more than buildings.

Ron explains why relationships can matter more than money when booking artists, why George Thorogood calls the Arcada "home," what really goes into an artist rider, and why one performer told him coming there was "like going to my aunt's house for dinner."

And yes, there are meatballs.

We also get into Neil Sedaka's six pairs of black socks, Paul Anka rewriting "My Way" for Ron's birthday, Brian Wilson's years in St. Charles, the growing competition for touring acts, aging rock legends, tribute bands, and what it takes to keep live music alive.

The timing couldn't be better: the Arcada Theatre turns 100 on September 6, 2026, with a centennial celebration featuring Priscilla Presley, Chubby Checker, a Ferris Bueller's Day Off parade recreation, thousands of people doing the Twist, and a History of Rock 'n' Roll show.

🎶 NEW MUSIC

"Ron Onesti's Meatballs" — our Dean Martin-style tribute to Ron's favorite combination: music and meatballs.

https://open.spotify.com/album/2821lRz13s1pVxUpxf5AAV

🎧 MORE HOGPOD MUSIC ON SPOTIFY

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QtmZydAIuDFTsbgOxqr7f

🎯 KEY MOMENTS

00:00 Music & meatballs

02:00 Meet Ron Onesti

02:42 A dumpster outside the Arcada changes everything

04:14 The condemned Des Plaines Theatre

05:38 Rebuilding during COVID

09:18 Meatballs, Taylor Street & Sunday gravy

12:20 George Thorogood: "I'll always come back here"

13:34 Neil Sedaka's six pairs of black socks

14:43 "It's like going to my aunt's house for dinner"

15:46 "You set the bar"

17:14 "My life is all about music and meatballs"

20:40 Celebrating the Arcada's centennial

21:34 September 6: the 100th anniversary parade

22:34 The History of Rock 'n' Roll

26:32 The challenge of booking aging legends

28:44 "The music has become bigger than the people"

35:04 "It's 150% relationship based"

40:17 The artists Ron still gets excited to book

41:04 "Uncle Paul" Anka rewrites "My Way"

42:12 Brian Wilson in St. Charles

49:48 The Onesti formula: make it feel like home

📍 TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE

Ron Onesti - Arcada Theatre - Arcada 100th Anniversary - Des Plaines Theatre - Chicago music - Chicagoland music scene - live music - concert promotion - George Thorogood - Priscilla Presley - Chubby Checker - Brian Wilson - Paul Anka - Neil Sedaka - music and meatballs

🎤 FEATURED LINKS

Arcada Theatre 100th Anniversary + Events

https://www.arcadalive.com/events

Des Plaines Theatre

https://desplainestheatre.com

Onesti Entertainment

https://oshows.com

Backstage with Ron Onesti

https://www.arcadalive.com/blog/category/backstage-with-ron-onesti

Regina Karma — Sunday Music with Regina Karma

Sundays at 5 PM at Capri of Willow Springs

Mike Dermont + FRICTION

Friction Fest — October 24 at The Broken Oar

❤️ SUPPORT HOGPOD

https://www.patreon.com/hogpod

🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons with Mike Dermont and Regina Karma

📞 BOOKING

[email protected]

#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #RonOnesti #ArcadaTheatre #Arcada100 #DesPlainesTheatre #ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusic #MusicAndMeatballs

If you've spent any time in the Chicago tribute scene, you've probably seen Chris "C-Bob" Bobrowski on a stage somewhere — Rok Brigade, Super Unknown, Ten, No More Tears, No More Faith, and roughly ten other projects depending on the weekend.

C-Bob returns to Hogpod with Pete Jansons and Bongo Mike for a wide-ranging one: AI and musicianship, the Chicago tribute scene, shrinking attention spans, David Lee Roth, legacy bands with zero original members, and Reggie's full-album Halloween shows — all circling the big question underneath: is live music becoming a dying art form, or is it just changing?

Plus the Long Grove bridge that's been hit 75 times, C-Bob's line of the night — "Everybody wants to be a rock star; they just don't want to pay for it" — and the reveal that the man has roughly 28,000 albums catalogued in Excel and backed up on a NAS.

🎯 KEY MOMENTS

00:00 An AI companion sings C-Bob the Lane Tech fight song

00:46 Two Lane Tech alums reconnect — room 144 & the drafting-to-engineer path

03:02 Welcome back — and congrats, C-Bob married Amy

03:47 The Coterie's comeback & the one-hit-wonders scene

05:20 Herding 30 musicians — the Wolfie jams & how these events come together

07:58 In memoriam: Peter Katsis — Ministry, Riviera & The Firm

09:45 C-Bob's 15 bands — Rok Brigade, Super Unknown, Ten & No More Tears

13:08 The Long Grove bridge that's been hit 75 times

15:30 Reggie's Halloween full-album night — Ten does Pearl Jam's "Vs."

17:10 Rock House — the band playing what nobody else plays

19:13 Why the Discord jam ended — Andrew Blake takes the torch

22:00 Orland Park fest, the rain & Wedding Band at 25 years

25:55 Ronnie Platt — Shooting Star to Kansas

34:58 AI & musicianship — "a tool, not a creative element"

37:16 Glenn Hansard, "Falling Slowly" & the live-music conversation

43:57 Can AI replace the musician? The synthesizer question

47:14 Are younger fans still coming out to live shows?

51:11 Is live music a dying art form?

51:53 "Everybody wants to be a rock star" — nobody wants the 10,000 hours

55:34 Keeping people engaged — video walls, medleys & showmanship

1:01:11 "Nobody watches the whole thing" — the Shorts game

1:07:03 Old bands with zero original members — the Ship of Theseus

1:07:59 David Lee Roth: showman, not singer

1:10:44 Rapid fire — favorite new band, Jerry Garcia & getting old

1:14:15 28,000 albums, an Excel list & a triple-backed NAS

📍 Chicago music - Chicagoland music scene - tribute bands - Rok Brigade - Ten - Super Unknown - AI and musicianship - David Lee Roth - Ship of Theseus - live music - Reggie's - Pearl Jam - Chicago tribute bands

🎤 FEATURED LINKS

Rok Brigade — Def Leppard tribute

https://rokbrigadeband.com/

/ rokbrigadechicago

Ten — Pearl Jam tribute

https://tenchicago.com/

/ tenpearljam

Super Unknown — Chris Cornell / Soundgarden / Audioslave / Temple of the Dog

https://super-unknown.com/

❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon

/ hogpod

🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike)

📞 Booking — [email protected]

#Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusicScene #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #TributeBands #RokBrigade #LiveMusic #AIMusic #ChicagoMusicScene #PearlJam

A guitar player walked into her Lake Zurich fitness studio, said "I have a proposition for you" — and that's how a personal trainer became the Nancy Wilson in one of Chicago's premier Heart tribute acts. Lisa LaManna sings and plays the Nancy Wilson role in Heart 2 Heartbreaker — the Chicagoland Heart & Pat Benatar tribute alongside Jerry (Benatar) and opera-trained Diva. This week she gets into getting recruited right before COVID, the terror of nailing the "Crazy On You" intro solo in heels ("you're on an island"), her years with the '80s All-Stars and the "I Love the '80s" all-star nights, first concert Billy Squier at the Providence Civic Center (and the video that "ruined him"), why Prince is her "music Jesus," front row at the Purple Rain tour, why Tinley Park's skyboxes wreck the sound, and a completely unhinged Pop-Tart debate involving Crisco, butter, microwaves and "extra gluten."🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 "I have a proposition for you" — a guitarist walks into her gym01:01 Welcome, Lisa01:05 Broken Oar storm show & the summer-festival weather gamble02:56 The Skokie Backlot Bash umbrella storm04:05 Chicago's premier Heart & Pat Benatar tribute — the Vixen / Heart of Glass connection05:29 Adam, Diva & the band — joining right before COVID05:45 The recruitment story, full version07:37 MaxFitness — her Lake Zurich training studio09:14 Festival showcases & meeting Aussie Reborn10:58 The washboard wedding & the "I Love the '80s" all-star nights13:10 Piano to guitar — "once you plug that thing in, there's no going back"14:58 The "Crazy On You" intro & playing in heels15:49 Solo nerves — "you're on an island"17:19 "How can you say no?" — the honor of playing Nancy18:05 Jerry & Diva — Evanescence, Joan Jett & Scandal19:38 The Warrior, FM/Easy FM & juggling bands21:32 Festival season & getting lost on the way to gigs24:30 Parking-lot war stories & the captain's suit26:57 Deep-cut Heart & the Bad Animals tour29:36 Why Tinley Park's sound gets screwed up (skyboxes)30:51 Ann & Nancy Wilson — key changes & aging rock voices33:28 Heart's "Stairway" at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame34:34 Rapid fire begins35:04 First concert — Billy Squier at the Providence Civic Center37:45 "That one video ruined him" — the Billy Squier debate39:44 Favorite artist: Prince — front row at Purple Rain, "music Jesus"41:31 The Gap Band, Earth, Wind & Fire & Paisley Park44:07 Favorite movie: Titanic45:14 The Pop-Tart question — Crisco, butter & "extra gluten"47:36 Where to train & catch the band — MaxFitness, Alpine Fest, Jack Tripper49:44 Gun to your head: Pop-Tart or hot dog?51:09 The wig that won't quit — "funny for everyone but me"52:18 Let's get all three back on📍 Heart 2 Heartbreaker - Lisa LaManna - Nancy Wilson - Heart tribute - Pat Benatar - Chicago cover bands - Crazy On You - Billy Squier - Prince - Purple Rain - MaxFitness - Lake Zurich - 80s rock - women in rock - Chicago music scene🎤 GUEST LINKSMaxFitness: https://www.maxfitnesslisa.com/Heart 2 Heartbreaker: https://heart-to-heartbreaker.com/Heart 2 Heartbreaker on Facebook:   / heart2heartbreaker  Lisa on Facebook:   / lisa.lamanna  ❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon:   / hogpod  Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike).📞 Booking — [email protected]#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #Heart2Heartbreaker #HeartTribute #NancyWilson #PatBenatar #ChicagoMusicScene #TributeBand #80sRock #WomenInRock

John Gabrysiak — "John G" — has spent 40+ years in the music business, from booking agent for John Mayall, Johnny Winter and Levon Helm to Music Director & Talent Buyer at Special Events Management (chicagoevents.com), where he now books the bands for Chicago's biggest summer street festivals.Pete and Bongo Mike sit down with John for a full-circle conversation: Pete booked the Cubby Bear in the early '90s; John was on the agency side that fed it. What follows is duffel bags of cash, sold-out shows in 20 minutes, the smoke weekend that cancelled BurgerFest, and an honest look at why a concert ticket went from $11.50 to $341.This episode opens with a tribute to Peter Katsis (1957–2026), the legendary Chicago-born music manager (Ministry, Bush, Smashing Pumpkins, Backstreet Boys), whose name comes up during John's Morrissey story.CHAPTERS0:00 Cold open — in memory of Peter Katsis0:40 Welcome — meet John G1:15 Billboard at the library - Elton John at 123:49 NIU concert committee: Cheap Trick, Zappa, Sammy Hagar5:02 American Famous Talent: Lonnie Brooks to John Mayall6:40 ZZ Top's Antenna Tour & Levon Helm with Ringo's All-Starrs8:05 Fred Bohlander and the birth of Monterey International9:43 Cubby Bear days, Q Productions & Coran Capshaw's $15011:44 Johnny Winter sells out the Cubby Bear in 20 minutes14:29 Duffel bags of cash - wire transfers & ACH18:11 The smoke weekend: BurgerFest Friday cancelled20:47 Weather, lightning & a festival monsoon save22:44 Freddie Jones' "In a Daydream" on the Artemis mission23:34 Festival economics: the $10 donation nobody pays26:01 Booking the season — it starts in October27:46 Fewer national acts / "drink and sing 'Jessie's Girl'"31:34 The opening-act shakedown: how agents bundle33:21 Why people stay home now35:04 DJs, laptops & "$175 to see a laptop"37:46 AI ads and unlicensed band photos40:05 Ticket prices: Rush at $11.50 vs $34145:53 VIP packages with "no artist participation"46:33 What Special Events Management actually does48:22 The Lincolnwood Fest turnaround51:04 Polestar & the idea of a local booking database53:07 How many fests? ~15 a season54:09 Rapid fire: the worst concert ever (Morrissey / Riviera)57:23 Molly Hatchet & the cowboy-hat standoff58:47 Pop-Tarts closer + come back soonGUESTJohn Gabrysiak — Music Director & Talent Buyer, Special Events Managementchicagoevents.com | LinkedIn: /in/johngabrysiak | X: @JGTRICK | IG: @johngchicago#Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #LiveMusic #ConcertBooking #MusicBusiness #ChicagoFestivals #JohnnyWinter #JohnMayall

How does a suburban music teacher end up interviewing Blind Melon, an Allman, and the guy who wrote "Wagon Wheel"? She just slides into their DMs.

Rachel Locker — host of the Rachel Locker Music podcast and a teacher at Our Music Institute in Northfield, IL — joins Hogpod to explain how she lands big-name guests the low-tech way: a direct message on Instagram. Along the way she walks us through the interviews that stuck with her — Blind Melon guitarist Christopher Thorn opening up about the loss of Shannon Hoon and how differently mental health was treated in the '90s, Devon Allman on growing up without knowing Gregg Allman was his father, and Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor on how "Wagon Wheel" grew out of an unfinished Bob Dylan demo. We also get into teaching five- and six-year-olds, why she ditched guitar for bass, meeting her husband (Pino Farina guitarist Mike Popko) on Facebook, and a live drive-by tour of the OMI studio to close it out.

🎧 Rachel Locker Music — on Spotify and Instagram (@rachellockermusic)

🎸 Our Music Institute — lessons, teen bands & a recording studio in Northfield, IL — https://loveourmusic.com

🎤 Pino Farina — the band featuring Rachel's husband, guitarist Mike Popko

🎯 KEY MOMENTS

00:00 Cold open — the music teacher who DMs rock stars

01:15 Welcome — and Rachel's on the clock (she's got a class to teach)

01:58 How Pete met Rachel — the Mosquitoes opening for Pino Farina at Sundance

02:35 "Big time married" — her husband, Pino Farina guitarist Mike Popko

03:43 Two and a half years of the Rachel Locker Music podcast

05:03 A Blind Melon in the guest list — Christopher Thorn

06:03 "I just DM them on Instagram" — how she books the big names

07:49 Her favorite guest ever — Christopher Thorn

07:56 Thorn on losing Shannon Hoon — the guilt, and mental health in the '90s

08:18 The eerie Blind Melon documentary — the last footage

09:35 How many albums did Blind Melon really make?

11:14 Devon Allman & the "Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul" documentary

12:05 He didn't know Gregg Allman was his dad until his teens

12:37 Spotting Devon Allman in the crowd at Summerfest

14:37 "Two wrongs don't make a right" — Gregg's on-stage lesson during "Midnight Rider"

15:17 Warts and all — why live is nothing like the studio

16:16 Pete's disco-ball disaster with Heart of Glass

16:51 Bass over guitar — learning, and chasing the calluses

18:11 Inside Our Music Institute (OMI) in Northfield

19:02 Recitals at Mad Catz & the Black Diamond sessions

21:36 Facebook dating & the newlywed story

22:44 The OMI teacher roster — Amanda Rebecca from Hairbanger's Ball

23:23 The co-host invite — "you get the guests, put 'em on here"

24:04 "Wagon Wheel's" secret — Ketch Secor, a Dylan demo & a shared songwriting credit

24:46 Boone, NC & the tobacco-spitting meeting that actually happened

26:18 Ketch playing with Ringo Starr

27:44 Dylan going electric & the Timothée Chalamet movie

28:35 Rapid fire — first concert, favorite movie & the Pop-Tart rule

30:58 Where to find Rachel Locker Music + loveourmusic.com

31:52 Bonus: a live drive-by tour of the OMI studio

📍 Rachel Locker Music - Blind Melon - Christopher Thorn - Shannon Hoon - Devon Allman - Gregg Allman - Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel - Ketch Secor - Our Music Institute - Northfield - Pino Farina - Chicago music scene - music teacher - podcasting

❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon

/ hogpod

🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike)

📧 Booking — [email protected]

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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