The Underbelly Hours

For the inaugural episode of The Underbelly Hours in 2022, we invite on the lovely, the groovy, and certainly grandma-friendly band…Violet Crime!

Jeff and Selina chat about the band’s origins, their musical “bad habits”, their latest singles, Chicago venues, and more. We also include some musical news updates from Chicago and share what we’ve been listening to lately. This is a wonderful episode you’re not going to want to miss!

Surprisingly, a lot happened to The Underbelly Hours in 2021. We gained a new team member, Josh. Bought cameras and microphones. Started a monthly showcase with Dry City Brew Works. Covered a couple of festivals. And most importantly…slowly started interviewing Chicago artists in person again.

Join us as we sip some hot cocoa and reflect on the craziest Underbelly Hours year yet. Plus, hear us defend our choices for favorite musicians, coolest concerts, and best discoveries of the Chicago underground in 2021.

Thanks for all the support local music fam. Can’t wait to do it all again with you next year. And to quote DIY musicians everywhere: “Big things coming soon.”

Demi Clara is a powerhouse in the Chicagoland music scene. She’s a songwriter. She’s a badass singer. AND she hosts the local music show “Local Chaos!” on Naperville’s 89.1 FM!

The gang sits down with the bright, bubbly Demi for a discussion about her latest music, embracing all sides of yourself, music therapy, and a whole lot more. Join us!

Dan & Adela are back this week with the beautiful and bombastic Curious Grace & Black Rabbit!

Curious Grace are a powerful 6-piece rock band with an anthemic, yet groovy sound. In this episode we chat with Minnesota Mary, Galway Tom, and Hollywood to learn about their nicknames, band chemistry, and what drives them. They also present Dan with a challenge at the end of the show. Is he up for it? Tune in to find out!

You can catch the band live next Friday, Nov 26th, at Basecamp Pub in Lisle, IL.

Dan is Adela-less yet again (don’t worry, she’s back next week), and this time he has a nice, inspiring chat with Brian Christian Adam!

Brian is a photographer and drummer who likes to combine his two passions wherever he goes. He is known for snapping amazing live shots on stage in between drumming, as well as spreading positivity across the scene.

In this episode, Brian shares his philosophies on photography, drumming and life itself. He also goes into some of the things he’s learned from helping out with the local live-streaming show, The Bunker. Tune in for some inspiration along with tips and tricks on how to look and sound good on camera!

You can find Brian’s work at @the_endeavorist across all social media, so give him a follow and enjoy some wonderful photography!

Dan flies solo as he combs through the case files from doo-wop infused punk band Private Instigators with Dominick Dolio.

Join Dan and Dominick as they talk about developing the band’s sound, their time touring, and opening up for the Misfits. There’s plenty of fun stories from Dominick on this one, so be sure to stick around the whole time (especially if you’re a car nut), and check out Private Instigators’ social pages for new tunes coming soon!

What? VAGABOND MAURICE is evolving! Ba bah duh bah!Congratulations! VAGABOND MAURICE has evolved into PLUTO BLACK!

In this episode, Adela and Dan talk to the incredible lyricist and rapper Pluto Black (formerly known as Vagabond Maurice, in case you didn’t catch that already) about his personal growth through music, transitioning to a new moniker, and his upcoming plans to move across the country. 

His first single, “Free”, under the new name is available now across all major streaming platforms!

New Music Shoutouts:

Bumsy & the Moochers - “The Rat”

RubyGld Smoke - “Getting In Love’s Way

Andy wore an Underbelly Hours shirt to our interview. We now love Andy.

In this episode, Adela and Dan talk about midwest emo, pancakes, relationship fallout, and more with Andy  - the FRONTMAN of incredible Chicago rock band “Boundary Waters.” They also dive deep into B.W’s debut album Atalanta - a well-thought-out, incredibly passionate first record from these rocksters.

All this, and the usual shenanigans, on your favorite Chicago suburb show about underground music.

Tall Doug’s nickname doesn’t fail him: he is, in fact, very tall. He’s also hilarious, super DIY, and probably one of the nicest punks you’ll ever meet.

Join us for this intriguing chat about free music, guitar tappers, weirdos, and most of all, Doug’s solo album out now: “Stay Broke” .

Featured music this episode:

-Chord Boy

-Girl Named Nino

PS: Mark your calendars for a FREE & LIVE Underbelly Hours event on September 25th at Dry City Brew Works!

Dan flies solo to talk with the production manager of Hey Nonny - Rob Reiff! They chat all about this Arlington Heights venue, what has been happening (or stalled) since the pandemic began, their increasingly greater focus on booking solely original (Chicago) artists, and some fun insider scoops from Rob about the life of your average production manager.

As a podcast that usually focuses only on artists, it’s nice to hear from the venue’s point of view for once.