Wease Family Circus

Two of Rochester's finest scoundrels, Tommy Brunett of Iron Smoke and Sean McCarthy of McCarthy Tents and Events, pull up to Captivate Studios to break down Hoochenanny, the music and whiskey festival blowing up in its new Penfield home August 14 to 16.

This is not your average field-and-a-stage festival. These two built a monster: a 15,000 square foot air-conditioned World of Whiskey, a two-story VIP tent you can walk right to the front of the stage from, Lager Land, real food with real seating, and a DIY punk rock spirit dressed up in PGA-level hospitality. Sean explains how owning the tents lets him take swings nobody else in the business would take, and how a five-month, six-no fight with the town finally turned into a yes.

The lineup is stacked: Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Toadies, Cracker, Joywave, Amigo the Devil, plus Tommy Brunett's All-Star Cavalcade of Scoundrels with Gary Lewis and the Playboys and John Petrucci of Dream Theater. Friday GA is already gone, and last year's whiskey auction raised over $30,000 for Lou Gramm Charity and Make-A-Wish, with one bottle going for seven grand.

Then the guys clear out and Wease gets real about the week from hell: an ambulance ride Monday night, a 103 fever, blood pressure at 201, and an overloaded Strong Memorial where he got treated in a tent and called back at 1:45 in the morning over a false-positive MRSA scare. His take on why the ER is a war zone right now is worth hearing.

Plus the 911 call where the dispatcher heard "arguing in the background" (it was Doreen keeping him from face-planting), the ambulance driver who recognized the pictures on the wall, Josh Allen parking in Wease's spot at Bills camp, and the great gray jersey debate.

Shoutout to our sponsors: Electric Car Corner in Farmington (Wease's monthly gas bill went from 300 bucks to 56), Cannabis Corner, and Salvatore's Pizza.

Get to Hoochenanny August 14 to 16 in Penfield. Don't sleep on tickets.

Radio is dying and Billy Moran isn't pretending otherwise. He started at 19 doing overnights in Poughkeepsie, spent 30 years on the air, and right now he's getting cut loose because the company that had him on 80 classic rock stations is going broke. This week he sits down with Wease and Jake at Captivate Studios, and it turns into two hours of the kind of stories only these two could tell.

They get into why radio actually died (hint: it wasn't the talent), and Wease makes a prediction about the AI backlash and why kids are going to come crawling back to real, tangible, authentic media. Billy breaks down the difference between a businessman like Howard Stern and an entertainer like Wease, the guy whose listeners knew his kids' names and went through cancer and life right alongside him.

Then the stories start:

The time 5-year-old Sammy never made it to school on the bus, got found on DeWitt Road by a random couple, and Wease told them to just drop him back off because he wasn't cutting his workout short. Doreen is still not over it.

The Montreal Comedy Festival road trip that ended at the Canadian border, where Billy got flagged, denied entry, and had to pay cash and do "rehabilitation" in Kingston while Wease and Jake cried laughing.

Plus the Jack stack, the on-air fights defused with a John Hiatt song, the "Doreen or Michael Jackson crying" game, and the syndication seminar where Wease leaned over, said "that's too much work for the Wease," and walked out.

They also get into Wease's health scare in Florida, the tequila-vape-joint combo right before a heart doctor visit, why vaping's been a gift after cancer, and Billy's wild pivot into mental health counseling, from group work to past life regression.

Catch the Wease Show Reunion live July 17th at Comedy at the Carlson with Billy Moran, Cindy Pierce, BJ, and secret guests. T-shirt restock that night.

Shoutout to our sponsors: Electric Car Corner on Route 96 in Farmington (we're broadcasting live out there July 24th), Cannabis Corner, and Salvatore's Pizza.

Watch, subscribe, and share. New episodes weekly.
Wease Family Circus. Google it, or tell Siri to take you to the Wease Family Circus.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Billy Moran's Journey with Brother Wease
• 00:02:15 The Death of Radio: Why iHeart and Odyssey Are Going Bankrupt
• 00:04:44 Billy's Radio Origins and the Poughkeepsie Days
• 00:06:10 Mark Myrard Gets Fired and the 13-Station Resume
• 00:17:46 The Montreal Comedy Festival Road Trip Disaster
• 00:20:56 Behind the Scenes: The Funniest Radio Moments Ever
• 00:13:45 Sammy Gets Left on the Bus: The Full Story Teased
• 00:23:30 Living Your Life On Air: The Authenticity That Made Wease King
• 01:08:38 The Wease Departure: What Really Happened
• 01:12:42 Billy's New Path: Mental Health Counseling and Grad School
• 00:40:40 Social Media Haters and the Algorithm That Feeds Wease
• 00:50:12 Electric Car Corner: Hybrids, Rivians, and the Dodge Charger
• 00:58:20 Cannabis Corner: Vaping Before the Heart Doctor
• 01:02:08 The Naked Ambulance Ride: Wease Passes Out in Florida
• 00:33:17 World Cup Fever and Birthright Citizenship Irony
• 00:55:13 Del Lago Poker and the Road Rage Mystery Woman
• 00:57:27 The Amish Store and Souders Supermarket Discovery
• 00:36:52 Bill Maher, Ranch Dressing, and Why America Is Actually Great
• 01:17:38 Wrap Up: July 17th Reunion Show and Final Thoughts

Bruce Pilato has been in the room for damn near every moment that matters in rock and roll, and he did it all without ever leaving upstate New York.

Three of the four Beatles on tape. 400 photos he owns outright. 1,100 celebrity interviews. This week Wease and Jake sit down at Captivate Studios with the legendary music journalist, ELP manager, and Rochester Music Hall of Fame producer for two hours of stories most people only wish they could tell.

Bruce's dad gave him two rules at 18: stay in upstate New York where every band warms up before New York and LA, and never take a salary so you own your tapes and photos forever. He listened. That one call built an entire career.

Inside this one:

Bruce was at the Beverly Hilton the night Whitney Houston died, hours before Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party. What Clive did next, and how Jennifer Hudson ended up singing "I Will Always Love You" that night.

The Drake story. Jake's brother Sammy told Bruce to write about some kid off Degrassi back in 2010. Bruce landed one of Drake's first major features after catching a sold-out Carrier Dome show and not understanding how a guy he'd never heard of filled the building.

An hour alone with George Harrison that became Bruce's first USA Today cover, and how a kid's drawing of a race car broke the ice.

Little Richard breaking down in tears on camera over a chandelier he bought his mama, plus the John Lennon story Richard told him that you have to hear to believe.

Led Zeppelin at the Rochester War Memorial on September 11, 1971, the night of the Attica prison riot, and how Bruce ended up five feet from Jimmy Page.

Plus the truth about the ELP live show that isn't a hologram, Steven Tyler on a pogo stick at FAO Schwarz, Jimi Hendrix recording Joni Mitchell in a Canadian coffee house in 1968, and Bruce's book "The Feedback: One Man's Journey."

If you love rock and roll from back when it meant something, this is the one.

Shoutout to our sponsors: Electric Car Corner out on Route 96 in Farmington, and The Contractor Store in Greece.

Watch, subscribe, and share. New episodes weekly.
Wease Family Circus. Google it, or tell Siri to take you to the Wease Family Circus.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Bruce Pilato's Journey into Music Journalism
• 00:01:46 Meeting the Legends: From Jimi Hendrix to Led Zeppelin
• 00:18:53 The Drake Interview: How Jake Got Backstage at the Carrier Dome
• 00:09:34 Emerson Lake and Palmer: The LED Wall Tour Innovation
• 00:16:20 Greg Lake's Emotional Exit and the Tommy Mule Incident
• 00:25:25 The Fillmore East Era and Bill Graham's Genius
• 00:28:07 Electric Car Corner: Saving Money and the Environment
• 00:31:15 Clive Davis and Whitney Houston's Tragic Death
• 00:43:54 George Harrison: The Best Beatles Interview
• 00:49:12 Little Richard's Makeup Meltdown and Beatles Stories
• 00:53:39 Led Zeppelin at the War Memorial: Front Row to Backstage
• 00:40:31 The Book Project: Feedback and 1,100 Celebrity Interviews
• 01:09:20 Rochester Jazz Fest, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Steven Tyler on a Pogo Stick

The whole family broadcasting from inside the weed shop on Clifford Ave, right next to Savoia's Bakery, for the one-year block party. Wease, Doreen, Lucy, and Jake. Fifty grand in production gear sitting next to Grateful Dead bongs and glow-in-the-dark ashtrays. Jake brought 38 and a half cables when he needed 39 and a half. Couldn't go live at first. Then built a full studio inside a dispensary anyway.

Doreen got attacked by a dog this morning. Second time walking Stevie. A chocolate lab came flying off a porch and went for Stevie's neck. Doreen tripped, fell flat on the concrete. Wease screaming get up. No hearing aids in, heard nothing. The dog kept coming. Her arm hurts, her head hurts, adrenaline wore off hours later. Wease kept patting her, you're okay, you're okay. Lucy says that's what they're supposed to say.

Eddie Barron's in the room. His nephew is Wembanyama's shooting coach. Eddie cheered for the Knicks anyway and wouldn't tell him. Whole family in Knicks gear.

The flight back from Florida with Stevie. Middle seat filled up with Catherine from the VA in Buffalo. Loved Stevie, helped the whole flight. Wease wanted to buy Stevie a seat. Doreen said no, we'll get lucky. They did.

Tommy Turner died. Tommy Corvette. Spina bifida. A decade in Monroe Community Hospital. Wrote a children's book from his bed. Doctors said he'd be lucky to see five. Made it to 53.

Allie the budtender brings the goods. Sherb Cream Pie. Cherry Apple. Creamsicle Sunset. Wease thought there was actual pie in the container, took him half an hour to open it. Then he smelled it. Woo-wee.

Lucy tells the one about smuggling a bong into ninth-grade summer school. Named it Blue. Walked it in every day. Last day, the teacher goes I always wondered what was in that backpack.

Then the vapes. Lemon Fresh. Two-gram live resin disposable. 400 hits. Wease takes one. Oh God I'm scared. Uh oh. Jake says we're 50 minutes in, so if you fade out. Wease says I'm in trouble.

The Estée Lauder guy died at 56 from facial filler. Not Botox, filler. Doreen does Botox. Lucy calls it a neurotoxin. We're pro-Botox over here.

Wease goes off on the NFL rigging conspiracy. Two people on Facebook positive it's rigged, claim everyone signed NDAs. Wease says you gotta be a complete idiot, nobody can ever explain how. The NBA would print money sending the Knicks back to New York for game six. That's not rigging. That's business.

Kyle walks in with a tattoo of Wease on his back. Full Rochester sleeve. Susan B. Anthony. Genesee logo. Flower city. Wease's face right in the middle. Love you forever. Lucy doesn't even have a tattoo of her dad.

Wease says best production in America. Jake says there's plenty of people in this town more capable, but yeah, fifty grand in gear, none of it from what we spent to start this. All from the company.

SPONSORS
The Contractor Store. Vetted pros. No cocaine. No bamboozle. thecontractorstore.com
Cannabis Corner. Clifford Ave next to Savoia's Bakery. Where Wease gets his herb.

It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome to Cannabis Corner: Live from the Block Party
• 00:03:16 Lucy's Dog Attack Story: Stevie Gets Jumped
• 00:07:51 Eddie Barron's Nephew: Coaching Wembanyama on the Spurs
• 00:12:41 Knicks Playoff Magic: The 0.4 Percent Comeback
• 00:14:39 Are Sports Rigged? The Facebook Argument
• 00:16:56 Hair Salons and Scalp Massages: Wease's New Obsession
• 00:19:42 Marshawn Lynch in Euphoria and Bills Memories
• 00:21:03 Stevie the Travel Dog: Flying Like a Rock Star
• 00:23:02 Cannabis Corner Product Showcase: Vapes and Flower
• 00:26:58 Electric Car Corner Preview and Ted Boylan Coincidence
• 00:32:22 Seminole Police and Casino Life in Florida
• 00:34:02 Product Deep Dive: Rhythm Vapes and Rosin Cartridges
• 00:40:23 Jake's High School Bong Story: Bringing Blue to Summer School
• 00:43:28 AI Naked Pictures and Teenage Bullying Crisis
• 00:48:30 Wease Gets Too Stoned: The Vape Hit That Changed Everything
• 00:54:15 Estee Lauder Executive Dies from Facial Filler
• 00:57:46 Jake's Production Skills and The Contractor Store Plug
• 01:00:53 Kyle's Wease Tattoo: A Rochester Legend Forever

Marshall Fine walks into the Circus. The guy who wrote the book. Film critic, author, the man who spent two years pulling stories out of Wease and his old friends and turned it into Addie's with Wease.

Wease was mad about how Marshall wrote it. Until he wasn't. Until he got that Marshall had to write it in Wease's voice, because it's Wease's story, told the way Wease tells it. All the detours, all the chaos, all the stuff you'd never think to ask about.

Jake built an AI index of every story in the book. Show prep on demand. One click and you're in the spider tattoo story. Or Miss Gay Rochester. Or the repo man who wouldn't turn the boat around for five grand. Or the time Wease's dad got him kidnapped.

Marshall talks process. The themes. The stories that didn't make it. Why he was so locked in on Wease's father. How you take a life that chaotic and find the throughline.

Then it goes everywhere.

The Knicks comeback. Down 29. Doreen smacking Wease every missed free throw. 0.04% chance of winning. OG Anunoby tips it in with seconds left. Larry David and Seinfeld losing their minds courtside. Taylor Swift catching heat for being too into it. Wease defending her.

The pro Palestine guy who went after Seinfeld. Said Jerry's nobody now. Marshall and Wease break down why that's insane. Seinfeld is timeless. The Knicks ran George and Jerry in a taxi on the jumbotron before the game. Man's not irrelevant.

Marshall's Grateful Dead Knicks shirt. Same one for the Bills. The Yankees. The Twins. 40 years in New York, started in Minnesota, Gannett in Rochester, a year in Marin, then Westchester in '87.

The 1984 article Marshall wrote about Wease. An old friend mailed it to him last week. Paper's disintegrating. The plaque's in his office.

Pit bulls. Two recent attacks. One in Geneva bit a cop. Another turned on its own owner. Wease goes off. Jake and Marshall defend the breed. It's the owners. It's the training. Doreen brings up the baby. Wease says those people killed that baby.

The remora that lives in a manta ray's asshole. Seven documented cases. Swims so far in you only see the tip of the tail. The whole family loses it. Marshall brings up the Mark Wahlberg movie where a fish swims up his dick. Balls Up on Netflix. The whole thing builds to that one gag.

Movie talk. The Sheep Detectives, Hugh Jackman, very cute, not for kids under seven unless you want the death conversation. Company Retreat, the Jury Duty people, one guy doesn't know everyone's an actor. The Other Guys still holds up. Project Hail Mary, Marshall says 45 minutes too long, Doreen loved it.

Mrs. Maisel. Jake calls the kitchen table scenes some of the best TV ever made. Marshall didn't watch it. Jake's stunned. The Bear. Marshall quit after two episodes, his kids dragged him back, now they're hooked. The Comeback with Lisa Kudrow, Marshall's pick, a reality TV spoof across 20 years.

Welcome to Wrexham. Reynolds and McElhenney buy a dead last Welsh team and promote them three years straight. Jake says greatest sports story ever. Marshall says reality TV. Jake says documentary. It's a biopic of a town.

The World Cup. US plays Australia tonight. Soccer just passed baseball in America. Was 69th, now third. Marshall says media figured out they could monetize it. Jake says any kid can play. You just need shin pads. Marshall's son got hooked on cricket by the West Asian families in his neighborhood.

SPONSORS:
Cannabis Corner 1 Year Block Party. June 20, 2 to 8 p.m. Wease Family Circus live. Free food, DJ, vendors. Clifford Ave next to Savoia Bakery.
The Contractor Store. Vetted pros. No cocaine. No bamboozle. thecontractorstore.com.
Electric Car Corner. Previously enjoyed electric cars. Route 96. Save money, drive green.

It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice.

Wease buried a Burger King bag in the backyard and called it a funeral. Lucy's hamster died while the family was in Florida, so Wease threw the whole cage in the garbage. Lucy wanted a real burial. So they stuffed a Burger King bag in the ground, held a full ceremony, and mourned a Whopper wrapper. Nibbles the hamster got fast food last rites.

Full house this week. Wease, Doreen, Lucy, and Jake all in the room.

Bruno Mars in Toronto. A fire alarm at 5 a.m. Two hours outside in the cold. Eleven flights of stairs. The trip almost ruined before it started.

Tommy Turner died. Tommy Corvette. Spina bifida. A decade in Monroe Community Hospital. Wrote a children's book from his bed. Doctors said he'd be lucky to see five. He made it to 53.

The Sabres season. Jake cried multiple times this year. Game seven was the most exhilarating emotional roller coaster of his life. Montreal got destroyed by Carolina. Buffalo would have played them tougher. Everyone knows it.

Welcome to Wrexham. Ryan Reynolds bought a dead last Welsh soccer team and promoted them three straight years. Jake calls it the greatest sports story in the history of sports.

AI is getting scary. Doreen and her friend used AI to drop six hot single guys into a kitchen photo and sent it to the Portugal yoga group. Then they did it again with refrigerator repairmen. Mike Amalfi thought the guys were real.

The surprise debate. Wease hates surprises. Knowing you're going to Vegas beats being surprised with Vegas because you get to look forward to it. Then the story of Carrie the nanny popping out of a box.

The baby deer saga. Jake found a baby deer crying in Lexi's yard. The dog thought it was its mom. The next day there was one in Jake's own backyard. Mom came back at dusk and took it.

Riley thinks Wease is Mimi's dad. She's known him her whole life. These grandkids don't know anything.

Bentonville, Arkansas. Bike capital of America. The Waltons built the whole town. Subsidized ice cream, a dollar a scoop. Jake says it tastes like money.

The Contractor Store. After getting scammed by a coke head contractor, Wease is all in. Vetted pros. No cocaine. No bamboozle. thecontractorstore.com.

Electric Car Corner. John from Cannabis Corner opened Electric Car Corner on Route 96. Previously enjoyed electric cars. Wease says hybrids charge themselves.

Ronin turns off all the lights. Better than Jake. Better than Bianca. Wease tortured Jake and Lucy in Florida checking closets. Adam's closet light is always on.

Radiant Mobile. The Christian cell phone company. Blocks porn, blocks LGBTQ content, blocks parts of Yale's website. 29 bucks a month. Same network as Trump's phone.

Twins with two different fathers. Ultra rare. Two men, two eggs, days apart. Found out years later from a genealogy test.

UPCOMING:

Cannabis Corner 1 Year Block Party. June 20, 1 to 8 p.m. Wease Family Circus live podcast 4:30 to 6. Free food, DJ, vendors. Clifford Avenue next to Savoia Bakery. Books available for signing.

Wease Show Reunion. July 17. Comedy at the Carlson, part of the Rochester Comedy Festival. BJ, Cindy Cummins, surprise guests. Proceeds to the Rochester Cancer Alliance.

It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Bruno Mars Fire Alarm Drama
• 00:03:02 Baby Deer Rescue: The Neighborhood Wildlife Encounter
• 00:05:13 Tommy Corvette Tribute and Sabres Playoff Heartbreak
• 00:09:58 Welcome to Wrexham: The Greatest Sports Story Ever
• 00:28:09 Gay Pride Month Controversy and Taking a Stand
• 00:38:40 The Contractor Store: Lessons from Getting Scammed
• 00:44:10 Bentonville Arkansas: America's Bicycle Capital
• 00:54:21 Electric Cars and Turning Off the Lights
• 01:00:58 News Clippings: Christian Phone Service and Twin Daddies
• 01:09:13 The Surprise Debate and Upcoming Shows

The Wease Family Circus is full house this episode. Wease, Doreen, Lucy, and Jake all in the room.

We start with the show. July 17. Comedy at the Carlson. Wease Show Reunion. All the people you loved from the radio, live and in person, finishing what should have been on the air. Q&A. Surprise guests. The whole circus. Come be part of it. Tickets at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35843/production/1276829?performanceId=11813588

Then we go everywhere.

The Sabers. Wease is ready to write them off. Jake says the team that showed up in those last two games is not the team that won the division. Self inflicted. They took accountability. They said it themselves. Whoever wins Buffalo vs Montreal is getting destroyed by Carolina anyway, who got two weeks off, which Wease thinks is bullshit.

The Rochester AI documentary that taught Jake more about this city than 30 years of living here. George Eastman dumping billions into Rochester. The clothing manufacturing roots. Hickey Freeman. The Rochester Royals winning an NBA championship before becoming the Sacramento Kings. The Razor Sharks. The hoodie being invented in Rochester by Knickerbocker Knitting Company, later Champion. The whole what could have been list. Kodak. Xerox. Bausch and Lomb. All shit the bed.

The conspiracy theory rant. People on Facebook saying the NHL playoffs are rigged. Wease wants to meet these people in person. Jake says one ref can shift a game but the NFL is too big a money machine to script.

Running Point on Netflix. Why everything new feels written for people scrolling. Apple TV still gets it. Shrinking. Game of Thrones. Old HBO. The whole streaming dumb down. Macaulay Culkin watching his own movies with his kids while they have no idea it's him.

Health takeover. Jake is sponsoring Function Health blood panels for the family. 100 biomarkers. Lucy is in. Doreen is out. She does not want to know. Jake explaining how he reversed pre diabetes by cutting carbs. How not eating after sundown spiked his recovery scores. Sloan Kettering moving patients onto monitoring apps as the future of medicine. Mikey Amalfi caught early because of a number on a blood test. Why screening matters.

Beach beef. Wease has thoughts on bikini bottoms and grown men with bigger tits than the women. The argument about whether topless women being legal would kill industries that depend on the mystery. Jake says you can still sell sex. Wease says ask any titty bar owner.

The Door Saga. Wease and Johnny Yarrow trying to fix two sliding doors while Doreen is out of town. The wrong number that turned into a fake door company. The guy who showed up with white powder in his nose. The bullying. The $3,000 Doreen handed over. The same number answering as an event planner the next day. Then a healthcare company. Full scam. Jake's plug for The Contractor Store hits different now. Vetted pros. No coke heads. No bamboozle. Go to thecontractorstore.com.

Jake's Target story. The woman on FaceTime asking how the other person knew she was at Target while standing inside Target.

Plus, the soldier who bet $400K on a Venezuela coup he was running. Wease says if you're going to overthrow a country, let the man cash his Kalshi ticket. The whole gambling everywhere conversation. Politics. Oil. Whatever you want to bet on.

UPCOMING:

Canna Corner 1 Year Block Party. June 20. 2 to 8pm. Free food, DJ, glass blowing, local vendors, right next to Savoias Bakery. Where Wease gets his herb.

Wease Show Reunion. July 17. Comedy at the Carlson. Part of the Rochester Comedy Festival, July 16 to 19. Proceeds to the Rochester Cancer Alliance.

It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Sponsor Introduction: The Contractor Store
• 00:02:48 Sabres Playoff Talk: Hope vs Reality (OLD NEWS)
• 00:07:20 Rochester History: From NBA Team to Manufacturing Hub
• 00:13:08 The Hoodie Was Invented in Rochester
• 00:15:58 Are Sports Rigged? The Conspiracy Theory Debate
• 00:20:57 Netflix Shows and Doom Scrolling: Running Point Review
• 00:30:35 Function Health: Taking Control of Your Biomarkers
• 00:42:08 Beach Beefs: Bikinis, Topless Men, and Body Politics
• 00:49:25 Jake's Water Bottle Save and Other Random Stories
• 00:52:33 The Three Thousand Dollar Door Scam: Cocaine and Chaos
• 01:05:16 Betting on Maduro: Should Soldiers Be Allowed to Gamble?

This episode is brought to you by the Contractor Store. https://thecontractorstore.com/

Elvio Fernandes walks into the Circus.

14 years in Daughtry. One of Rochester's most famous musicians, even if he won't say it himself. Wease has known him since the very beginning, when Elvio was a 28-year-old real estate agent with two kids, a mortgage, and a phone that randomly buzzed mid-showing. Chris Daughtry, fresh off American Idol, asking him to audition for the band.

Elvio said no. His wife Jess said try again. The rest is history.

This is the full origin story.

How Elvio extracted audio from YouTube clips of Daughtry doing radio acoustic sets, layered piano and harmonies over them, and sent them back so the band could hear what he'd sound like before he ever stepped in a room with them. That tape is what got him the gig. The band didn't want a new guy. Howard Benson heard the harmonies and changed their minds.

The song he wrote with Chris before he was even in the band. "Crazy." Third Daughtry album. Gold record on the wall. Came home from tour to find Jess had a hot tub, a new deck, and John Krueger doing renovations.

The Steven Tyler story. Two weeks into the band, Elvio's in a trailer at American Idol with naked mannequins everywhere while Tyler plays him the unreleased Aerosmith record and sings harmonies in his ear. JLo in the makeup chair asking what nationality he is.

Portugal. First time he's ever played his family's country. 16 cousins in the audience. Speech in Portuguese after the fourth song. Wearing a Ronaldo jersey. The whole crowd doing the "SIU" goal celebration. Chris thinking the crowd was booing him.

The Brad Arnold tribute. Three Doors Down tours. The country song they wrote together that never came out.

Rockstar Academy. Travel sports for kids who play music instead of sports. BB Dang origin story. Why college is mostly a scam. Why "I want to be famous" is the worst possible reason to chase music. Why you have to love the grind, the shitty songs, the smoky bars, all of it.

Elvio's Portuguese coffee shop in Rochester. His brother's witchcraft in the kitchen. The pasteis de nata that Doreen brought back from Lisbon. Why Wease thinks Elvio's spot would kill it anywhere in the world.

Cancel culture is dead. Kanye sold out SoFi for two nights. Ronnie Radke shitting on Buffalo to a sold-out Darien Lake. The mumble rap debate. Sperm racing in California (don't ask).

Bentonville, Arkansas. Walmart town. Mountain biking capital. Why Wease almost died on an electric mountain bike.

Plus, the book is out. "Addie's with Wease" by Marshall Fine and Brother Wease. Amazon and weasefamilycircus.com.

UPCOMING:

Canna Corner 1-Year Block Party. June 20. 2pm to 8pm. Free food, free cocktails, live DJ, glass-blowing demos, local vendors. Where Wease gets his herb.

Rochester Comedy Festival. July 16-19. Multiple venues. All proceeds to the Rochester Cancer Alliance.

Wease Show Reunion. Friday July 17. Comedy at the Carlson. Kevin Meaney Showroom.

It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice.

Mark Ippolito walks into the Circus. The man behind every major comedy show in Rochester. The guy who turned a dinky pool hall into a 190-seat club in Webster, then convinced Shresh Gowell to break into an abandoned warehouse and build Comedy at the Carlson, one of the best clubs in America.

This is the origin story of Rochester comedy

Mark started at Comics Cafe in the box office. Then security. Then clearing tables before bottles became weapons. Then bartending. Then management. Then JJ bought the place and Mark became the guy.

11 years in Webster. 190 seats. Drew Carey. Dice. Super Troopers. Impractical Jokers. All on a tiny stage that got too small when Buffalo opened Helium and Syracuse got an Improv. Rochester was the tent pole. Goldilocks porridge. Right in the middle. They just needed a bigger room.

Shresh and Sheryl sat in a booth every Friday saying "we gotta do something." Morgan Stern was opening Radio Social. Wease made the intro. Mark and Shresh literally broke into the building next door. Drew the whole thing on a napkin at Salvatore's. Then they built it.

Comedy at the Carlson. 325 seats. Private parking inside the building. Private hallway to the green room. Speakers everywhere. A monitor and clock for every comedian. The kind of setup that makes pros say this is one of the best clubs in the country.

Nikki Glaser played the Carlson before she became Nikki Glaser. Tiffany Haddish was in Wease's studio the same week her movie played across the street, six months removed from living in her car. Theo Vaughn. Jamie Foxx. Jim Norton.

The Jim Norton story. Montreal festival. JJ owned Comics Cafe but didn't know comedy. Norton mentioned he'd do NYC sets for 50 bucks. JJ thought that's what comedians cost. Offered Norton 200 to come to Rochester. JJ also wanted to book "that Seinfeld guy." Had no idea who Seinfeld was.

The Rickles Room. 100 seats. Intimate. For comics who can't fill 325 yet but can pack a small room and kill. Earl David Reed this weekend.

Mark expanded again. Took over the Irish dance studio next door. Built The Carlson event venue. Weddings. Fundraisers. A church rents it Sundays at 6 a.m. Van Halen plays while they set up. Maximizing square footage.

The first annual Rochester Comedy Festival. July 16-19. Multiple venues. Carlson. Radio Social. The Vault. Photo City. Artisan Works. The Wease Show Reunion Friday night, multiple mics, surprise guests flying in. Proceeds go to the Rochester Cancer Alliance. Funniest Person in Rochester finale kicks it off Thursday. 124 entries this year.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Sponsor Introduction: The Contractor Store
• 00:00:41 Introducing Mark Ippolito: Rochester's Comedy Kingmaker
• 00:03:14 From Comics Cafe to Comedy at the Carlson: The Journey
• 00:05:51 The Comedy Club at Webster and Finding the Perfect Location
• 00:07:11 Breaking into the Carlson: Drawing Dreams on a Bar Napkin
• 00:10:58 Building a Headliner's Room: Green Rooms and Low Ceilings
• 00:13:41 Nikki Glaser and Tiffany Haddish: Before They Were Stars
• 00:25:48 The Rickles Room: Intimate Comedy for 100
• 00:28:14 Earl David Reed and the Art of Crowd Work
• 00:30:45 Sports Talk: Giants, Knicks, and Philly Sucks
• 00:23:09 The Carlson Event Venue: Maximizing Every Square Foot
• 00:45:51 Rochester Comedy Festival Announcement: Four Days of Laughs
• 00:47:39 The Wease Show Reunion: Friday Night Anchor Event
• 00:50:12 Comedy for a Cause: Supporting the Rochester Cancer Alliance
• 00:56:00 Funniest Person in Rochester Contest: 124 Hopefuls Compete

Then sports. Mark talks Giants, Knicks, Bills. Micah Hyde befriended his nephew before he passed. Played video games with him every night. Brought him to the suite. Mark owns every Hyde jersey he could find. Hyde just launched a THC drink called Hyde's Hail Mary. Mark's bringing it to the club.

Philly tried to block Knicks fans from playoff tix. Buffalo's doing it to Montreal fans. Mark says let them come. Best games are sitting next to a rival fan, breaking stones all night, high fives by the end.

Mark's a Giants fan because his father was. Western NY was Giants territory before the Bills existed. His dad was a bookie. Hated the Yankees. Mark inherited that too.

John Sterling died. 85. Yankees broadcaster 30+ years. John DiTullio hated him. Wease used to torture DiTullio with Sterling clips on the air.

Vinnie Marcus walks in. Lost 65 pounds. Treadmill 3.1 miles a day. Looks like a different person. Jim Florentine in Endicott this weekend. Rob's Comedy Playhouse in Buffalo Saturday.

Rochester Comedy Festival. July 16-19. Tickets on sale this week. Proceeds to the Rochester Cancer Alliance.

It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice.

Salvatore Fantauzzo walks into the Circus.

Soccer Sam. Started with one pizza shop on Main Street in 1978. Turned it into 32 locations across New York. Financed his employees. Turned box makers into franchise owners. Built an empire on loyalty, hard work, and a high school home ec project.

This episode is the origin story.

A senior year assignment turned into a 48 year legacy. Fred's meat market almost became a pizzeria. A shoe store across the street became the first Salvatore's. Captain Tony's, Pontillo's, and Bunny Goodman were the only competition back then.

Sam talks about the 1983 pizza convention in Florida that changed everything. Mozzarella sticks. Chicken fingers. Buffalo wings from a girl who worked at the Anchor Bar. The moment Salvatore's became more than just pizza and subs.

He talks about buying Aziz Pizza's leftover boxes when they went out of business because he was broke. The Pac Man machine in the lobby that kept him afloat. His brother pushing him to that convention. Necessity forcing him to expand because pizza alone wasn't cutting it.

The franchise model that built Salvatore's. His brother and John Corgi were his first employees at 13. The second location opened inside a bar called Chadwicks. Nick from Donuts Delite started making boxes at eight, went to college for graphic design, came back, and now owns the store.

30 of 32 locations are owned by former employees. That's the Salvatore's way. You start making boxes. You work your way up. Sam finances your store. You build your life.

Sam's biggest mistake? Not recognizing talent early enough. Mike DeBull left to start the Wegmans pizza department and built the entire food court concept. Chelsea from Branca started as a 17 year old server and runs one of the biggest restaurant operations in Monroe County. Tim Archeco owns Otto Tomato in Pittsford. All former Salvatore's.

The soccer obsession. First Lancers game at 10. Every Inter Miami home game for five years straight. Last night he watched Messi blow a 3-0 lead and lose 4-3 to Orlando. 26,000 fans. Half from Uruguay, Costa Rica, Argentina. Young boys wearing pink and proud because of Messi.

The women's soccer revolution. Trinity Rodman just signed a million dollar contract. Joe Sahlen gave away the Western New York Flash years ago. Now teams sell for 220 million. Wease had women's players on the show in the 90s when nobody cared. Those same women are millionaires today.

Sam's 98 year old father in law lives alone, cooks alone, and mowed his own lawn until Sam intentionally broke the mower three months ago. Refuses senior living. Sharp as ever.

Three kids. Ten grandkids. Santino owns Bushnell's Basin at 21. Started making boxes at 12. Tried college for six months and said I can't do this. Roxy helps run Santino's spot and owns her own nail salon. The youngest works for Salvatore's. Sal is an acupuncturist. The third generation is coming up.

The Rochester versus Florida debate. Wease goes off on the guy who called Rochester a shit hole. Festivals everywhere. Music everywhere. Great hospitals. Great restaurants. Rochester is not a shit hole.

Sam's body is broken down from working so hard his whole life. Florida heat helps. Rochester hurts. Pickleball with Linda. Soccer with his boys when he's in town.

Wease on his Parkinson's. Walked three and a half miles this morning. Gym at 6 a.m. He doesn't want to get out of bed but he has to keep moving.

Spirit Airlines collapses the day Doreen is supposed to fly to Tampa to take care of her mom. JetBlue acquires Spirit. Wease bought the tickets with points. Now the points are gone. I need this broad. I'm no good alone.

This episode is the Salvatore's story. The soccer. The franchise. The mistakes. The loyalty. The legacy.

It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Sponsor Introduction: The Contractor Store
• 00:00:56 Introducing Soccer Sam: Salvador Fantuzo and the Koji Connection
• 00:02:54 The First Salvador's and Brother Wease's Early Support
• 00:03:54 From High School Project to Pizza Empire: 32 Locations and Counting
• 00:05:58 The Home Economics Class That Started It All
• 00:10:13 Pizza Philosophy: Rochester Style vs New York Style
• 00:15:20 Soccer Sam's Passion: From Lancers to Lionel Messi
• 00:16:28 Hope Solo, Women's Soccer, and Making Millions
• 00:18:12 Inter Miami VIP Experience: 26,000 Fans in Pink
• 00:31:08 Building an Empire: Turning Employees into Owners
• 00:44:22 Business Mistakes and Lost Talent: The Wegmans Story
• 00:51:06 The Importance of Family Support and Hard Work
• 00:56:28 Rochester Pride and Spirit Airlines Drama