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Jake Racina is a singer songwriter from the Chicagoland who takes his inspirations from The Shins and Wilco.

Peter Kreten spoke with Racina to learn more about his new album 'Good Mood Guy', why Racina prefers the creative and recording process over performing live, why his music always needs a slight tough of quirkiness, and how the Old Town School of Folk music has helped him on his musical journey.

Photo Credit: Jake Racina. Used with Permission

Strap in folks, there's a hurricane of emotions coming through. Casey and Perla take a different route this episode as they both talk about an anime and a musical they strongly disliked. Lots of strong opinions in this one folks so be warned, if you enjoyed an anime about a bunny girl or a musical about harvesting organs, you might want to skip this one. Tune in to the episode as well for a small announcement at the end!

Michael J. Miles is a musician who performs classical and Americana musician from the Chicagoland area. He's has been playing for over 30 years. In this interview, Miles shares how Bach influenced his playing, what's on his internal jukebox, and why classical and folk music still matter. Photo Credit: Gregory Heisler. Used with Permission

Sludgeworth is a legendary Chicago punk band that formed in 1989 and released their debut album 'What's This?' in 1991. 35 years later they've back with their recently released sophomore album 'Second Time Around'.

Peter Kreten sat down with vocalist Dan Schafer, guitarist Adam White, and drummer Brian Vermin. What came next was a philosophical conversation on what it means to be in a band and what does success actually look like, why Metallica is a gateway band into punk rock, and the importance of finding your authentic voice.

Along the way, we discuss how 'Second Time Around' came together and Dan, Brian and Adam share that they are already working on album 3. This is a can't miss conversation!

Photo Credit: Tom Birch. Used with permission

Allison Russell is a Grammy and Juno award winning Folk and Americana artist from Montreal, and who resided in Chicago for a period of time.

Russell set the folk and Americana scene on fire in 2021 with the release of her debut solo album ‘Outside Child’. She released her follow up album ‘The Returner’ in 2023, and is back with her most vulnerable album yet ‘In the Hour of Chaos’, released in 2026.

In this conversation, Peter Kreten discusses with Allison her approach to writing ‘In the Hour of Chaos’, the challenges of always being on the road, and the excitement of performing a Halloween show at the Vic theater in Chicago.

Photo Credit: Mason Poole. Used with Permission

Julia Minkin is a singer songwriter from the Chicagoland area that crafts introspective lyrics with a touch of French pop music.

Peter Kreten spoke with Minkin and learned about her approach to writing her new album 'Not Ready', when you can start listening to Christmas music and how it's a great community builder, and the challenges of being an artist in this digital age.

Photo Credit: Alexa Viscius. Used with Permission

With the school bell ringing around the corner, Casey and Perla discuss scholarly topics, such as the hit musical "Heathers" and award winning anime "My Hero Academia" Get ready for back to school with Casey and Perla as they dive into the colorful world of My Hero and "Heathers"

Afrofuturistics is a Chicago collective that "fuses cosmic jazz and instrumental hip-hop." They released their latest album 'The Enigmatic' in Aug. 2026.

Peter Kreten sat down with Erik Oldman and Eli Wilson to learn how Sun Ra and Miles Davis inspired their sound, how the band came together the state of the jazz scene in the city of Chicago, and the upcoming album release show on Aug. 29 at Le Piano in Rogers Park.

Photo Credit: Katia Jackson. Used with Permission

Snowcuffs is a shoegaze alternative rock band from the Chicagoland area that blends haunting melody with introspective lyrics.

Peter Kreten spoke with guitarist Neil Yodnane and vocalist Stephanie Nikolas to learn how the band came together, how classic rock and 90s grunge was their childhood soundtracks and how it now influences their songwriting, and why the local Chicago scene is so special.

Photo Credit: Dave Ritter. Used with Permission

Welcome back to episode 4 of No Justice: No One Piece! This episode Danny and Perla discuss the highly anticipated skypiea arc f One Piece.

A colonialist feud focusing on the forced removal of an indigenous group from their homeland, this arc is all too prevalent in the world we live in today.

Drawing countless connections to the atrocities experienced by many, this episode is a must-watch for any anime fan or political activist!