Podcast
H.O.G. POD: Chicagoland Hyper Local Music Scene
Hosted by HogPod Chicagoland's Hyper Local Music Chat · EN
Welcome to HOG POD: Chicago's Music Scene Unplugged! Hosted by Mike Orfanos, Mike Dermont, and Pete Jansons, we dive into Chicago’s vibrant music scene. From classic rock to indie vibes, we bring you exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and live performances. Discover local legends and emerging artists while exploring the city’s diverse music culture. Tune in for special episodes featuring tribute bands and live events!
37episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Inside the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum: Ron Romero on Preserving Music History | Hogpod
1w ago00:42:46Tap to summarizeWhat 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 📧 Bookingbooking@hogpod.org
Transcribe →
Is AI Music Cheating? Two Music Vets Test Suno | Hogpod Chicagoland Music Scene Podcast
2w ago01:07:02Tap to summarizeCan 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 — booking@hogpod.org #Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #AImusic #Suno #AImusicdebate #DeusExMachina #Songwriting #MusicProduction #ChicagoMusicScene
Transcribe →
Two Worlds Collided: Q101's Steve McEwen on Chicago Music, Cubby Bear & AI
3w ago01:02:39Tap to summarizeSame 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 — booking@hogpod.org#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #ChicagoMusic #Q101 #CubbyBear #ChicagoMusicScene #Medusas #Lollapalooza #AImusic #ChicagoRealEstate
Transcribe →
Chicago Drummer Scott Muzzey Severed His Wrist & Came Back | Hogpod Chicagoland Music Scene Podcast
4w ago01:07:48Tap to summarizeScott 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 — booking@hogpod.org #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #Drummers #Washboard #REOSpeedwagon #TributeBands #LocalMusic #Chicagoland
Transcribe →
Ted Banick, Mr. Blotto & 22 Years of Teddy O'Brien's | Hogpod Chicagoland Music Scene Podcast
Jun 1000:59:14Tap to summarizeFor 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 — booking@hogpod.org #Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusic #Highwood #TeddyOBrians #LiveMusic #NorthShore #MusicPodcast
Transcribe →
Dan Peters on Brian May, Dee Snider & Why Rock Died | Hogpod Chicago Music Podcast
May 2701:08:16Tap to summarizeChicago 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 — booking@hogpod.org #ChicagoMusic #Hogpod #DanPeters #Shredabilly #LocalMusic #ChicagoBands #BrianMay #DeeSnider #Broadway #AIMusic
Transcribe →
Jimmy Pallucci of Anchors Away | Chicago Music Scene Podcast | Yacht Rock Tribute Bands
May 2001:17:11Tap to summarizeJim 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: jamesap00@aol.comBand 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 → booking@hogpod.org
Transcribe →
He Fired the Founder of His Own Oasis Tribute Band
May 1300:56:50Tap to summarizeOne week before their first show, the founder of a Chicago Oasis tribute band posted an ad looking for a new singer and bass player.The band saw it.They fired him.Then they played the show without him.—James Bruebach joins Hogpod to talk about Matchbox 90s, Wonderwall, Chicago tribute bands, trying to “make it” in music, and why losing his brother changed the way he approaches life forever.Topics include:• The Pandora Method• Why tribute bands get booked• “The easier phone call” theory• Nashville vs TikTok• Why consistency beats polish online• COVID killing bands overnight• The Godsmack audition story• Petra at the Odeum—🎵 “Life Is Short” — the Hogpod album inspired by this episode:https://open.spotify.com/album/3CETxw...—⏱ CHAPTERS0:00 Cold open — Matchbox 20 covers7:09 Broken Oar flooding13:26 COVID kills the band22:13 “Post that content”27:32 “Life is short”29:00 How Matchbox 90s started34:33 The Pandora Method39:56 The firing45:53 Wonderwall is born53:04 Petra at the Odeum55:42 Pop-Tarts—Hosted by Pete Jansons, Mike “Bongo” Orfanos, and Chris “Rhodesy” Rhodes.
Transcribe →
ROB STEPEN JOINS ILLINOIS ROCK HALL BOARD: 2 Standing Ovations + Cheap Trick Ties
May 600:48:58Tap to summarizeRob Stepen is back — and this time, it's not a catch-up. He was just elected to the Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame board, and the story behind it starts with a night where The Generations walked into a room full of Cheap Trick fans… and left with two standing ovations.Plus: Rob isn't just on the board — he's leading the charge to rebuild the tornado-damaged Route 66 museum. We dive deep into the 2026 national Rock and Roll Hall of Fame debate (does Wu-Tang belong? what about Sade?), reveal the 2026 Illinois inductee class (Koko Taylor, Survivor, The Flock, American Breed, The Boys), and lock in The Generations' summer festival slate including Belmont Sheffield May 24 with special guest bassist Janis Wallin, Highwood Days July 19, and Roberts Westside August 15. Pete shares the secret behind a NeuroNoodle clip that hit 30 million views, and we end up tracking down JBTV's Jerry Bryant.🎵 Honored and Blessed — Hogpod Album #13 inspired by Rob's story:https://open.spotify.com/album/4sgKmEDHTbxuCWIIV54kLk?si=tnVwQJCDQpG1Q6GkbtQ7bw🎯 KEY MOMENTS0:00 The Generations live at the Arcada — cold open8:01 Highwood Days July 19 — The Generations headlining9:11 Two standing ovations at the Arcada9:37 Cheap Trick / Rick Nielsen & the Rockford connection11:30 Hard Rock Casino Rockford — the Dax Nielsen lead12:46 ROB ELECTED TO ILLINOIS ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME BOARD13:32 The Hogpod Pin — join the inner circle14:30 Illinois vs. Cleveland — why Illinois wins19:02 2026 National Rock Hall debate — Iron Maiden, Oasis & Wu-Tang23:37 Illinois 2026 class — Koko Taylor, Survivor & The Flock32:36 Long-form vs. short-form — the 30M view story37:19 Finding Jerry Bryant — JBTV's Chicago music TV legacy40:19 Janis Wallin joins on bass for Belmont Sheffield📍 Chicago - Chicagoland - Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - The Generations - Cheap Trick - Sons of Cream - Arcada Theatre - Live Music - Route 66 Blues Roots🎤 Guest Links — Rob StepenThe Generations: https://thegenerationsband.com/Rob Stepen Music (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/robstepenmusic/Rob Stepen Music (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/robstepenmusic/Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum: https://roadtorock.org/Museum Donations: https://roadtorock.org/donate/Belmont Sheffield Music Festival (May 22-24, 2026): https://lakevieweast.com/belmont-sheffield-music-festival-2026/Highwood Days / Taste of Highwood (July 17-19, 2026): https://www.celebratehighwood.org/taste-of-highwood-and-highwood-days/Roberts Westside (Forest Park, Aug 15): https://robertswestside.com/Janis Wallin (guest bassist): https://www.janiswallin.com/💗 Support Hogpod — patreon.com/hogpodHosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike).📞 Want to come on? Booker / club owner / shredder → booking@hogpod.org#IllinoisRockHall #RobStepen #ChicagoMusic #CheapTrick #TheGenerations #HonoredAndBlessed #SonsOfCream #ArcadaTheatre #RickNielsen #KokoTaylor #JanisWallin #SurvivorBand #JimPeterik #BelmontSheffield #HighwoodDays #JBTV #ChicagoMusicScene #RockHall2026 #RockAndRoll #Hogpod
Transcribe →
SAMMY DAVIS JR. COOKED FOR US: The 1970s Sunset Strip Bust That Ended Everything
Apr 2800:47:34Tap to summarizeAt 75, Debora Masterson is gigging on bass in Chicago — and her debut novel is about the Sunset Strip rocker she loved at 15, the federal drug bust that killed his band Freedom Quest, the bowl of chocolate mescaline on their coffee table, the Hawaii cult he joined when she left him, and the reunion thirty years later that became twenty beautiful years..Plus: the time Sammy Davis Jr. cooked dinner for the whole cast in his Chicago apartment with Jesse Jackson there, Debora warming up alone in a Lincoln Center rehearsal room when Mikhail Baryshnikov walked in, the bowl of chocolate mescaline on a Reseda living room coffee table at age 22, and how she finished her husband's book five and a half years after he passed..🎶 He Taught Me Bass — Hogpod Album #11 inspired by Debora's story:https://open.spotify.com/album/1ZRM23....🎯 KEY MOMENTS0:00 The love story tease — 1965, two kids, sex drugs rock and roll, Vietnam0:14 Why her story belongs in Chicago1:08 Meet Craig Ingraham — the real Mr. Jukebox1:46 Met at 15 and 18 — fake IDs in the San Fernando Valley4:01 Freedom Quest forms in 1973 — the monster band that almost made it4:48 The roadie was a fed — drug bust kills the band5:48 Grammy legend David Benoit's teenage start6:46 The bowl of mescaline on the living room table8:21 He vanished to Hawaii — and joined a cult9:30 Manson was in the Valley too9:57 Sammy Davis Jr. cooks for the cast (Jesse Jackson's surprise visit)13:30 Alone in a room with Baryshnikov17:00 North Beach Summer of Love (not stripper joints)22:00 The Catalina Island Chi-Chi Club summer23:00 Cat's Meow Supper Club, Fort Wayne, the road to Chicago29:30 He never made it to Chicago — he's here in spirit now40:09 The seizures that ended his music42:34 Where to buy Freedom Quest — Bookshop.org over Amazon46:33 Pop-Tarts, Valley Girl, gag me with a spoon46:35 The 420 surprise — a 75-year-old's viral reaction.📍 Chicago - Chicagoland - Music Memoir - Debut Novel - Sunset Strip - 1960s - 1970s - Freedom Quest - Sammy Davis Jr - Baryshnikov - North Beach - Catalina.🎤 Guest Links — Debora MastersonWebsite: deboramasterson.comBook on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ573WV4Atmosphere Press: https://atmospherepress.com/books/fre...Bookshop.org: bookshop.org (search "Freedom Quest Debora Masterson")Craig Ingraham music: craigingraham.com/musicApple Music — Freedom Quest album: / freedom-quest .❤️ Support Hogpod — patreon.com/hogpod.Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike)..📞 Booking — beth@hogpod.org / 708-287-3692.#ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusicScene #DeboraMasterson #FreedomQuest #HeTaughtMeBass #CraigIngraham #ChicagoAuthor #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #HogpodMusicChat #DebutNovel #MusicMemoir #SammyDavisJr #SunsetStrip #BassPlayer
Transcribe →