Category: breweries

Metal! Beer! Tacos! Cats! ‘Feed the Beasts’ fundraiser preview at Soundgrowler (Episode 817)
Feed the Beasts is hosting a metal-themed cat rescue benefit at Soundgrowler Brewing Co. (8201 183rd Street Suite P, Tinley Park) on February 18 (5pm start). I’m joined by Nicci and Dan, the kind souls behind Feed the Beasts, as…
Skeleton Key Brewery visited by the Spectral Silhouette (Episode 795)
Skeleton Key Brewery (8102 Lemont Road in Woodridge) is a fantastic craft brewery with a variety of inventive and delicious beers. That’s where this episode was recorded, as co-owner Paul Slayton and I were joined by musician Henry Scherrer (The…
Local Motive & Badcandy at Eris Brewery and Cider House (Episode 757)
First off, I swear it wasn’t my idea to put the dudes in the front seats and the women in the backseats. I knew it was going to be terrible optics. Dammit. This episode was a blast. I was joined…
Unlocking creativity and opening Sketchbook beer with Steve Dawson (Episode 746)
Chicago songwriting treasure Steve Dawson (Dolly Varden, Funeral Bonsai Wedding) is performing highlights from his superior “At the Bottom of a Canyon in the Branches of a Tree” at Pravda Fest this weekend. He joined me at Sketchbook in Skokie…
Josh Caterer/Hushdrops share an episode (Episode 745)
As we head toward PravdaFest weekend, Josh Caterer (Josh Caterer Trio) and John San Juan (Hushdrops, Josh Caterer Trio) join me at Sketchbook in Skokie after hours to talk about music, beer and pop culture. And what’s this they’re saying…
Boom Hank revisits past while planning for the future (Episode 742)
Boom Hank released one of the 90s best “sleeper” albums, “Nuisance,” on Pravda back in 1995. With only days away from Boom Hank kicking off Pravda Fest at Sketchbook Brewing in Skokie (4901 Main St.), I sat down with…
Whatever: The Slugs return for Pravda Fest (Episode 739)
The Slugs are one of Chicago’s most enduring indie rock bands, and they’re reuniting for Pravda Fest at Sketchbook Brewing Co. (4901 Main St., Skokie, lineup below). Dag and Gregg Juhlin came together to talk about the band’s long history…
The Handcuffs release best album to date: The reverential ‘Burn the Rails’ (Episode 734)
Chicago band the Handcuffs will release their finest moment to date on Friday (6/3), “Burn the Rails,” on Pravda Records. ⅗ of the band joined me to talk about the new album onsite at Sketchbook Brewing in Skokie, which is…
Liv Warfield (Prince/NPG) eats sandwiches in car; plays SPACE on Tuesday (Episode 726)
For this episode, I’m joined by the fiercely talented Liv Warfield. Liv’s a powerful solo artist who is perhaps best known as a member of Prince’s backing band, New Power Generation (NPG). We talked about her time and memories with…
Is Wolfden Brewing haunted? (Episode 674)
Is Wolfden Brewing haunted? There’s an awful lot of lore around the 170 year-old house to support that belief. Wolfden GM Kyle Brauch joined me to talk about the unexplained phenomena at Wolfden, as well as the brewery’s “Murder Den”…