Car Con Carne

By the time you hear this episode, Jessica Hernandez may already be an international superstar. It sure feels like it's going to happen soon. The Detroit star turned heads and won fans in her Riot Fest set (Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas) on Saturday 9/17. We talked after her set about: *Her time in Chicago while going to Columbia College *Her music fandom and where it came from. *Her band, the Deltas: "Detroit is so rich with talented musicians... We all share that love of music." *A great place for Horchata in Detroit (hint: it's her family's restaurant)

Girls Against Boys are one of the coolest-sounding bands I've ever heard, with a menacing bottom-heavy rhythm section, swaggery vocals and a crisp, lacerating guitar that cuts through it all. These days, GVSB is relatively dormant, meaning live performances from them are opportunities to treasure. They played this year's Riot Fest in Chicago in broad daylight (the band's arguably more suited to playing a sleazy, sweaty, darkened room). I sat down with singer Scott McCloud and drummer Alexis Fleisig after their performance. They talked about the band's potential future, their catalog and the fact that "Chicago's probably one of the best cities for (them) in the United States."

Greg Puciato from Dillinger Escape Plan talks about the end of the band just before he hits the stage at Chicago's Riot Fest event! What does he think the band's legacy will be? He explains...

This may be the most "Chicago" podcast episode I've ever produced. My guest this week is author Dennis Foley (The Streets and San Man's Guide to Chicago Eats, We Speak Chicagoese). We meet at Byron's Hot Dogs at 1017 W. Irving Park (also located at 1701 W. Lawrence), and owner Mike Payne jumps in the backseat to join in on the conversation. Foley's a terrific writer and an expert on all things Chicago... especially on Chicago food. As for Payne? Well, he's simply a hot dog titan. Some of the things we discuss: *What sets a hot dog apart? ("It all starts with the steam table.") *The beauty of a Chicago dog ("It's like a ballet in a bun") *The excellent new book Foley co-edited,"We Speak Chicagoese" ("short stories, creative essays and poems about Chicago by some of the top literary voices to ever roam the Windy City's streets"). We cover some of the collection's most compelling entries, including Foley's contribution, "Pretty Please." *How my enjoyment of Byron's hot dogs spread to the front of my shirt. *Why

This week, it's a "Taco Tuesday" recording at Masa Azul (2901 W Diversey Ave) with Austin and Alex from Chicago band The Noise FM. What does the band sound like? "Beat-driven indie rock: We're not rewriting the playbook here." We talk about: *How incredibly good the tacos are. Handmade tortillas? Hell yes. *Austin and Alex did tequila shots at the bar before recording which cost more than our meal for three *Why they're going into seclusion *ICP: "They preach a message of tolerance" *Hipster appreciation of KISS turning into appreciation-appreciation of KISS *The high likelihood that Alex and Austin's mom is listening *Their podcast... the *only* podcast dedicated to the 1999 sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest *The band's 8th year of their "Noise for Toys" charity concert (12/1 at Lincoln Hall) *The best BBQ in Kansas City (it's not Arthur Bryant's)

Candlebox is coming to town next week with Buckcherry at the Arcada Theatre (9/14), and that inspired me to pull this four-year-old interview with frontman Kevin Martin off the shelf. We talk about Candlebox's explosion into the 90's rock scene, Martin's first album purchase, and the band's longevity.

It's another exclusive "backseat performance" as Chris Otepka of Heligoats plays two of the band's best songs (My Camping Trip From Hell, Fish Sticks) live in the back seat of the Mazda 3. For this episode, we visit the spectacular new Riverside Pizza and Pub on 456 Redington Drive in South Elgin (http://www.riversidepizzapub.com). We go hard on the "carne" this week as we eat Riverside's Italian Beef grinder pizza: In short, there's Italian beef and giardiniera on the pizza, and the dough is amazing. I'm typing this shortly after eating it, and now I want to eat it again. Over pizza, Chris talks about his other band, Troubled Hubble, and how Green Day indirectly affected the band's upward trajectory. We also discuss: *Chris's passion for storytelling: "I always secretly wanted to be a rapper" *Dave the bass player, who jumps in the back seat mid-show ("Do we have to share our pizza?") *Why Heligoats is on the leading edge of meat songs *Camping as metaphor And then there are the performances... Otepka nails

Chicago pop-punk band (and newly-signed Equal Vision recording artist) Sleep On It meet up with me for tacos and horchata at their favorite hangout, Taqueria Moran (2226 N California Ave). Zech Pluister (lead vocals) and TJ Horansky (guitar/vocals) talk about why they're "basically the Al Capone of pop punk in Chicago." They also discuss: *How salsa verde "gives our band life" *The "diaper" strategy of taco-eating *Their new record deal with Equal Vision: How they got it, and what's coming next *The joy of making videos *Their friend Shayna, who happened to be walking down the street as we were recording. She says "hi" in the middle of the show. *Why TJ may soon be roaming the halls at Proviso East *Their excellent song "Burning At Both Ends" *Their territorial ruling over two blocks of Logan Square. The thing is, they can never venture beyond those two blocks. It's kinda like the Lion King. *Their Riot Fest after-show on 9/17 at Township Listen, share and enjoy!

Burger King unveiled it's Whopperito (a Whopper made like a burrito) on August 15th, and I decided to try it during BK's launch week. Fast food's never been a Car Con Carne "thing," but sometimes I have to point the Mazda 3 in the direction of the zeitgeist. Patrick Brower, co-owner of Challengers Comics and co-host of the excellent behind-the-scenes Yak Channel Network podcast "Contest of Challengers," jumped in the front seat to try the Whopperito with me. Patrick's an old friend and a great conversationalist. Over Whopperitos, we cover: *Patrick's kidney stone. He's been waiting for weeks to pass it. We cover every aspect of the diagnosis and subsequent medical concerns and initiatives, including straining pee (like panning for gold), pain meds and the discomfort of getting an ultrasound. It's a fascinating (and funny) discussion; though perhaps inappropriate for dinner conversation. *Who has the best fast food fries (it's not Burger King) *The nuances of the Whopperito: Donde esta el queso? *We miss Mike

Nikki, Lucy and Polly from Chicago punk rock band Mystery Actions join me for Taco Night at Taqueria Traspasada (3144 N California). Over tacos and Jarritos, we cover the following: *Why Nikki took a bullet before the show *Polly's fans in the foot fetish community *Lucy's conjuring up a killer Motorhead/Girlschool collaboration *The band's less-glamorous gigs (High school gym! Grocery store!) *The merits of waterparks *Strip club wordplay

Just last week, I watched an early rough of the Car Con Carne TV pilot. Simply put, I can't wait for you to see it. In the meantime, here's a longform audio version of one of the segments, an interview with Chicago Sky superstar Allie Quigley. We talk about her younger days in Joliet, through her time playing basketball at DePaul to her present-day WNBA stardom. It all leads up to me challenging her to a game of HORSE... but you'll have to wait for the TV show to see how that turned out.

You're going to be blown away by this episode's in-car performance. No fair skipping ahead to hear it! Nathan Graham, frontman of Chicago band the Lucky Dutch, jumps in the front seat for a visit to Red Hot Ranch (2072 N. Western). Before he pulls out his guitar, we talk about: *Why he was kicked out a band before he was in the Lucky Dutch *Starting and growing the Lucky Dutch *Playing SXSW *Putting out the latest album, "Cadillac Coffin," on vinyl *Berating strangers on the streets of Chicago: "We're still kind of the murder capital of the world" *Our mutual love of horror movies *Batman and Batgirl "doing it" Hot dogs and conversation out of the way, Nathan delivers a blistering performance of the Lucky Dutch song "Giving Up." So. Good.

This week, I'm joined by one of CNN's "Heroes of the Year," "Blues Doctor" Daniel Ivankovich. Wikipedia explains his work better than I can: He's the "leader of the Bone Squad, a group of medical professionals who treat the city's uninsured and underinsured." We visit the long-standing White Palace Grill on Roosevelt (it's been there since 1939!) for delicious diner food and a conversation that includes: *Getting the call from CNN *The bizarre transformation fo the South Loop into a home for Whole Foods and Bed, Bath and Beyond *Why he doesn't practice on Chicago's North Shore: "I probably would have slit my wrists" *His work in the "war zone" ("Chicago is home to five of the most challenged communities in America") *What would happen if he switched to the dark side: "I have paralytic agents at my disposal... I could drop you in the blink of an eye." *The worst of what he's seen *What the blues mean to him *Chicago's role in the blues *His band, Chicago Blues All-Stars (we even end the show with a full song f

BREAKING: A Car Con Carne TV pilot is being worked on as you're reading this. Scott Lucas of super-huge Chicago band Local H joined me for the pilot's first shoot, at BRGRBELLY in Portage Park (truly one of Chicago's best burger joints). This episode is a mostly-unedited audio version of that segment. I had to cut out a big part of the intro, which was mostly played for the camera and had a ton of bag rustling and background noise. Unfortunately, that means the formal introduction to Scott and a lot of our praise for BRGRBELLY hit the podcast cutting room floor. To paraphrase what was said: Scott's my guest and BRGRBELLY rules. Local H is simply one of Chicago's best bands, and Lucas is one of its most talented songwriters. It was a blast eating burgers on camera and on-mic with him. Topics covered in this episode: *The 20th anniversary of the landmark "As Good As Dead" album, and its corresponding tour (the family-friendly "Two Balls and a Dick" tour) *Scott's vegetarianism (his portobello burger was like a

Car Con Carne kicked off the live events in the Taste of Chicago's "Food for Thought" podcast pavilion this year, and a bunch of guests were there to make sure it was a ridiculously fun time. The first half of the show finds me sitting down with comedian Dave Helem, Rockit Executive Chef Amanda Downing, singer/songwriter Daniel Wade and Nathan Graham, frontman for the Lucky Dutch. After catching up about what everyone's up to, we talk about essential things like food, music and baseball. Nathan brought along his guitar so I asked him to play for the crowd. What happened next was a tent-searing acoustic performance of the Lucky Dutch song "Good Honest Man"... you really need to hear this (but please don't fast forward; the interview stuff before it is awesome)! After the performance, I'm joined by Yak Channel Podcast Network colleagues and friends Michelle L'amour, Kevin Alves and Amy Guth. Michelle talks about the state of burlesque, her nerves about podcasting and that time she was on "America's Got Talent."

Michael McDermott is one of the greatest songwriters of the past 25 years. If you're familiar with McDermott, you probably already know that Stephen King's a fan ("Not since I first heard Bruce Springsteen singing 'Rosalita' had I heard someone who excited me so much as a listener, who turned my dials so high, who just made me feel so (expletive) happy to have ears"). For this episode, McDermott joins me for an ill-fated burger in Elmhurst ("Is this mold on the bun... that's a green that I do not see on the olive"). He talks candidly about falling into years of drug addiction. Back at the beginning, he said to his friend, "Show me the gutter." Years later the friend said, "I didn't know you'd stay down there." McDermott goes on to talk about how dark things got: "Looking at 3-6 years in prison... that was scary." "The next step would've been suicide by cop." If you believe in happy endings, McDermott found one. He's been sober for 2+ years and just released what may be his finest work yet: Willow Springs. We

What's it like having cancer? "Everybody wants to tell you how good you look... but really you know you don't look very good. You look like you have cancer." My guests this week are Dan Olas, who at the age of 37 was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. He's a survivor, and President of the Associate Board for Gilda's Club. Dan jumped in the Mazda 3 for a trip to Lazo's Tacos at 2009 N. Western to talk about this year's 'Gildapalooza' event (7/7 at Columbia Yacht Club). He even brought along Chris from King & Kash, an Elvis/Johnny Cash tribute band playing at Gildapalooza. He plays a Cash tune from the backseat. We talk a lot about Gilda's Club. I ask,"Is the price of admission a diagnosis?" Dan replies, "It's kind of a steep price..." There's a lot of talk about how to deal with a diagnosis, and how deeply it affected Dan's life. There's also a lot of positive talk, and a story about a woman named Joan you won't soon forget.

"Media gadfly" Scott Smith (@ourmaninchicago) greeted me at the Original Rainbow Cone on S. Western Avenue with a bag of burgers from nearby Top Notch Burgers. He wanted to make sure I enjoyed the "full Beverly experience." Scott loves promoting the Beverly area to the point where I can't believe he hasn't run for mayor there. Yet. We tore through the burgers before walking into Rainbow Cone. And really, the burgers were enough food for the night. But this being Car Con Carne, it was important to push ahead and eat ice cream for the show. And the Rainbow Cones were well worth it. Scott dropped all sorts of Rainbow Cone knowledge, from the history of the "Palmer House" flavor to the proper way to eat a Rainbow Cone without it dripping everywhere. We also talked about the state of journalism today and where it's going five years from now. He talked about the demise of his last media job, working for the defunct TV news company TouchVision and things he learned there ("understand exactly where the money's coming

Don't flick your Bic, 'Matches' is in the mix! Translation: Comedic actor Matt Nikkila jumps in the front seat for a trip to Weiner's Circle, the infamous Chicago hot dog joint. Over char dogs, we discuss: *Matt's secret radio past *The disproportionate amount of yoga pants in Lakeview *The thankless nature of "barprov" ("it's a very weird atmosphere. It's very dark. It's very drunk") *The TV pilot for "Fatty," which has Nikkila in the starring role *Chicago's comedy scene *The "Harlem Globetrotters of food" concept for Car Con Carne *Why I had to smuggle Oreos into the car *Delayed gratification *Spandex decision-making: Good judgment? *The war on jorts and cargo shorts Toward the end of the episode, I mention that Matt's someone to watch. Learn more than you could ever want to know about him in this installment of Car Con Carne!

This week finds me at a classic north side hot dog joint: Wolfy's, at 2734 Peterson, a place whose food guest Miss Alex White describes as a "big, meaty Tylenol." About Miss Alex White: She and her brother Francis Scott Key comprise the wildly fun and successful indie band White Mystery. We talk about how the mood and sounds of Chicago contribute to their overall vibe, as well as: *The band's 6th album, Outta Control *Performaning at the Troubadour on Carson Daly's show *The agony and ecstasy of DIY business *White Mystery's 10-year expiration date *Their superhuman travel schedule *The odd places where they get recognized