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!
H.O.G. POD: Chicagoland Hyper Local Music Scene
Claim This Podcastby HogPod Chicagoland's Hyper Local Music Chat
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113 episodes
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Podcast Overview
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!
Language
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Publishing Since
12/13/2023
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Recent Episodes
July 29, 2026
Dan Volpe: 40 Years & 1,000 Guitars With My Metal Heart | Hogpod Chicagoland Music Scene Podcast
<p>Dan Volpe has kept the same band alive for forty years, figures he's owned something like a thousand guitars, and still flat-out refuses to carry a setlist. He's the mastermind behind My Metal Heart and the guy who's run Exide since 1984 — and he just became the third member of My Metal Heart to land in the Hog Pod chairs, after Elise and Mark Molloy.</p><p> </p><p>He gets into the Thirsty Whale nights when the smoke machine hid the whole band for five songs, naming a group after WVVX 103.1 blasting metal till 1 a.m., the day the guy who wrote "Switchin' to Glide" tracked him down over a cover — and whether a cover-band lifer is ready to let AI write his next song. If you came up in the Chicagoland bar scene, this one's for you. Grab a cold one.</p><p> </p><p>🎯 KEY MOMENTS</p><p>0:00 Cold open</p><p>2:00 Back from vacation — straight into two band practices</p><p>2:43 The 3rd My Metal Heart member to hit the Hog Pod (after Elise & Mark Molloy)</p><p>4:45 Exide since 1984 & the birth of My Metal Heart</p><p>5:24 Why he built VVX to play Van Halen to Metallica</p><p>6:18 The band named after a dead radio station: WVVX 103.1</p><p>7:02 Suits on, "Cuddly Metal" — the My Metal Heart rebrand</p><p>9:18 No rehearsal since 1991 — and it still works</p><p>10:01 Walking in and playing last night's leftover setlist front to back</p><p>11:31 "Switchin' to Glide" — the guy from The Kings tracked him down</p><p>13:32 Thirsty Whale tales: smoke machines & an amp on fire</p><p>17:16 Northwest suburb haunts — Chances Are & Dirty Nellies</p><p>23:44 Are kids still getting into hard rock?</p><p>25:25 Running a music store through the grunge takeover</p><p>29:22 Does anybody still support live music?</p><p>35:05 How DUI patrols quietly emptied the bars</p><p>36:29 Why he brings earplugs to every show now</p><p>40:18 Older brother, Van Halen '78 & the spark</p><p>44:07 The best guitar players going right now</p><p>45:19 The power-chord "aha" that unlocked everything</p><p>46:03 The AI snobbery segment: can a machine write your next song?</p><p>50:35 How many guitars? Try 1,000</p><p>53:16 Les Paul vs. Strat — the real difference</p><p>55:05 His one-of-a-kind Hamer out of Arlington Heights</p><p>56:49 First concert: Doobie Brothers, front row, age seven</p><p>1:00:03 The vacation where he set up a friend's entire guitar collection</p><p>1:01:38 Pop Tarts: the final verdict</p><p> </p><p>📍 Chicago cover bands - Exide - My Metal Heart - VVX - WVVX 103.1 - The Kings - Thirsty Whale - Hamer Guitars - Rick Nielsen - Van Halen - guitar collecting - Chicago live music scene - AI music</p><p> </p><p>🎸 Guest links</p><p>My Metal Heart — MyMetalHeart.com (Facebook / YouTube)</p><p>Exide — on Facebook</p><p>Book Dan — dan@vvxlive.com, or Joey DeMarco at United Talent</p><p> </p><p>❤️ Support the Hog Pod: patreon.com/hogpod</p><p> </p><p>Hosted by Pete Jansons & Mike "Bongo" Orfanos</p><p> </p><p>🎤 Want on the show? Booker / club owner / shredder → booking@hogpod.org</p><p> </p><p>#Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #DanVolpe #MyMetalHeart #Exide #ChicagolandMusicScene #ChicagoCoverBands #TributeBand #HairMetal #GuitarCollector #ChicagoLiveMusic #PeteJansons #BongoMike</p>
July 22, 2026
Bob Newhart Told Her "Good Job, Kid" — Heather Moran of Bluewater Creek | Hogpod
<p>What do you do when Jam Productions calls with five days' notice and asks if you want to open for Bob Newhart at a sold-out Chicago Theatre?</p><p><br></p><p>Heather Moran said yes — and walked offstage to a wink and three words she never forgot. This week the Bluewater Creek singer (with husband Mike Moran riding shotgun on the couch) covers a career that runs from opera training and Second City to Chicago jazz rooms, storefront theater in Andersonville, and the Lake County scene she now calls "a little Austin." Along the way: the Heatherita, the night the orchestra hated her charts, playing Janis Joplin for Soundtracks of a Generation, the deep-cuts lesson every bar band learns the hard way, why somebody told her she sings "too pretty for rock and roll," singing the national anthem from the top of a firetruck, Mike's DJ etiquette rules, booking bands through Moran Event Group — and the first-ever puppy on Hogpod. His name is Alan. He slept through it.</p><p><br></p><p>🎶 Catch Bluewater Creek live: Jul 23 Long Grove Music in the Park · Jul 31 McHenry Riverwalk · Aug 7 Libertyville in the Park · Aug 8 Sunset Pavilion, Lake Zurich (free) — billed as Bluewater Creek Lite</p><p><br></p><p>🎯 KEY MOMENTS</p><p>00:00 Bluewater Creek live — cold open medley</p><p>4:47 Heather arrives + the Heatherita recipe</p><p>6:23 Puppy news & the midnight-to-two shift</p><p>8:00 Three years of Hogpod, zero monetized episodes</p><p>13:03 Bongo's intro — the washboard & djembe at Toadstool Pub</p><p>14:22 How they met: Mosquitoes + Bluewater Creek at Sundance</p><p>16:02 Sal & Soundtracks of a Generation — 18 shows</p><p>18:34 "I've got a band in me" — the Bluewater Creek origin story</p><p>21:48 Deep cuts vs. hits — the 80/20 flip</p><p>23:50 2013: five days' notice to open for Bob Newhart</p><p>25:48 "Good job, kid" — the Johnny Carson wink</p><p>27:08 Signing the Chicago Theatre green room wall</p><p>30:10 Mom of three, gigging till 2am — the career takeaway</p><p>31:20 Opera → theater school → Second City → Factory Theater</p><p>33:04 Moran Event Group — working both sides of the stage</p><p>40:01 "DJs aren't musicians?" + the wrong-coast DJ disaster</p><p>42:06 DJ trends — TikTok kids going back to the 70s</p><p>43:33 Alan the puppy makes his public debut</p><p>44:49 Let's talk Janis Joplin</p><p>49:19 Why the Janis songs come last in the show</p><p>50:31 Classical training & 30 voice lessons a week</p><p>52:38 "You got to smile and sing"</p><p>54:39 "Too pretty for rock and roll"</p><p>56:59 The rooftop stage going up at Doc's</p><p>57:59 The national anthem from the top of a firetruck</p><p>59:20 What's new on Main Street Wauconda</p><p>1:00:22 Pitching 30 bands to book one gig</p><p>1:02:39 How to book Heather & Mike</p><p>1:07:04 Bongo's rapid fire begins</p><p>1:07:42 First concert: Shaun Cassidy, third grade</p><p>1:10:38 Boulder days — opening for Big Head Todd & the samples</p><p>1:12:46 The Pop-Tarts question</p><p>1:13:38 Cheese fries: Portillo's vs. everybody</p><p>1:14:21 Berwyn, Fitzgerald's & the Fire Alarm</p><p>1:15:27 The right way to request a song from a DJ</p><p>1:17:02 Hams from the Land of Clear Blue Waters — sign-off</p><p><br></p><p>🎸 FEATURED LINKS</p><p>Bluewater Creek</p><p>https://www.bluewatercreekband.com/</p><p>Heather Moran</p><p>https://www.heathermoran.com/</p><p>Book bands & DJ — Moran Event Group</p><p>moraneventgroup@gmail.com</p><p><br></p><p>❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon</p><p> / hogpod </p><p><br></p><p>🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons, Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike) & Chris "Rhodesy" Rhodes</p><p><br></p><p>📧 Booking</p><p>booking@hogpod.org</p><p><br></p><p>#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #HeatherMoran #BluewaterCreek #BobNewhart #ChicagoTheatre #ChicagoMusicScene #LakeCountyMusic #Wauconda #Americana #LiveMusic</p>
July 15, 2026
She Started Singing in Bands at 40 Jody Fields Pacific Sound Company | Chicago Music Scene Hogpod
<p>Is it ever too late to start singing in bands?Jody Fields got married at 18, raised three kids, started college at 37, and didn't set foot on a bar stage until her forties. Today she's one of the busiest vocalists in the Chicago music scene.Jody is the backing-vocal secret weapon of Pacific Sound Company (formerly Blue Bayou, Chicagoland's Linda Ronstadt tribute), a six-year veteran of Bourbon Country, and the voice behind Jazz with Jody every Thursday during dinner at Duke's Alehouse in Crystal Lake.This week on Hogpod, she tells the story of how a self-described nerd from Crystal Lake who told Mike Dermont, "You should be in choir," ended up, forty years later, surrounded by many of the same musicians she admired growing up.We also talk about the nine-piece yacht rock band COVID killed before it ever found its audience, the text message that started her Linda Ronstadt chapter, why yacht rock is deceptively hard to play, how jazz musicians actually use the Real Book, her standing offer to fly anywhere as a Karen Carpenter emergency sub, disco line dances, roller rinks, K-Tel records, singing at funerals, the Leaving on a Jet Plane moment that explains why she does any of it... plus Pete putting a Pontiac Grand Prix underwater at Poplar Creek, and of course, the Pop-Tarts question.If you've ever wondered whether it's too late to chase the thing you've always wanted to do, Jody's story might change your mind.🎯 KEY MOMENTS<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k">00:00</a> Cold open — "You Make Loving Fun" with Pacific Sound Company<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=115s">01:55</a> Welcome to Hogpod — tonight's guest: Jody Fields<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=385s">06:25</a> "You should be in choir" — eighth-grade shop class<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=547s">09:07</a> Married at 18, college at 37 — starting late, catching up now<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=777s">12:57</a> Bourbon Country — six years of traditional country and Americana<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=1196s">19:56</a> The Real Book — how the jazz quartet works<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=1283s">21:23</a> Jody's House — the nine-piece yacht rock band COVID killed<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=1368s">22:48</a> The yacht rock boom — Anchors Away, Yachtley Crew & why it's hard to play<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=1746s">29:06</a> The Karen Carpenter emergency-sub offer — "I'll fly across the country"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=1831s">30:31</a> Disco kid — mom hit the disco scene and brought home the hustle<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=2049s">34:09</a> Jumpsuits, roller rinks & K-Tel 45s from the Kmart bin<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=2143s">35:43</a> Where to see Jody — Pacific Sound Company's summer schedule<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=2290s">38:10</a> Sip & Sunflower at Tom's Farm — Bourbon Country with fiddle<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=2422s">40:22</a> The purse cajon & melodica jazz at Duke's<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=2690s">44:50</a> Goat Village Nov. 20 — double bill with The Mosquitoes<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=2838s">47:18</a> Set-time talk — what's the sweet spot for bands our age?<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=3118s">51:58</a> "I love singing at funerals"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=3202s">53:22</a> I'll Fly Away & Leaving on a Jet Plane — why she does it<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=3458s">57:38</a> Bongo's new cajon<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=3537s">58:57</a> Rapid Fire — first concert: David Lee Roth at Poplar Creek<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=3638s">1:00:38</a> Pete puts a Grand Prix underwater at Poplar Creek<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BrouB4DT0k&t=3775s">1:02:55</a> The Pop-Tarts question🎸 FEATURED LINKSPacific Sound Company<a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbk8zWmIxbTgwOElsdEY3UXNkam93WjJ2bERXd3xBQ3Jtc0ttSWZBc2pXWDQ3a1pPV3NiRmJFTzZ3eFk5N01TQzh6c1FfZDRhdS1QLVBveG1jdWRuS3RjU01LQ09FcEhwWEtGbDQ2UFY2bEI3RWhTQV9SOEtVWm9SWHJyQWRmZDhCa0RtRVIxUzEza1RrS043UkJkTQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FPacificSoundCompany&v=3BrouB4DT0k" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> / pacificsoundcompany </a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbcU1ceowjSVDYoDQLU1TMw"> / @pacificsoundcompany </a>Pacific Sound Company Live at On The Rocks — Fri. July 24, Waukegan<a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTVSTVhyTHloSGVFNGtzNHlPaEFYOWJCRVVEd3xBQ3Jtc0tuM1VmeF92U3pmRnZ2M3pEanozdkZkTld3bE1zN3hRZG4wWU5HRjV0VHg4UmJNdTlMcG5nR1dTVEhrRXJmQUU3ZXFrZjdfVVFvZ1E4aS1sVC1IeTg5b3BLcmdxeTJZRzRBQVh4QzNkWld3V05Ra21Nbw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fevents%2F2020038492250818&v=3BrouB4DT0k" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> / 2020038492250818 </a>Pacific Sound Company Yacht Rocks The Vixen — Fri. Aug. 21<a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnd5ZHNVdDk2WkZFdXc2ZVdKSHd6YWFiWEtqQXxBQ3Jtc0tsNy1BaG9SX2UtUV9WZ1VVa0pWMEQyNFJqeEFiWFR3NzVaN0FsTDJ3bEtvdlFHekNCRGtXMXV6SndCWHJEdTUzcU9od01nWkRHdklLa3ZlM1VZbjMyNXRQOW1uc0VkRVNLRlo1WnVjMXhSOGdBdHJDTQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fevents%2F838913329154350&v=3BrouB4DT0k" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> / 838913329154350 </a>Blue Bayou, A Linda Ronstadt Tribute<a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTE3Rm9QQzJUcHRxTm5kTk95RzhyRDQ2MTFzZ3xBQ3Jtc0tsSHlDQkJxVXVKNVFiSUlTcU14dHc2MGVQVkVZVEo1NC1tSTJhQmQ3YTdnX2ZRQlcxMXJZc3RPdHB6SEc1Zm1ERy1ROUhGd1ZsM3FCUjhIOHVQRXFCZTFQVkFYNFVJMWpoUzJUZHVPN2JFd0p0Y3Z1RQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fbluebayouillinois.com%2F&v=3BrouB4DT0k" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://bluebayouillinois.com/</a>❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon<a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVZ6UldLYVZreFRRZ0hsWDRSRUhmWUJfVml2Z3xBQ3Jtc0ttbkRTUXk3R2RDNEpFN2lOLVRsVWVKSnQtZy04TGlYMkZHVkhseVZqODFTeldJa0p1R29rdktpSjdMVUlfQnhjNDM1Z012NkNIRlBHRTlmV2Q5dDQwMnFHWEFLaUU0ZUNBZkIxdjlOeHpMZDhiSE9PZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fhogpod&v=3BrouB4DT0k" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> / hogpod </a>🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos📧 Bookingbooking@hogpod.org<a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/hogpod">#Hogpod</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/chicagopodcast">#ChicagoPodcast</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/musicpodcast">#MusicPodcast</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/chicagomusicscene">#ChicagoMusicScene</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/pacificsoundcompany">#PacificSoundCompany</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/yachtrock">#YachtRock</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/lindaronstadt">#LindaRonstadt</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/crystallake">#CrystalLake</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/livemusic">#LiveMusic</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bourboncountry">#BourbonCountry</a><br></p>
113 total episodes available
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- What is H.O.G. POD: Chicagoland Hyper Local Music Scene?
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This podcast updates daily.
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No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
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