The Flock – Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Class of 2026.
Backstage at the Harris Theater in Chicago on induction night, Sept. 27, 2026, original members of The Flock and today's line-up sit down with Pete Jansons and Bongo Mike to tell the story, 50 years later.
How a suburban high-school band turned into a jazz-rock band on Columbia Records, how their roadie turned out to be a classically trained violinist, the Kinetic Playground showcase that started a record-label bidding war, opening night at the Olympia in Paris, the big festivals, and the day Led Zeppelin's crew pulled the plug on them at the Bath Festival.
Plus: the kid who grew up across the street from the band's house and ended up playing in it, and how The Flock came back together for Ravinia and the Hall of Fame.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Cold open: Led Zeppelin pulled the plug
0:57 The Flock live
3:12 Hogpod intro
3:22 Backstage at the Harris Theater: how The Flock got in
5:57 Original members, 50 years later
7:50 Eleven musicians on stage tonight
8:36 How it started: the roadie who played violin, the Kinetic Playground, the record deal
16:15 Opening night at the Olympia in Paris and the big festivals
18:22 Everyone they played with, and Bath 1970
20:48 Jimi Hendrix walks into The Scene
21:49 The kid across the street: how The Flock came back
26:49 A harmonica player joins The Flock
27:30 From The Mauds to The Flock
28:47 Soul Machine, Spencer Davis and the Aragon
33:48 "We really should be awarding the fans"
34:03 Outro
TOPICS: The Flock, Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026, Harris Theater, Chicago jazz rock, 1960s Chicago bands, Kinetic Playground, Columbia Records, Olympia Paris, Bath Festival 1970, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Ravinia
HOSTS
Pete Jansons
Mike "Bongo" Orfanos
Subscribe to HOG POD for more Chicago music conversations.
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hogpod
Be a guest or book us: booking@hogpod.org
Join the email list: https://hogpodlist.subscribepage.io
#Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #TheFlock

Chicago clubs want cover bands—but where does that leave original artists? Zacky Manic spent almost 10 years making Mood Swing, re-recording songs as his singing, guitar playing and production skills improved.
Zacky joins Pete Jansons and Bongo Mike to talk grunge roots (he heard Nirvana at two years old), running the studio at Harper College, why Chicago clubs book cover bands over original acts, his struggle to get booking emails answered, and the story behind his song "Butt Rock."
Plus: the greatest grunge singer of all time, seeing Korn at Alpine Valley as a kid, and the Pop-Tarts debate.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Cold open: Why "Butt Rock"?
0:49 Zacky Manic – Butt Rock (official video)
4:37 Hogpod intro
4:47 Harper, the home studio and 10 years on Mood Swing
9:49 Grunge roots: Nirvana at two
12:27 What is grunge? The Seattle sound
18:02 Ten years to make Mood Swing
19:12 Building a band
21:10 Booking original music in Chicago
24:00 Covers vs. originals
27:12 Tribute picks and the Green Day voice
28:37 How he writes songs
32:07 Chicago loves cover bands
34:58 "I'll do it myself"
36:18 Instagram, Spotify, TikTok
39:39 Greatest grunge singer of all time
41:40 Velvet Revolver, Spoonman, Temple of the Dog
44:06 Why call it Butt Rock?
44:58 First concert: Beach Boys, then Korn at Alpine Valley
47:50 Favorite movie: Silence of the Lambs
50:25 The white van speaker scam
52:00 Pop-Tarts, toasted or not
53:09 Outro
TOPICS: grunge, original music, Chicago cover band scene, home recording, booking gigs, Layne Staley, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Korn
ZACKY MANIC
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/zackymanic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4dNmXG7aCKKPF6vNTFTXyA
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/zacky-manic/1887815964
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zackymanic
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zackymanic
Butt Rock (official video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_BK3txbkfs
HOSTS
Pete Jansons
Mike "Bongo" Orfanos
Subscribe to HOG POD for more Chicago music conversations, and follow Zacky through the links above.
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hogpod
Be a guest or book us: booking@hogpod.org
Join the email list: https://hogpodlist.subscribepage.io
#Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #Grunge

Casper Alexander — the Peoria-raised rapper, stage manager and promoter behind CHISongwriter — says 400,000 TikTok followers don't mean much at the door. He's spent 15 years booking, performing and building shows, and he's seen the gap between online clout and real ticket sales firsthand.

Casper stage-managed the Mosquitoes' set at this summer's Lincolnwood fest, and now he's on the other side of the mic. We get into the 319/309 Tour across central Iowa and Illinois, why booking in Peoria is harder than Chicago, what 10 years of 309Fest taught him about selling sponsors, why he went from AI skeptic to using it as a blueprint, how COVID pushed him into full-time freelance, Drake vs. Kendrick vs. the '90s — and a lightning round that settles toasted vs. untoasted Pop-Tarts.

🎯 KEY MOMENTS

0:00 Cold open — 400K followers vs. the door

1:57 CHISongwriter performance

7:17 Stage-managing Chicago's summer fest season

9:05 Riot Fest storms & the mud problem

11:40 Bongo's rain-boot rule

12:43 The 319/309 Tour

13:44 Iowa City vs. Peoria — Gabe's & hometown venues

16:38 Chicago vs. Peoria — town politics & cancel culture

18:36 400K followers vs. ticket sales

19:30 Rapper vs. band — who pays the players?

21:40 AI in songwriting — from skeptic to blueprint

24:11 Data centers, water & the power grid

26:38 309Fest — 10 years, 8 editions

28:28 Selling sponsors — pride & mental health

30:08 The three sponsorship tiers

32:43 Booking politics & security

33:29 "Why should you be on this show?"

35:24 COVID → full-time freelance

36:39 Cubby Bear story — East Coast vs. West Coast

37:30 Drake vs. Kendrick today

40:01 What's next — "What's for me will be for me"

41:53 Acting & modeling — Smashburger, All Steel

44:56 CHISongwriter.com & artist consulting

45:57 One song won't sell out the Garden

46:32 Lightning round — first concert, favorite movie, Pop-Tarts

50:14 Wrap

📍 Chicago - Peoria - Iowa City - 309Fest - CHISongwriter - Hip-Hop - Independent Artists - Stage Management - Festival Production - Riot Fest - Live Music

🎤 Guest Links — Casper Alexander

Website: https://www.chisongwriter.com/

X: https://x.com/CHISongwriter

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CHISongwriter

❤️ Support Hogpod — https://www.patreon.com/hogpod

🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike).

📞 Booking — booking@hogpod.org

#CasperAlexander #CHISongwriter #ChicagoMusic #PeoriaMusic #309Fest #ChicagoHipHop #IndependentArtist #StageManager #RiotFest #DrakeVsKendrick #AIMusic #LiveMusic #ChicagoMusicScene #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #Hogpod

What happens when a Chicago singer takes Ratt's "Round and Round" and drops Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" right on top of it? The guys cheer, their faces fall, the girlfriends rush the stage, and by the chorus the whole room is back.Casey Torrey fronts Remix Riot, a Chicagoland festival band that mashes rock and metal anthems with pop hits. Think "Smoke on the Water" under Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." She also sings in Acousticatz, her duo with pianist and guitarist Eric Floden.Casey tells Pete and Bongo Mike about the mashup she "hated and loved at the same time," how Remix Riot came together with Dan Banker, Larry Neubauer, TJ Wilkes and Randy, why music purists don't always love the mashup idea, and how she went from Tennessee church soloist to Monster Jam regular to one of the busiest voices in the Chicago scene.Plus: the Coterie charity shows, a Slayer tribute that sounded like one very long song, Dolly Parton's time-capsule song, Prince's vault, Def Leppard in the round, Lord of the Rings in Legos, Steven Tyler's lyric monitors, and the Pop-Tarts question.🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 The mashup she hated and loved02:03 Remix Riot live mashups05:20 Meet Casey Torrey06:00 The Coterie & Mike Dermont08:35 Acousticatz with Eric Floden09:17 What is Remix Riot? Smoke on the Water + Poker Face10:43 From Blue Sirens to Acousticatz11:54 Bongo's tambourine gets confiscated13:16 Why Chicago musicians support each other15:33 How Casey caught the music bug16:18 Monster Jam & her first band, Pet Rock18:03 Dolly Parton's time-capsule song19:36 Prince's vault21:24 Gatlinburg, stick shifts & Chicago people23:38 COVID collabs & Amy Grant24:34 Johnny Cash, the Man in Black25:18 How Remix Riot was born27:28 How they pick the mashups28:45 Devil Went Down to Georgia + Summer of '6930:04 Ratt meets Katy Perry at the Vixen32:04 A rocked-up "Royals" & the guitar-solo payoff33:26 Run-DMC, Aerosmith & "Walk This Way"36:15 Purists vs. mashups37:19 "Is this the same song?" A Slayer tribute38:04 Sampling & borrowing chords39:28 "When I sing, I make people happy"40:37 Cover bands complaining about covers42:06 Broken Peach & being first44:36 Congrats on the engagement45:52 De Beers, Blood Diamond & a lab-grown ring47:35 Bongo's serious questions47:59 First concert: Def Leppard in the round51:00 Worst concert & Pete's Aerosmith '8453:51 Favorite movie: Lord of the Rings in Legos56:57 Pop-Tarts: love 'em or hate 'em?58:05 Steven Tyler's lyric monitors1:00:30 Where to see Casey next📍 TOPICS IN THIS EPISODECasey Torrey - Remix Riot - Acousticatz - rock pop mashups - Chicago music - Chicagoland music scene - live music - cover bands - the Coterie - Def Leppard - Ratt - Katy Perry - Aerosmith - Run-DMC - Dolly Parton - Lord of the Rings🎤 FEATURED LINKSRemix Riothttps://remixriotband.comhttps://www.facebook.com/remixriothttps://www.instagram.com/remixriotmusichttps://www.youtube.com/@RemixRiotBandhttps://www.tiktok.com/@remix.riotAcousticatzhttps://www.facebook.com/purrcatzNext up: Acousticatz, Fri Oct 9 at Reefpoint Brew House, Racine WIRemix Riot returns for the 2027 festival season❤️ SUPPORT HOGPODhttps://www.patreon.com/hogpod🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons with Bongo Mike📞 BOOKINGbooking@hogpod.org#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #CaseyTorrey #RemixRiot #Acousticatz #Mashup #ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusic #LiveMusic

Can a Joliet museum really move Illinois' Rock & Roll Hall of Fame into a downtown Chicago theater — and pull it off? Ron Romero — Founder, CEO & Board Chairman of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 — is back on Hogpod with Rob Stepen to break the news: for the first time, the Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction leaves the Joliet Rialto for the Harris Theater in downtown Chicago on Sunday, September 27. Bob Sirott hosts a Class of 2026 that runs from Curtis Mayfield and Kevin Cronin to Terri Hemmert, WDRV/The Drive and Brunswick Records — with a special performance from Jim Peterik. We get into rebuilding after the 2024 Joliet storm, the relight of Gigantar (the 24-foot Route 66 guitar) the night before, Ron's Eagles tribute + Hall of Fame house band, the new Amplify Illinois program, and the deep-cut history behind American Breed. And mid-show, Chicago music-media legend JVO (James VanOsdol) crashes the room — turns out he was the guy at the door. If you love rock & roll, Chicago music history, Route 66, or the stories behind the artists who built the scene, this one's for you. ▶️ Watch the full episode: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19PYN6uXyC/ 🎟️ GET TICKETS — Illinois Rock & Roll HOF Induction · Sun Sept 27 · Harris Theater, ChicagoOpen Seating $75 · VIP Meet & Greet $75 (pre-show with Kevin Cronin, Jim Peterik & The Plain White T's — extremely limited)Buy: https://my.harristheaterchicago.org/11006/11026Event details: https://roadtorock.org/event/2026-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony/ 🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 JVO crashes the show — the guy at the door02:49 Terry Hemmert, XRT & the "way-back machine"04:30 How Ron landed Bob Sirott as MC06:27 Coco Taylor, the Cubby Bear & committing Hogpod to Sept 2707:36 The rider — malort, gyros & two cans of Pringles08:39 Inside the Harris Theater — "acoustically perfect"09:34 "The secret is a much bigger budget" — Rialto vs. the new house10:34 The sponsors — and how to become one14:22 Gigantar spoiler — relighting the 24-foot Route 66 guitar (Sat 9/26)15:42 Rebuilding after the July 2024 Joliet storm16:51 Ron's band — Eagles tribute + Hall of Fame house band17:26 American Breed's hidden history — Gary Loizo & Pumpkin Studios19:46 Amplify Illinois — recognizing regional & local bands20:28 The Generations lineup + upcoming shows24:38 Museum membership & the NARM pass — 1,800 museums29:17 Rob's 6th-time "Too Sixxy" robe30:17 "The biggest handmade guitar in the world" 🎸 FEATURED LINKSIllinois Rock & Roll Museum — https://roadtorock.org/Insperity — https://www.insperity.com/The Generations — https://www.thegenerationsmusic.com/ ❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon/ hogpod 🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons & Mike "Bongo" Orfanos🎤 Guest: Ron Romero, with Rob Stepen — plus a surprise drop-in from JVO (James VanOsdol) 📧 Booking — booking@hogpod.org #Hogpod #IllinoisRockAndRollMuseum #Route66 #ChicagoMusic #MusicHistory #Joliet #RockAndRoll #RonRomero #JVO #HallOfFame #Podcast

How do you save a historic theater, keep legendary artists coming back — and build a life around "music and meatballs"?

Ron Onesti, President & CEO of Onesti Entertainment, joins Hogpod as the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Ron tells the story of driving out to the Arcada 25 years ago, finding a dumpster out front and discovering the theater was being gutted for offices. He had no money, started making what he calls "stupid offers," and somehow began a journey that would transform the Arcada into one of Chicagoland's most distinctive live music venues.

Then he did it again — helping bring the condemned, fire-damaged Des Plaines Theatre back to life.

But this episode is about more than buildings.

Ron explains why relationships can matter more than money when booking artists, why George Thorogood calls the Arcada "home," what really goes into an artist rider, and why one performer told him coming there was "like going to my aunt's house for dinner."

And yes, there are meatballs.

We also get into Neil Sedaka's six pairs of black socks, Paul Anka rewriting "My Way" for Ron's birthday, Brian Wilson's years in St. Charles, the growing competition for touring acts, aging rock legends, tribute bands, and what it takes to keep live music alive.

The timing couldn't be better: the Arcada Theatre turns 100 on September 6, 2026, with a centennial celebration featuring Priscilla Presley, Chubby Checker, a Ferris Bueller's Day Off parade recreation, thousands of people doing the Twist, and a History of Rock 'n' Roll show.

🎶 NEW MUSIC

"Ron Onesti's Meatballs" — our Dean Martin-style tribute to Ron's favorite combination: music and meatballs.

https://open.spotify.com/album/2821lRz13s1pVxUpxf5AAV

🎧 MORE HOGPOD MUSIC ON SPOTIFY

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QtmZydAIuDFTsbgOxqr7f

🎯 KEY MOMENTS

00:00 Music & meatballs

02:00 Meet Ron Onesti

02:42 A dumpster outside the Arcada changes everything

04:14 The condemned Des Plaines Theatre

05:38 Rebuilding during COVID

09:18 Meatballs, Taylor Street & Sunday gravy

12:20 George Thorogood: "I'll always come back here"

13:34 Neil Sedaka's six pairs of black socks

14:43 "It's like going to my aunt's house for dinner"

15:46 "You set the bar"

17:14 "My life is all about music and meatballs"

20:40 Celebrating the Arcada's centennial

21:34 September 6: the 100th anniversary parade

22:34 The History of Rock 'n' Roll

26:32 The challenge of booking aging legends

28:44 "The music has become bigger than the people"

35:04 "It's 150% relationship based"

40:17 The artists Ron still gets excited to book

41:04 "Uncle Paul" Anka rewrites "My Way"

42:12 Brian Wilson in St. Charles

49:48 The Onesti formula: make it feel like home

📍 TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE

Ron Onesti - Arcada Theatre - Arcada 100th Anniversary - Des Plaines Theatre - Chicago music - Chicagoland music scene - live music - concert promotion - George Thorogood - Priscilla Presley - Chubby Checker - Brian Wilson - Paul Anka - Neil Sedaka - music and meatballs

🎤 FEATURED LINKS

Arcada Theatre 100th Anniversary + Events

https://www.arcadalive.com/events

Des Plaines Theatre

https://desplainestheatre.com

Onesti Entertainment

https://oshows.com

Backstage with Ron Onesti

https://www.arcadalive.com/blog/category/backstage-with-ron-onesti

Regina Karma — Sunday Music with Regina Karma

Sundays at 5 PM at Capri of Willow Springs

Mike Dermont + FRICTION

Friction Fest — October 24 at The Broken Oar

❤️ SUPPORT HOGPOD

https://www.patreon.com/hogpod

🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons with Mike Dermont and Regina Karma

📞 BOOKING

booking@hogpod.org

#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #RonOnesti #ArcadaTheatre #Arcada100 #DesPlainesTheatre #ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusic #MusicAndMeatballs