Hell Yeah, we got Brendan Kelly from The Lawrence Arms on the show!! Chicago Punk Legend! We go deep into the history with one of Mark's all-time favorites. Slapstick, The Broadways, The Falcon, the Wandering Birds, The Lawrence Arms, Nihilist Arby's and so much more. We went a little long with this one because it's so fucking good. Enjoy it!

Time Stamps:

3:30: How you doing Brendan?

5:30: Despot talk!

10:19: What are some of your earliest music memories?

13:30: Cool babysitter who was on SST

17: Growing into liking punk rock via Reckless Records

19: Gladhands and the start of Slapstick

22: Is it weird for you for people to deify Slapstick, something you did so long ago?

25:30: Cap'n Jazz/Slapstick crossover event

27:52: You go from Slapstick to The Broadways

30: Did your experience in The Broadways inform your time in The Lawrence Arms?

33:45: How did you get your first Lawrence Arms album out on Asian Man Records?

37:40: When I think of The Lawrence Arms, I think of The Fireside

43:25: How long did it take to fill the void of The Fireside closing?

45:23: Did any musicians take you under their wing as you were coming up?

51:13: Has the process of how you create music changed over the years?

53: When you write do you know what project it is for as you are writing?

57: You were just on a song with Sincere Engineer. How do you try to help cultivate the next wave of Chicago musicians?

64:06: You've seen a lot of Chicago bands, are there bands that you feel didn't get their due?

66:18: What do you think has changed between when The Lawrence Arms were starting out and today?

73:18: Thick or thin crust pizza fan?

77: What makes the Chicago music scene unique?

83:30: What other cities are big Lawrence Arms cities?

86: What is your go-to cheap drink? Mark's L&L story

93:30: Are you working on anything right now?

Stacey & Erik join us to talk over their plans for the fourth edition of fForest Fest in Morris, IL. They filled us in on the entire musical lineup, the move to two stages in 2025 and all the other great things to do in Goold Park - food trucks, cool vendor market and lots of green space to play. Bring the whole family out for a wonderful day of music and fun! Saturday, June 7th - gates open at noon. $10 cash at the gate (kids 5 and under are free).

https://fforestfest.com/

Time stamps:

1:30: How did fforest fest 3 go?

5:35: fforest fest is a true labor of love. how many stages do we have this year?

7:12: Let's talk about our bands

9:45: We are getting Pet Needs!

16:21: Make sure you remember your ID - story time!

23: Make sure you buy merch!

27:33: Sponsors to thank

31:21: What's your favorite thing about running fforest fest?

33:30: Inside tip - Liam Kyle Cahill and Kasey Christensen are playing a bar in town the day after fforest fest

Mario Cannamela (vocals & guitars) joins us to talk about his Chicago-based band Bottom Bracket. Originally formed in Springfield, IL, the band released their first EP Dreamland in 2017. Near the end of 2021, Mario said "fuck it" and moved to Chicago. Along with Tim Recio (bass/vocals) and Rob Diaz (drums), the band released their fantastic second LP, I'm So Afraid Of Where on Count Your Lucky Stars Records in November of 2024. We talked with Mario about all of that, plus so much more - including his thoughts about our wonderful city of Chicago.

Time stamps:

2:23: How are you doing today Mario?

5: When did you get your first guitar?

9:30: Fuck it! Let's move to Chicago! How did you meet Rob and Tim?

12:25: Tapping is in a lot of your songs, how do you utilize it?

14:51: Did you feel like you were making the leap when recording I Am So Afraid of Where?

17:30: How do you think Chicago has influenced the band?

20:44: Do you feel like you belong in Chicago?

22:11: What is your creative process like?

23:41: Do you write with a theme in mind?

26:35: How did the everything come together with the record and label?

28:43: Do you have a song on the record you are most proud of?'

32: What do the next six months look like for the band?

33: Who were some of your gateway bands in the emo universe?

39: How did the Subt show come together?

41:30: The bike is a significant thing for the band, and you like riding, where do you like to ride in Chicago?

43:20: Thin crust or deep dish pizza fan?

45:19: Favorite venue to play/see shows at?

47: What makes Chicago a unique music scene?

50: How has the response to the new album been?

51: What have you been listening to lately?

52:45: What is your go to cheap drink?

54:30: Anything to plug on the way on out of here?