How does a suburban music teacher end up interviewing Blind Melon, an Allman, and the guy who wrote "Wagon Wheel"? She just slides into their DMs.

Rachel Locker — host of the Rachel Locker Music podcast and a teacher at Our Music Institute in Northfield, IL — joins Hogpod to explain how she lands big-name guests the low-tech way: a direct message on Instagram. Along the way she walks us through the interviews that stuck with her — Blind Melon guitarist Christopher Thorn opening up about the loss of Shannon Hoon and how differently mental health was treated in the '90s, Devon Allman on growing up without knowing Gregg Allman was his father, and Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor on how "Wagon Wheel" grew out of an unfinished Bob Dylan demo. We also get into teaching five- and six-year-olds, why she ditched guitar for bass, meeting her husband (Pino Farina guitarist Mike Popko) on Facebook, and a live drive-by tour of the OMI studio to close it out.

🎧 Rachel Locker Music — on Spotify and Instagram (@rachellockermusic)

🎸 Our Music Institute — lessons, teen bands & a recording studio in Northfield, IL — https://loveourmusic.com

🎤 Pino Farina — the band featuring Rachel's husband, guitarist Mike Popko

🎯 KEY MOMENTS

00:00 Cold open — the music teacher who DMs rock stars

01:15 Welcome — and Rachel's on the clock (she's got a class to teach)

01:58 How Pete met Rachel — the Mosquitoes opening for Pino Farina at Sundance

02:35 "Big time married" — her husband, Pino Farina guitarist Mike Popko

03:43 Two and a half years of the Rachel Locker Music podcast

05:03 A Blind Melon in the guest list — Christopher Thorn

06:03 "I just DM them on Instagram" — how she books the big names

07:49 Her favorite guest ever — Christopher Thorn

07:56 Thorn on losing Shannon Hoon — the guilt, and mental health in the '90s

08:18 The eerie Blind Melon documentary — the last footage

09:35 How many albums did Blind Melon really make?

11:14 Devon Allman & the "Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul" documentary

12:05 He didn't know Gregg Allman was his dad until his teens

12:37 Spotting Devon Allman in the crowd at Summerfest

14:37 "Two wrongs don't make a right" — Gregg's on-stage lesson during "Midnight Rider"

15:17 Warts and all — why live is nothing like the studio

16:16 Pete's disco-ball disaster with Heart of Glass

16:51 Bass over guitar — learning, and chasing the calluses

18:11 Inside Our Music Institute (OMI) in Northfield

19:02 Recitals at Mad Catz & the Black Diamond sessions

21:36 Facebook dating & the newlywed story

22:44 The OMI teacher roster — Amanda Rebecca from Hairbanger's Ball

23:23 The co-host invite — "you get the guests, put 'em on here"

24:04 "Wagon Wheel's" secret — Ketch Secor, a Dylan demo & a shared songwriting credit

24:46 Boone, NC & the tobacco-spitting meeting that actually happened

26:18 Ketch playing with Ringo Starr

27:44 Dylan going electric & the Timothée Chalamet movie

28:35 Rapid fire — first concert, favorite movie & the Pop-Tart rule

30:58 Where to find Rachel Locker Music + loveourmusic.com

31:52 Bonus: a live drive-by tour of the OMI studio

📍 Rachel Locker Music - Blind Melon - Christopher Thorn - Shannon Hoon - Devon Allman - Gregg Allman - Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel - Ketch Secor - Our Music Institute - Northfield - Pino Farina - Chicago music scene - music teacher - podcasting

❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon

/ hogpod

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

📧 Booking — booking@hogpod.org

#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #RachelLockerMusic #BlindMelon #ChristopherThorn #DevonAllman #OldCrowMedicineShow #WagonWheel #ChicagoMusicScene #Podcast