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. 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. 🎯 KEY MOMENTS0:00 Cold open2:00 Back from vacation — straight into two band practices2:43 The 3rd My Metal Heart member to hit the Hog Pod (after Elise & Mark Molloy)4:45 Exide since 1984 & the birth of My Metal Heart5:24 Why he built VVX to play Van Halen to Metallica6:18 The band named after a dead radio station: WVVX 103.17:02 Suits on, “Cuddly Metal” — the My Metal Heart rebrand9:18 No rehearsal since 1991 — and it still works10:01 Walking in and playing last night’s leftover setlist front to back11:31 “Switchin’ to Glide” — the guy from The Kings tracked him down13:32 Thirsty Whale tales: smoke machines & an amp on fire17:16 Northwest suburb haunts — Chances Are & Dirty Nellies23:44 Are kids still getting into hard rock?25:25 Running a music store through the grunge takeover29:22 Does anybody still support live music?35:05 How DUI patrols quietly emptied the bars36:29 Why he brings earplugs to every show now40:18 Older brother, Van Halen ’78 & the spark44:07 The best guitar players going right now45:19 The power-chord “aha” that unlocked everything46:03 The AI snobbery segment: can a machine write your next song?50:35 How many guitars? Try 1,00053:16 Les Paul vs. Strat — the real difference55:05 His one-of-a-kind Hamer out of Arlington Heights56:49 First concert: Doobie Brothers, front row, age seven1:00:03 The vacation where he set up a friend’s entire guitar collection1:01:38 Pop Tarts: the final verdict 📍 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 🎸 Guest linksMy Metal Heart — MyMetalHeart.com (Facebook / YouTube)Exide — on FacebookBook Dan — dan@vvxlive.com, or Joey DeMarco at United Talent ❤️ Support the Hog Pod: patreon.com/hogpod Hosted by Pete Jansons & Mike “Bongo” Orfanos 🎤 Want on the show? Booker / club owner / shredder → booking@hogpod.org #Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #DanVolpe #MyMetalHeart #Exide #ChicagolandMusicScene #ChicagoCoverBands #TributeBand #HairMetal #GuitarCollector #ChicagoLiveMusic #PeteJansons #BongoMike

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?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.🎶 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🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 Bluewater Creek live — cold open medley4:47 Heather arrives + the Heatherita recipe6:23 Puppy news & the midnight-to-two shift8:00 Three years of Hogpod, zero monetized episodes13:03 Bongo’s intro — the washboard & djembe at Toadstool Pub14:22 How they met: Mosquitoes + Bluewater Creek at Sundance16:02 Sal & Soundtracks of a Generation — 18 shows18:34 “I’ve got a band in me” — the Bluewater Creek origin story21:48 Deep cuts vs. hits — the 80/20 flip23:50 2013: five days’ notice to open for Bob Newhart25:48 “Good job, kid” — the Johnny Carson wink27:08 Signing the Chicago Theatre green room wall30:10 Mom of three, gigging till 2am — the career takeaway31:20 Opera → theater school → Second City → Factory Theater33:04 Moran Event Group — working both sides of the stage40:01 “DJs aren’t musicians?” + the wrong-coast DJ disaster42:06 DJ trends — TikTok kids going back to the 70s43:33 Alan the puppy makes his public debut44:49 Let’s talk Janis Joplin49:19 Why the Janis songs come last in the show50:31 Classical training & 30 voice lessons a week52:38 “You got to smile and sing”54:39 “Too pretty for rock and roll”56:59 The rooftop stage going up at Doc’s57:59 The national anthem from the top of a firetruck59:20 What’s new on Main Street Wauconda1:00:22 Pitching 30 bands to book one gig1:02:39 How to book Heather & Mike1:07:04 Bongo’s rapid fire begins1:07:42 First concert: Shaun Cassidy, third grade1:10:38 Boulder days — opening for Big Head Todd & the samples1:12:46 The Pop-Tarts question1:13:38 Cheese fries: Portillo’s vs. everybody1:14:21 Berwyn, Fitzgerald’s & the Fire Alarm1:15:27 The right way to request a song from a DJ1:17:02 Hams from the Land of Clear Blue Waters — sign-off🎸 FEATURED LINKSBluewater Creekhttps://www.bluewatercreekband.com/Heather Moranhttps://www.heathermoran.com/Book bands & DJ — Moran Event Groupmoraneventgroup@gmail.com❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon / hogpod 🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons, Mike “Bongo” Orfanos (Bongo Mike) & Chris “Rhodesy” Rhodes📧 Bookingbooking@hogpod.org#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #HeatherMoran #BluewaterCreek #BobNewhart #ChicagoTheatre #ChicagoMusicScene #LakeCountyMusic #Wauconda #Americana #LiveMusic

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 MOMENTS00:00 Cold open — “You Make Loving Fun” with Pacific Sound Company01:55 Welcome to Hogpod — tonight’s guest: Jody Fields06:25 “You should be in choir” — eighth-grade shop class09:07 Married at 18, college at 37 — starting late, catching up now12:57 Bourbon Country — six years of traditional country and Americana19:56 The Real Book — how the jazz quartet works21:23 Jody’s House — the nine-piece yacht rock band COVID killed22:48 The yacht rock boom — Anchors Away, Yachtley Crew & why it’s hard to play29:06 The Karen Carpenter emergency-sub offer — “I’ll fly across the country”30:31 Disco kid — mom hit the disco scene and brought home the hustle34:09 Jumpsuits, roller rinks & K-Tel 45s from the Kmart bin35:43 Where to see Jody — Pacific Sound Company’s summer schedule38:10 Sip & Sunflower at Tom’s Farm — Bourbon Country with fiddle40:22 The purse cajon & melodica jazz at Duke’s44:50 Goat Village Nov. 20 — double bill with The Mosquitoes47:18 Set-time talk — what’s the sweet spot for bands our age?51:58 “I love singing at funerals”53:22 I’ll Fly Away & Leaving on a Jet Plane — why she does it57:38 Bongo’s new cajon58:57 Rapid Fire — first concert: David Lee Roth at Poplar Creek1:00:38 Pete puts a Grand Prix underwater at Poplar Creek1:02:55 The Pop-Tarts question🎸 FEATURED LINKSPacific Sound Company  / pacificsoundcompany     / @pacificsoundcompany  Pacific Sound Company Live at On The Rocks — Fri. July 24, Waukegan  / 2020038492250818  Pacific Sound Company Yacht Rocks The Vixen — Fri. Aug. 21  / 838913329154350  Blue Bayou, A Linda Ronstadt Tributehttps://bluebayouillinois.com/❤️ Support Hogpod on Patreon  / hogpod  🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike “Bongo” Orfanos📧 Bookingbooking@hogpod.org#Hogpod #ChicagoPodcast #MusicPodcast #ChicagoMusicScene #PacificSoundCompany #YachtRock #LindaRonstadt #CrystalLake #LiveMusic #BourbonCountry

What does it take to build a world-class music museum from scratch?Ron Romero, Founder, CEO and Board Chairman of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66, joins Hogpod for an inside look at the museum preserving Illinois’ incredible musical legacy. From honoring legendary artists like Cheap Trick, Survivor, REO Speedwagon, Muddy Waters, Curtis Mayfield and countless others, to creating a destination for music fans in downtown Joliet, Ron shares the vision behind one of the Midwest’s most exciting cultural projects.We also talk about rebuilding after the devastating Joliet tornado, the Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, rare artifacts inside the museum, Cars & Guitars, Route 66 tourism, artificial intelligence and music, and why preserving our state’s musical history is more important than ever.If you love rock & roll, Chicago music, Route 66, or the stories behind the artists who shaped generations, this episode is for you.🎯 KEY MOMENTS00:00 Welcome to Hogpod02:16 Rob Stepen on The Generations’ summer schedule08:48 Meet Ron Romero12:41 How the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum was born17:14 Recovering from the Joliet tornado20:56 Cars & Guitars and creating a destination24:33 The Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame29:07 Preserving Illinois music history34:09 Legendary Illinois artists and museum artifacts39:38 How the community can help the museum grow43:05 AI, technology and the future of music48:37 Ron Romero’s journey as an entrepreneur53:18 Rapid Fire58:12 Favorite concerts, Beatles, Pop-Tarts and closing thoughts🎸 FEATURED LINKSIllinois Rock & Roll Museumhttps://roadtorock.org/Insperityhttps://www.insperity.com/The Generationshttps://thegenerationsband.com/❤️ Support Hogpod  / hogpod  🎙️ Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike “Bongo” Orfanos 📧 Bookingbooking@hogpod.org