Coming to you from the studios at the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66. It's the Rock and Roll Chicago podcast Hey everybody, it's Ray the roadie and Hollywood Mike once again once again once again, at least you keep coming back Yeah, you know, you can't get me away, right? I know having a good time here. We're meeting some pretty cool people Yeah, you know and it's it's been no, it's it's been a lot of fun finding them That's why we've got the private investigators in the studio tonight.

No, no, no. No, there's no private investigators. No just privates.

No Instigators instigators. Yes, the private instigators private instigators. You want to start some crap somewhere we call them up and They instigated, you know, you keep using this word down low.

I don't think that word means what you think it means. No Yeah, okay. Maybe not.

Let's just talk to these guys. All righty. Hey, I Woke up it's a good day.

How are you? I'm good. So we have Dominic and Tommy Tommy So look to get things started what kind of music do you do Should I start? Okay. He wants me to start with well, um, I guess you could say it's a unique mix of rock and roll and punk rock and a touch of doo-wop and actually Tom is quite fond of pop punk.

Yes, and I have like a Really good like background of Lincoln 82 some 41 all those type of bands and I brought my passion of music from there private instigators and seems like it's a good mix like This is a this is a band that like I think anybody can enjoy this is music You can't hate like it's it's gonna make you dance. It's gonna make you sing and I don't know. I enjoy it Ever since I started so right, right.

Are we talking about original music or yes? Already and yeah, we have totally different influences I would think because he likes the newer stuff and I like the older stuff right from before my time like there's Usually not anybody I could see so to say because everybody I like wasn't around when I'm around Okay so like He likes some 41 a boy 22 I like Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers and the Ramones and the cramps and the Sex Pistols and Also, like Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry and Little Richard. Those are like those are my guys Right, right. Well, that's that is quite a Eclectic.

Yes, quite a span a span of influence. Yeah, absolutely So what year did you guys start getting into? Well, I I guess Tommy I'm gonna dress this first because when you immediately started naming your influences I started thinking, you know when when I think pop-punk What's the one band that comes to mind? Do you think I would say blink 182 for me? Yeah But well, you're you're a little bit younger younger than I am for me it's Green Day Green Day, you know When Green Day came out Everybody's mind was kind of blown a little bit because you're like, yeah, it was punk, but it was really pop as well And over the years they got a little bit more pop Then then punk but I kind of think that they kind of brought that whole genre back again I'm kind of with you You know I listened to a lot of the bands that were coming out of CBGB's and and back in the you know I was in high school back in the 80s and back in the 90s in the whole bit when all my friends were listening to bands like Like Queensryche and and Guns N' Roses and poison and all these hair bands and stuff. I was listening to like the dead boys Yeah We covered one of their songs actually we did sonic reducer at the last show.

Excellent. Excellent for those of you He can't see he is threw his arms up in the air like in victory that's uh, I mean and and I absolutely love the movie that they made about CBGB's I saw it with Alan Rickman. Yeah, absolutely And I man they portrayed the dead boys in that movie pretty darn accurately didn't me I swear I it's like I swear to God.

I think I was looking at the dead boys. It was pretty cool So yeah, but but anyways, so it started with blink-182 with you and where to go from there. Um to like be honest like Yeah, blink got me started to play drums I'm influenced by Travis Barker a lot But I mean my range is pretty pretty out there like I listen to a bunch sevenfold Metallica Guns N' Roses I Played in jazz band in high school.

So I listened to Chuck Berry and like Brian Setzer stuff like that. So like my taste is all over Not really fully into like poppy poppy stuff, but like we have nothing against it Yeah, like just for drumming wise like it's been Travis Barker anyone anything that's fast drum like drum pace for me is what I liked and It got me into guitar. It got me into singing and I've lived I've been playing drums.

I was 10 years old and Haven't stopped and I just love it. So right, right, you know two times in my life. I got very I was very fortunate Very lucky I travel, you know for business from I have a day job and I go to Madison, Wisconsin Quite often and on two separate occasions.

I'm staying at a Holiday Inn. That's across from I guess it's their arena or amphitheater and There's just cars everywhere and the hotel is sold out and it's seven o'clock at night and there's traffic and I went to the person Down at the front desk and I said what's going on? They're like some 41s playing right across the street. I was like, wow How can I score a ticket and she goes? Well, I happen to have a few And it was actually my first time I'd ever seen him didn't know a whole heck of a lot about him But you know, the show is pretty fun and then fast-forward about five or six years later The same thing happened and it was a blink-182 Wow When you travel for business, you know you that happens like quite often actually I I got to see Rush for free when I was in Minnesota and everything But but but two times it's happened to me in Madison, Wisconsin for two bands that you mentioned So I thought I thought I'd bring it up.

So yeah, so you play drums. What do you do? I play guitar. Okay, and I I guess you could say I'm the primary songwriter of the originals But I can't sing It's like it's like I'm like the Greg Ginn and Black Flag, so to say So I could I'll have words out.

I've had past members say that I could write a good chorus actually but when I write I write with Tom and If we can't get just the music together within About 15 20 minutes tops. It's not worth pursuing. Yeah, at least that's it around yeah, and I'll sometimes like if I'm on a good streak, I'll have something worth sharing to him about once a week and We have a few of those like in the barrel so to say that we need to work on We're always always writing and I like to keep it simple and sometimes I'll write stuff for I'll have drums that I think That he should do like if I was like, all right, dude, do the you know Do do the chorus with the floor Tom and the snare and then okay We're gonna do like a little like every other like measure or something, right? So, I don't know.

I mean and he likes what we do and and I like having him around. He's the best musician. I've ever Come across.

Thank you. I appreciate So so what comes first does the the music come first or the or the lyrics come first Music music and I mean I mentioned what I liked earlier as my favorites, but I'll I listen to so much different stuff. So Like when I was listening to a Nirvana interview years ago They were asked the same question what comes first words or music and they they said the same thing They said music and I tried before I heard that interview I tried to do like both at the same time I was like, you know what I could just I could put these four chords in order and Then we could figure out what's gonna work and then so in a weird way Nirvana is also an influence to me Even if it's not musically, it's their work ethic, right? I think writers all have their own little You know quirks and styles in the whole but I can't I can't write a song without coming up with both at the same time I just can't I just can't do it I have to have a melody in order to know what my rhyme scheme is gonna be when I'm coming up with the words So I you know, I've got a I've got to work on it all together And it's actually irritating because I'll sit down and I'll write like three or four words out know how that's gonna go and I got To pick up the guitar and I got it.

Okay now I got to put the guitar down I do a lot of this right here when I'm When I'm writing going back and forth from guitar and pencil and guitar and pencil and paper and and whatever but whatever works You know, however, however, it gets flowing. So that's pretty cool So who are the other members of the band if you're not singing and you're not saying we got other guys in the band or? or no Not at the moment. We did two weeks ago and then we played a Really big show actually in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

We played launch fest There was a show that our attorney asked us to play he's been asking for a while and then we finally finally got it and One of the one of the members wasn't able to do it So we had somebody fill in and that was great. He was playing bass and then the singer came and everything too and then they Both decided that there was more work than they could handle And that's I guess the most polite way I could phrase it and to be honest and that's the truth too. Yeah, so The way I see it though is like as long as Tom's with me then there's nothing I need to be concerned about It's not like they took the sound with them, right? And I was showing them how to play what we wrote anyway So the only thing that's concerning is that you know, we can't perform live at the moment But but we we will find other people and we actually just made a video last week Like stating that and I just got it today.

Oh, so even though it were We're doing this interview we got a video coming out this all like with it. I woke up to your email I woke up to the video. So we're still actively Writing and putting content out there, right? So yeah, we just we can't play live at the moment But we have somebody that would be willing to play for us But I don't want someone to be around Just to be around for a couple shows We want someone that's not afraid to come with us to New York City come with us to Los Angeles not Somebody are just tied into their jobs and everything and that's fine We understand we have bills to pay but right I do odd jobs where I can actually go without a repercussion Right, right.

So so I mean so the goal is to get discovered. Yes To do this for a living, right? Yeah, that's what we want to do. And we have played we have played out before and Like me and Tom we played New York City before in another band that it's a cover band But we sure but he's willing to go out and do it and you know We'll take that risk and we'll try it as long as you know, we still get our bills paid or we play catch-up It's like alright.

Well, we still made the attempt. Okay versus like well, I'm at home. My bills are paid.

Everything's fine But you know, what if I went to Pennsylvania? What if we went to South by Southwest? What would have happened? Well, I'll take the risk and Tom will take the risk and it's like alright, let's let's see what we can do Well, how old are you guys? I just turned 29 Yeah, okay. I uh, I guess I'll say it. I'm 37.

Ooh I have underwear older than both of them Too so so any responsibilities wives kids anything like that girlfriends nagging mothers anything like that No, no, well, I have I have a past relationship that I'm still dealing with I guess that's the most polite way to put it and I I'm an only child and I my dad's deceased, but my mom's still around but I don't talk to my mom at all Not since my dad died. I haven't spoken to my mom in seven years, right? So so I mean so, you know, and I mean not to blow over that, you know I'm sorry to hear that but not your fault, but you know, um, yes where I wasn't there But voucher that yeah And if I was I would have been late That's all there is to it so I mean, yeah, it's it's I mean, let's face it, you know, the only thing Holding the two of you back from saying hey, I'm gonna go and play South by Southwest or I'm gonna go to New York or I'm gonna go to LA or wherever it is is Fear really? That's the only thing holding you guys back And if you don't really have the fear of that, you know, it's like, you know Let's let's load up the truck and Go over where wherever the heck we need to go and the two people that you had playing with you before Biggest they weren't into that. It was too much work.

I've never heard anybody say this is too much work I know I got a phone call like two days after we played and the singer actually said yeah, this isn't fun anymore Oh, wow. I mean that was it was like a 20-second phone call and I was like Okay, I mean because it's like after the show You know, we're packing up and want to sell merch. I want to shake hands I want to meet people and right and We want to do what we need to do to make it right, right and this is our nine-to-five, right? You know, yeah, and um, the other two just they just put didn't put in the same effort, right? I mean, it's as simple as that and I guess it's everyone's different Some are more social than others and you know, even though he's they were great performers I'm not gonna take that away from their great performers, but Sometimes Just you gotta have the social aspect, too Yeah, I could I could barely remember to three chords, but I'm not afraid to come up to somebody and say hey Here's you know, here's my band.

And by the way, I don't like follow-up boy. I like Ricky Nelson, right? How do you know who Ricky Nelson? Poor little fool is the first song that ever made me cry. So I was like, that's my thing.

Yeah Yeah, so I mean, you know and it takes more than personality. So what is it the things that you guys are doing? To it to advance your careers to make this happen for yourselves, you know It's like it always amazes me like when I hear people say, oh, yeah, we just came back from New York We just did about 12 gigs in New York. So how the hell did you get a gig in New York? You're in Chicago, you know, it's it's I guess it's different if you if you're an original band trying to be discovered But I hear you know local cover bands So yeah, we were just in New York for three weeks and we did this how the hell that happened for you Who you contacting who you working with oh this guy right here has the most connections I've ever met out of anybody and like It's just ridiculous.

He just drops a Ramone name and like a misfit name. I'm like, whoa. How do you know this guy? He's like, oh, yeah, I ubered him to the concert.

I'm like Okay He's got some good connections here. I mean I wasn't responsible for the New York show happening That was another member and in the cover band that were in but I mean, it's to me as simple as just contacting a venue I mean, I've always done it where I'd say the date that we want and what type of music that we are Is this right? Is this available? And then they ask of course, you know, what's your poll and Of course, you know, they want to make money too, but we also don't want to be out money ourselves because of expenses So, I mean to me it's always just been about going out there and putting putting yourself out there and One thing I used to do I don't do anymore He remembers this my hair used to be green and I had it green for six years And so that was I'm kind of giving one of my one of my tricks here But that was how I stood out So when I would meet somebody and like I got their business cards or contact or email Subject line green hair house of blues, right? Oh, yeah, they'll remember so like how do you get remembered? that's how I was remembered by having the green hair and It was easy to spot me at concerts Or junkyards wherever I am. It's like, oh, where are you? Can you just jump around for a second? Oh, there you are.

I see the green head So it's so it's it was just pretty much a simple matter of Let's let's let's look for some places some venues in other cities and let's contact them and do the same thing that we would do If it's in the Chicago area, you know, we're just gonna go out. We're gonna play wherever, you know They're willing to have us and I mean do they do they ask where you're from? Do they want to know if you're from if you're local because I know they're gonna ask what your draw is but how are they when when they find out that you're from Chicago when you're gonna go to New York and Well, they actually ask Those first questions have like for New York, for example, have you played New York before? Okay, or wherever the city is. Have you played Nashville before? What was your draw last time? Right? right, or if I said Well, we played once before and we played for who the locals brought in but we're gonna be on this podcast That's affiliated with music in Nashville and we want to put that out there like two weeks before we show up and That would be the next approach to touring because how up and on again off again a friend of mine suggested that was like reach Out to people with podcasts and everything, which is what I'm doing here Even though we don't have any show to promote right now, but we do have new music coming out.

Okay, and We do have other Quite a bit to discuss actually because we are gonna be recording and possibly going to Nashville to record with a pop punk legend And I'm looking forward to Waffle House, too. So So There's there's always something to do right in the Waffle House, man Have you have you guys worked for any record companies or contacted them or have they contacted you? we played for one in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, actually that our attorney asked us to play for and They were not interested at the moment But at the same time Tom and I are always on the same page with Whatever the latest stresses that in a weird way, I feel like we'd ever caused Like a week after Two of the guys left the record label said, you know, we like you but not not right now But here's our publicity company you could talk to I was like Tom It was a good thing that they didn't want us right now because you know If they said we need you guys to be out here, you know this weekend and put on a showcase like great now We have no one we got two jack stands holding the vehicle up right now. Are we gonna get anywhere? So I was like it.

This is a pleasant letdown so to say right, right, right, right when you guys did play live That how often were you playing and and what were some of the places you were playing around here? It was probably like every other weekend. We had some kind of show We played like Liars Club in Chicago I Mean we played the Forge over here. Oh, yeah.

Okay. Yeah. Yeah, it's just we play wherever we're well Uh, we get asked to play and we're gonna put on a show for anybody anybody out there anybody that enjoys this kind of music We're gonna show you what we can do and that's what we do.

Just have fun all original no covers We do throw a few covers in there, but it's mainly originals. Yeah, we'll throw in to my purse that so do you have? So you have enough music to play an entire night Are you doing more like opening type things or you know, two hour sets or um, I say we have like enough material to like Play for maybe hour and a half with our stuff mainly and then we just adding covers. So yeah me and him know How many covers do we know? I mean, it's probably a low number compared to a cover band But we probably know what's be realistic probably 80.

Yeah, that's where I think that was the last count we had Yeah 80 and most of them are like older remarks and misfits Yeah We know like we know all the remotes all the misfits songs right right now like even like ones you didn't hear live Like I don't want to go down to the basement right like too often. We would do that one and Boy, I'm not I want to go back real fast to what you said about Green Day That was actually one of the bands that got me interested in music originally Sure But I didn't like much else cuz like in grade school I was trying to be cool because I was you know, only child a bit of an outcast still him and I was like All right, what's everyone listening to and then I turn on the rock station. I turned off oldies 104.3, right? Right.

I still miss all these wonderful. I mean the forget the forgotten oldie at Good night dick beyond me like playing the coasters like that's my stuff. Yeah, but so I was like, all right, what's happening? And then I was like, okay, there's Green Day.

There's Pearl Jam and I Really didn't like anything except for Green Day and then I was like, okay started reading, you know, I'm alone I got time to read so who influenced Green Day? Okay, stiff little fingers the sex pistols the Ramones Who are these people right and I'd read I was like, wow I like this more than who's playing Lollapalooza right now. And so I was like great I've didn't want to but I kind of became an old schooler. So I was like, okay who influenced stiff little fingers Chuck Berry? And then like what else all they like the Sonics the Sonic sauce They they sound more like a little Richard and a little Richard does right? So and then like who influenced Chuck Berry? Okay, let's go back to Hank Williams senior.

Just keep going. Yeah. Yeah I kept going backwards and settle with the times but I would still pay attention to the times pay attention on top 40 and there's Still songs I like about like two songs a year are hits I actually like right like I know it's three or two three years old, but save your tears for another day I actually like that.

That's an awesome little baseline. Yeah. Yeah to listen to and there was something else I heard I don't remember what but I remember one time I was working a show with Megan Trainor and I loved it I I was like, oh I was like oh when when and that was like before dear future husband was a Single and I was like I heard I can hear this little one six four or five doo-wop chord structure And yeah, right.

I was so happy about that But you know, I'd be much happier if I could ever see Hank Williams or Ritchie Valens Yeah, we would all like to be able to see Hank Williams Again, so wait a minute. You were working a show with Megan Trainor. Yeah, I used to work at House of Blues Oh in production for six years.

Gotcha. Okay. I think that was another reason they hired me was because I said it's like I'm not gonna be starstruck.

There's like nobody here. I that's gonna pass through that I care about right? Well, there was an exception because like suicidal tendencies came through Yeah, love the first album then there was a private event with Brian Wilson It was kind of hard for me to just You know keep it together. Yeah, but I did get to say hello to him and I said Thanks for making the best car songs ever Oh to cruise to cuz like listening that I get around Yeah, I was blasting that like last week.

Oh, well, I still would do that, right? Oh, absolutely and people love that date. They really do what when were you at House of Blues? um, I believe it's hard for me to remember date years, but I think 2014 to 2019 2014 Actually, I should know I take that back 2013 because I was going through some shirts I don't wear anymore and I had a DRI tour shirt that I know I got from there because when DRI toured with suicidal Tendencies, I got a shirt from DRI, right? That's at 2013 on the back so I can confirm I was there in 2013. You were there you were there During the years where I played House of Blues twice.

Oh, wow So we've seen each other before we seen each other I mean, you know on the main stage not the not the restaurant stage, right? I was in a I was in a band back in that time period called forget Hannah and the first time we the first time We played it. It was it was We weren't hired by the House of Blues. There was a huge convention in town Heating and air conditioning and ventilation convention and stuff like that.

We were hired by one of the largest companies It was like the train company or something like that to play the party and they rented out to hire trains Yeah That's right They were gonna get trained for a thousand bucks That wasn't gonna happen But no it was I mean this there were so many people in this company that they rented out the entire Main auditorium there at House of Blues and it was a lot of fun And in the second time we actually got you know They hired us to actually play a concert at the House of Blues and I was like really you But it was a lot of fun One of my favorite places to play you actually I mean they actually treat you like rock stars at that place We really do our best. Yeah. No, it was great I pulled up the guys unloaded my car threw it all in an elevator and brought it all up and set it up I'm sitting eating in a you know in like a green room and stuff We had our own bathroom and shower and yeah I mean we could have spent the night there if we wanted and just you know went home in the morning if we wanted to Didn't have to lift a finger.

Nice. It was great. I might have done that because that's I was in production I did that I would unload cars and yeah and help set up gear and everything and I thought that was you know Green hair so you might you might have actually seen me at one point.

Yeah That's a possibility Wow Small world. Yeah, we find that out every single week when we do this podcast. We find out what a small world It is there is always somebody that ends up sitting at this table that knows either myself or knows right through you know Like seven, you know, yeah, what is it the seven degrees of Kevin Bacon Bacon? Yeah Or whatever so tell us a little bit a little bit more about the writing style not necessarily your influences or anything like that But I'm I'm just like how do you find a way with with the two influences with the amount of influences that you guys have? How do you? Create some type of continuity so that no matter what it is that you're writing.

It always sounds like you guys Um, I think it usually starts with Dom here. Like he writes a nice guitar line for me I put in my drum work like of like my background and be like, yeah, I can fit this in you know, some He's got the rock and roll style I got the pop punk style mix it together it sounds great I'm like, let's keep it going and then I don't know. It's just it works out that way It's just me and him always get this on the right on the right track so, I mean, um, I could tell you real fast, I guess how I write or whatever and It comes down to actually just listening to a bunch of different types of music all the time because I drive a lot And I'm not just stuck listening to fifties on five on Sirius XM.

That's like my favorite station, right? Or the punk rock station. I'll listen to even stuff I don't like or like I won't like at first just to get get a melody get a chord progression in my head So even if it's like subconsciously there and if you if I don't like it Maybe it'll come out in a way or an influence of it will come out on my fingers or on the pen or whatever and Usually I could not sit and just be like I'm gonna write something today It's like it's always the best time is always kind of the worst time but by that like I'm sleep-deprived I've been up for like 20 hours something is obviously stressing me out keep me awake and then Right. This happens like half the time.

I'll be almost asleep and then like I I have to get up. I have to have something's in my head. I got to write this down like right now and one time I actually dreamed of a song and I Recorded it soon as I woke up before I forgot and I sent it to Tom and it was only like I got at 3 30 in The morning.

Yeah, it was only like Like 56 seconds, but it's like I let's get going on this and I didn't it was so bizarre that one I did not even know I didn't even move my teeth when I was saying I was just it was so bizarre But I thought I was watching hole and I'd never seen the band hole. It was like if hold it a ballad I was like, this is how it would sound and then I was and then I just Had it out and I was like, I got a sense of Tom before before it gets away. Yeah So that's another one we could work on We have we have like probably about half a dozen we can work on and we have probably about half an album That's ready to go I'll be honest with you you have any do you have anything any albums out currently? Are you still working on it? We do.

Yeah, we do we do Called the case files of the private instigators and that's been out for it's been out for a little while There is one cover on it. There is a Billy Joel cover of it's still rock and roll to me, right? And I'm not a big Billy Joel fan But my best friend said every time I heard that song he thought of me and he's like, yeah, cuz it's like I'll hear this I'll hear that. I was like, sorry Chuck Berry's always gonna be rock and roll.

I don't care about anything post 1962, right? And then I've had the same car for a number of years so it's like oh my car is out of style and it's like Yeah, I've had the car long enough for it now. It has an antique registration. So So, yeah, it's like I guess that's my song You know, I like other songs more but I could definitely I can identify with those lyrics.

Yeah, absolutely No, Billy Joel is actually probably my my favorite all-time. Really? Yeah. Yeah, he is The only formal music lessons I ever took were organ lessons and it was it was really really strange You know who takes organ lessons? Have you ever heard anybody's, you know, most people learn how to play a keyboard by playing a piano No, I learned how to play keyboards by playing an organ double-decker organ wooden foot pedals, you know the whole bit And I still have it and When I got tired of that because it just you know, it seemed nerdy, you know Let's just go out and get a piano.

All right, so so I buy an electric piano and it's like, okay now How do I do this? Because you know playing the organ is slightly different than playing the piano It's it's more holding the chords down with your left hand and playing bass lines, right? And so what did I do? I went out and I bought the Billy Joel anthology songbook and just learned how to play a cover-to-cover Not extremely well You know, there's a lot of things that you learn because he's I mean he's a fantastic piano player But yeah, I've seen Billy Joel in concert about ten times. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah Yeah, I think the first time I saw him I was about 14 years old was to the album The bridge was was the big one that was out.

Have you heard his heavy metal material? Oh, yeah. Yeah Attila yeah, that was the name of the band Attila 1970 yeah, people have no idea that Billy Joel was a heavy metal organist Now I'm sorry. I gotta throw this out there since you're heavy.

You're a Billy Joel fan Yeah, what was the because sorry, I'm kind of whatever with trivia, but do you do you know? What the first hit song was that he recorded on? You probably did he recorded on yes, but it wasn't necessarily his song. Correct. No question that I don't know $50 Well, I can get some gas money.

Yeah that I that I honestly don't know No, he was a session player for the Shangri-las on the song leader of the pack. Oh, really? Oh, wow. It's cool.

Wow That's cool. So yeah, you learn something new every day That that wasn't out there. I actually read that in a book.

There was like a book I read that a bunch of like rock and roll trivia about stuff like that and even stuff by like Gary us bonds and I Just I love all so I'm sure I'm sure you've seen the movie of the wrecking crew. Oh, of course Of course and Cadillac records a number of times and I actually got to see some of the rock and roll pioneers before they couldn't Play anymore. I mean my definition.

I mean I saw Bo diddly on his last concert I saw Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis at Riot Fest. Oh, wow Jerry Lee Lewis at Riot Fest. Yeah, that was That was something I remember that year.

Everybody's like Jerry Lee Lewis. Yeah, and then yeah and probably had the biggest crowd Yeah Yeah, oh, yeah for sure it was really interesting seeing like 12,000 people moshed a whole lot of shaking going on yeah Well, you know he kind of was like the first bad boy at rock and roll he really was I'm Christy from crime cave podcast I've had a huge interest in true crime since my days of watching marathons have snapped back in the mid 90s I needed an outlet to talk about the cases that have haunted me for a very long time With each episode under 20 minutes. I shine a light on some of the most bizarre cases in the last 50 years Join me in the crime cave When you guys first got here, we're just kind of chit-chatting you mentioned something you had a story about buddy guy So Is this an embarrassing story no no, okay, no, I'm not I'm not afraid to tell it Guys we're really going away from the band, but that's okay That's what she said so So they're actually this kind of goes to how I first made musical connections So there's an event that was called rock and roll fantasy camp, and it still exists and yeah you guys I'm pretty familiar with it.

Well the CEO called me up one day and Said I'm gonna be doing a camp in Chicago. Who do you recommend and Like who's out there, and I said well I don't really completely know But I could give you some suggestions and Rick Nielsen came up because I don't know him But I know Rockford's not far from Chicago, and I was like I know buddy guy has a place and I suggested It's like all right, maybe buddy guys would be a good place to have a headlining show Reggie's would be a good place to we could do rehearsal at Chicago Music Garage or Fort Knox Studios I threw all these ideas out there and they picked a buddy guy as the headliner and everyone got the jam with him at buddy guys legends afterwards and I found out like how much you know he got a good amount of money to do it and I guess it seemed like the staff kind of Didn't like know who to reach out to for Chicago And I suggested him and then so I met him afterwards, and I said buddy. I just I was the one that suggested that you'd be a part of this you know and So thanks for being around and he didn't you didn't say.

Thank you to me. I was like okay I just scored you $25,000 And you didn't even say thank you. He's probably more to or am I gonna buy a t-shirt.

I'm on the way out So that kind of rubbed me, I guess the wrong way It's like you know I I'd like to say thank you to everybody personally like even like if someone's serving me food You know you know thanks I'm good You know but I didn't I don't know manners kind of hold a lot of weight with me And if someone is impolite to me I I don't maybe it's a Sicilian in me Or something that's like you know you're being disrespectful or something, or I don't know I think it should be mirrored right you know please and thank you right simple as that So that's my buddy guys You told your buddy guy story, and I will totally I'm gonna make fun of myself here, so so no good I am I play guitar because a buddy guy. There's there's no bar not I mean when I first started playing guitar I bought a get I bought a black and white guitar And I want to put stickers on it to make it look like it was polka dotted and everything And you know the first amp that I owned was a was a 59 Basement because that's what buddy guy plays through and and the first time I ever saw anybody just make a guitar Scream the way he did I mean I saw him for the first time at the Milwaukee County Festival Probably about 25 years ago or so this when he this was the Jerry this was the Jerry curl buddy guy Back when he still had Jerry curls or overalls and in the whole bit and I I had the opportunity to meet him on several occasions and Every time I met him I just fumbled over my words like I was a little schoolgirl I had I had no idea what I was gonna say to this guy. I was so nervous I was so shaking and there was actually one time Where I went to legends and he's sitting at the corner of his bar And I walked up to him, and I said you know I've rehearsed what I would say to you You know a thousand times But all I can think to do right now is Genuflect and he looked at me like I was the weirdest person in the world and every time I'd seen him after that I Would try to redeem myself because I know he remembers me because he's like oh here comes this creep I Finally the last time that I met him I bought a copy of his book And I asked him to sign it and he actually said oh, yeah, I remember you I remember you and he and all he was doing was he was opening up the book And he was just kind of scribbling his name And he would he would he would sign his name, and it would cover the entire first page of the book But I noticed it took a little bit longer to sign my book So he actually wrote a little note And it was said it's always good to see you keep working at it your friend, buddy and I was like okay, so I finally I finally made it through and and I I had the opportunities to meet him because a Friend of mine that I've known since about fifth grade or so is actually one of the guys that work sound at his club And so I've got them meet him personally in the whole bit, and you know it's a that's my buddy guy story So Tom any embarrassing Any famous people you've got to hang with no no no I have kept my composure I thought we're all you know letting it all out tonight No, but you know guys you made the comment about how we're getting far away from the band you know Just talking about the band on the podcast is not necessarily what this podcast is we've had bands in here where we've talked where all we did was do this and talk about this and It's the it's the people It's the bands that that we that we've had in where people get to know who you are personally Those are the bands that have reported a spike in in bookings and more people are coming out to see them in the whole It because now they feel like they know a part of you.

It's not just they don't know your music They know who you guys are Oh Well I have no idea what my credit score is and we need a singer and a bass player yeah No hey, you know absolutely well somebody you know somebody listening wants to contact you how can they contact you um well They could definitely find us through our social media on Facebook private instigators Instagram is P instigators actually and we have a website private instigators calm But yeah, we want to be playing out more And I would love to like share more stories with you guys if you if you want to hear more I mean because with the house of blues and the people I've met and I Would love to someday like be able to get Tom to meet somebody that he would you know like to meet like his he sent me a picture of Travis with Trav Travis Barker with a buddy that I know and I was like I want you to meet Travis I was like I I mean, I don't You know I don't like point 22 anywhere near as he does But I know how much that would mean to Tom and yeah, and I mean I just saw these guys last night So yeah, you know what I will encourage you to do Where do you guys live? What were you coming from I? Am in Rockford these days, but I'm from Chicago. I've been there Chicago up until three years ago I gotcha gotcha work. I live in Chicago in Bucktown.

Okay, okay? Yeah, you you you're definitely far away, but you know one of the great things about this area I mean you know Joliet is just a musical town I mean you go all the way back going going back to the movie about the Blues Brothers You know it's you know Chicago and Joliet and the whole bit But this whole area around here Has fantastic open jam nights, and I have seen bands form on stage and open jams here There's a fantastic band that we've interviewed on this podcast called don't matter to me group of young kids They started off as a band it kind of broke up because some of the members one guy went to the army you know a Couple of guys had to go away to college because they all met in high school but they started going to local jams found other you know musicians to play with and Here we are about a year and a half later after Reformation of that band and they're opening up for train at the festival here in Joliet this year Wow I mean we we see this happen on a weekly basis If there's ever an opportunity you guys have to come and hang out at some of these jams here You know and nothing I'm not saying anything against the jams that go on on the north side and in Chicago and places like that I've been to those and I'm sure there's the same experiences there when I'm saying that here is I've been asked not to name names, but I've been sitting at at open jams And I've watched a Grammy award-winning metal guitarist walking off the street and just want to hang out and play some blues with people I mean, that's the way some of these jams are here So I would encourage you to come and check out some of the stuff and you'll find the people that you're looking for in no Time so I would definitely do that. Yeah, we should we should go out. Yeah Yeah, absolutely and what we'll make the time and you know on real fast I mean, I'd since we're really close to where the Blues Brothers was filmed.

Yeah You know see it see if you guys know those who was the first to dance on the table towards the end of the movie Was the first to dance on the table toward the end of the movie like right before the ending grants when they're when they're playing Jailhouse rock somebody stands up and starts dancing than everyone starts. I don't remember. I don't know It's been it's been probably 20 years since I've seen that.

It's been a while. I'm picturing it, but yeah I want to say John Belushi, but I don't think so. He was on stage, right? I've no idea.

Is it Aretha Franklin? No. No, she wasn't she wasn't locked up It was Joe Walsh, oh He was in the band, yeah, that's right. He was in the band.

I forgot about that. I need to watch that movie again Yeah, and John Belushi actually played drums with the Dead Boys for one song There's footage of it out there when somebody had a medical emergency I can't remember who but right but yeah, he played drums for sonic reducer at CBGB's Wow And you know camera angles not that great because the symbol or the something's in the way But towards the end you could see but you could definitely pick out that nose. Yeah, you know that nose behind the symbol Yeah, yeah, no kidding.

No kidding equipment back then wasn't the way it is nowadays Yeah, right, you know you guys are you guys are really close just About three-quarters of a mile or so Maybe a mile away from the opening scene of the Blues Brothers where they they let Jake out of the the jail Yeah, I mean it's I mean it's literally right there There's the vacant lot where the car was parked and then the the gate that opens up and they let John Belushi comes walking out It's literally a mile away from where we are right now, right? It looks exactly the same way. I drove by it on the way here. Oh, did you? Yeah, and I was on bluetooth.

I was on a phone call and I was like, oh wait a second. This is We I get a photo session here That's pretty cool. Pretty cool.

Well, thanks a lot for coming out guys. Yeah a lot of fun having you here learning about you Good luck with your future endeavors. Hope you guys find somebody.

Yeah, well, you know you said you had a album CD or something. Yes, where can people pick that up? well, they can definitely stream it on bandcamp come see us at the show and we'll sign it for you and We'll have a future release to it. We actually have another one.

I Gotta talk about this briefly We have we did a split EP with another band called half-knocked-out in Ohio Where there's five of their songs and five of our songs. All right, and so that should be up soon. We do have we you can Purchase it at our show, but like having a CD in tangible format.

That's gonna be something new So there's four originals on there and one cover Tom actually sings one of the covers He actually sings a Ramone song. All right did a commando Okay so that's that's out there and Yeah, so we still have we're still releasing everything still making videos. I'm still gonna be recording new material very soon All right, and our full album right now is on Spotify and Apple Music.

You can find it on YouTube as well Just give it a listen I guarantee you won't be disappointed with it. It's really fun. No, it sounds good We'll have to check it out.

Definitely. Thanks a lot guys. Thank you.

Thanks for having us So there you have it the private instigators private instigators trying to instigate something but ran into a little difficulty You know, I hope they find a couple of people for their band because they really seem driven. Yeah, big-time driven. Absolutely They want to make this happen for themselves And it seemed to be going somewhere and yep, but you know, I'd like we talked about Everybody's got their own personality.

They got their own Responsibilities, right? Some people just can't do it. Look at the JC from Sticks. Yeah, and stick hit it big.

He said I can't do this. I'm done. Yeah, I can't do it I can't be on the road and he me left and that's when Tommy Shaw came in, right? Right, right for those of you that are out there.

You do realize that JY is the only original member in the band With the exception of Chuck Panazzo when he pops in once in a while, but everybody else in the band It's just JY Tommy Shaw is not an original. That's that's right. No, he isn't that's true.

Amazing Well, hopefully these guys will find a couple more originals and they'll be on the road in no time Sounds like they got some great music out there. We gotta go check it out on Spotify and all that and That should do it for this week. Thanks again for listening and we'll be back with another exciting new podcast next Tuesday Later The rock and roll Chicago podcast is edited by Paul Martin theme song courtesy of M&R Rush the rock and roll Chicago podcast does not own the rights to any of the music heard on the show The music is used to promote the guests that are featured