Rock n Roll Chicago Podcast
The Rock n Roll Chicago Podcast is a weekly podcast that interviews bands and musicians from the Chicago area. The podcast is hosted by Ray Bernadisius ("Ray the Roadie") and Mike Metoyer ("Hollywood Mike" of Cadillac Groove, Mike & The Stillmasters). The podcast covers a wide range of topics, including the history of rock n roll in Chicago, the current state of the scene, and the challenges and opportunities facing musicians today.
Founded in 2019 by Ray the Roadie and Paul Martin, the two co-hosted the show until 2022. In 2023 Ray was joined by Mike Metoyer as the new show co-host.
The Rock n Roll Chicago Podcast is a great resource for fans of rock n roll and musicians alike. The podcast is informative, entertaining, and inspiring. It is a must-listen for anyone who loves rock n roll and wants to learn more about the Chicago music scene.
Here are some of the things you can expect to hear on the Rock n Roll Chicago Podcast:
Interviews with bands and musicians from the Chicago area
Discussions about the history of rock n roll in Chicago
Information about upcoming concerts and events
Tips and advice for musicians
And much more!
If you're a fan of rock n roll, or if you're just curious about the Chicago music scene, then you need to check out the Rock n Roll Chicago Podcast. You can find the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.
Show your support of the podcast and visit our Swag Store. Just click copy and paste this link in your browser: https://tinyurl.com/yr5pa7zt
The Rock n Roll Chicago Podcast is edited by Paul Martin.
Theme song courtesy of M&R Rush.
Rock n Roll Chicago Podcast
Ep 128 Andrew Scott Denlinger
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Andrew Scott Denlinger has been a part of the Chicago music scene for quite a while. His brand of American rock n’ roll is as diverse as the city he calls “home.” In between then and now, Andrew has toured the nation as the bassist for Chicago country-artist Nick Lynch playing and performing for thousands across the USA. Ray and Mike met with Andrew and got his backstory.
Podcast edited by Paul Martin.
Theme song courtesy of M&R Rush.
www.rocknrollchicagopodcast.com
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 this is Hollywood Mike. A drenched Hollywood Mike. Drenched Hollywood Mike, yes.
Tired Hollywood Mike. Pretty rainy out there. Yeah, absolutely.
Terrible. It took you a little while to get here today. Yeah, all the stoplights were flashing on and off.
And for those of you listening abroad, there are bridges in downtown Joliet where we are located. And the old-fashioned bridges then raise up so boats can pass by. So I have a feeling something like that was going on.
Could have been like a Royal Caribbean cruise liner or something? I don't think this would be a Caribbean cruise liner that you would want to be on. But you said the lights were flashing on and off. Are you sure it wasn't like a psychedelic trip or something? I don't know.
What do you mean? Something like this? Yeah, something like that. Yeah, something like that. You never know.
You never know. On cue. Look at that.
Very good. You're getting really good. So it's only been it's like your 10th, 12th podcast.
You're starting to get good. Yes. It's that many, huh? At least.
Wow. At least. Yeah, it has to be.
So tonight we have another episode. Not an episode. What do you call it? Another guest.
Another guest joining us here at the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66, where our studios are located. Not to be confused with our guest having an episode. That's right.
That's or seeing flashing lights. Right. That's right.
We're just getting started. There's still time for that. So join us in welcoming Andrew Denlinger.
Hey, everybody. Thank you guys so much for having me. Thanks for coming out on this dreary night at Chicago weather.
It is. You got to love it. Wait 10 minutes.
It'll change. That's right. Go to the other side of town.
It's probably snowing. I got a feeling once we get out of tonight, it'll be snowing. It's actually in the forecast, unfortunately.
So and it's going to be 50 on Monday. That's right. So all right.
Enough with the weather cast here. I don't want to, you know, Brent Miller to lose his job or anything. So I think he's safe.
So let's talk to Andrew. So where are you from, Andrew? Are you from Chicago proper? You mentioned Chicago weather. You're you're from the suburbs.
Tell us a little about yourself. I have grown up around Chicago my entire life. I grew up on the north side of far north suburbs in Zion.
And then I started moving down around the city over time. I live in Lansing right now. So all the way from the top to the southern part, I'm right on the Indiana border.
Used to be on the Wisconsin. But yeah, I've been been around Chicago for quite a while, playing music in clubs all over. Most recently for about eight years, I spent time as a bassist in a country band with my friend Nick Lynch touring all over the country.
And so we played honky tonks, clubs, festivals all over. We did a NASCAR event. I remember that was awesome out in New Hampshire.
So a little bit everything. I got to see a lot of our great nation and play for some really cool people. And then about a year and a half ago, I started a solo project of my own.
The pandemic we were talking earlier, the pandemic is a great time to pivot things. And so I had some music that I'd been building up for years that I just wanted to put out. And I was originally thinking about just putting an album together, finding some friends to play on it and put out a vinyl record and just do like a small run of things.
And but a pandemic happened. I had a whole lot more free time in my hands. And so I spent that extra time downstairs in my studio, putting together some tracks.
And as things were coming together, I realized that, man, this stuff has legs. I got to do something to support it. And so I started thinking about how I would release these things instead of all at once.
I was going to release them as singles. And that's what I've done four songs out so far. And then when you're putting out music, I wanted to support that with some shows.
So last year was really my kickoff year of playing music. A lot of solo dates, just getting my name in a room and in people's ears and heads a little bit. Did eight full band shows last year with a whole bunch more planned for this year so far.
So you have a full band, too. I definitely do. Yeah.
We met at a night that I was opening up for somebody else, which is a rock. Rock Brigade is a great tribute act out of Chicago. And so I was honored to be able to open up for their fans and to expose myself that way.
But yeah, full band is the way is my direction and plan for the future. I want to do as much of those as possible. And what's that band called? It's me.
It's Andrew Scott Denlinger. So this is my project. And at this point, I'm bringing in friends here and there.
We haven't solidified our lineup completely because I'm just not steady enough to say, hey, quit all those other projects and make me your priority number one. But eventually that time is going to come. I've got playing in this country band for as many years as I have.
I've been able to build quite a network of friends who are super talented. And I get opportunities to send off something, bring somebody into a studio and to work with people that I haven't had opportunities to do for ever or in a while. It's been fun creatively, as well as exciting to see some feedback on the music itself.
Right. Right. So what was the country band that you toured the country with? So my friend's name is Nick Lynch.
We were the Nick Lynch band. And he he's put out music of his own over the years. Most recently, our current single was I Call Shotgun, which is a great summer jam.
And we were based out of Chicago. So we play the Midwest quite a bit. But we expanded.
We had a regular run out west into Colorado. We would hit Pennsylvania, New York and New England area quite a bit down into Louisiana. So a little bit everywhere.
We mostly American rock and Southern rock and country and top country music throughout our sets. We did a lot of covers, which is kind of if you're hoping to get paid a lot of times, that's what you got to do. We'll play for three hours, four hours, whatever they need.
I remember one set one day was five hours on a St. Patrick's Day. So let me tell you about the night. That was a wild party that was out in Iowa.
That's when I that seems to be a thread in every one of the podcasts. We have to play. We have to play covers.
And, you know, unfortunately, that's the you know, I shouldn't say unfortunately, you know, that's what that's what gets your foot in the door. And once you're in the door and it's, you know, it's your job to to take advantage of whatever the situation is. So, you know, when I was starting out, I think I was I guess I was probably just a little bit maybe pompous or got to stick up my butt or whatever.
But I used to say I only wanted to play original music. And man, I am all about creating. I love being in a studio.
I love songwriting. I love being able to capture a moment from my life or somebody else's life and put that into something that other people can make their own and to put their own story within it. And so I played a lot of original music.
I screamed in a hardcore band for five years. I was in pop rock bands. I recorded a whole rock album in 2009.
I was so bad at business that I didn't put it out for seven more years after that. And, you know, but it's out there now. If you want to go listen to it, that thing is called six speed.
That was the name of my band I was playing with. And my experience with original music is it's really tough to get people to come out to shows. If you don't if people don't know who you are, if they're not bought into you and to what you are putting out there, then there's so many other things that are taking our attention to fill a club.
I can only call my friends so many times before I before they're like, man, I can't make it in the city this time. And so then I then I joined a country band, which I am a rock and roll and a hardcore kid at heart. But I my parents started me on violin and piano when I was very young, four or five years old.
And so I've been involved in I love lots of different types of music. And so country music is not was not something that I was completely foreign to me. It was a new thing for me to play.
It was a new thing for me to go out and to perform in that genre. But what I learned very quickly is, number one, people were coming out to country shows to see a live band. And I was excited about that.
And people were coming out to to a country show to dance and to get out there. And they're not just sitting back, but they're participating. And so I approach anybody who had seen me over the years knew that I was a little bit different.
Not only was I a bassist who kind of acted like a front man and was definitely out there in the crowd, but I approached it as a as a hardcore kid. I mean, I I loved to headbang and I would I would get into it. And that trans translated.
And I mean, there's dynamics in country music. And so, yeah, I'm not going to be doing that on a slow song, on a ballad, but on if we're getting after it, then I'm going to get after it, too. Sure.
Absolutely. Create the party. Yeah.
You know, Ray Charles, you know, straight into country music during his career. Yeah. And he said the reason why he did that is because he loved to watch the reaction of the people and how they reacted to the stories.
Yes. That's the thing about country music. You know, I story.
I think I identify with you in the same thing. My background is very similar to yours, a little bit of everything. Man, I love playing country music and I love playing blues for the way I react to it.
How did he see them? What's that? How did he see them? Oh, he's like to see their reaction. These are real questions. Yeah.
You know, that is that is that is a good question. You know, he had his own way of seeing. OK, haven't you seen the movie? Yeah, I have.
Yeah, absolutely. OK, yeah, you can feel it. He had he had his own way of seeing.
He really he really did. It was interesting the way he the way he found that a woman or thought that a woman was beautiful was by feeling her forearm. No, that was that was very interesting.
He would shake her hand and feel her forearm. OK, I knew if the woman is pretty or not. So who knows? Very cool.
Yeah. Sorry to interrupt. No, that's OK.
I mean, when I come into a room, I'm hoping to feed off the love that's already hopefully there and to bring something to it. And I mean, I think that love is a force. And so in that in that kind of way, you can feel the energy.
I can close my eyes and I can know what's going on out in front of me. And sometimes that's the most magical if I can stay on my feet. Yeah.
You know, it's funny how music is kind of I think it's kind of like cyclical where when you start a band, you're doing covers. You throw some original stuff in there. Your original stuff starts getting better.
You get a recording contract. All of a sudden you got an album. Your stuff's getting out there.
People find out who you are. You go out there and you're playing your your music and stuff you wrote. You come up with another album, three, four, five, six albums and stuff.
After a while, you're doing covers. You're only doing the popular songs that people like that you they're your songs, but it's basically you're back to doing covers. Right.
Right. Yeah. I learned I learned there's an art to performing a cover, to performing some to perform a song that people know and to be able to do it in a way that they can grab in the moment and they can sing along with you and they're not caught by.
I don't even know what's wrong, but something something's off here. No, but if you can put some of the best songs that have ever been written down in a way that people can grab in the moment, that's just as special. And so when I when I'm crafting a set, like if I'm doing solo stuff or with the full band, I'm doing songs that have a connection to me.
I do as little songs that are just covers just to do a cover. I try to find songs that highlight the overall vibe and genre and style and story that I'm trying to say in my songs with other people's music. And so when I'm pulling covers in on 99 percent of the time, I mean, I'll play requests for people, but 99 percent of the time I'm trying to play songs that at some point in my life has connected with me and made a difference in the way I think and the way I perceive things.
Right. And if I do that and I play my original and I can say it's an original or I cannot. And if it all flows and that story continues, then you are you're creating a show for people and that when that's done well, that's when it's been the best.
Right. Right. I just saw an interview I watched on YouTube.
I saw an interview with CeeLo Green and CeeLo Green actually had a distinction between a cover in a remake. And I found it interesting. If somebody recorded a song or performed a song exactly the way the original recording was done, he called that a remake because all you were doing was remaking it.
But if you changed it a little bit so that it was significantly noticeable, but you were still giving credit to that song, then he called it a cover. So so people. So and I agree with that, in my opinion, if people take a song that's already been recorded, make it their own a little bit, but still keep it identifiable to the people that are hearing it, that's a cover.
But if you're going to go out there and do it exactly the same way that you're remaking it, you know, a little bit. So I kind of I play in a cover band, so, you know, I kind of take that approach when I'm on stage as well. So you've got a guitar over there.
So instead of just asking you about, you know, what's your style and what do you prefer in the whole bit, why don't you show us? All right. Sounds good. Good to go.
Good to go. Call me a criminal. I'm in a rusty cage and I can't escape.
It ain't the way I feel, but it's becoming real. Change in the face. I can't escape the way that you are.
I can't escape no matter how far we run to replace the love in our hearts. Cause you spread me wide open. You got me exposing the way I look in the dark.
And I jumped a few fences and ended defenseless. An arrow shot through my heart. I can't escape.
But I'd have it no other way. Every eventually becomes a memory. The blurring of days.
Collecting every tear, erasing every fear. I'm counting the ways I can't escape the way that you are. I can't escape no matter how far we run to replace the love in our hearts.
Cause you spread me wide open. You got me exposing the way I look in the dark. And I jumped a few fences and ended defenseless.
An arrow shot through my heart. I can't escape. But I'd have it no other way.
Cause you spread me wide open. You got me exposing the way I look in the dark. And I jumped a few fences and ended defenseless.
An arrow shot through my heart. I can't escape. But I'd have it no other way.
Very nice. That deserves the real applause. Thank you guys.
No canned applause. That one's called No Other Way. And when did you write that one? Oh, that one is a, that's, that one's a newer one.
I bet I wrote that one in 2019. That is, yeah, that was, that's one that I hadn't heard fully put together until we were putting it together. And wrote it about, wrote about the love I have with my wife.
And sometimes it's messy. And sometimes you don't know which way is up. We've had our ups and downs over the past year.
A couple of Decembers ago, she was in the hospital for a month while she was pregnant with our, with our son who was born last year, thankfully. But, but in that time we were very, very uncertain about a lot of things. And so that and other situations when I'm saying that these days, that's what I think about is, you know, it's not always perfect.
But when you are together on the process, or at least when, when you, when you're on the same page and you know that there's a long game in store, your love can carry you through. So that, I guess that's what that one's about. Very nice.
Yeah, that's good. Absolutely. So I'm assuming that's, is that part of your regular set when you play with your band or? It is.
It's one I haven't finished recording yet. It's in process, but I will be excited to release it. That one will probably get released in the next couple of rounds.
Not next, not my next one for sure. I've got a different one I'm excited to release probably before the summer. Genre exploring a little bit with that one.
Right, right, right. So what came first with that song? Was it the lyrics? Was it the melody? Was, did you have a chord progression? How'd you start that one? You know, I think that song came with the verse. And my songs start with a lot of different things that it doesn't always start one way, but it typically starts with a hook.
I guess it may, well, you know what it may have. I'm trying to think back. I think the idea of the chorus, where it's all these things, the idea of the chorus probably came first.
And then it was the opening line really hit me. And I knew I was going to keep it, even though it's kind of weird. It was a little nod.
So this song must've been written shortly after Chris Cornell passed away, because the opening line is a little bit of a nod to Soundgarden in telling our story. And I'm trying to remember the opening line as I speak, but it talks about being in a rusty cage. And, you know, sometimes, so in that, sometimes relationships, if you get yourself caught in moments, feel a little bit stuck and feel like you've been in there for a little while.
But what the song is talking about is the beauty out of this. And, you know, I could be, I could be stuck in this thing if I keep my mind in a certain perspective, but you know what, the place that I'm in, you find out that there's way more freedom and it's way more beauty than what you initially thought. So it starts in this kind of dark place, which is kind of where a lot of us are in moments is, you know, I'm not understanding you, you're not understanding me and I'm probably not understanding myself.
And so, but can we find this common ground? If I expose myself, which is what the chorus is, you spread me wide open, you got me exposing the way I look in the dark, the intimacy that a man and a woman can have with each other that a partner has with their partner. And you got me exposing the way I look in the dark, jumped a few fences, but ended defenseless. Even if I tried to get away, even if I tried my hardest to escape what I thought I wanted to leave, at the end of the day, what I find is there's nothing I would ever want to leave.
And I would have it no other way because part of the ups and downs in our life together is the color of our story. And that makes it even more beautiful. Excellent.
Excellent. I hope people listen to this podcast and listen to that song and then listen to what you just said about it because there's so often it's just left open to interpretation. And I guess that's the artistic part of it.
Sure. But I like when we get the explanation from the author. As you put the song together, did you pretty much do it yourself or did you call in different musicians and decide, you know, I'd like you to help me with this and So far, most of the parts on this one are me.
I started the whole project by bringing in my buddy Sam Barsi, who is a great Chicago area drummer. He works with a lot of different artists. And so I brought him in to the studio.
I'm working with my friend Rex Carroll, who's played in bands like White Cross, King James. And he's also a really ultra skilled blues guitarist. He's got the Rex Carroll Band, which does blues stuff as well.
He's just a shredder. But he's also a great creative friend of mine. And so we set up a little bit of an arrangement.
We did the drums for all my first bank of tunes together. And that was pre-pandemic starting. So I was just thinking about doing that all at once.
So I ended up having this bank of songs that I was able to then start layering things on top of. But I've worked with a bunch of great friends of mine who are super talented. Another area guy is on my most recent single.
His name is Mike O'Meara. I played in the country band with him for a few years, and he's also out there gigging with a bunch of different people. But he's one of those players that you never know where he's going to go.
And it's always kind of exciting because the solos are never quite the same. And he's about to be up here in the neck. And then all of a sudden, he's going to jump down somewhere else or go into this different mode that just brings songs to life.
And so I gave him my newest single, which maybe I should play that for you next. But it's called Things I Should Have Said. And that's a song that I wrote 10 years ago, back when I was with my rock band, Sixspeed, out playing small rock clubs and bars and stuff like that.
And I hadn't recorded it, but it just kind of stuck around for a while. I would play it for people and they would grab something in the song. So I just every once in a while would pull it back out.
And it had life and momentum through these past 10 years. And so by the time it came to recording, I knew I wanted to put somebody else on it to feature somebody. And so I had sent the track over to him and I said, Hey, this is the solo that I've been doing.
If you can do something like it, that'd be great. And he took a little bit and he sent me something back. It was nothing like my solo.
It was completely different. Caught me off guard and I just kind of took it in. But it was exactly what the song needed.
And it was so cool to be able to see his perspective and his take on it. So I'm excited to have him on the track. My friend Mandy Barry is an area singer who has just got some killer pipes.
She performs live with me. Sam's with me for quite a few shows, but not all of them. And then the rest of, oh, and then I sent for keys, piano and organ.
Sent that to my buddy, Mike, who's out in New York. So this is a multi-state affair. And that's the beauty of music these days.
You can do it with anybody, anywhere. Mike Santos Yeah. That's right.
Just send you the file and put them together. Well, I'm curious to hear this other number that you're talking about. All right, let's do it.
That would last. And now we're stuck holding hands high. We shake our fists at the midnight sky.
Watch as the time flies. Catch your breath before you die. There's so many.
There's so many things that I should have said. I'm done breaking. These shattered dreams will be hard to mend.
When all you said, all you said is that you, you never saw a thing. Now we're stuck holding hands high. We shake our fists at the midnight sky.
Watch as the time flies. Catch your breath before you die. There's so many.
There's so many things that I should have said. And now we're stuck holding hands high. We shake our fists at the midnight sky.
Watch as the time flies. Catch your breath before you die. There's so many.
There's so many things that I should have said. Oh, there's so many. So many things that I should have said.
Oh, excellent. Excellent. Wow.
Thank you. Fantastic. I didn't want to say anything until I finished that video, man.
I'm glad I did that. Yeah, I'm glad you saw that. I'm glad I did it.
I was working the zoom in and in the whole bit on that. We got to figure out how to put this on his podcast. Great.
That looked, that looked great. Yeah. Fantastic.
I have, I've loved both little songs. Thank you very much. They're fantastic.
I try to sing out of my heart and from my own experiences or what I view from somebody else. I try to put myself in their perspective if I'm doing it that way. And so thank you.
I'm glad that you were able to connect with the two. So that was released just a couple of weeks ago, right? Yeah. Beginning of February, that one drops.
And so it's out there streaming wherever you stream. Cool. Where do you, when you're recording it, you got a home studio or where do you do your recording? I do.
I have my own studio that I built up over time. And so I do a lot of it there. Drums, that's tough to do in your basement.
So I'm taking that into the studio typically for my next single. That one's actually getting sent out to a buddy of mine who's going to put drums down on that one. Okay.
That one is a song that I started. I don't think I ever intended on releasing it, but it just kind of feels right. I put out four very American rock and roll tunes.
And so this one, a friend of mine years ago, I was recording some stuff for another project and he said, man, Andrew, you don't have your own setup yet. You are a producer. You should be producing yourself.
You need to get yourself a doll and figure out how to do this all yourself. And I am so thankful that that's my friend, Joey Fernandez. And he's a super skilled guy.
And right in that moment, it was exactly what I needed to hear. Somebody just tell me what I didn't know and what I didn't know I needed to be pushing. So that was back in 2013 or 14.
And so I got myself a good machine, good laptop, a solid interface. I said, what's the best stuff I need to get on a very little budget? Because I'm not working with much. And so he told me, he said, you need to spend up on this, but you can go this route just to get yourself started.
So I spent my upcoming single was my practice session. And so I am experimenting with some synths, some EDM. I had a friend describe it as industrial rock the other day, which I think is interesting.
I've loved industrial metal bands back in the day, Nine Inch Nails being the typical band that you might throw out and that kind of thing. And so it's got a very different vibe than my other tunes. And I don't know if that's exactly where I'm going to go, but I think I'm at this point of the game, I'm still feeling out where my market is and who I'm connecting with the best.
And so I'll put some marketing behind that one and test that out in streaming and see where people are grabbing. So you're mixing and mastering it yourself or you have somebody else? So I'm doing, I do a lot. So I will start with drums typically somewhere else.
I do a lot of the guitar tracking and a lot of the vocals at home for things. I ended up going into the studio to re-record the vocals because I was never fully satisfied. It needed some other stuff in the chain just to soften it up.
And so I'm going in with my friend Rex Carroll, who lives on the north side of the city. And so I will start the project at my house and I'll take the entire thing, we dump it into his, and then we kind of start from scratch when it comes down to mix time. And if there's things we need to track there that day, then we're doing that.
So it's very individual, which I work well that way. I like to just get in a room and get deep in my head and start putting ideas down. But I'm also very drawn to working with other people.
And when you're playing shows by yourself and you're recording by yourself, that's not... I like the interaction and I like to feed off somebody else's creativity. And so to be able to take a product and have somebody else's mind working on it with me is great. So Rex and I will sit down and go through his plug-in bank and see what works and see what parts we need to scrap.
And he tells me where my guitar tone sucks and all the stuff you need to hear. Preston Pysh, Jr.: Yeah. Things that only a friend are going to say, right? No, you need them around.
And I brought original songs to my bands as well. I don't like to completely put together a song by myself. And people in my band have actually gotten pissed at me because I'll show up with a song and I'll say, okay, here guys, play it.
And they're like, well, what do you mean? It's you playing a guitar. How do we know what to play? That's exactly it. That's exactly the reason why I brought it this way, because you're the bass player.
You're going to add something that I'm not hearing. You're the drummer. You're definitely going to add something that I'm not hearing because I can't do this.
So I'm not the one taking care of the drums, right? Piano player, whatever it is, bring what you have because who knows? I mean, the song might end up singing or sounding different than what I had in my head. And that might be a very good thing. You know, I love collaborating with people.
Yeah. Play what you feel. Yeah.
Right. Exactly. There's art in songwriting where you can write a song that gives space to go many different directions.
Absolutely. I think a good song, you were talking about what makes it cover and just a remake. I mean, a good song is one that can transcend genre.
And when I think of American rock and roll, that is exactly what it is. It is rock that transcends genre. It's all over the place.
So what can I do to give this song some flavor this way? And when you're feeding off other people, that's so important. So I still listen to hardcore music. And one of my favorite bands is a band called Under Oath.
And I remember this brings to mind a post that I saw recently of like all their beginning demos. They were like, oh, this is what the song sounded like when we first started. And this is what it sounds like after.
And so they went through a list of a few songs. And that's what's special. I can't even remember who it was, but somebody told me through the years, if you're going to demo a song, do not put everything down.
Don't put all your creativity out on a demo. You got to save that for the magic in the real moment. Because if you do all that, then you lose the spark of that initial put down when you're like, oh man, I'm thinking of this part and it just happened.
There's just some magic in the studio when that's happening organically in the moment. You know, we usually do an outro to the show after our guests leave. And I had something in mind to use as our outro for our show.
But I'm going to say it now because I want to say it to your face. Number one, I think it's important. And number two, I'm just going to admit I'm man crushing on you right now.
I really am. In case people haven't been able to tell from the podcast yet. I really like what you do.
I really do. And I'll tell you, I'm sitting here listening to you talk about how, you know, you were into hardcore music and heavier music and pop music and country music and the whole bit. And I think what you've done is you have found a way to successfully peel the onion.
There are so many people who say, well, I'm just a guitar player or I'm just a drummer or I'm just a piano player. I'm just a singer or whatever it is. And then they'll start listing off all their influences, very similar to what you've talked about.
And then when you see them perform, you can tell that they haven't quite figured out how to successfully peel that onion yet. They have not figured out how to get out of their head. I'm just a guitar player or I'm just a singer and I'm influenced by all these people and gotten down to truly who they are and have realized that no matter what it is that you do, there's an artist after you peel back all the layers.
I think you've successfully done that because you've weeded through all of those genres and all of those influences. And what you've demonstrated here today, you have proven to us that you have discovered already that there is an artist underneath all the layers and you are working on building that artist part of your personality, not just the genre parts of your personality. And please take that as a compliment.
Thank you so much. Because I really, I really get that sense from your writing and the way you're performing. So that's why I wanted to take that video.
I wanted the people to see the conviction in your face as you were singing those songs that you wrote. Man, I appreciate that. Absolutely.
You say you've been playing out and about some places. What are some places you'll be playing up soon that people come and see you? Well, March 10th, I'm actually going to be back in Elmhurst to a spot I've been before, a really cool spot, a beer head bar and eatery out in Elmhurst. And then on the 11th, next day, one of my favorite spots, they were actually the first place to give me a gig when I started this new project.
So I got lots of love for them. I'm at Barracos and Evergreen Park on the 11th, nine to 12 that night. And I'm usually there a couple of times a month.
And then I know I just booked a fest in Orland Park. There's going to be, the Orland Park Chamber of Commerce is putting on an Orland Park Summer Fest in June. So June 16th, I will be the support act for Tennessee Whiskey that night, who is a Chris Stapleton tribute act, and they are great.
So come out that night on June 16th. Sounds good. Where can people find you social media like? Well, my website is andrewscottdenlinger.com. And if that's hard to spell, andrewscottismyname.com will take you where you need to go.
That's also my handle on Instagram and Facebook. Andrew Scott is my name. I'm on TikTok.
I should do more on it. I think I'm Andrew Scott Denlinger on TikTok, but I'm out there. Tag me, follow me, please.
As an artist, that is so important. Clubs really look at that. And so the more engagement that I get, just allows me to spread the music to your friends and clubs to see the support that you're giving me as well.
It means a lot. Well, thanks a lot for coming out tonight on this wet, dreary night. You think you could take us out with one more song? Let's do it.
I'll start you. Let's do my first single. This one's called All Right, Feeling Pretty Fine.
And I'm feeling all right with you guys tonight. I appreciate it. All right.
All right. Yeah, I'm feeling all right. Yeah.
Careless stance from the weather. Working hard to deliver everything I can for my girls and the woman who is holding my heart. We're all just a little messed up.
Yeah, we drink and we smoke a little much. I don't know how much more I can fit in this cup. But I thank God that he put his hands up for me.
I'm all right. All right. Yeah, I'm feeling all right.
All right. All right. Yeah.
And when I lose all faith in me, you never do. Ooh, it's how I can make it through when we're all just a little messed up. And we drink and we smoke a little much.
I don't know how much more I can fit in this cup. But I thank God that he put his hands up. We're all just a little messed up.
We might drink and we smoke a little much. I don't know how much more I can fit in this cup. But I thank God that he put his hands up for me.
I'm all right. All right. Yeah, I know I'm all right.
All right. All right. Ooh, I know I'm all right.
All right. All right. You and me, we're gonna be all right.
All right. All right. Yeah, I know I'm all right.
Yeah. You know, I'm feeling, feeling mighty fine. Yeah.
All right. Thank you. Yeah.
Great job, man. Great job. Great job.
It was great. Thanks a lot. Mikey's got a man crush.
Mikey's got a man crush. Andrew Scott Denlinger. That's right.
I was very impressed. He was very good. He's very good.
Now, he was not was he is very good. A fantastic storyteller. Yeah.
And I was watching him play the guitar as well. He wasn't playing, you know, simple, traditional chords there either. I mean, he was actually he was actually put some creativity into the chord voices and everything.
I think his writing style is excellent. So that he did that he did. I hope to hear a lot more new stuff from him.
I'm going to have to go out and see him. Maybe we'll catch him at the old Republic again sometime soon. Maybe there or maybe there's that there's that place in Lockport that we always go to.
Oh, yeah. What's that called? What's that place called? I don't remember. The amphitheater.
No, it's the I don't remember. It used to be a bank. Some gal owns it.
Paula or something like that. Laura, Laura, Laura, Laura, Laura. She's very studious.
Yes. Oh, the studio studio studio in Lockport. That's it.
How can we forget Laura at the studio? I don't know. I don't know how we can forget her. We all love Laura.
Yes, we do. So, OK. Thanks for joining us again this week on this cold, rainy night.
Well, wherever you're listening to this, it's probably not a cold, rainy night. Could be a warm, sunny day. But thanks for listening.
We'll be back next week with another exciting edition of the Rock and Roll Chicago podcast. Some of the bands we got coming up are Sucker Punch. We got coming up.
We got the Modern Day Romeos. We've got Grace and Modern Day Romeos. That's going to be interesting.
That's going to be fun. Yes, it is. I think it's really fun.
A little bit vaudeville, a little bit comedy and rock and roll. Right. Going together.
Yeah. And his girlfriend's restaurant is right next door. Oh, really? Yeah.
Romeos. Oh, it's where we go for our after podcast cocktail. Sometimes you sometimes you have to, you know, warn me about these.
That's true. Jokes that you're going to throw in there because I'm a little slow on the uptake after five o'clock. All righty, everybody.
Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week. The Rock and Roll Chicago podcast is edited by Paul Martin theme song courtesy of MNR Rush.
The Rock and Roll Chicago podcast does not own rights to any of the music heard on the show. The music is used to promote the guests that are featured.
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