James VanOsdol Podcasts

Today's Snack is "Walk by the Lake," from Michelles. The song comes from Michelles' latest album, "The Empty Promises of Rock and Roll." Enjoy your snack!

Adam T. Siska of the Academy Is ... is my guest this week! He joined me for a chat over dumplings from the Joong Boo Wang Mandoo stand outside Joog Boo Market on the northwest side. It’s one of Chicago’s best-kept secrets (trust me). With the Academy Is continuing their reunion that kicked off over Riot Fest weekend last year, Adam talked about whe…

Today's snack is "Guilty" from Pino Farina Band's 2018 release, "Start Over Again." See Pino Farina Band at RocHaus in West Dundee on April 8!

Today's Car Con Carne Snack comes from One Arm Giant. The song is "The Verge of Our Collapse," from their full-length release, "Start Tomorrow." Enjoy your snack!

For this conversation, we met at Club Lago in River North (331 W Superior St, Chicago, IL 60654). Owner GianCarlo was kind enough to jump in the car with a variety of items from Lago’s menu, and it was all delicious. Also in the car for this episode is Patrick’s friend, Jessica. What are the two of them up to? You’ll watch/hear, but let’s just say …

8-bit crEEps are from Chicago, and self-described as “a psych-wave quartet in a polygamist marriage with new-wave synths, fuzzed-out guitars and driving beats.” I hope you love this band as much as I do. "I Lose" is taken from the album, "Dress for the Future." "we’re so much more than just our jobs, our stocks, our bonds"…

Brian Case (singer/guitarist) of FACS joins me for a chat in advance of their new release, “Still Life in Decay.” We met for hot dogs at Red Hot Ranch, ate depression dogs and talked about: *FACS capturing the moment with each of the band’s annual releases. *The upcoming record release shows at Empty Bottle. *The tension that comes across in the ba…

Touched By Ghoul (Episode 696) killed it on their second album, "Cancel the World." I think you're going to like the title track.

Today's Snack is "Tom Cruise Leaves Self" by Brother Derek. See the band at International Pop Overthrow at Montrose Saloon next month!

Djunah’s second album, “Femina Furens,” is brave. It’s raw. It’s cathartic. It’s gut wrenching. It’s fierce. It’s vulnerable. Most importantly, it’s great. Donna Diane of Djunah jumped in the car outside Innjoy, in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, to talk about the new album. Much of the songwriting evolved from Donna’s “diagnosis and cont…

This episode is a perfect example of what Car Con Carne tries to accomplish. I’m joined by the Nettes (Alex, Kristina and Sonya) for a visit to Perkolator (6032 W. Irving Park) in Portage Park. Before enjoying coffee and breakfast from Perkolator, the Nettes performed a stunning, how-did-they-do-that-in-a-car, version of their song “Another Bet.” J…

Today's Car Con Carne Snack is "With You," by Cap Gun Heroes. It's available on all streaming platforms.

David, Shen and Chris of Moon join me to chat about their fourth full-length, “Sapiens.” The album will finally see a vinyl release at the Moon show at Live Wire on 3/11 (also appearing: Rocket Miner & 5RVL5). We talk about the very personal nature of some of the album’s songs, the joys of vinyl and what appropriate attire is for the 3/11 show. If …

Car Con Carne Snack - 2/28/23 Corduroy Cat - ‘Mary the Elephant’

Frank Orrall of Poi Dog Pondering joins me for a chat at award-winning distillery, FEW Spirits (918 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL). Poi Dog started 2023 off with their tenth full-length album, “Keep On Loving Each Other.” The messages within are exactly what we all need to hear at this point in our shared history… and the songwriting and musicianship a…

Car Con Carne Snack - 2/23/23 Derision Cult "Deaf Blood" Support the band at http://www.derisioncult.com

Aweful (Traci, Lucy and Izzy) joined me at Tony D’s (7725 W. Belmont, Elmwood Park) for delicious wings and tacos. We talked about Aweful’s new video (“Open Heart”), their history and their forthcoming release. Thanks to Tony D’s for the hospitality and good eats! __ Car Con Carne is sponsored by Suburban Roofing and Siding, a family-owned company …

Car Con Carne Snack - 2/21/23 The Dopers "Lookout" Support the Dopers: thedopers.bandcamp.com https://www.facebook.com/thedopersband https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU7WYHYPBbNhbA4E65sQh9g?reload=9 https://soundcloud.com/the-dopers

Ivan Julian is a guitar monster … a punk pioneer … a founding member of Richard Hell & the Voidoids. He’s also played with bands and artists like the Clash, Matthew Sweet and Shriekback. We met outside Rattleback Records in Chicago and talked about: *“Swing Your Lanterns,” his new solo release on Pravda. *The emerging New York scene in the 1970s *I…

Brady Matteson "Mouth of Canyon" Performing at the Logan Theater Lounge on April 26th! Hear more: bradymatteson.bandcamp.com

Car Con Carne Snack - 2/14/23 The Burst and Bloom "Home" Support the band on all digital streaming platforms. Unofficially released music will always be on Bandcamp first before other streaming platforms.

Feed the Beasts is hosting a metal-themed cat rescue benefit at Soundgrowler Brewing Co. (8201 183rd Street Suite P, Tinley Park) on February 18 (5pm start). I’m joined by Nicci and Dan, the kind souls behind Feed the Beasts, as well as Feed the Beasts-adjacent artist Jonathan Grimm. We talk about the how and why Nicci and Dan started rescuing cats…

For the second year in a row, vinyl records outsold CDs in the U.S. I’m at a point where I have a turntable. My son has a turntable. My daughter has a turntable. The appeal… the draw… of vinyl records is at the heart of the documentary film “Vinyl Nation.” Joining me to talk about the movie are directors/producers Kevin Smokler and Christopher Boon…

Car Con Carne Snack - 2/9/23 Halfdog - "Hey You" Support the band on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Soundcloud, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc.!

Car Con Carne Extra - 2/7/23 Impulsive Hearts - "Melody" Support the band at impulsivehearts.bandcamp.com

In this episode, I’m joined by Chicago indie band LOTEC (Dan, Kenny and Sean) for a visit to PINK’S SHRIMP & OYSTERS (773 N. Quentin Road). LOTEC’s back after being away for… decades (how is that even possible?). We talk about their just-released fourth album, ”Squares,” what the past meant, and what the future holds for them. As for the food from …

Eater Chicago named Bartoli’s one of the Essential Deep Dish Pizza Restaurants in Chicago. USA Today called Bartoli’s Chicago’s Best Pizza. Food And Wine said it’s the Best Pizza in Chicago. The critics aren’t wrong… Bartoli’s makes fantastic pizza. For this episode, I’m joined by Bartoli’s Owner/Founder Brian Tondryk. We talked about Bartoli’s pla…

Car Con Carne Extra - 2/2/23 Space Age Zeros - "Wishing Well" Support Space Age Zeros: https://spaceagezeros.bandcamp.com/album/blast-off-e-p https://open.spotify.com/album/07WljA789NR6UBXbmPcuQg?si=GYWKeZdMTjKUK8IE-GllXQ

Mustafa, Eric and Jon from the Brokedowns joined me for a chat over slices from Dante’s Pizzeria (3028 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647). We talked about their fantastic new album, “Maximum Khaki,” their first release in five (!) years. We also talked about laserdiscs, the joy of vinyl, Pink Floyd, video making, that awesome “Maximum Khaki” album …

Car Con Carne Extra - 1/31/23 Pink Frost - "On the Way Down" Support Pink Frost on Bandcamp

Car Con Carne Extra - 1/26/23 Almost There But Not Really - "Marquette Park" Support the band on Instagram, Bandcamp and Spotify!

Car Con Carne Extra - 1/24/23 Man's Body - "Dark Horse Matter" Support the band at mansbody.bandcamp.com

Comedian Mike Stricker joins me for hot dogs from Gene & Jude’s in this episode. He’s a very funny guy, and we talked about: *How I totally forgot we’d already met, and feel really dumb about it. *Gene & Jude’s war on ketchup. *McDonald’s ketchup profiteering. *Mike’s goal to perform in all 50 states. *Mike’s vape shop performances (no, really). *W…

Car Con Carne Extra - 1/19/23 wht.rbbt.obj - "Once More Down the Rabbit Hole" Support the band at whtrbbtobj.com

Chicago Magazine says Peanut Park Trattoria (1359 W. Taylor St.) is one of the “10 hottest restaurants in Chicago right now.” Time Out named it one of the 30 best Italian restaurants in the city. The accolades are well-deserved. Dave Bonomi, owner of Peanut Park Trattoria (1359 W. Taylor), joined me to talk about Peanut Park as we ate delicious pas…

Car Con Carne Extra - 1/17/23 Marina City - "Youth" Support Marina City on all streaming platforms

Sweetie is an excellent Chicago-based punk band with Birdy Vee, Sweet Johnny Marble, and Joe Pennington. The band joined me for a chat before a gig at Punk Rock Tacos on 1/13/23, and we talked about: The religious rebellion that shows up in their songs The band’s origin story Their cool cover of “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’” The appeal of bei…

Noah Corona, creator and curator of Punk Rock Tacos, joins me for an episode about the ongoing live music series. The need for all-ages shows has never been stronger, and Punk Rock Tacos nailed it. This was my first visit, and every expectation I had for it was exceeded. Noah and I talked outside Cemitas Poblanas (345 North Avenue Villa Park), and …

Car Con Carne Extra -1/12/23 KILL SCENES - "ACID BLACK WINDOW" Support Kill Scenes at killscenes.bandcamp.com

Listen to Caroline Lucius "The Great Stone Face," and support her on Bandcamp at carolinelucius.bandcamp.com.

It’s Dry January, and I think a lot of us are working toward GO BREWING’s mantra of “Less alcohol, fewer calories… more productive tomorrows.” Go Brewing is the first low-alcohol or NA brewery in Illinois, and I’m joined by Go Brewing’s President, Joe Chura, for this episode. We talk about Go Brewing’s first 90 days since opening the taproom, the c…

The members of GHOST FOREST (singer/guitarist Scott “Gub” Conway, drummer James Kimball, bassist Brant McCrea, join me on the first episode of 2023. We recorded at the super cool Rot Shop (a former location and topic for Car Con Carne) and chatted about the band’s fiery post-punk debut. It’s primal, powerful, stuff. Check out the interview, then st…

Tony, Louie and Jim of Vortis return to Car Con Carne to talk about their excellent new garage/punk record (in mono!), “The Miasmic Years.” Covered in this episode: *The accuracy of the new album title. *The mind-blowing inspiration for their song “COVID Blues.” *Being a politically-charged band in the 20s: How do you reach beyond the ‘converted?’ …

Violin virtuoso Susan Voelz recently released a fantastic album, “Trust the Waves Will Hold You,” a collection of unreleased Poi Dog Pondering songs that she fleshed out and made whole. Discussed in this episode: *Background on “Trust the Waves Will Hold You” *The “gateway drug” that is the song “Oyster” (listen to this as soon as you can; you’ll l…

Returning guest/Car Con Carne favorite Mike Vanderbilt (voted Best Bartender in Chicago by the the readers of the Chicago Reader) joins me for a holiday show at Cigars & Stripes BBQ Lounge (6715 W. Ogden, Berwyn). We recorded on “Monster Movie Meatball Night,” before Christmas screenings of “Silent Night Deadly Night 1 & 5” and ate amazing food fro…

It’s the year-end special! It’s been a fabulous year on Car Con Carne, and this episode features 10 of 2022’s many highlights. __ Looking for your next read? Ninety Days in the 90s: A Rock N Roll Time Travel Story is the ultimate novel about the '90s and Chicago's music scene. Join record store owner Darby on her trip back to 1990s Chicago as she j…

Car Con Carne pulls up to Wicker Park for a long chat with Bill Jacobs, owner of the much-celebrated Piece Pizzeria & Brewery (1927 W. North Avenue). As we eat Hot Doug’s Atomic Sausage pizza (red pizza with pepper jack, caramelized onions and atomic sausage), we talk about: *Piece’s quick rise to fame in Chicago *What exactly is “New Haven-style” …

The 19th Annual KT’s Kids Holiday Fundraiser happens at Liar’s Club (1665 W. Fullerton), starting at 7pm on 12/17!! Liar’s Club owner Herb Rosen and Katie Augustyn of KT’s Kids joined me for a preview of the event while eating steak sandwiches from Booby’s in Niles. Local H’s Scott Lucas also checks in over the phone… Scott’s part of the Nefarious …

Welcome to the 800th episode of Car Con Carne! For this special episode, we’re looking back at 10 memorable moments from the past 799 episodes. They’re not the “ultimate” or “definitive” 10 moments; because, really, how could you narrow those down? Instead, these are just some of the many Car Con Carne highlights, taken from in the car, onsite and …

Chicago-based singer/songwriter Caroline Lucius is an artist I think you should know. She and her bandmate/brother Schaffer Lucius joined me for a fun episode that included incredible vegetarian food from Handlebar (2311 W. North Avenue). Caroline talked about her music, how she and Schaffer have rededicated themselves to home recording, and why ta…