The Chicago Gumbo Show Podcast

In this Episode we continue the conversation with Gregorio Gomez and Jack Salamander,  This is the third and final episode in the series. 

This episode is a continued conversation around a recent Spoken Word project done by Gregory Gomez and the band Jack Salamander.  I left the "F Bombs" in for historical preservation.  Enjoy! 

This is part 2 of a 2 part interview I did with Heather Tackett Falduto who is a professional blues bass player who quite hear big corporate job to do so.  Join the conversation as we are setting up to jam for the first time back when we were still social distancing because of COVID.  Enjoy!

In this next few episodes I interview Chicago Mexican Poet Gregorio Gomez, who was in charge of the Poetry Night readings at the landmark bar in Chicago, "Weeds".  This interview was based on a spoken word recording that Gregory recorded with a band named Jack Salamander, who was also a featured band at Weeds in the early 90s. This was a band that I had formed with my college buddy, Lem Roby, back when I first moved back to Chicago. This band originally started out playing what was considered "Acid Jazz" back then.  Gregorio used to read some of his poetry with Jack Salamander back in the day, so this was a natural fit.  The band also joins the conversation,  Mind you, these are good friends who have known each other for years, so there is a lot of inside jokes, and "F" bombs included in the interview only for the sake of preservation. 

In this episode I interview one of my favorite female blues bass players who has a story to tell about how she came about choosing the career she did.  Anyone who quits a big corporate job to follow their dreams is alright by me!  Enjoy! 

Tom Mirabile is a native of Chicago who grew up on the Northwest Side.  In the 60s he was part of the Chicago Scene, where garage bands across Chicago Land were suddenly making national hits such as the "Buckinghams", "The Ides of March", "American Breed", and "Chicago".  He tried being the "rock star" but changed the course of his life by becoming an immigration lawyer.   

It's the long awaited Salisbury steak TV dinner episode with my friend Capt. Ed. Join us as we eat and analyze, as well as reminisce about childhood memories.  

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Capt. Ed and I talk about food. We talk about everything from Regional cooking to Salisbury steak, with a few words on Thanksgiving food fails.    This is a continued conversation from Episode 14 and 15.  

In this episode I sit down with my friend Ed Ramsay and talk about anything from TV dinners to racism in the media.  We are two products of being latch-key kids who were probably truamitized by being raised by Chicago TV and Radio.  This will be part of several conversations in up-coming episodes. 

This episode is a continuation of Episode 11, which is a series of lectures I did in podcast form for Northwestern University during COVID.  This course covers the migration of music to the Chicago area through the Great Migration.  

In this episode I sit down with my college buddy, Michael Agnew, who is an Author, Director, and Actor.  He wrote a book on microbrews of the Heartland and we talk about beer, jazz, and punk music.  What could go wrong?  

This episode is part of a lecture series I did for my class at Northwestern University where I trace the music of the Great Migration to the Chicago area.  This is from Week 1 of the course and the second lecture in the series.  I posted the first a couple episodes ago. 

In this episode I have a conversation with the current owner of Smoky Joe's Clothing, Beth Stern. This business started on the historical Maxwell Street in Chicago and is still thriving today as an internet business.  You'll hear about the history of a family migrating to Chicago and finding that they not only made a successful business, but were also very much part of the history of Chicago.  

This episode was originally recorded as the opening podcast produced for the course I teach at Northwestern University.  The course covers the migration of music to the Chicago area and the development of the "Chicago Sound". I will be posting these periodically so stay tuned!

This episode features a recent conversation with my friend Ed Ramsay, who is a Member of the Board at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.  We talk about radio and TV history in Chicago and growing up as latchkey kids fascinated with both.  This is part of a new series that Ed and I will be producing soon on this subject.  Enjoy! 

In this episode I have a conversation with my friend Barrett Taskey who has been part of the Steel Bridge Festival, and the Love at the Holiday Songwriters Festival for a number of years uo in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin. You'll get an inside look at how these two festivals are put together.