Matt Spiegel is a music guy. His bands have included Brother Brother (a 10-piece funk band with his brother Jon), Tributosaurus and Sonic45 (with Len Kasper) and has recorded a 3-song 7" with Steve Albini. He was the producer for Sound Opinions with Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis. He's also a huge baseball fan and in his spare time he works as a sports radio talk show host at 670 The Score. We talked with Matt about his love of music and Chicag and more.

Time Stamps:

3:20: Where'd you grow up?

7: Working in a record store and turning people on to Pavement

10: What was the first rock band you played in that made you want to make it your career?

13:30: Any chance of Brother Brother playing together again?

17:20: When did you decide that music wasn't going to be your long term career?

19: Tales from Sound Opinions

24: How did you get involved with Sound Opinions?

26:45: How did Tributosaurus come together?

33:04: How much time is there between the idea being formed and when you perform that band's music?

37:24: Is there a band you want to do that you haven't done yet?

40:40: Do you have imposter syndrome with being a musician while doing radio work?

43:30: Do you enjoy something more when it is an avocation versus a vocation?

45: Is there a secret text chain amongst Chicago sportscasters about their music projects?

48:13: Why are there so many sports people in Chicago who love music?

51:28: What makes Chicago a unique music scene?

62:15: What's your favorite place to play in Chicago, and where's your favorite place to see a show?

65:51: Thin crust or deep dish?

69: What have you been listening to lately?

76:35: Your go to cheap drink?

79: What would you like to plug on the way on out of here?

Peter Jesperson has had an incredible career in music. Initially inspired by watching The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Peter took a job at legendary record store Oar Folkjokeopus in 1973 and became the primary DJ at Jay's Longhorn in 1977. He was a co-founder of Twin / Tone Records the following year. Along the way, Paul Westerberg dropped off the famous demo tape for The Replacements. Peter eventually became the manager for the 'Mats and spent time of the road with R.E.M. After overcoming some personal issues (he's now been 33 years sober!), Peter moved to LA and worked with New West Records and with artists like Vic Chesnutt, Jack Logan, The Flatlanders and many more. Most recently, he has written a fabulous new book, Euphoric Recall. We talked about his life and threw in some Chicago stories. Thanks for listening!

Time Stamps:

2:45: What was the impetus to write your book/how do you even start?

4: What is the arc of putting your life's work to paper?

9:15: When did you decide you wanted to make music your life?

12: You got your start at Oar Folkjokeopus, that had to have helped, right?

19:44: How did the founding on Twin/Tone Records come about?

26: Are streaming services a good thing? Is the lower barrier of entry a good thing?

31: Tell us about meeting Paul Westerberg

41:45: When did you know The Replacements were going places?

50: What is it like trying to manage The Replacements?

53: What do you think separates Midwestern scenes versus more coastal cities?

60: How did The Replacements find out about The Vertebrats?

64: You've worked with some pretty successful bands, as they are on the way up, what is that ride like?

70:45: Did the success of R.E.M. bother/impact Paul and The Replacements?

82:45: Any thoughts on why Paul Westerberg wasn't more successful as a solo artist?

87:30: Has anything surprised you about the reception to Euphoric Recall?

95:40: Thick or thin crust pizza?

96: Do you have a favorite venue in Chicago?

96:20: What do you think makes Chicago a unique music scene/city?

98: Any music that will make your end of the year best of list?

101:38: What is your go to cheap drink?

102:20: Anything you'd like to plug on the way on out of here?

Mike Maples started Liquid Mike in 2021. In that short time, the band has already put out five albums of songs - including their most recent one, Paul Bunyan's Slingshot. Hailing from Marquette, Michigan (that's the Upper Peninsula, folks), Mike balances his job as a mailman with writing a ton of songs, playing guitar, singing and touring. You can check them out in Chicago at Concord Music Hall on 12-11-2024.

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