Heavy Hops Ep. 050: Surveying The Hosts (Alexi Front & Sam Cangelosi)
For the fiftieth episode artist and longtime collaborator Bryn Gleason is taking the helm and asking listener submitted questions. Sam and I offer behind the scenes insight into the shows background, how we adjusted during the lockdown period, what we look for in collaboration beers and projects, and what future content listeners may expect. Big thanks to everyone who listens
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 028: Red Creek Rising (Johannes Persson/Cult of Luna)
Our conversation with Johannes Persson continues, with the topic shifting to his main musical project, Cult of Luna. We pick up on the DIY ethos so crucial to his professional development in our discussion about Red Creek Recordings, Johannes’ new record label venture, a project only 2020 would have made time for (Johannes points out the next Cult of Luna
Continue ReadingUmeå Hardcore Part I: Birch and Ashes (Johannes Persson/Cult of Luna)
In September 1994, 16 year old Johannes Persson, a vegan, straight edge, member of the hardcore music scene found himself at the center of a socio-political movement at its inflection point. Umeå – located 8 hours drive north from Sweden’s capital Stockholm – had recently seen a number of arsons and direct actions aimed at drawing awareness to animal rights
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 027: A Dive Into Lux (Grant Netzorg/In The Company of Serpents)
Grant Netzorg, frontman of the Denver based doom trio In The Company of Serpents joins us for our first conversation of 2021. The bands recent release, Lux, landed on multiple 2020 year end lists, including our own. We dive into the album touching on production and how the album differentiates from past releases. Grant opens up about the lyrical content,
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 026: Top North American Albums of 2020 (Luca Cimarusti & Gregg Elzinga)
Joining us for our final episode of 2020 are Luca Cimarusti (Luggage, Annihilus music critic for the Chicago Reader) and Gregg Elzinga of Metal Vinyl Weekend. We reveal our top five North American heavy albums for 2020 and discuss how we keep up with releases throughout the year, what sources we use to find new music, and what we look forward
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 022: A Printmakers Journey (Bryn Gleason)
Bryn Gleason is a Chicago-based visual artist and printmaker specializing in Intaglio. Her work has been featured in galleries, art shows and festivals in Minneapolis, New York, Denver, and her adopted hometown Chicago. Bryn lends her creative talents to cocktail programs wherever she lives, showcasing specialized knowledge in agave spirits. In our discussion we speak about Bryn’s journey to Chicago,
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 015: Rustic Ales of Chicago (Mike Schallau/Is Was Brewing)
Belgian ales of all styles are favorites at Heavy Hops. Whether its a farmhouse ale with spelt from Brasserie de Blaugies, a beautiful unsweetened lambic from Cantillon or a hoppy pale ale from De La Senne, these beers all carry a strong sense of place. Their sensibilities are clear and intentional: from aroma and flavor to the designs on the
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 013: Convergence of Politics, Art, Religion & Heavy Music (Mute Neighbor)
Mute Neighbor is a Chicago-based visual artist. You’ve seen his work on posters and merch for bands such as Pelican, Uniform, Chelsea Wolf, Emma Ruth Rundle, Russian Circles and Rezn to name a few. In this episode of Heavy Hops we learn about how he found art and merch design through the world of webzines, the creative process, his religious
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 012: Black Metal & Comics (Luca Cimarusti & Mike Gebel)
Joining us today are Luca Cimarusti of heavy bands Annihilus and Luggage and Mike Gebel, formerly the talent buyer for The Empty Bottle, a legendary independent venue in Chicago. In our conversation, we touch on coming of age in Chicagoland and the importance of independent and DIY venues in the city, and suburbs, from the perspectives of a talent buyer
Continue ReadingScorched Tundra XI – Everything You Need To Know
Scorched Tundra XI is coming up this weekend. Here are all the details about the bands, merch and food.
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