Yak Channel Podcast Network

My guest this week is Ike Reilly, a man whose voice, lyrics and songs are entirely unique, original and unforgettable. We talked at length about his musically interesting and wide-spanning new album, “Because the Angels.” We also talk about Ike’s music career, specifically from the release of “Salesmen and Racists” forward. Also covered: Family: Working with them and writing songs about them. Ike’s milkshakes bring all the podcasters to the yard. I’ll straddle anything. Would Ike ever write a book? How about a screenplay? The latest developments in the Ike Reilly documentary. The song on Because the Angels that had a highly memorable live reaction, and also stands as Ike’s favorite recording. For this recording, we met at Buona in Mount Prospect (861 E Rand Rd, Mt Prospect, IL 60056). We made it a hot dog night... he had the Chicago dog and I had the double dog. Ike wisely added a vanilla shake to his order. Speaking of Buona, Christmas is SATURDAY. If you’ve procrastinated gifts and stocking stuffers, load up on Buona gift cards. When you buy 25 dollars in gift cards, you get a five dollar bonus card for free (do it in-store or online)!

Tom Higgenson of Plain White Ts/Million Miler is one of my favorite guests. He’s a mega-talented guy with an enviable list of accomplishments (Grammy & Tony nominee, VMA nominee, Teen Choice winner), but he’s still the humble, hard-working, midwestern guy he’s always been. He jumped in my car to talk about his record label’s upcoming holiday special: The Humans Were Here Holiday Extravaganza, happening live Sunday night (12/19). Get tickets at humanswerehere.com. We talked about his label, making music, the divergent 80s path of Million Miler and what’s next for the Ts. We also talked a lot about music, which is always easy to do with Tom. As for dinner tonight? We were lucky to have our meal provided by the amazing people of Buona. We at the Countryside location (20 W. Plainfield). I had the beef & giardiniera pizza, and I swear I could eat that every day for the rest of my life. Look, the clock’s ticking. The holidays are coming up, and if you still haven’t figured out food for your office party... your house party... your gathering of friends... let Buona take care of everything. They cater. You party. Try their signature Italian beef as a ready-made sandwich... or a side of delicious rigatoni marinara.. Starting at 12.95 per person... be a hero this holiday season, and feed your guests Buona!

Touched By Ghoul is one of Chicago’s more celebrated independent bands, and they recently delivered their much delayed and anticipated second album, “Cancel the World.” They join me tonight... just about 24 hours before headlining Liar’s Club for New Years Eve! Tonight's show is sponsored by Buona. Take 10% off your online or mobile order at Buona locations with my promo code (CARNE10)!

This week marks the return of a Car Con Carne favorite: Dr. Daryl Wilson! Daryl’s the frontman of the long-running Chicago punk institution the Bollweevils (new album out next year!). Dr. Daryl is also a real doctor, so we get into a lot of his experiences and philosophies in this episode. We covered a lot of ground, including the current state of COVID and Daryl’s “punk rock Mount Rushmore.” We also dropped famous names like they were bad habits. As we chatted, we enjoyed Italian Beefless sandwiches from Buona in Countryside (20 W. Plainfield). We added hot giardiniera to both, naturally. The clock’s ticking.... Through December 31, join MyBuona Rewards and get a free burger or chicken sandwich. It really is that simple: join My Buona Rewards today and get FREE Buona... all new members get 1500 points.