Have a seat and get ready to slap your knee: Tyler Langford is in the house (with his own banjo!) to weave some tales and tunes about his love of bluegrass, banjo, ragtime, etc. Mountain music! Man this is fun. Tyler tells me about his first band (he's a founding member of UCB!), demonstrates a few different ways to play the banjo (clawhammer being his method of choice), and has lots and lots of favorite artists to share insight on.

Paul could probably start a country music career of his own inspired by tales of various and sundry "rooms" and roommates from his five years spent in Eugene, Oregon, before landing back in his home state of Illinois. He prefers telling the stories through the lens of Garth Brooks songs, and we have a wonderful time singing the megastar's classic lyrics in between Paul's memories of living with bandmates, rats, and the cougar-esque manager of the coffee shop he worked at (look into the song That Summer for more details on their relationship). 

Dear friend and bibliophile Chris Crotwell sat down with me to chat freely and at any volume we chose about his home away from home, libraries. Chris happens to be a librarian with a Master's of Library Science, so he's not just a card-carrying member. He has a ton of first-hand library experience from the other side of the circ desk, and he is even a part of a new teen program being instated at public libraries all over Chicago.

Have some relaxing #chilltime with Mike and I as he tells me all about his deep love of the enigma that chillin' can be. It can't always be planned. It doesn't always have to be alone. It's best done with one wall of the room being replaced by a giant aquarium.

Becca Slack settled on chatting with me about the 'burbs after she realized the nexus of a lot of her interests (going to the mall, chain restaurants, etc) was living most of her life in towns just outside NYC and Denver.

Twas the night before Christmas/ And all through the ‘net, MBS posts a podcast: She didn’t forget.

Kyle Talley came over/ With his luscious beard hairs. His love of St. Nicholas/ Soon will be shared.

When your family is nestled/ All snug in their beds, Tune into this episode/ With earbuds in your head.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and Steve Nelson chose the one that led to us having an awesome conversation about his love of reading, listening to, and writing poetry. We discuss the way his love of the art form kind of snuck up on him, the frequent use of poetry in film, and the variety of ways one finds inspiration for writing.

Danny Groh is about to PowerSlam his journey from being a misbegotten salesman in Wisconsin to leaving the Chicago improv community behind for the creative allures of The Big Apple RIGHT into your earholes. He's warm, enthusiastic, and an absolute powerhouse on stage and as an MBSing guest, and I'm excited to share this man's experience in the community I'm a part of with the listeners.

Mike Lara was hard-hitting as we discussed his days as a high school football player and his continued fandom of the Denver Broncos. We cover the highs and lows of making it to things like Super Bowls and state championships only to have the posibility of your hopes being crushed even if you worked hard to get there.

Mantas! You want the moon, Mantas? I can't give you the moon, Mantas, but I can give you the opportunity to chat with me about your favorite actor, James "Jimmy" Stewart. Everyman. Classic talent. Inspiration!