Ted Banick, Mr. Blotto & 22 Years of Teddy O'Brien's | Hogpod Chicagoland Music Scene Podcast

For 22 years, Teddy O'Brian's was the down-and-dirty Highwood room where bands hauled in their own PA and the patio packed out on a summer Friday. Ted Banick bought the bar in 1999 and ran it for over two decades — booking Mr. Blotto, watching Bongo's eight-piece own that patio — and on this Hogpod he tells the whole story, right up to the new stage on the west side that's still waiting for a band. Hosts Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos take Ted through the rise and fall of live music on the North Shore: the Highwood festivals that made a bar's whole year, the Wisconsin reggae band Unity that turned a 4/20 into legend, the Umphrey's McGee connection, and a Jimmy Buffett bookend that runs from Ted's first concert at Poplar Creek to Buffett's last show at Alpine Valley. 🎧 All Hogpod AI Albums on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QtmZ... 🎯 KEY MOMENTS0:00 Cold open — live set8:02 How Bongo met Ted at Teddy's9:44 Ted's story: 22 years, bought it in '9910:00 WCBR & Mr. Blotto — earning the music cred16:59 Bongo on the patio: the eight-piece room23:53 The new stage & the room people miss25:30 Highwood festivals: Nashwood, Highwood Days, Pumpkin Fest27:19 Umphrey's McGee (Brendan Bayless)27:38 Unity: the Wisconsin reggae band & the 4/20 sit-in29:21 Running the room: "being open is the gravy"31:14 What changed in 22 years42:23 "Nothing's like the old days"43:26 The biggest night: a Nashwood49:30 Jimmy Buffett: Poplar Creek to Alpine Valley 📍 Highwood - Teddy O'Brian's - Chicago music - North Shore live music - Mr. Blotto - Umphrey's McGee - Unity reggae - Jimmy Buffett - bar ownership - music venues - Bongo Mike ❤️ Support Hogpod — patreon.com/hogpod Hosted by Pete Jansons and Mike "Bongo" Orfanos (Bongo Mike). 📞 Booking — [email protected] #Hogpod #ChicagoMusic #ChicagolandMusic #Highwood #TeddyOBrians #LiveMusic #NorthShore #MusicPodcast