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Blake is joined by Jack Tecca and Zack Weiss to go over their albums of the year for 2025. The three go over their top 10 albums of 2025 and discuss the merits of their favorite release. Stick around at the end of the show for listener and past guest submissions for their AOTY. LWYL will return in 2026 Thanks to those who submitted their AOTY: Kevin Kiley (Militarie Gun, Lurk)Matt Kerner (Origami Button)Logan Voss (Snooze)Lukas Skucas (Griefeater)Chance MulderJake Wagner (Broken Left Foot)Ryan Nolen (Footballhead)Tanner Peterson (Broken Left Foot)Andrew Smith (Footballhead, and more...)Dave Collis (Slow Mass)Troy Sennet (Noisefloor, Pelafina)Brain GraffitiCase Lowe (Q101)Cameron & Euan of Music Is A Dead Scene!Jack Riedy Mitch MeadLogan DanielsSpecial Thanks to Jack Tecca, Matt Kistler, Zack Weiss, and Mary Moore – You all kept this going. Want more? Follow LWYL on instagram @LWYLmusicpod

Josh Druding is a Beloit, WI raised and Chicago-based music photographer. In the half-decade that Josh has been shooting bands he has covered the world's biggest bands on Chicago's biggest stages. Legendary artists from Green Day to Deftones to Jason Isbell all the way to new upstarts like MUNA and Friko have been photographed by Druding. Currently Josh is in the running for music moment of the year, an award given by the storied Abbey Road Studios, for his photo from Chappell Roans iconic 2024 Lollapalooza set. While being a prolific photographer Josh is also an lifelong music fan. He's been able to develop working relationships with some of his favorite bands and continues to discover new music along the way. FOLLOW LWYL ON INSTAGRAM Bands Mentioned: Idles, Jawbreaker, Green Day, Soft Play, Deftones, Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Cage The Elephant, Everclear, Hoobastank, Blink-182, Turnstile, Knocked Loose, Slipknot, Good Charlotte, Taking Back Sunday, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, MxPx, Goldfinger, MUNA, Wet Leg, The Rolling Stones

This one's fast and loose. I attended 2025's Riot Fest last weekend and caught up with some past guests to talk about music discovery and their experience at the fest. There’s also a couple newcomers to the show, hoping to do longer interviews with these folks soon. My guests for this episode (In order of appearance): Eric Centeno (Demo Division, X Will Mark The Place, DOMS)Calen “Squid” Swim (Broken Left Foot)Tanner Peterson (Broken Left Foot, Chicago Music Exchange, TNT Chicago)Ian Shelton (Militarie Gun, Regional Justice Center)Kevin Kiley (Militarie Gun, Lurk, Celebrity)Zeltzin “Z” Vazquez (Chicago Show Photographer)Andrew Smith (Footballhead, Christian Science Reading Room,meth., Black Nail… etc.)Ryan Nolen (Footballhead) I used Zoom H6 Handy Recorder to do these interviews so there is a lot of bleed from a lot of sources of sound, bands playing and passersby. I feel like its immersive and cool so I hope you enjoy listening! Follow LWYL on Instagram Bands Mentioned: La Rosa Noir, The Cribs, Panchiko, The Academy Is…, Idlesa, Touché Amoré, Senses Fail, Militarie Gun, Mac Sabbath, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, “Weird Al”Yankovic, Green Day, Devo, Shudder To Think, Agnostic Front, Rilo Kiley, Knocked Loose, Blink-182, Manniquin P***y, Dazy, Alkaline Trio, Citizen, Lurk, Hoax, Iron Lung, Culo, Coke Bust, The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Geese, Cameron Winter, The 1975, Celebrity, Footballhead, Quannnic, boycomma, Panchiko, Yada Yada, Demo Division, Snuffed, Spin Doctors, Deafheaven, YHWH Nailgun, Christian Science Reading Room, Greet Death, Bristletounge, Harrison Gordon, Wishy, Big Ass Truck I.E., The Linda Lindas

Mitch Mead is a Chicago-based songwriter and producer. Mitch has a new show at the Playground theater in Chicago called Midwest Mixtape. The show features up and coming musicians and comedians from around the city. Mitch is no stranger to variety shows and being the outlier on a show. Mitch returns to talk about finding balance in his new show, being creative as a new dad, how things change when you stay in a Chicago for a while, Anemoia (RIP), connecting with Bob Dylan, and listening to Henry Chapin in the car. This and much more on this episode of LWYL PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW and a POSITIVE REVIEW FOLLOW LWYL on Instagram HERE Bands Mentioned: Hotline TNT, Disaster Kid, Brandon Good, Shannon Baker, Steve Slagg, Mooner, Lee Ketch, Olivia Gregorich,  Christina Eltrevoog, Lydia Cash, Karl Kirkpatrick Blind Adam and The Federal League, Hot Rod Circuit, The Anniversary, Dashboard Confessional, Saves The Day, The B52’s, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Simon & Garfunkel, Carly Simon, Van Halen, J. Steve Miller Band, Giles Band, Harry Chapin, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, Death Cab For Cutie, Hey Mercedes, Coaelesce, The Rye Coalition, Small Brown Bike, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Kangaroo, Glass-Beagle, Wild Earp, Michelle Billingsly, Reilly Downes, Sparkle Carcass, MC5, Craig Finn, The Weakerthans, Tom Waits, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presely, The Beatles, Lifter Puller, The Hold Steady, Buena Vista Social Club, The Sweeps, Dr. Dog, Saintseneca, Fruit Bats, Jason Isbell, Bruce Springsteen, The Gaslight Anthem, The War On Drugs, Elliott Smith, Heatmiser, The Beach Boys

Jack Riedy is an Author, Critic, Musician and Bonafide Prince O(+> Expert. In this conversation I picked Jack’s brain about Prince's influence on popular rock music as well as on Jack’s own artistic process. Jack just released an album from his eponymous project called Raw Deal. The album combines nostalgic elements with quirky character studies and groovy flair. It was great to talk to Jack about how the project came together, the meaning behind a few of the songs, how first became involved in music, what got him interested in criticism, and of course his favorite music that has accompanied him throughout his life. FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM New Episodes Every Thursday

Podcast Caption Hugo Reyes is a writer, podcaster and zine maker. Hugo’s primary project Violent Treatment has existed in a few forms; a zine, a podcast, and recently a tape label (Check out Majesty). Violent Treatment in all of its forms is a great resource for learning more about what is happening in hardcore right now. At a time when Hardcore is bigger than ever Hugo has stayed true to hyping up newer bands and giving raw takes about the music that he likes. Hugo has also covered Chicago’s DIY scene in great detail in a two part series on his Medium page which I believe to be essential reading for anyone interested in learning more about Chicago music. We talk Hugo's first interests, his journey with Hardcore and DIY shows, and his newfound interest in House music and Footwork Follow and subscribe on you podcast app INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lwylmusicpod/  Bands Mentioned: Yours, Mookie, Daundry, Bleary Eyed, Bloodthirst, Youth of Today, Raw Nerve, G.O.O.N., Pile, Turnstile, Knocked Loose, Never Ending Game, Agnostic Front, Majesty, Stigmata, Survival Tactic, Sin Against Sin, Splitknuckle, Si Dios Quire, Seclusion, Greet Death, Ace Hood, Doublecross, Insult to Injury, Home Invasion, Hex, Cro-Mags, Critical Beatdown Unit, Terror, Madman, CSTVT, Bongripper, Los Crudos, Cloud Mouth, Hop Along, Algernon Cadwallader, Joyce Manor, TWIAP, He Who Corrupts, Righteous Jams, Plain White T’s, Fall Out Boy, Subliminal Excess, Hotline TNT, DJ Rashad, Osco, Flowering, Frankie Knuckles, Motion City Soundtrack, Braid Jawbox, Alkaline Trio, Lawrence Arms, Articles of Faith, Good Luck, Yankee Bluff, Dogs on Acid, Lou Reed, Goo Goo Dolls, The Replacements, Death Side, Whispers, Human Gas, Oklou, Enya, No Joy, Trapped Under Ice, Silver Jews, Superchunk, Found My Direction, Outspoken, Pool Kids, Paramore, Payasa, Prevention, Velocity

Sam Sodomsky is a critic, musician, and podcaster. I first learned about Sam through the podcast Late-era which he co-hosted. Through Late-Era I was inspired to dig deeper into Sam’s writings on Bruce Springsteen and would see Sam pop up across the web covering more music that I was interested in. When I thought of inviting him on the show to coincide with the release of Track II (the lost albums boxset released by Springsteen this year) I thought I would check out his project The Bird Calls’ new record Melody Trail. I ended up loving the record and from there I plotted on what we could cover in under two hours. We of course talk about Bruce, but we get into Sam’s parallel fascination with Metal, The Bird Calls, the music that he loves, his onstage wardrobe, and whatever happened to Welcome to Chicago. SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A REVIEW if you loved the show 3 FOLLOW LWYL on Instagram @lwylmusicpod Band’s Mentioned: The Bird Calls, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Aerosmith, Jethro Tull, Phish, Neil Young, The Beatles, Toto, Men At Work, Christopher Cross, Billy Joel, Black Sabbath, Mastodon, Baroness, Wolves in the Throne Room, Sun O))), Boris, Dark Throne, Death, Dying Fetus, Deafheaven, Pallbearer, Blood Incantation, Tomb Mold, Enya, Stone Roses, Elliott Smith, Ween, Jeff Tweedy, Silver Jews, Destroyer, Yo La Tengo, The National, U2, Guided by Voices, Martin Newell, The Cleaners From Venus, Chicago, Advance Base, David Bazan, Cass McCombs, Ariel Pink

Apres Pompeii is the Chicago-based solo-project of Zachary Weiss. You may recognize Zack from LWYL’s Album of the Year episodes because they’ve been a guest on each and every one (even a lost episode!) In this conversation Zach and I go deep on the production of Paint, a vibrant pop-record that is set on a hot summer night of partying. We dive into the themes and influences for the record, including the artists that inspired specific moments in the track list. Its a great conversation. We then, of course, get into the music that Zack has connected to and discovered throughout their life - which includes a fun discussion of Blake-favorite band, Jimmy Eat World. Bands Mentioned (My new favorite part of doing this show): Prince, Bjork, Kate Bush, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Laura Marling, Depeche Mode, A-Ha, Tears for Fears, The Police, Talk Talk, Panic! At The Disco, Alvin Cobb Jr., Jennifer Femme, The Dangerous Summer, The Rocket Summer, Death Cab For Cutie, Bruce Springsteen, PJ Harvey, Jimmy Eat World, Paula Cole, Amaarae, Joanna Newsom.

Title says it all! We're talking about our songs of the year. Jack Tecca (As A Ghost) joins the show once again to yap with Blake. The pair list about 20 of their favorite songs of 2025. PLEASE leave a positive rating and review if you loved the show! FOLLOW LWYL on IG 👉 https://www.instagram.com/lwylmusicpod/ Bands Mentioned: Seals & Crofts, CSNY, Smut, Accessory, DJO, Broken Left Foot, Prince, The Cars, the Police, Post-Animal, HAIM, Bon Iver, Hotline TNT, Whirr, Cloakroom, Deafheaven, Agriculture, Chat Pile, XWeaponX, Contention, Arm’s Length, Hot Mulligan, The Wonder Years, Ethel Cain, Moving Mountains, Mark Hollis, Jeff Tweedy/Wilco, Talk Talk, Hayden Pedigo, Eli Winter, John Fahey, Jenny Lewis, Greet Death, The Cure, Death Cab For Cutie, Bruce Springsteen, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Mk.Gee, Snooze, Gamma Ray, Guided By Voices, The Beatles, Oasis, Militarie Gun

Latter is the Chicago-Based project of Meredith Haines and Jon Alvarado (Beach Bunny). Meredith Joins the show to talk about the release of Latter’s latest EP entitled What Lives Inside of Me. We discuss the period between their last album (My Body Is My Sickness), the TikTok virality that followed, and how that experience - for better or worse - informed the creation of this most recent batch of songs. Our conversation touches on the writing partnership of Alvarado and Haines; how the two musicians come together to create something greater than the sum of their backgrounds. Meredith and I also get into her projects that preceded Latter, including her education in sound art and her noise project MAIR, which gets us into the political potency of noise. And we of course discuss, the one and only, My Chemical Romance. Bands Mentioned: Metz, Godspeed You! Black Emporer, Alvin Lucier, William Basinski Caroline Polachek, Manniquin P***y, My Chemical Romance, Lee Ann Rimes, Rites of Spring, Fall Out Boy, Wilco, Arcade Fire, Black Sabbath, Pile, Daughters, Big Brave, Young Widows, Jesus Lizard, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Green Day, Brittany  Spears, Nude, Prostitute, The Armed

Brain Graffiti is a Chicago-based zine and show promotion outfit led by the power couple of Matt and Jess. This follow-up conversation comes several months after our initial meeting (which you can find in the podcast feed). In this episode, we talk about the future of Brain Graffiti and reflect on what the project has meant to Matt and Jess. If you are a fan of BG, don’t worry, there is still more coming. There is 4th issue somewhere on the horizon, more DIY shows, and future endeavors from both brains behind Brain Graffiti.  We also dive into the music that Matt and Jess have connected to throughout their lives, as well as what they are listening to now. Bands Mentioned: Hum, Julian Casablancus (The Strokes), We Weren’t Invited, Snuffed, Algernon Cadwallader, Harm’s Way, Nightosphere, Verga, Muddle, Solemn Grey, Blink 182, Cage The Elephant, Neck Deep, Twenty-One Pilots, Panic At The Disco!, Bane’s World, Rex Orange County, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan, Downward, Prize Horse, I Promised The World, Modern Color, Summer Salt, $uicideboys, System of A Down, Deftones, Title Fight, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Mazzy Stars, Elliott Smith, Emery, Dance Gavin Dance, Poison The Well, Taylor Swift, Slow Mass, Glare, Superheaven, Nuvolascura, Glixen, Greet Death, Ceruleum

Singer and Frontperson of Smut, Tay Roebuck joins the show to discuss their new record Tomorrow Comes Crashing (Bayonet Records). Smut is a Chicago-based, by way of Cincinnati. In this interview Tay talks about the community that her and her band have built in a new city, as well as how Ohio continues to play a part in the band. We also explore outside influences, musical and otherwise, that have fueled the band holistically. We get into the music that inspired Tay to join in a band, along with the music that she continues to dissect and understand, The Oasis Reunion, and much more. Theres a little bit of a technical difficulty at the top of the interview but we get it fixed quickly. Bands Mentioned: Oasis, Joy Division, Ceremony, Nothing, Citizen, Joyce Manor, Title Fight, Batman Beyond Theme Song, Nine Inch Nails, Charli XCX, MGMT, LCD Soundsystem, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Nirvana, Pavement, The Sundays, The Cranberries, The Temptations, Bread, Creed, Big Star, Wilco, Tegan and Sara, The White Stripes, Kizzy Hall (Columbus, OH)

Songwriter and fellow-Kansan Kristyn Chapman joins the show to talk about her project Morpho. After a cross country move from Wichita, KS to Chicago, with a few trips back and forth, Morpho released its debut EP 'Morpho Season', 5 captivating tracks that shine bright with guitar heroics and tender lyrics. I caught up with Kristyn about what its been having the record out in the world, as well as playing it live. We connect on growing up in Kansas and the disperate music scenes that exist between stretches of highway populated by mostly cows. We discuss the production of Morpho Season, the exercise of patience in putting together a record over years, knowing when a song is ready to be recorded, how Freaky Friday inspired Kristyn to play music, and more! Band Mentioned: Curfew for Katie, Lost Colors (Mile Marker 128), Pink Slip,Green Day, Blink 182, Deep See Diver, Waltzer, Simple Plan, Switchfoot, Anberlin, As Cities Burn, The Devil Wears Prada, Of Mice & Men, The Travel Guide, Wilco (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Summer Teeth, Sky Blue Sky), Deer Hunter, Yo La Tango (songs: Sugar Cube, Nothing to) hide, Julian Lage, Jim Hall & Bill Evans, *silence*, John Cage, Stereolab, Charli XCX, Addison Rae, Lorde, Kweelag, The phantom, Broadcast, Bjork, and MSPAINT    Have a question or suggestion for the show, email me at [email protected]. Instagram: ⁠lwylmusicpod⁠

Dave Collis and Mercedes Webb of Slow Mass join the show to talk about their new record Low On Foot, out now on Landland Colportage. We get into the creation of Low On Foot and the circumstances surrounding its release, from being recorded and ready to release to 4 years later when the record finally saw a wider release. Dave and Mercedes discuss their experiences finding music at a young age that eventually led them to pursuing their own songwriting. We of course connect on the music discoveries that were pivotal to each of their tastes, as well as the music they carry with them still. Bands Mentioned: Hop Along, Algernon Cadwallader, Dave Matthews Band, Cloud Mouth, Morning Arms, Wild Bell, Modest Mouse, The Killers, Muse, The Killers, Interpol, The Walkmen, Beastie Boys, Pinback, Blink-182, Elvis Costello, The Stranglers , The Jam, Led Zepplin, Cream, Yes, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Lucy Dacus, Dr. Dog, Mogwai , The Seeds, Duster, Q and not U, Black Eyes, Hella, Lightning Bolt, Death Cab For Cutie, Andrew Bird, Mitch Mead, Downward, Prize Horse, Pygmy Lush, Foo Fighters, Bellows, Snoozer, Spirit Of The Beehive, Lithuania, Minus The Bear, Spite House, Underoath, Hovvdy, Porches   Have a question or suggestion for the show, email me at [email protected]. Instagram: ⁠lwylmusicpod⁠

Marcus Joins the show for a fantastic conversation about his new album Take A Beat from his project Wrong Numbers. You may know Marcus from his drumming in the highly adored Pet Symmetry and the fast-growing Ratboys. Wrong Numbers contains fun flourishes and invigorating musical moments that I've come to expect from Marcus' other projects. In this episode we get into Marcus' history within the Chicago music scene, meeting the people he would end knowing to this day, an insane mixed bill show from 2013 getting into electronic music hardware, developing his solo songwriting process, collecting musical ideas for the Wrong Numbers project, lots of production talk (cool), abandoning sp*tify, mindfully listening to music, modding old ipods, and more (if you can believe it) Bands Mentioned This is Lorelei Boards of Canada Aphex Twin Venetian Snares Radiohead Fugazi Bad Brains Gorrilaz Rush Pinback Fear Before The March of Flames Heavy Heavty Low Low Hotline TNT