Bending Brains

DrxQuinnx is a multi-talented artist, producer, emcee, and DJ based out if Chicago. He is also one third of the Midwest trio "Bullies" (with Denmark Vessey and Azarias) and one half of the Chicago duo "The Citizen (with Lil Kydd). Growing up, Quinn was heavily influences were Madlib, Kanye West, J Dilla, Lupe Fiasco, and Mos Def to name a few. All of whom inspired his heavily samples production an...

Joshua Powell is an artist from Indianapolis with a literate brand of psychedelic indie rock that is simultaneously socially conscious and spiritually turbulent. With over 900 shows under his belt, Powell blends the narrative richness of folk with a dose of hallucinatory swirl and notes of ‘00s-vintage bedroom indie, all highlighted in ethereal falsetto by his purposeful, kaleidoscopic poetry.

Kyle Lang is an Illinois musician who has fronted bands Easter and Special Death.

Damon Hankoff is a multifarious musician, making music in a wide variety of settings: improvisational ensembles, early music consorts, string bands, church choirs, straightahead singer-songwriter groups, and his own Out of Sight of Land, an ever-evolving songs project that draws on all of these. He was born and raised in New York City and has trained hard on jazz piano and choral singing, but look...

Bobby Wooten III is a Grammy & Emmy-nominated, Tony Award-winning composer/producer/instrumentalist raised in Chicago, IL. He  credits his family’s gospel Wooten Choral Ensemble as his main influence & inspiration. Bobby has performed and/or recorded with David Byrne, Jennifer Lopez, Mac Miller, Jennifer Hudson, Rick Ross, among others. Composition and Production credits include Empire TV series,...

Lola Ullfig is an Argentinian woman who has spent her life seeing the world and enjoying the little things that big us joy as humans. She is a beautiful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her life story is very unique and a reminder to be thankful for the little things all around you. To focus on what makes you happy and to be honest with all of your intentions. Most importantly, Lola is...

Chris Lee is a musician, sound tech, and gardener. He runs the DIY venue/recording studio The VCR, heads a small label called Dark Circles Records, and plays in the bands Beastii & Bloodhype. He also releases solo material as Alchemeleon, helps mod the DIY Chicago Facebook page, and runs live sound for music performances around the Chicagoland area.

Ness Heads is the name of the genre-blending project of Vanessa Ortiz whose mix of Electronic, Pop and Hip Hop has been catching attention in Chicago and beyond. Ness grew up on the West Side and attributes the noise, the backyard parties and the overall chaos of the area to shaping her into an artist she is today.

How’s this for the cast: “Bora Bora is the musical project of Paul Boeder. Originating in Chicago in 2014, bora bora’s music blends languages, styles and cultures from all eras to create a “tropical space-folk” repertoire of songs and sounds. He joins the pod to discuss multilingualism, experiential learning, societal paradigms, art through experimentation, evolutionary biology, inspiration and of...

Hailing from Moldova, Olya Prohorova is a multi-talented violinist, arranger, band leader and music director. A Grammy-winning musician performing in every genre from classical, to rock, R&B, country and jazz,  Ms. Prohorova performs around the world, namely in Italy, United States, Germany, Japan, Canada and her native Eastern Europe.  Since 2014, Olya has been a member of Matt Jones Orchestra, t...

Max Duffy Rodriguez melts glass, makes art, and creates to find joy in existence. He lives in Oak Lawn, IL with his partner Kendall and his beloved cats Atlas and Anton.

Doug Malone is an audio engineer and owner of Jamdek Recording Company in Chicago, IL. Doug has also done live sound engineering in Chicago for years at The Empty Bottle. He is a musician and has been performing/touring in bands for years. Doug studied Music Composition at Columbia College Chicago and continues to grow his knowledge of music, audio production, and sound.

Mark Hainey is local Chicagoan who has 11 years of emergency medicine experience and three years crime scene and hoarding clean up experience. Outside of that, he is the official DZ Records and DZ Fest doorman.

Aaron Paolucci is an Associate Professor in the Creative Technologies Program at Illinois State University. He has been teaching at ISU since 1999, having taught over 120 full-length courses across a wide range of music and audio-related topics including sound design, speaker design and application, music mixing and mastering, surround sound engineering, microphone theory and application, sound re...

Matthew McNeal and Andre Black are co-owners of Matte Black Sound Company - an independent label, audio production team, and resource hub for all things music. From touring across the country performing with their own projects to running their own studio, capturing audio for film crews to empowering artists in the independent scene however they can, the two have spent the better part of the last t...

Julia Steiner is a singer/songwriter and performs in the band “Ratboys”. She is from Louisville, Kentucky and has been making music in the Chicago ‘DIY’ scene for 10 years. Ratboys: a 10-year songwriting partnership, an evolving live show, a D.I.Y. project, a web of friendships, and everything in between. Almost as soon as Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan met during their college orientation, they sta...

Chris Sullivan is a filmmaker and performance artist. Working in long form alternative narrative, his features include 'Consuming Spirits' and 'The Orbit of Minor Satellites'. He advises with an open mind to students' direction and desires, his goal being to help them make strong work that has unique vision. He works well with writing, visuals, sound design, animation, comics, sculpture, painting,...

John Till cultivates folk, blues & country from the farthest reaches of the Great Plains to the Appalachian foothills, down to the delta & back up to Chicago for a sound that’s equal parts pastoral & main street charm.

Singer-songwriter lyricism, hypnotic soundscapes, and a loud heart are what ring through Shi la Rosa's music. She experiments with both upbeat grooves to dance to and dreamy croons, beckoning you to look inward. Originally hailing from Cleveland, the 'Space Queen' singer found her artistic footing in Chicago. Within one year of releasing her debut EP, Sometimes I Think of You, she found herself pl...

Tim Strzechowski is a Chicagoland-based multi-media artist whose intuitive approach to artwork is propelled by the 1970s-era cartooning of his childhood, coupled with a surreal, psychedelic approach to his use of subject, color, and contour. Whether presenting portraits or dreamscapes, Tim’s work attempts to explore the interplay between spontaneity and structure, often employing rich detail in wo...

Tommy Lyons is 28 year old guy with a lot of love for his family and a child-like passion for skateboarding, running, kayaking, cleaning up the Forest Preserves, and spending time in the sun. Other hobbies include over-playing and singing Jason Mraz songs for his family and friends. He likes to sprinkle in 80s action movies whenever he gets the chance.

Soultru is a hip-hop/soul duo based out of the Quad Cities Iowa/Illinois. They're signed to Kansas City label The Record Machine. They sometimes travel with a full-band and other times as a duo or solo (Terrance Banks). They blend soul singing and hip hop verses to make relatable music for all. Drawing influence from gospel music artists like Fred Hammond and Smokie Norful. While later finding art...

From Chicago’s southwest side, Jason Niehoff began his musical studies at the age of 11, on electric bass. Two years later he began learning the double bass. He attended DePaul University studying classical string bass, and spent a year at Saint Xavier University, studying harpsichord. He is a bassist with the Elgin, Kalamazoo and South Bend Symphonies, and a freelance artist in the Chicagoland ar...

Danny Ivetic - A dude that travels and takes pictures and videos of what he looks at. A master of rambling, and creator of crackpot theories. A dude like you, just in a hat.

Diana is a multidimensional artist who’s work ranges in many forms such as illustration, photography, painting + gifs! As a giphy artist, she’s had her work used globally and has worked with many brands as an artist in the past few years. she draws lots of inspiration from the cosmos, music + emotions.