Strung Out

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to a new series of STRUNG OUT, called The Philosophy of Art.  Martin interviews Chicago artist Walter Palmer Burrows about his background and inspiration to create art.  The son of Dr. Samuel Jacobs Burrows, MD FACS and Margaret Palmer Burrows, a poet, writer, and illustrator. Dr. Sam was born on December 3, 1895, in Ottowa, IL, and died Nov. 7, 1971. He was the owner and...

Send us Fan Mail It's been a couple of busy weeks for Martin with being in the studio with Switchback, touring from Michigan to Missouri and back to Chicago.   Martin brings us up to speed on what's been happening and then treats us to four selections from the four albums that have been released in the last couple of years.   You can download the entire albums for yourself by going to  M...

Send us Fan Mail Sandeep and Martin start on a journey to discover the finest whiskey that is affordable and yet dignified in its flower and flavor.  The first step of this journey is taking on the "Blessed Trinity of Irish Whiskeys", otherwise at Bushmills, Jameson and John Powers.  These Irish whiskeys, triple distilled blends are all under $30 a bottle and perfect for those of us who...

Send us Fan Mail The holidays are upon us, but don't despair.  Sandeep and Marty, with the help of their new PhD students, led by the Swedish exchange student and intern, Sven Ragnolderson, have researched three amazing gift giving sites that have just the right gifts for your budget and taste.  Especially if the taste is a bit depraved.   All the worry taken away, it's our holiday gift...

Send us Fan Mail The latest solo album is out from Martin, called A Million Roses.   Produced with Mike Hagler and featuring the work of famous stringmaster Lloyd Maines, the album punches hard into some Americana and touches on some pretty serious subject matter at the same time from sexual abuse to the far-right Christian nationalist groups.  There are also some light-hearted songs and a few mem...

Send us Fan Mail Brian FitzGerald and Martin talk about the band's work in the studio, the new online video offering of the Colorado Concert (available at WayGoodmusic.com) and our fan tour to Costa Rica (November 18 deadline, so check out the information at WayGoodmusic.com.) Support the show We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links: SUPPOR...

Send us Fan Mail Political expert and pundit Sandeep Gopal joins Martin to talk about how to figure out your local election, how to navigate the national midterms and what to do about all the international self-appointed kings.  Listen in! Support the show We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links: SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Ma...

Send us Fan Mail On this podcast, Martin and Pastor Drew talk about "The Fraying."  Signs of societal collapse is all around.   Climate change has only made the situation worse.   We are heading toward some sort of profound era--but what is it going to be?  Will the institutions out there even serve the purpose for which they were created?  In that sense, is it time to take the Christ ou...

Send us Fan Mail Part one of a two-part series, Martin talks to Pastor Drew Jacques about a recent CBC podcast in which Mary Hynes interviews British author Julian Barnes about his recent book and the notion of "what would the world be like if Christianity didn't exist and Paganism won?"  Drawing from that question Pastor Drew argues that to some extent, true Christianity, the teach...

Send us Fan Mail Orion Couling and Zack Meyer could be two guys you'd see at a bar, hoisting a couple and relaxing after a long day.  But for these two gentlemen, a long day means a long night and that bar may have a ghost or two lurking around.   They are both members of Shadow Carriers, which is a ghost tour guide group with tours in Michigan, New Orleans and Chicago.  Their specialty is th...

Send us Fan Mail Let's face it, if you are an independent musician, you know that the pandemic only added to what was already a difficult profession.  However, when no one could go to any concerts, suddenly the big venues, festivals and yes, labels were feeling some of the pain.  And interestingly enough, there were those who, like workers who realized that they didn't have to work for t...

Send us Fan Mail We have been watching an incredible game of chess being played out on the world stage with the latest sham election and annexation of Ukrainian territory by Vladimir Putin.  While some decry it as desperate measures by a desperate man, it can also be looked upon as a wily move to force the West into direct confrontation with Russia.   Whether we like it or not, we are on the board...

Send us Fan Mail The flurry of activity on the world stage is at once alarming and also hopeful.  As we bid farewell to the reign of Elizabeth II, we can use her as an example of a figurehead of an empire that once stretched around the world.  There was a deliberate decision after World War II to have that empire evolve into what is known as the Commonwealth Nations.  While far from perfect, it ha...

Send us Fan Mail Martin talks with musician, historian and director of the Chicago School of Irish Music, Sean Cleland and champion Irish dancer, musician and founder of the O'Leary School of Irish Dance in New York, Niall O'Leary about the status of Irish music and Irish-American music today.  Some notable deaths, Paddy Maloney, Mick Maloney (no relation) and on the Chicago scene Dennis...

Send us Fan Mail There are some people in this world who have been blessed with amazing talent.  And as the saying goes "to whom much is given, much is expected."  In the case with Marcus Gentry, we have an individual who took that saying to heart.  Marcus Gentry  MGA (marcusgentry.com) is a motivational speaker, singer, songwriter and actor.  His portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King in h...

Send us Fan Mail In the United States, we have this odd holiday, called Labor Day.  Labor Day was created because the day for labor, May Day was considered too "anarchist and socialist" after the Haymarket Affair took place in Chicago.  There were a lot of people; anarchists, socialists and even communists helping to form the fledging labor movement in the US.   At that point in history,...

Send us Fan Mail As we approach the end of August, Martin takes a look at the big headlines and stories that are making the news.  Everything from Mar-a-lago to Bison gorings.  One of those is good.  And recording outside in the beautiful Chicago weather, the podcast at one point goes to the dogs.  Tune in.  Support the show We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are s...

Send us Fan Mail Reading a BBC article about Jonas Hill's latest movie, Stutz, mentioned that he would not support the promotion of the film through appearances at festivals and other public events.  The reason being is that Hill suffers from anxiety.  The movie itself is about anxiety and his work with a therapist to comes to grips with it.   This weekend being the Chicago Air and Water Show...

Send us Fan Mail Martin draws the correlation between the drought in Europe, the War in Ukraine, the destabilizing effect of finding top-secret documents in Mar-A-Lago and where we are at right now in the world.  Are you tired of the chaos yet? Support the show We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links: SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.buymeacoffee.c...

Send us Fan Mail Travel along with Brian FitzGerald and Marty McCormack as they roll down I-80 during a four-day Iowa tour.  It's almost like you are part of the band, as Brian restrings his instruments, the guys fiddle with the air conditioning and shake off the heat from the first of two gigs that day.  Discussion covers the new album, fame and our amazing fanbase.   Support the show We are...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, Marty talks about loss.  How some people equate it with material things, others loved ones.  Loss comes in all shapes and sizes and the true difference is spontaneous loss and deliberate loss.  The former being everything and anything that is both impartial and emotional.  The latter is when loss is chosen by another to affect you.   Loss can also be a sign of cha...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, Marty runs through what has been going on in his art world.  Not only does he have a lot of art waiting to start, but he has run into that age-old artist problem: he needs money to do all the art he thinks the world needs.  So, he talks about how important it is for support, especially the site like Buy Me A Coffee, that he has started using.  Next, he mentions ho...

Send us Fan Mail The height of summer is here.  And like a lazy summer ballgame, Marty and Sandeep toss the ball back and forth a bit, about issues that are out there, but not necessarily hot button issues.  Enjoy! Support the show We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links: SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK MARTIN'S W...

Send us Fan Mail As Martin gets closer to his birthday, he discusses three issues that could see some change in the next year.  However, for that change to happen, people need to look at the idea of how Democracy works on three separate, but equal gears. Legislation, Moral (religious) and Civic Responsibility (or Societal Responsibility) gears must mesh in order to make the machine that is Democra...

Send us Fan Mail Our podcast is in three parts.  Part one looks at the recent Supreme Court decisions and how they seem to reflect a push for a quasi-religious stance on what should be secular law.  While it can be argued that overruling Roe v. Wade has "kicked the issue to the states," the fundamental challenge of abortion is still there.  That abortion crosses into a realm of where rel...