John O' Drums

Now that we're at the halfway point of the season and seem to have functional depth, if the Bears draft in the 15-25 range, have you identified any 2026 position group as one to focus in on that would still project high value in the second half of this first round? RB, DL, OL? John Roche/Brookfield

Hightower's teams have been a disaster for most of the season. Hopefully the activation helps a little. Average starting field positions for kick and kick cover have been really disappointing. Doesn't appear that Duvernay has any explosiveness left in the tank either.

Concert poster showing the band on an outdoor porch stage with a barrel in the foreground that says Stray Bolts November 1st, 2025 9:30pm Phyllis Musical Inn 1800 W.Division, Chicago

In a city still thick with the spirits of the season, Stray Bolts rise out of their local pumpkin patch and return to their old haunt, Phyllis Musical Inn on Sat night Nov 1st as the veils between the corporeal and the spectral dissolve on the dance floor and blend the tangible with the eternal.

Concert poster featuring the members of the band with the venue's name and logo. Photo

I'm going back with the Stray Bolts to play a Sunday evening Oct. 5th, 8pm at Broken Hearts in Chicago's west loop. WIth each performance, we aim to weave together threads of blues, jazz, classic country, and vintage rock and roll into a unique, American tapestry through covers and originals.

My band, Stray Bolts, returns to Phyllis Musical Inn for another round. No cover, two sets at a cash only bar that’s been hosting music on the corner of Division and Wood in Chicago since 1954.

Stray Bolts will be playing a benefit concert Friday. Join us in the Vial House Museum Park at 47th & La Grange Rd. at
6:30 pm on Sept 5th. Take some time to enjoy this year's new permanent exhibit in the museum too! All donations & tips will go The La Grange Area Historical Society!

Members of the band Stray Bolts, guitars in hand, along with a guest guitarist getting ready to lay a track at Electrical Audio studio in Chicago pictured from the drummer's perspective.

My Stray Bolts have returned to the studio for a new project and brought a couple friends and kindred spirits with us for a day! We knocked out some audio and video tracks over the weekend at Electrical Audio. Stay tuned!!

"Stray Bolts return to Robert's Westside to celebrate the release of their second album, "LA Noir". Eleven new original songs that weave together the band's signature blend of blues, jazz, folk, and vintage rock and roll, carrying on the spirit of iconic American musical journeys."

Excellent venue with a nice staff and a willing audience. If you get a chance, go check out #BrokenHeartsBar and if Nick and his band are coming through your town, check them out too. They sound mighty good. This song is called 3 Flat Acres inspired by a little fest we used to play in Lancaster WI.

Got roped in to another Fourth of July show at Phyllis' Musical Inn, Clem's 39th Annual All Star Jam. If you're in the Wicker Park Area, the band's playing about 45 minutes and goes on at 7ish. Outside in the courtyard, loads of live music, food, drink and no cover. Stay hydrated!

Zach Miller could be a finalist on the honorable mentions list too. Sad that his career went the way of the Johnny Knox's of the world - ending due to a devastating injury in their prime. Still, 2015-17, catching 101 passes for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns is pretty good for a Bears TE.

That brings back some of my all time favorite musical memories. My first shows. They opened my mind to musical possibilities that I hadn't previously fathomed.

Concert poster advertising a performance by Stray Bolts and Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters at the Broken Hearts Bar at 1009 W. Lake St. in Chicago Illinois on June 20th at 8pm.

Stray Bolts will be performing for the first time at Broken Hearts in Chicago on Friday, June 20, 2025 opening for Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters. Broken Hearts, a new live music venue with a rustic vintage vibe, opened in 2024 and is located located in Chicago's West Loop at 1009 W. Lake Street.

Brutal. Rest in power Jonathan Joss.

Was just coming here with the same news. Dang! "Jonathan Joss, the esteemed actor renowned for voicing John Redcorn in the beloved animated series "King of the Hill," was tragically shot and killed outside his home in San Antonio, Texas, on June 1, 2025."

I didn't hear about this, but I'm looking forward to it. Would love to see the characters aged into a whole new set of unique situations or Hank merged into his prototype, Tom Anderson, of the Bevis and Butthead universe. It would be hard to keep trucking along with no Dale and few other changes.

Band poster showing musicians playing with show time 9:30pm, date April 19th, and address 1800 W Division in Chicago. No cover.

This Saturday, if you're wandering Wicker Park looking for an iconic venue to watch a local band play lots of original music, we have just the joint!

Will do! I think this one might bring a few people out of the woodwork. Never know who might show up when you play a DeKalb show.

DeKalb, IL holds a special place in my heart as I lived there for 6 years and my bassist Christopher attended grad school at NIU. My band Stray Bolts is excited to return to DeKalb's Stage Left presented by Hometown Dekalb with our good friends Talk Grass Captains for a night of original music.

They made it close for playing a little flat for much of the game. His ball skills are impressive even if he weren't 6' 10". He and Giddy makes for a really long backcourt and both can pass, dribble, shoot, and finish at the rim. I like Matas' defense at times. Giddy is a bit of a work in progress.

He's beginning to look like a steal as the 11th overall pick. Great west coast road trip.

My Irish folk band Ar Ais Aris played at the Galena IL Center for the Arts over St. Patrick's Day weekend. Super hospitable venue and engaged audience. We couldn't have had a better time and hope to return some day. This video is from our grand finale, The Wild Rover.

Sweet is easier for me to deal with in small sizes.

In 2025, corporate America is diving headfirst into modern segregation, hiding behind “business decisions” while actively dismantling inclusion. Jim Crow didn’t disappear—it got a corporate rebrand. Discrimination isn’t just tolerated; it’s now a selling point. And too many are fine with it.

Is that Lucia Micarelli?

This is a snippet of my band Stray Bolts' 2025 semi-acoustic entry into NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. Love is Just a Game We Play was written by Al Camus and the Stray Bolts and videoed in February in Brookfield IL. #tinydesk #tinydeskconcert #tinydeskcontest #npr #nprtinydeskconcert

A little snippet of the Irish band I'm in, Ar Ais Aris' 2024 St. Patrick's Day set from The (now defunct) OuttaSpace. We had recently started playing the song As I Roved Out so any help we received from the audience during the refrain was much appreciated. OuttaSpace was a great venue in Berwyn IL.

He's much better than he was when he joined the Bulls thanks to playing alongside guys like Caruso and Ball. He's a great athlete, but he doesn't have that defensive vision/6th sense to put himself in position to be very disruptive on that side of the court. He tries. D is not his strength though.

A clip from our fall show at @robertswestside.bsky.social in Forest Park. The show was in support of Stray Bolts first album, and the song, It's So Easy, is slated for a future release. A+ venue with great sound and a great variety of musical styles.

Love Sick 7:21:2021 Stream Love Sick 7:21:2021 by Stray Bolts on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.

m.soundcloud.com/user-2810369... Came across a 2021 performance of our band playing Bob Dylan's Love Sick (Time Out of Mind). Great song and fun to play too!