Shelter From The Scroll V4: Never Been to Spain
"But I kinda like the music..."
Kickin’ It Off: Welcome back for Week 4! Appreciate everyone’s continued support especially those who have monetarily supported. Holy hell! That’s amazing. With that said, I have had a few requests for merch and hope to have that in the coming weeks. If you’d buy a hat or a t-shirt, let me know.
A fun weekend ahead! We are going to Soccer Mommy at Thalia Hall tonight and Bulls vs. Warriors this weekend (Butler’s first game with Warriors, oh my!). I’ve don’t think I’ve ever seen Steph Curry IRL so excited to knock that off my list. Of course, the Super Bowl on Sunday night. Go Birds but SKOL Vikes! You see Kevin O’Connell is Coach of the Year? Very happy the Vikings coaching staff didn't get too dismantled during the coach hiring spree. Also had a very fun week of Timberwolves basketball. Up to 6th place in the Western Conference, ANT MAN is on fire with back-to-back 40+ games and trash talking more than ever. All with Randle and DiVenchenzo out. Luka to the Lakers is INSANE. Doubting his conditioning before he hits his prime (or at least the NBA average) seems like such a bad bet for someone who at least publicly has been so loyal and dedicated to the Mavs. Might be an all-time bad trade in sports history. He crushed my Timberwolves heart last year to make the Finals but I’ve always been a Luka fan. Unfortunately for me, looks like he’ll be in conference for quite some time.
Also – we’re officially headed to The Sphere in March for Dead & Co.! So please send me your Vegas favorites! I love hearing about everyone’s favorite food, bars, hidden gems, etc.
Thanks again! See you next week on Valentine’s Day!
THE WEEKLY RUNDOWN:
RANDOM THOUGHTS & THINGS:
Super Bowl & WM Phoenix Open: I don’t know what I’m hoping for more this weekend. The Eagles to stop the Chiefs in the Super Bowl or another hole-in-one at the biggest party in sports – the 16th hole at WM Phoenix Open. One of the best things in sports. It’s happened 11 times on Hole 16 since the tournament’s inception in 1987. We’ll see how rowdy they get this year! Also great to see “the beer guys” get a standing ovation for their arrival this AM.
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child: Sadly, my live theater resume is tragically low. I’d really love to see more. Anyway, I’m happily dating a Potterhead and we jumped at the chance to see this live theater production during its very short stint in Chicago. I was totally blown away by the level of production, technology, etc. I’m fuzzy on my Harry Potter characters and storylines but it was easy enough to follow this plot that occurs nineteen years after the events of Rowling's novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. AKA Harry is now a father with a son at Hogwarts. Sidenote, the show as James M. Nederlander Theatre. Beautiful theater but I was even more impressed by their staff who verbally marshalled thousands of people (and a lot of kids) in and out of the bathrooms and to the bars for refills in under 20 mins. Bravo!
Francois Frankie: We went to this ‘American Brasserie & Carousel Bar’ before the show for some dinner and drinks. We walked in and were slightly disappointed to see the carousel not moving. Regardless we sat down, ordered some drinks and jumped into conversation. About 15 mins later, Maddie looked startled. I also jumped. We both noticed the carousel was indeed moving and we had rotated 90 degrees from where we sat down. Turns out a full rotation takes an hour and five minutes. After you notice the pace, it’s much more noticeable and fun! The burger gets high praise on local lists but I was so-so on it. The drinks were solid. Overall I give it a 3.8 out of 5.
Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night (off the 1971 album Harmony): Do you ever stumble on an old classic and it just absolutely blows your mind? We were watching the final scenes of S1 of Tulsa King the other day and no spoilers –one of the characters performs a cover in a honky tonk. It’s performed by singer-songwriter Garret Hedlund (Minnesota native!) who unknowingly to me has a following. It’s cool series creator Taylor Sheridan puts real musicians into his cast, for example Lainey Willson and Ryan Bingham. Anyway, I went and listened to the original track again and was totally blown away. I had heard it many times before but not sure when or where last (it’s a hit obviously with 71+ Millions streams). I fell down the rabbit hole of cool covers, the song’s history and oddly relatable lyrics to me. It’s all about the fun mystery of overseas places but maybe heaven is truly at home. I’m officially putting this into my personal Top 100 Favorite Songs of All Time (full playlist in the works). I will be ripping this on TouchTunes across the city soon enough! Finally this 1972 live performance on The David Frost show is pretty cool.
Some of the covers I found are linked below in order of cool:
Sunset Oil Mini Mart: Is this the hottest trucker hat out there right now? Some of these OTTO stock hats are going to be pretty awkward for most people’s heads and some have some borderline paper thin material. But the graphic is literally what you hope for anytime you look at the apparel rack of a gas station on a road trip in the middle of nowhere. Or am I the only one that does that - ha! It’s a hidden gem. Anyway, I believe the backstory is this is an actual 24 hour gas station and mini-mart in West Hollywood so I imagine the who’s who of celebs and influencers have gone here to get late night munchies and gas. Spotted on Zach Bryan, Riley Hawk, Jared Leto, David Spade and dozens of influencers.
Rolex 24 @ Daytona: I talked about the Rolex 24 the other week and wanted to come back with the numbers! Pretty wild. Up 104% year over year. Up 33% on Peacock. 901K viewers for the three windows that aired.
Grammys Recap: I posted my lengthy list of Grammy predictions last week. I did OK! Nailed some but underestimated Beyonce. I’m an idiot. Overall I thought the show was pretty mid. Chappell, Sabrina Carpenter and Doechii were performance highlights. According to Variety, the numbers are in and the Grammys took in 15.4 Million Views, a roughly 9% decrease from 2024’s 16.9 million. Despite the star power of Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter etc. The Grammys seem to truly be disconnected with a big audience. They continue to be viewed as out of touch. Leftzetz breakdown is worth the read, I agree for the most part. Not looking good for The Oscars who have been on the decline but maybe the Wicked effect will help. Glad my folks Doechii, Sierra Ferrell, Kacey Musgraves and Billy Strings walked away winners.
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EYES BEYOND THE FEED: A collection of articles, news, blogs, social posts or other ramblings I’ve found interesting this week.
Launch of Apple Invites: I’ve been partial to apps like Partiful but it’s interesting to see Apple’s jump in the game here. Invites via text for me are so much better than some of the antiquated email platforms. I also love the added music feature of course!
Minimal Launching New Phone: Minimal Company's new E-Ink QWERTT phone lets you use apps like Spotify, in fact it takes full access to the Google Play Store. I certainly wouldn’t use this as my cell phone but I love the idea of having a device just for a few non-social media apps (or as they say addictive apps) like Spotify.
Netflix again said to have interest in U.S. F1 rights: With Drive To Survive announcing its comeback on March 7th, it seems like a natural next step to have the full broadcast airing its US rights on the same platform. F1 TV is a pretty great experience on mobile and tablet but sprinting over to ESPN for start time kind of screws me up on raceday and I always hate when they cut the post-race broadcast short for what’s next on ESPN or ESPN2.
Kendrick Lamar's Cash App Partnership Signals a Power Shift in Brand Marketing
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BLOWIN’ IN THE WINDY CITY: All things Chicago. Happenings, openings, news, announcements, music, food, drink and more. A weekly and endless celebration to the city that I love so much.
Consignment Lounge in Logan Square: Had an absolute blast at this neighborhood cocktail bar meets consignment shop. The cocktails were absolutely fantastic and we enjoyed multiple from our bartender Janna. I had an Old Fashioned, Manhattan and a “Toronto” which I had never had per Janna’s recommendation for me to stick with whiskey. Maddie had an espresso martini and. The place was totally slammed and we could only snag one seat from the bar. I didn’t mind standing, taking in the ambiance and vibe all while looking around at everything on the walls and in the display cases built into the bar. Check out their Instagram to see featured items for sale. There was just something really interesting about the couple next to us purchasing vintage earrings in the display case while the bartender called the owner to negotiate by phone. Wild stuff and cool place. Will be back.
Top 10 Best Beefs in Chicagoland Area: One of my favorite recent social media follows is @jimbo_dreams_of_beefs who recently aggregated Italian Beef scores from several Chicago food critics and influencers. Here’s the Top 10!
Caesar Perez, Pilsen’s master muralist, sees the world as a canvas via WGN: A really great piece about my pal CZR PRZ! I love his approach at crafting his own style vs perfecting a medium.
The Hottest New Restaurants in Chicago, February 2025 via Chicago Eater
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PLAYLIST PAT:
A collection of new music curated by genre, theme and/or mood curated and updated weekly-ish.
Pyramidion: The capstone, the apex, the tip, the top of the sonic pyramid. The best that 2025 music of all genres has to offer so far, updated weekly-ish. Full playlist linked here.
My favorite songs I added this week:
Dumb Feeling by Mei Semones: Wow! What a clever and beautiful way to influence jazz and indie. “The Girl From Ipanema” meets Neutral Milk Hotel.
Tweaker (Remix) by GELO ft. Lil Wayne: There is nothing better than Weezy F Baby yelling “REMIX BABY!” Is it the best Wayne verse ever? No. But this rap career opportunity for GELO aka. LiAngelo Ball (basketball player himself and middle brother to NBA-er’s Lonzo and LaMelo) is just a very fun concept. Plus the song is just so 2000s nostalgic. Here for it.
Blessed Out by UZ & SoloSam: SoloSam is one of my favorite rappers and it’s a bonus he calls Chicago home. Another great new track with his frequent collaborator and producer UZ. Also Sam’s a great follow on IG @SoloSam as he has a deep passion for the culinary space.
All Along The Stream: A jukebox of Jam, Funk, Bluegrass, Psychedelic, Rock, Blues, Americana, Retro Soul. All songs released in 2025. Full playlist linked here.
My favorite songs I added this week:
The Night Before by The Black Keys: The Key’s 2024 album Ohio Players was one of my sneaky favorites of last year (particularly the song “On The Game”). As I think about it, I’ve been a Black Keys fan for over 20 years now. I was obsessed with the album ‘Rubber Factory’ (2024) and its lead single “10AM Automatic”. They’ve really had a consistent 20 years and Dan Auerbach is one of the best producers of these past 20 years too. I had a chance to see them last summer at a random NASCAR event – they crashed. They just announced an incredible lineup on their upcoming tour as well. Openers are both seeing on their own both Hermanos Gutierrez and The Heavy Heavy. Anyway this is a killer groovy new single from their 13th album ‘No Rain, No Flower’s’ due out later this year.
La Danza De Los Mirlos by LA LOM: The LA trio are back with another great new single of guitar driven grooves influenced by 1950/60s Cumbia, afro-Cuban, country and more!
Country City: Cold beer. Warm nights. Neon lights. Whiskey wrongs. A collection of country songs. All from 2025 and lassoed together by this here, urban cowboy. I promise I have the boots and hats to match. From the flash of pop to the dust of red dirt. It’s all here! Full playlist linked here.
My favorite songs I added this week:
It’s The Little Things by Charles Wesley Godwin: Off the West Virginia native’s upcoming EP Lonely Mountain Time.
Live Lonely by Mason Ramsey feat. Harper Grace: The yodeling Wal-Mart kid has grown (now 18 y/o) into an incredible nostalgic infused artist with an absolutely massive voice. Putting all those grocery aisle hours to good use. Genuinely hope he makes it past the gimmick stigma. For what it’s worth he’s the youngest country artist signed to a major label in 2 decades (at 11 y/o).
11 Beers by Peco & the Rooftops: A great country rock band from Little Rock, AR that feels like they could have people hanging from the light fixtures by the end of their set.
Slow Dancing In A Burning Room by Riley Green: One of my favorite voices in mainstream country covering this John Mayer sleeper cut. Recorded for Spotify Singles.
My 5 TouchTunes Songs of the Week: Typically pulling from my Forever Relevant Spotify playlist that features over 1,800+ of my favorite songs and growing. Mind you, these are typically played in empty dive bars.
Never Been to Spain by Three Dog Night: As previously praised, I’ll be playing this in a dark tavern during dusk with an ice cold one real soon.
Ashely’s Roachclip by The Soul Searchers: Shazam’d this the other day at The Consignment Lounge in Chicago. Such an incredible song title and what a funky jam!
Venmo @Pwelbs to tip me in TouchTunes credits!
8 credits $4.99, 31 credits $14.99, 55 credits $24.99
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PATTY PILS:
Tangled Up In Brews: My weekly thoughts on beer, alcohol and beverage industry. Related articles or maybe just a cheers to a beer or three I had this week.
Chicago Brewers Fear Trump Tariffs Will Hit Canadian Suppliers: ‘I Can’t See Any Good For Us’
Lagunitas Tripling Marketing Spend in 2025, Looking to ‘reignite growth’ under new leadership
Cannabis drinks are becoming more popular. Here’s why. Via Washington Post
High Noon Vodka + Soda Hard Seltzer Introduces Two New Variety Packs
Absolut Releases New Lineup Of Ready-To-Drink Cocktail Classics
Jack Daniel’s owner to close barrel-making plant, cut more than 600 jobsJack Daniel’s owner to close barrel-making plant, cut more than 600 jobs
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BEYOND THE ALGORITHM: Content from creators I love alongside social channels for new creators I’ve discovered.
@ProjSports aka. Projection Sports: I absolutely love this X account that posts daily viewing grids for college sports (mainly football and basketball) on TV and streaming. Shows you when, where and how to watch across all platforms. It will be very handy come March Madness! They do a bunch of other nerdy bracketology, tournament data and Bowl game projections as well.
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MUSIC HANGER: Covering merch drops while highlighting the music artists and related news. Might slip in other merch from bars, booze and other fashion lines too.
Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Drive Teslas: Fuck Elon. Great nod to the Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson classic.
Seager Spring ‘25 Hat Collection: One of my favorite hat companies dropped their Spring 2025 collection! The quality, fit and designs do not miss for the price point.
Follow along at @MusicHangerHQ on IG. Updated when I can.
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Venmo @Pwelbs to gift me a hat or piece of merch!
“Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm”
My office is in the Francois Frankie building! I met Craig there once and also freaked out when I realized we had moved. So funny.