Welcome to Chicago

Homecoming. Acrimony. Reconciliation. MIDI drum solos. Chiropractics. Sam, Andy, and Winston put their legal disputes aside and reunite after a two-and-a-half year hiatus to celebrate the cursed album which inspired them to start the podcast.

We’re still doing it folks, though it’s certainly not easy. Winston becomes both a guest and a host for the first time—with the band Adeline Hotel stopping by the Zoom studio. We meet the band’s new Cetera - 23-year-old Jason Scheff - compare the band to the mid-’90s Bulls, and discuss how impossible it is to feel anything (about Chicago) anymore. Also: important information about Sam’s recent dental issues and Koebner! Andy plays Happy Man! The Stank is deputed! Yeah baby!

Sam, Andy, Winston, and Derleen return for their first quarantine-era episode with an inspirational all-star musical tribute, a mental health discussion, and a breakdown of Chicago's best-selling album of all time. Jeremy Larson (Pitchfork) stops by to talk about synth dads, Peter Cetera's Bauhaus T-shirt, Danny Seraphine vs. click tracks, and whether the world should be worried about WtC.

SEASON 3 Premiere. Music and sports writer extraordinaire Natalie Weiner joins the terrible trio to unpack Chicago's '80s comeback. Listen in on their discussion of the lecherous Bill Champlin (new Chicago member), Kenny Loggins' epic Chicago diss, the "Hole in the Ass Gang," women's softball, getting WtC cancelled, and more. Also: *crucial* new skin update from Sam! (Please do not tweet spoilers.)

Ho ho ho [trombone solo on ‘We Three Kings’]! It’s WtCs first ever holiday special, featuring the return of our friend Mark Richardson (music writer, editor, WSJ pop critic) and an interview with Corey Ali, the first Chicago super fan we’ve had on the show. We discuss Chicago’s new Xmas album, their guest spot in the Macy’s Day Parade, their second greatest hits collection, their dark web legacy (NSFW), and a lot more. At the end, we also take questions from our listeners and chat with our intern. Don't miss a minute!

To catch any hypothetical new listeners up to speed, the WtC crew and their guest Mark Richardson briefly attempt to summarize everything that has happened in the band's history prior to the release of "Chicago XV: Greatest Hits, Vol. II" — without referencing Wikipedia.

[APPLE/SOUNDCLOUD ESSENTIAL PODCAST EPISODE WARNING] For WtC's one-year anniversary (kind of), the boys relocate to Grady's Cold Brew's multi-tiered, 15,000-square-foot brewery in the Bronx to tape their most anticipated episode to date. The one and only Grady Laird, a.k.a. "Grady," joins to discuss the genesis of his independent cold brew business, shingles, Anna Wintour, Kenny Loggins, and Chicago's worst album so far. Fuck Welcometochica2! www.gradyscoldbrew.com

On this special deluxe edition of WtC, the Terrible Trio talks disco, Pitbull and Demon Dogs with the inimitable David Drake (@somanyshrimp). Also: Andy and Derl collaborate, Danny Seraphine faces off with his (more) evil doppelganger, Donnie Dacus makes a desperate ploy for attention, and an unwelcome stranger called P.C. Moblee wreaks havoc. It’s the action-packed deluxe 13th episode of Welcome to Chicago - “Hot Licks” edition Part II of II.

Season 2 Premiere. Andy, Sam, Winston, and special guest Hazel Cills (pop culture reporter at Jezebel) wade into the post-Kath era. Chicago hire a new member - Donnie "Hot Licks" Dacus - and wild out in Miami. Danny Seraphine’s ties to the Outfit catch up with him. The stank reaches Chernobyl-esque levels. Sam controls his rage with the help of a new sponsor. Winston finds an unexpected collaborator. Brooklyn's Homeslice makes an overture. -- "Andy Da Bass Slappa" - https://gofile.io/?c=xH8KWk

Welcome to Chicago breaks from its regular format to bring you a scripted special presentation—a harrowing true-crime saga that Horn Section members won’t soon forget. On January 23. 1978, Chicago’s lead guitarist and singer, Terry Kath, accidentally shot himself in the home of roadie Don Johnson. But…is there such a thing as an “accident”? How does this tragedy relate to the alleged relationship between Terry Kath and Jimi Hendrix, or the ongoing conflict between Kath and Peter Cetera? And why did a mysterious hater Twitter account appear just in time to derail WtC’s investigation?

Welcome to Chicago's musical tribute to their favorite beverage, written in the style of Chicago's Peter Cetera. *NEWLY REMASTERED* Art by Taylor Berman (business manager)

Noted writer/biz expert David Turner joins the WtC cabal to analyze 'Chicago XI,' the last LP of the Kath era and the first Chicago album to feature a song with 'Chicago' in the title. Andy plays the Happy Man. Tim G. calls in for an episode of 'Tim's Take.' Plus: Robert Lamm earns his cop reputation, eerie premonitions in Danny Seraphine's songwriting, and the latest on Winston's troubling Grady's abuse.

The core trio breaks down the record that yielded Chicago's first No. 1 hit...and almost broke up the band. The team collaborates on a polarizing new theme song and contemplates the future. Sam introduces the Happy Man segment, in which a rotating member of the team is forced to defend the band. Plus: Pank on cocaine, the last of the Grady's, Todd Rundgren's love of iPads, a very special episode of Stank Alert, and much more!

Don't call it a clip show! On this very special episode of 'Welcome to Chicago,' the incomparable Mark Richardson joins the WtC gang to rank every track on a Chicago album he actually listens to for pleasure. We workshop our possible theme song, discuss our progress personally over the course of the podcast, and rate life itself. Was it the Fourth of July or not? Who can say?

The one and only Ryley Walker joins the WtC crew to discuss Chicago's legacy in the city of Chicago, their mob connections, Harry Truman’s presidency, and much more. Also: the crew workshops a potential theme song.

You may be surprised about the WtC hosts'(the Horn Section's?)feelings about 'Chicago VII,' another genre-bending whirlwind of a double album. Is Walter Parazaider as good as Coltrane? The crew talks to writer/editor Alfred Soto about Peter Cetera's pop chops and why Chicago's arrangements remind him of Michael Bay. Sam asks a favor from the fans. Powered by Grady's Cold Brew and Bruce Cost Ginger Ale.

Writer Maggie Serota joins the WtC boys to discuss whether Chicago is Reel Big Fish meets the Eagles and explore the parallelism between the careers of Chicago and Ministry. Plus: Willie Nelson, 'Chicago in the Rockies,' Danny Seraphine's sex addiction, and a whole lot more. Thanks to Grady's Cold Brew(tm) for powering this deluxe episode!

The terrible trio returns to answer the question: What's worse, Sam's case of shingles or Chicago's #1 album 'Chicago V'? We talk about what kind of pranks we think Chicago got into while touring, whether 'Saturday in the Park' is the best or worst song ever, and take a call from Pittsburgh's preeminent Kath-head Tim Good.

The WtC crew takes the show to the Brooklyn Academy of Music to talk about Chicago's four-disc live album, which was taped over a week of show at Carnegie Hall in 1971. Corban Goble and Maddie Davies join the gang to talk acoustics, jamming, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and everything Pank. The gang also takes a call from first-wave Chicago fan Gene Caprioglio about his experiences seeing Chicago live in NYC the 1970s with Bruce Springsteen opening.

In the newest episode of WtC, listen to Andy, Sam, and Winston compare Chicago to The Beatles, Neil Young, Tori Amos, Herbie Mann, Phish, and more. The gang’s reviews of Chicago’s haphazard, coke-fueled jamfest and third double album in a row may shock some listeners!

Andy, Sam, and Winston explore Chicago's slightly less bloated second album and commercial breakthrough, featuring suites and hits out the waz. Terry Kath explores his softer side. Andy comes clean about a crucial detail of his Chicago fandom he kept from the group last episode.

Hosts Winston Cook-Wilson, Andy Cush, and Sam Sodomsky begin their journey through the entire discography of the band Chicago with a discussion of the band's roots and their 1969 debut double-album 'Chicago Transit Authority.'