Episode Overview

In this episode of Car Con Carne, host James VanOsdol welcomes Meredith and Jon from the Chicago-based band Latter. Described as "equal parts art project and band," Latter delivers a sound that is jarring, experimental, and unapologetically intense. James talks with the duo about their integration into the local heavy music scene, and the raw, emotional alchemy that defines their creative process.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• The "Latter" Origin Story: How a "just for funsies" Instagram post and a mutual friend brought together a New Jersey transplant and the drummer from Beach Bunny to form this formidable duo.
• Songwriting as Catharsis: Meredith explains why her lyrics are fueled by raw emotion, channeling whatever she is "pissed off about"—from the state of the world to personal struggles—into the music.
• World-Building Through Visuals: A look at the band's cinematic approach, from rmusic videos to curated Pinterest mood boards for future releases.
• Left-Handed Synergy: A fun look at the "similar genes" and creative connection Meredith and Jon share as two left-handed musicians.
• What’s Next: Details on their Audiotree session dropping March 4th and their upcoming May tour supporting Faetooth

Featured Music & Mentions

• Album: My Body is My Sickness (2024)
• EP: What Lives Inside Me (2025)
• Key Tracks: "Bloodlines," "Expiration Date," “Callous,” and "I Don’t Owe You.”
• Local Ties: Shoutouts to The Empty Bottle, SubT, and their engineer Pete, the "King of Tones".

About the Guests

• Meredith: Vocals/Guitar. A sound artist and musician originally from New Jersey and Philadelphia who uses Latter as a vehicle to "exorcise demons".
• Jon: Drums/Bass. Known also for his work in Beach Bunny, Jon explores his love for heavy, propulsive music and experimental tones with Latter.

Sponsor Spotlight

This episode is brought to you by Exploding House Printing. Based in Hermosa, they specialize in screen printing, embroidery, and custom merch for bands and brands. Visit explodinghouseprinting.com for a quote.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Car Con Carne, James VanOsdol welcomes James Beard Award-winning food writer Mike Gebert to discuss his ambitious new book, The Chicago Way: An Oral History of Chicago Dining.

The conversation explores the evolution of Chicago’s culinary identity, from the high-stakes "Mad Men" era of the 1960s to the modern, diverse food scene of 2026.

Key Highlights:

• The Evolution of Chicago Dining: Gebert explains how he tracked the city’s change through its restaurants, starting with the formal, male-dominated French dining scene and moving through the neighborhoods that restaurants helped put on the map.

• Legendary Personalities: The episode dives into the "outsized personalities" of Chicago’s most famous chefs, including:

  • Charlie Trotter: Discussion of his complicated legacy, intense kitchen culture, and the "PTSD" some former staff still carry.

  • Louis Szathmary: The story of Chicago's first celebrity chef at The Bakery and his surprising connection to Stouffer’s spinach souffle.

  • Rick Bayless and Tony Mantuano: How they acted as the "anti-Trotters" by fostering reasonable workplaces and focusing on local produce and peasant cuisines.

• Neighborhood Transformations: Gebert and James discuss how dining pioneered areas like River North (thanks to Gordon Sinclair and developer Al Friedman) and the ongoing gentrification patterns in neighborhoods like Rogers Park and Bronzeville.

• The "Chicago Way" of Dining: Mike defines the city's unique dining spirit as a blend of high-end artistry and blue-collar work ethic—where even at the finest restaurants, the goal is for the experience to be unpretentious and, above all, fun.

Car Con Carne is sponsored by Exploding House Printing.

Exploding House Printing is here for all of your screen printing, embroidery and other merchandising needs. They’re local, headquartered in the heart of Hermosa, and their focus is on small businesses, bands, brands, and everything in between.

Jonathan at Exploding House has been doing screen printing for decades. He knows what he’s doing - besides his technical expertise, he delivers production efficiency and cost awareness to offer boutique print shop quality at much lower, large print shop prices.

Check out their work on Instagram at (at)explodinghouse, or check out their site at exploding house printing dot com for a quote, or to see a list of some of their clients.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In advance of their show at Cobra Lounge on Sunday, 2/21, I’m joined by members of the Effigies and the Evictions at Cobra! Paul, Steve, and Andy from the Effigies and Johnny from the Evictions jumped in the car to preview the show and talk about the long history of Chicago music and punk.

We also were treated to new items from Cobra’s pizza menu, thanks to Chef Jason:

Dragged Through the Garden - poppy seed crust, sliced hot dogs, onion, sport peppers, dill pickles, green relish, mustard and celery salt

Louie’s Pizza - Pepperoni, giardiniera, and calabrian chili oil

Both pizzas were spectacular, but I think the hot dog pizza was really something extra special.

See you at Cobra on Saturday! Apologies for not also having the Bollweevils on this episode - looks like I’ll have to have Daryl on again soon.

Cobra Lounge (235 N. Ashland) - Saturday 2/21 - Effigies, Bollweevils, Evictions

Car Con Carne is sponsored by Exploding House Printing.

Exploding House Printing is here for all of your screen printing, embroidery and other merchandising needs. They’re local, headquartered in the heart of Hermosa. Here’s why I want you to consider them for your t-shirts, merch, whatever - their focus is on small businesses, bands, brands, and everything in between. They’ve worked on products for Meat Wave, Empty Bottle, the Music Box, Dante’s Pizzeria, the Brokedowns, and the list goes on and on.

Jonathan at Exploding House has been doing screen printing for decades. He knows what he’s doing - besides his technical expertise, he delivers production efficiency and cost awareness to offer boutique print shop quality at much lower, large print shop prices.

Check out their work on Instagram at (at)explodinghouse, or check out their site at exploding house printing dot com for a quote, or to see a list of some of their clients

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.