Good day, beautiful people!

I have a dark and disturbing secret that emerges every spring like some perverse bud from a scarred and paper-skinned tree. I don't open up about this publicly too often for reasons that will soon be obvious, but, we're all friends here, right? This is a "safe space" as the kids seem to need these days, right?

I trust you like a crooked doctor, so here it goes. Every Spring cycle of this incredible, extensible planet's journey I am filled with an insatiable desire to listen to the Grateful Dead. I know, I know. It's true and, while I'm not completely ashamed of it, it's not my proudest feature.

Now, let's be clear for one second: I skip all the Bobby Weir tracks. ALL of them. Well, all of them except "Burning Shore" and a periodic "Not Fade Away". I can't abide by Little Bobby Weir, I just can't. But Jerry Garcia? Jerry in his pre-heroine, mostly Pig Pen-era guitar sound, composition and vocal stylings, he's almost unmatchable in any genre. Emotional, soulful, heart-breaking and entirely unafraid to not resolve a guitar phrasing. The fuzzy old freak at his peak was a wholly American genius. Never mind what we've done to the valuation of the word "genius" in these post 9/11 days.

Don't believe me? Fine. Go find a live version of "Morning Dew" (the Europe '72 version will work just fine) or a "Stella Blue" from around '75 or '76 (try this one from the Orpheum Theatre in 1976) and, if you remain unmoved, we don't have to talk anymore.

Now, all of this is to say that I've found my annual warm-weather habit completely upended by the release of Marc Ribot's exquisite new solo release "Map of the Blue City". Marc Ribot is best known as Tom Waits' guitarist on such albums as "Rain Dogs", "Bone Machine" and "Frank's Wild Years", but he also has a hell of a pedigree in the early '80s New York art-rock scene. He even played guitar for Allen Ginsberg on one of Mr. Ginsberg's questionable attempts at musicality.

Ribot is a guitarist like no other. Mixing jazz, punk and classical latino stylings into a sound that reminds one of the better days of the 1970's while dumping us in a parallel world where there's no currency higher than raw human emotion. I can't get enough of this stuff. And, in case you're wondering, this has absolutely nothing to do with beer other than, perhaps, reminding us of one of the great side-effects of all the best inebriants: the art of conversation and the joy of sharing joys.

It's a beautiful day today. Why not put Marc Ribot's new album on your pocket surveillance device and ride your bike over to IBW Lodge #1 and enjoy a pop or two with friends new and strangers old? That's what I'm going to do just as soon as I finish my little tractate here.

Tickets are now on sale for the 4th Annual Father's Day Pig Roast. Hit up the eventbrite page to secure your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fathers-day-pig-roast-tickets-1369211972869

Just like last year, we have 2 seatings to make this as easy as possible on all involved. 1pm and 2:30pm will get you a good-sized pulled pork sandwich, 2 sides and a beer or a glass of wine from our friends at WineStyles. If you're on the wagon or whatever, you can also purchase a ticket that is a little cheaper and gets you a soda.

Tickets are limited, so I would strongly suggest you pick up your seating now rather than waiting for the last minute.

And, if you're buying these tickets for the Big Daddy in your life, why not get him the GREATEST FATHER'S DAY GIFT OF ALL TIME and purchase entry to our all grain brewing opportunity for Saturday, July 19th, BREW WITH THE BREWER? That's right, for an incredibly reasonable price you can come to IBW too early on a Saturday and make a batch of beer with our Head Brewer Brian Buckman. You'll get to help grain in and grain out, pitch yeast, add hops and you'll be able to pepper Bucky with no end of strange questions through out the day. For the price you also get Lunch, 2 "shift beers" at the end of the day and an IBW work shirt with your name embroidered on it.

Availability for this class is SUPER limited (12 people), so secure your spot now at https://www.ibw-chicago.com/cult-propoganda/saturday-july-19th-brew-with-the-brewer

This Sunday, June 8th we've got a very special event. We'll be screening "Charlie Louvin: Still Rattlin' the Devil's Cage" and we'll have the co-producer on hand for a Q&A. Here's a bit more info on the films:

"Charlie Louvin: Still Rattlin' the Devil's Cage celebrates the life and music of Country Music Hall of Fame legend Charlie Louvin. As one half of The Louvin Brothers in the 1950s, Charlie helped to create the close brother harmonies that were cited as inspiration by The Beatles, The Everly Brothers, and the Byrds. The film features interviews with Charlie, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Marty Stuart, and John McCrea from Cake"

We're putting a lot of effort into more FREE LIVE events at our little beer hovel and the past 2 weekends have been no exception. We've got bands performing all original music 6/14, 6/20, 6/27, 6/28. I'll send out another email with more details on that, but, long story short. Get ready for a full Summer scheduling of some of Chicago's better independent musical acts in Chicago's strangest brewery!

Oh, hey! Did I mention that GAY AGENDA is released? This year's batch is the best yet, I guarantee it! And you can also get your Gay Agenda shirts now after several years of us missing the mark on this merch monster. We've got t-shirts as well as men and women's tanks. Buy them here!

I'm super excited for Summer 2025!! Come play with us FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER.....

You can see all of our events on our event calendar at https://www.ibw-chicago.com/events

You can see what's currently on tap at IBW LODGE #1 at https://www.ibw-chicago.com/whats-on-tap