021: Jon Ims

There's a rich, often overlooked layer of American music history that wasn't recorded in famous studios but in the clubs, bars, and ballrooms of cities like Erie, Pennsylvania. The Erie Music History Podcast turns the volume up on that local scene, specifically from the 1960s through the 1980s. Host Chip Schell, a local musician himself and author of “9 Years Of Rock: The Story Of The Concerts At The Erie,” sits down with the artists who were actually on those stages. Each conversation is a deep dive into a specific time and place, pulling stories directly from the people who lived them. You'll hear firsthand accounts of the venues that have long since closed, the bands that packed them, and the nightlife that defined a generation in the region. This isn't just a nostalgic look back; it's an oral history project preserving the sounds and stories of a vibrant community. By focusing on interviews with the performers, the podcast captures the raw, unvarnished reality of what it was like to make a living-or just make a racket-in those decades. Tuning in feels like finding a box of old flyers and live tapes in a basement, each episode revealing another chapter of a collective history that shaped the area's cultural identity. For anyone interested in the grassroots of rock and roll or the social fabric of a Rust Belt city, this podcast offers a uniquely personal archive.