Bending Brains

#58 - Aaron Paulsen

Aaron Paulsen is a 20 year old content creator and musician. His content consists of comedic skits, in which he plays different characters, composes original music, as well as  incorporating his “one man band” style , in which multiple instruments are played at the same time. He first started making videos at 18 and has since then amassed over 350+ million views on all of his platforms.

#57 - Julia Hegan

Julia Hagen is a Chicago based painter with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She creates urban landscapes with a colorful twist, portraying the mood of the place in both a realistic and whimsical way. She often toes the line between representational and imaginative, but always prioritizes the glow that nostalgia leaves. 

#56 - Spencer McCreary

Spencer McCreary is a York, Pennsylvania based singer-songwriter who has fronted and founded the bands ‘Cardinal Harbor’ and ‘Public Disco Porch’. The latter being the most current project with a 2022 LP release of ‘Have A Great Life’. Check out the band’s music at the link below: www.publicdiscoporch.com”

#55 - DZ Fest

Eddie Hokinson (Manager D) and Matt Bauer (Manager Z) sit down to talk about 10 years of DZ Fest in Hickory Hills, IL. For 10 years Eddie and Matt helped to grow DZ Fest. They took on the responsibility that very few could do or even understand. They are saints amongst men.  

#54 - Richard Reed Parry & Susie Ibarra

Richard Reed Parry is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, best known as a core member of the Grammy Award-winning indie rock band Arcade Fire, where he plays a wide variety of instruments, often switching between guitar, double bass, drums, celesta, keyboards, and accordion. His new collaborative album "Heart and Breath: Rhythm and Tone Fields" 

Susie Ibarra s a contemporary composer and percussionist who has worked and recorded with jazz, classical, world, and indigenous musicians. One of SPIN's "100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music," she is known for her work as a performer in avant-garde, jazz, world, and new music. As a composer, Ibarra incorporates diverse styles and the influences of Philippine Kulintang, jazz, classical, poetry, musical theater, opera, and electronic music. Ibarra remains active as a composer, performer, educator, and documentary filmmaker in the U.S., Philippines, and internationally.

#53 - Priya Shah

Priya Shah is triggering social consciousness to challenge barriers and empower communities from the inside out.  As a Chicago creative and entrepreneur, she has built a network of artists and collaborators dedicated to igniting social awareness and change through art and imagination. Shah began volunteering in developing countries at a young age, which inspired her to fill the gap between business and the social sector. She went on to earn degrees in both Accounting & Finance from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, using her studies as an opportunity to deepen her understanding of diverse cultures and perspectives through international travel. After graduating she went on to work at Big Four Accounting firm, Ernst & Young, and finally Groupon, leading strategic planning in Operations. Shah's passion for art and travel has fueled her purpose to help better communities in Chicago and around the world. Through her experience, Shah has developed a unique perspective on humanity and believes it is her responsibility to engage communities in need. Her purpose took shape when she founded The Simple Good, a non-profit with the mission to connect the meaning of good from around the world, empowering youth to become positive activists through art and discussion.  By uniting communities under a universal truth, Shah hopes to bridge understanding across all walks of life in order to bring down obstacles separating us in working towards improving the lives of our children and in turn, our future. Outside of her work with The Simple Good, she aims to build the next generation of positive leaders as a Strategist for Obama Foundation Scholars in Chicago and continues to lead necessary global dialogue as a Legacy Fellow at the Ariane de Rothschild Foundation. Shah was nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30 and is also a speaker with the Peace is Loud Bureau who promotes female changemakers promoting peace around the world. You may spot her in a print ad or two as she spends her free time as a model, promoting inclusive and diverse representation, empowering others with each new opportunity. She is the co-author of the latest children’s book focused on representative literature called, ‘Sheroes of COVID-19’ and also the producer on the upcoming documentary, ‘Building Hope’, documenting the journey of spreading art and resilience from Chicago to East Africa.

#52 - Domeríe

Megan Myrie (Domeríe) is a creative entrepreneur from Chicago. She likes to use her creative abilities to support and shine light on other people’s creative abilities. This is especially true for her design company MGD LLC, in which she creates brands for creators. Her pursuit of music and modeling is more personal, however, she hopes to be a source of inspiration for people with an interest in creative careers. She believes that creators should be able to be successful doing what they love to do.

#51 - Aspen Noah

Aspen Noah may be a mental health technician from the north suburbs of Chicago but when he is done working long exhausting 16 hours shifts he transforms into a well talented, extremely creative music artist/songwriter. Aspen began writing music at the tender young age of 12, performing with the likes of Soulja Boy, Yung Jeezy, Young Money, Mike Posner, and more even garnering the attention of multiple major record labels but after an exciting run he decided to a break from music and started focusing on art and fashion. After a couple of years of recuperation Aspen picked back up the mic returning to the music world with a new flare and sound inspired by the art and fashion world. In search of a new music team to create with Aspen was introduced to to his good friend Gerald Lebinitz, as well as Greazy Wil an engineer who notably worked on Frank Oceans “Channel Orange”, together they all put their minds together to create the catchy lead single “Cocoa Bean” from Aspen’s debut EP PASTEL DREAMS. Noah’s debut project “PASTEL DREAMS” is releasing July 2022.

#50 - Mariah Colon

Mexican-American/ Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Mariah Colon was raised in Cicero, IL. and started her music career with just a keyboard and ukulele in her room. With diverse music inspiration from talented musicians in her family, Mariah incorporates the love of R&B and pop in expressing her day to day thoughts. Her first single "Roots" released in July of 2019. Since then, has released her debut EP "Roots by Propagation" in March of 2020 and continues to explore and experiment the expression within her sound.

#49 - DIY GRRL

Summer has spent the last decade as a Brand Strategist and Marketer, working in a variety of roles in some of the world’s best ad agencies and Fortune 100 companies. She currently works for an AI-based software company that is modernizing the construction industry. When she’s not working her 9-5 or running DIY GRRL you can find Summer spearheading The Monarch Club - East Humboldt Park’s Small Business Block Club, gardening, antique-ing, or grabbing a slice of pie from Spinning J. Summer lives in Humboldt Park with her husband and two dogs.