Featured Guests
Jonny Fritz
Jonny Fritz – a veteran of 15 years as a touring musician. Born in Missoula, Montana and raised in Esmont, Virginia. A near perfect blend of country and western, yet impossible to know what to call it or do with it. Jonny calls it Dad Country; a theme park tailor made for dad’s. That’s his genre (so he says) and if that makes sense to you then you ought to have your head checked. The guy does it all. He is a famed leatherworker known for covering household items in hand- tooled leather (from microwaves and coffee grinders to telecasters). He’s made guitar straps for all your favorite bands and he even co-wrote the hit song All Your Favorite Bands (with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes). Currently residing in the foothills of Los Angeles, he hasn’t toured much in the past few years since focusing on selling houses and raising his daughter. He’s branded himself as L.A.’s Only RealtorTM and has become quite successful at selling multi-million dollar properties to the stars. Not to mention he’s the Music Director of a boutique music venue in Sonoma County, CA called Little Saint that has garnered some major headlines for their surprise shows featuring the likes of boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers, Rufus Wainwright, Hiss Golden Messenger, Lavender Country and so many more. There’s a special freakiness Fritz brings to whatever he does. Selling real estate, running marathons, songwriting, or leather-working. It somehow all makes sense once you learn to make sense of it. Catch this delicate flower the next time you smell him coming! You won’t want to miss out on your chance to see him do his thing.
Sabine McCalla*
Sabine McCalla creates her own version of multi-cultural American roots music with Don't Call Me Baby. Produced by Sam Doores of the Deslondes, it's a debut album that crosses borderlines, pulling everything from Brazilian samba to southern soul to British rock & roll into its orbit. Sabine filters those influences through the lens of her Haitian heritage and her music community of New Orleans, with more than a dozen local musicians contributing to the album's diverse sound. From the Caribbean grooves of "Anything Without You" to the raw rock & roll of "Louisiana Hound Dog," Don't Call Me Baby celebrates not only a longtime artist whose first EP earned her a slot at the Newport Folk Festival, but an entire musical community, as well. Already a celebrated figure in New Orleans' Americana scene, Sabine McCalla reaches beyond with Don't Call Me Baby, building a bridge between the world-spanning sounds that have captured her attention.
*will not be performing in Milwaukee
The Cast
Andrew Sa
Our co-host Andrew Sa has earned the title of Chicago’s premiere queer country crooner. Sa’s career has always been rooted in songwriting that highlights his easy and elegant voice, but when he met mentor and pioneer Patrick Hagerty of Lavender Country, his “Lonesome Andrew” persona was born. Diving headfirst into the catalogs of Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, and other classic songwriters that defined his adolescence as the child of a Karaoke Jockey, Sa easily slipped into this new but familiar persona. It wasn’t long before all of Chicago was seeking out his voice.
Sa quickly became the star of the touring revue Cosmic Country Showcase, an instant smash hit camp-country revue based out of Chicago. The city provided two important collaborators for Andrew, One of those was Kelly Hogan (Mavis Staples, Neko Case). Hogan instantly recognized Sa’s abilities and quickly the two were booking gigs across the city as a duo. The young and talented Liam Kazar (Jeff Tweedy, Sam Evian, Kevin Morby) also recruited Sa for a duet on his debut album Due North. Sa also created a stunning film, Andrew in Anotherland, which was a celebration of Chicago’s many voices that accompanied a live revue at the prestigious public amphitheater Millennium Park.
In 2026 Andrew Sa will be welcoming new debut solo album.
Mary Williamson
Our Queen of Chaos and co-host Mary Williamson is an actor, writer, and visual artist who is proud to call Chicago home. Her work often focuses on themes of gender, sexuality, body, horror, and humor. She is a founding member and former Creative Director of The Inconvenience, the host and writer of The Fly Honey Show, a regular contributor to Salonathon, and she has worked with dozens of theater companies in the city. She graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University with a BFA in acting and her work as both a performer and gore designer has been nominated for awards by Jeff Awards, Time Out Chicago, and Broadway World. Recent theater credits include: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Gynecologic Oncology Unit... (Route 66), Sender (A Red Orchid Theatre), Tony Kushner Contemplates Writing a Gay Fantasia Based On National Themes (Goodman Theatre), and Three Sisters (The Hypocrites). TV and Film credits include: Chicago PD, Bobby and Iza, Shrink, Rideshare, and Holy Trinity.
The Flying Objects
The house band for the evening, The Flying Objects tackle the hippest of twang to the occasional pop curveball thrown in by some character. The band features creators Dorian Gehring (guitar, pedal steel, fiddle) and Sully Davis (bass) as well as songwriter and performer Sarah Weddle (drums).