Scot and Jeff discuss the Dismemberment Plan with Peter Suderman. Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Peter Suderman. Suderman is the features editor at Reason magazine. He also writes the Substack Cocktails With Suderman, which is about making better cocktails at home. Find him online at Reason or @petersuderman on Twitter/X. Peter’s Music Pick:… Continue reading

In an interview that has been months in the making, your Political Beats hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) get the opportunity to spend a little more than an hour with the legendary Nick Lowe. The conversation begins with a discussion about his fantastic new album, Indoor Safari. The record is a collection of songs from EPs… Continue reading

Scot and Jeff discuss the most essential/necessary compilations. Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with . . . no guest at all! With Jeff moving his belongings to a new abode while also covering the RNC and DNC for National Review and Scot’s vacation schedule creating another hurdle, we felt it was time… Continue reading

Scot and Jeff discuss the second part of the band Yes’s career (1974-2024) with Brad Birzer. Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Brad Birzer. Brad is the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies and Professor of History at Hillsdale College. He is also the co-founder of and… Continue reading

Scot and Jeff discuss the first part of the band Yes’s career (1969-1973) with Brad Birzer. Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Brad Birzer. Brad is the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies and Professor of History at Hillsdale College. He is also the co-founder of… Continue reading

Scot and Jeff discuss Echo & the Bunnymen with Guy Denton. Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Guy Denton. Guy is the co-host of The Wrong Stuff with Matt Lewis, contributor to The Dispatch and National Review, and until recently took Jonah Goldberg’s guff over at The Remnant. Find him on Twitter/X . .… Continue reading

Scot and Jeff discuss Matthew Sweet with Joshua Treviño. Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Joshua Treviño. Joshua works and writes at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and spent the entire 1990s listening a lot to Matthew Sweet. Joshua’s Music Pick: Matthew SweetFor listeners of a certain age, just… Continue reading

Scot and Jeff discuss Boston with Tom Nichols. Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Tom Nichols. Tom is a staff writer at The Atlantic and author ofThe Death of Expertise: The Campaign against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters, with a new second edition out soon. Find him on X/Twitter… Continue reading

Scot and Jeff discuss the second part of the Kinks’s career (1969-1994) with Jay Cost. Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Jay Cost. Jay is the Gerald R. Ford senior non-resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of, most recently, James Madison: America’s First Politician. Find… Continue reading

Scot and Jeff discuss the first part of the Kinks’s career (1963-1968) with Jay Cost. Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Jay Cost. Jay is the Gerald R. Ford senior non-resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of, most recently, James Madison: America’s First Politician. Find… Continue reading