Breaking Bread with Benn Grim

Alex Williams is the owner of Blue Earth Compost in Hartford Connecticut. Blue Earth Compost is a food scrap collection service for residents, events and businesses in Connecticut. They will collect your scraps and deliver the finished product back to you 3 times a year all the while making the whole process clean and easy. Alex and I are joined by Know Good Market's own Jeff Deveraux. The three of us discuss the practice and benef...

Harley Carrara and Steve Karp are 2/4 of the Connecticut Hardcore/Punk band FTE or Front Towards Enemy. FTE was active throughout the 90's and played with other CTHC bands such as Hatebreed, Cornerstone, Fastbreak, Fine Line, Mindwar and Line of Fire. Harley, Steve and I talk about the Connecticut Hardcore scene in that era and we reminisce on some stories from that time. FTE has an upcoming show on Saturday January 12th at Cherry ...

Kane Gelaznik is a local multi-instrumentalist who is proficient in various genres of heavy/obscure music. Kane and I discuss music, life, Connecticut Hardcore, his musical projects and other weird and evil shit. Kane and I each share a paranormal story from our youth and then Kane tells us the secret to playing in multiple bands while working on multiple projects. Intro/Outro track: Unholy Vampiric Slaughter Sect - Let Light Give ...

Brett Maddux is an accomplished poet currently residing in Hartford's blooming West End. Brett is also the Author of BLACKBIRD, 4PM, a robust collection of over 50 poems available through whichiswhypress.com Brett and I sit down and discuss his beginnings in the Iowa hardcore/punk scene, our mutual love for our capital city and most importantly, his latest offering to the poetry gods. Brett recites a few poems from the book and in ...

Amla Mehta is a motivational speaker who at the age of 16 was diagnosed with Gyrate Atrophy. Gyrate Atrophy is a rare genetic eye condition in which the patient gradually loses his or her peripheral vision between the ages of 45 to 60. Only 200 people are diagnosed in the world. Amla speaks to me about her condition, being diagnosed at a young age, her hobbies, her experience as a helper and an empath and the speaking engagements a...

"Colonial Chris" is a marketing manager for a local greenhouse manufacturer that specializes in building greenhouses for marijuana grows. Chris and I talk medical marijuana, recreational marijuana, the state of Connecticut regarding those two topics, marijuana dispensaries and music. Chris and I switch gears and talk about our history as friends and our mutual love for Deafheaven. Intro/Outro track is a lost song by yours truly rec...

Keith Buckley is the frontman for the band Every Time I Die and he is the Author of his newest book, "Watch." I met up with Keith on the back of his bus at (the last) Warped Tour in Hartford CT a couple weeks back. Keith and I talk about the mid 90's hardcore scene, his new book, being a Warped Tour installation, bands today and what it takes to be a cool dad. "Watch" will be released to the public through RareBirdBooks.com this co...

The Hempsteadys are a ska, punk, rockish type of band that cannot be pigeon holed into any single genre. The Hempsteadys are comprised of 12 members but today I sit down with 4 of them, NME the Illest, Cody Freedom, Andrew Carey and John Logan. We talk about the roots and beginnings of The Hempsteadys, the other members of the band, their new video (that drops tomorrow August 1st), and their new album Séance! Séance! out on Telegra...

Aaron Butkus is is the founding father of the influential Connecticut Hardcore band Death Threat and is also a skilled pizza maker working in restaurants such as Roberta's in Brooklyn New York and Little City Pizza in Avon Connecticut. Aaron and I have been friends for close to 20 years and he has been a huge influence on my musical taste and lifestyle from a young age. Aaron and I reminisce back to the days of yorn when we didn't ...

Andrea Cortez of Tainted LLC, Mallory Mason of the YUP Network and Mike Marques of Arbor Light Studios are three key players in Hartford's thriving and vibrant art scene. I sit down with these three individuals to talk about the pros and cons of the term "Art District", the future of Hartford's beautiful Parkville section and the dangers of gentrification in our fair city. This podcast opens the much needed dialogue to answer the q...

Dimitrios Zaharidis and Chris Parrot are the two men behind the two cocktail bars, Highland Brass Company of Waterbury and Little River Restoratives of Hartford. I sit down with these two local cocktail heros and we chop it up good. We discuss all things cocktails, their influences in the industry, what it takes to stay on top of your cocktail game, the overall bar life and our mutual favorite Greek, John Tsipouras. We had an excel...

The Resistance is a crew comprised of four young Central Connecticut area Chefs. Xavier Santiago of Trattoria Toscana, Manchester CT, Sean Butler of Francesca's Wine Bar and Bistro, Collinsville CT, Mike Touranjoe of Max Tavern, Springfield MA, and Carlos Perez of 4 Eat and Drink, Farmington CT. These gentlemen walk me through their beginnings as chefs and what they aim to accomplish in the years to come. The Resistance are hosting...

Roy Riedl is a successful chef, restaurant owner and food truck proprietor. Ray and his lovely wife Heather run el Pollo Guapo and the Mercado food truck. el Pollo Guapo is known for their fresh and new take on rotisserie chicken and Mercado is defined as "Span-ish" tapas. Ray and I discuss what it takes to be an effective boss and team member. Roy and I get into his culinary roots and map out his ascent from line cook to small bus...

The 2018 Best of Hartford Magazine winners seemed a bit off when I perused the list this year. The deeper I got, the dumber it sounded, (like McDonald's winning best french fries) and I had a couple friends that contacted me and felt the same. On this episode of the podcast I partner up with 3 awesome and influential personalities that pretty much dominate the field in their prospective markets. Sarah McCoy from Story and Soil Coff...

Alaska is a Rapper from Brooklyn New York and Elsphinx is a Rapper from Albany. Both of these gentlemen are from the Pig Food Records camp based out of Albany. Alaska has a new album out with our other friend PJ Katz titled "He's the PJ I'm Alaska." We sat down and discussed all things Rap music and prepared ourselves for Alaska's record release party that was to take place that evening. We had many a laugh at the expense of other ...

Old Self is a rapper and teacher from Southern Connecticut. Old Self and I try to pinpoint the day we met, we discuss the secret rap FaceBook group that we make jokes in, we talk about music as professionals and being accountable for the youth and we also discuss the threshold of being politically correct in todays ever changing music scene. Old Self has an awesome video out on youtube titled "Word Art" and you can buy his album th...

Today I joined forces with three of my favorite women from the Connecticut food scene. Kristin Eddy is an accomplished pastry chef that works her culinary magic for such establishments as Millwright's, Cook and the Bear and Porron and Pina. Winter Caplanson is the mastermind, photographer and writer behind Connecticut Food and Farm Magazine. Carrie Carella is the Connecticut Cupcake Queen and founder/owner of Middletown's NoRA Cupc...